Geostorm has to be one of the most ridiculous disaster movies in a pantheon of clunkers in the genre. Even the special effects are severely underwhelming. After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep…
Misbehaviour – as its name suggests – mixes activism with fun. Director Phillipa Lowthorpe crafts a crowd-pleasing film that delivers a (perhaps surprisingly) nuanced message. This is actually second film this month to look at the “women’s liberation” movement (after the Australian doco Brazen Hussies). The two clearly share some DNA. Both, for example, explore…
Lively, colourful and at times exhilarating, Bring It On, The Musical focuses on the competitive world of cheerleading. With music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and Miranda and book by Jeff Whitty, the Tony Award-nominated musical was inspired by the 2000 film of the same. On her last day of…
Snake Island, like other notable Australian mentions published in the last couple of years, straddles a literary space between dark drama and crime fiction. The term literary thriller has of late been used to describe such works. Acts of violence committed in small or otherwise closed communities offer rich opportunities for intensive explorations into what…
The Cornish contingent from Fisherman’s Friends (2019) are back to appreciate sea shanties anew in Fisherman’s Friends: One and All. The earlier film was about many local mates who were unexpectedly signed to an international record label and recorded a top 10 hit with their debut album. In the sequel Jim (James Purefoy) once again…
Ministry of Sound’s Orchestrated returns to Australia this December with The Strings of Life Tour. Joining some of Australia’s finest orchestras for this concert series will be guest vocalists Sam Sparro, Crystal Waters and Alison Limerick performing Orchestrated’s biggest shows to date. As a celebration of the most influential dancefloor moments of the past 25…
English comedian Ross Noble can’t help himself. He opens his mouth and out tumbles gag after gag … based on the simplest of things. The whole show looks and feels improvised … and the belly laughs are plentiful. He appears in front of eight inflatable, lit up Russian babushka dolls of varying sizes (for which he apologies…
Thought-provoking and confronting, Imperfect by Lee Kofman is the book I’ve been recommending to anyone who asks lately. Imperfect (clever cover design makes the title read I’m Perfect, sans apostrophe) skillfully weaves memoir with interviews in a compelling and heart-tugging way. The blurb reads: By the time she was eleven and living in the Soviet…
An endearing, entertaining, humorous and poignant narrative concert about finding comfort in your own skin, The Local Lesbians are a breath of fresh air. For 70 minutes without interval, they harmonise and drop anecdotes about the pitfalls and pleasures of coming out and being out. These are three talented women of strength and conviction, accompanied by a…
Godland was the centrepiece of the recent Scandinavian Film Festival, and now this slow moving but visually stunning Danish drama gains a cinematic release. The film is set in the frozen inhospitable wilds of Iceland in the 19th century. Lucas (Elliot Crossett Hove) is a young idealistic Lutheran priest who is sent to Iceland to…
