The Rules of Backyard Croquet by Sunni Overend captivated me with its fresh and sassy take on a familiar theme – a woman shaking off past baggage to shine bright. And shine bright Apple March did, as she emerges from a self-imposed cocoon to find new friendships, love, and her zest for what she’s best…
Author Danielle Hawkins won me over with Dinner at Rose’s, and kept me with Chocolate Cake for Breakfast. Here’s the blurb of her latest novel.: On the outskirts of a small New Zealand seaside town, Lia and her friend Anna work serious hours running their restored cafe. The busy season is just around the corner,…
One of the albums that got lost in the shuffle of new releases late in the fall that’s worthy of our attention was the return of the original Smoking Popes line-up on Into the Agony, the first full-length since 2011, and the first recording since the reunion with drummer Mike Felumlee who left the band…
With the successful Despicable Me franchise, new kids on the block, Illumination Studios, have rivalled animation giants Pixar and Dreamworks who once set the bar. The success of the Despicable Me franchise is largely due to the scene-stealing antics of the mischievous, diminutive and simple minded yellow creatures known as the minions, who talk in gibberish. The…
One of the brightest talents in television creates one of the most audacious series of the year with Maniac. That talent is Cory Joji Fukunaga, the mind behind the acclaimed first season of True Detective, has crafted an exquisitely mind-bending experience. Of course, it helps to have A-list actors Emma Stone and Jonah Hill in…
With more than a touch of Slumdog Millionaire about it, this is a funny, touching and unlikely tale of two mischievous brothers who live with their mother and grandmother in a Chennai slum. Their father is in jail, and although there are a couple of scenes in the movie between he and his wife, we…
The late, great Aretha Franklin was affectionately known as “the Queen of Soul”. She was one of the biggest selling female artists an topped the charts with a string of number one hits like “Respect”, “Think”, and “Spanish Harlem”. But in 1972 she took the radical step of returning to her roots and recorded an…
Based on a true story, Hive tells of the tragedy of the aftermath of the war in Kosovo in the late 1990s. Specifically it focuses on its impact on the village of Krusha e Madhe. The film follows one woman, Fahrije Hoti (Yllka Gashi). Her husband disappeared seven years earlier, leaving behind not only her,…
Very few stage productions can boast superlatives like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (‘Joseph’), now on at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre. From start to finish, this production is magnificent musically, colourful in its presentation, engaging in its staging and outstanding in its efficaciousness. First presented by Andrew-Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in 1968, Joseph loosely follows…
You can see the raw emotion; feel it; you can almost taste it in the reflective and haunting drama Leave No Trace. Some films mark the breakthrough role for an actor. I’m thinking, for instance, of Winter’s Bone for Jennifer Lawrence.That’s the case here for New Zealander Thomasin McKenzie, who is stupendous as a dutiful…
