Can somebody really be so selfless? The documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbour? explores a remarkable figure I had previously heard nothing about. Fred Rogers led a singular life. He was a puppeteer, minister, musician and educator. He was also a father, husband and neighbour. The gently-spoken, cardigan-wearing minister dominated children’s television in the United…
The seemingly inexplicably-named Capricorn sees its action play out in the metaphoric fishbowl of a couple’s home…. or perhaps it is that we are in the water with them, as is suggested by teal-toned chair covers of audience seating at its world premiere in La Boite’s Roundhouse Theatre. It’s a confusion the perhaps sums up…
You need to know two things about Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. First, this is one of the most exquisitely produced and intelligent films you’ll ever see. Second, a key plot element is, well, bonkers. You’ll need to wrap your head around those apparently conflicting ideas to fully appreciate this film. Anderson is of course known…
Author Donald Horne coined the expression “the lucky country” in his 1964 book titled “The Lucky Country: Australia in the Sixties”. But whether you see us as a lucky country now (or in the past) depends upon your experiences and perceptions. And now to a musical of the same name, tackled with humour and heartache,…
Written by actor Damien Hill (Neighbours) and directed by Paul Ireland, Pawno is a gritty ensemble-driven slice of life drama and also a love letter to the suburb of Footscray and its multicultural nature and colourful inhabitants. It revolves around a seedy and cluttered pawn shop located in Barkly Street and the motley character who…
Friendly, oil-guzzling, slug-like monsters from the deep with octopus-like tentacles, and which can instinctively sniff good over evil – if you are a true believer, that is what confronts you in the family film, Monster Trucks. Teenage loner Tripp (Lucas Till) has always dreamed of escaping his confined life in a sleepy North Dakota town….
Journey’s End The true horrors of war feature in the somber WWI film, Journey’s End. The movies tells the story of a company led by the war-weary Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin), waiting to take its turn in the front-line trenches in northern France. A German offensive is imminent and the officers (played by Paul Bettany,…
What better way to celebrate 100 years of putting smiles on faces from the ultimate dream factory than to bring a cavalcade of their timeless stories to life … on ice? I was fortunate enough to see the first Melbourne performance of Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic and I assure you that…
With backing from Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams (the man responsible for the huge global hit “Happy”), this is one of the season’s hot new movies. It was a critical hit and audience favourite at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and an official selection at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight. DOPE centres…
“There’s nothing original about the skeleton of Honour, the play” says its writer Joanna Murray-Smith. I would agree. Its subject has been tackled over and over – in film, theatre and book form – for centuries. It goes like this: Ageing male in long term marriage is seduced by young and exciting vixen. He leaves…
