Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the cinema, along comes another shark thriller in the form of The Shallows. Ever since Steven Spielberg gave us the summer blockbuster with Jaws in 1975, great white sharks have been given something of a bad reputation by Hollywood filmmakers. The success of Jaws…
A whodunnit like you have never seen. That is the domain of three hapless private investigators out to solve a murder mystery. Film noir blended with slapstick, burlesque and circus, Dumtectives is highly creative, very clever, decidedly funny and deliciously rude. Much is performed with a minimum of dialogue, save for a few well worded musical numbers,…
First up, a confession. I am not sure I really understood The Selkie Project. The whole thing felt experimental and somewhat repetitive, even though it only ran for one hour and 10 minutes. It is based around an ancient myth, whereby a seal-like creature removes her skin to take on human form and taste the…
In this age of remakes, re-boots and re-imaginings, finding an original story on the big screen can be a hard ask. But if you find yourself craving something out-of-the-box; something that doesn’t feel like it’s been done a thousand times before, you should seek out Captain Fantastic. The writer and director of this road movie…
Musicals about serial killers may be thin on the ground because the subject matter is odious, but like Sweeney Todd, American Psycho: A Musical Thriller packs punch. Reflecting on the materialistic and unchecked male power, See You Sunday’s darkly comedic production is strikingly good. Conor Beaumont is a standout in the lead, bringing arrogance, entitlement…
Bullying and racism are not acceptable in any environment and yet the schoolyard can be a hotbed of discontent. So it is for 15-year-old Lucy Lam (Ngoc Phan), the daughter of hard working parents who emigrated from Vietnam. She is the recipient of the inaugural Equal Access Scholarship to a prestigious private school, where wealth is flaunted. It…
Based on the whimsical work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, known as Dr Seuss (2nd March 1904 – 24th September 1991), Old Carey Performing Arts Club’s (OCPAC) production is slick and sassy. It is lively, energetic and highly entertaining. Musical direction comes from Olivia Jackson and Julian Smith-Gard. There are many rousing up-tempo numbers in the…
A year ago I was totally captivated by The Illusionists 1903 and now the producers of that magic show have teamed up with the award-winning puppeteers from War Horse for Circus 1903. Again we are transported back in time, this time to the golden age of circus, and the sets, settings and costumes reflect that…
Political rivalry between church and state might seem like a dry subject for a movie, but writer-director Tarik Saleh turns into a compelling drama in Cairo Conspiracy. As well as directing episodes of Westworld and Ray Donovan, Saleh directed Chris Pine in the 2022 actioner The Contractor. So he knows his way around intrigue. Cairo…
Vivarium is a descent into madness. It did my head in. Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are a happy couple. They’re considering buying a house together. One day they wander into a shop displaying cardboard models of the same perfectly manicured home. A strange real estate salesman – Martin (Jonathan Aris) – implores…
