Non-indigenous Australians have often had a rather fraught relationship with the landscape of this continent. On one hand, its “boundless plains” offered a sense of opportunity; a chance to control the environment. But the land is also sometimes perceived as a wild place that can never be controlled. This led to a pervading sense of…
The most festive of the traditional Christmas family film offerings this year is Diney’s live action stunner, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. With writing credits including the original Nutcracker storyteller, ETA Hoffman and a score of whimsically re-arranged motifs from Tchaikovsky’s much-loved ballet of the same name, this new film adaptation is a little…
Bittersweet, comes this slapstick, but poignant tale of sisters looking to escape from their mundane small-town (Dumfordton, population 340 and falling) existence. To do so, with her school dropout, songwriting little sister Shannon’s (Alana Louise) undying support, 25-year-old Jodi (Sarah Palmieri) has her heart set on winning Simon Cowell’s the X-Factor. Shannon has a history…
Agatha Christie is the world’s best-selling author. Some 2 billion copies of her crime and mystery novels have been sold. She wrote 66 novels; 33 of which feature her famous creation, the arrogant but brilliant Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. Many of her books have been filmed to varying degrees of success, although apparently Christie herself…
One of the most anticipated films of last year was Rogue One, the latest stand alone film in the Star Wars franchise. While it doesn’t quite live up to the hype it is still a solid film that delivers plenty of action that won’t disappoint the die-hard fans of the series. This “stand alone” Star…
The filmmakers have dipped back into the well and reprised an iconic Australian character. I speak of Johnny Spitieri (aka Johnny Spit), played by David Wenham in Getting’ Square (2003). With a new story, Spit brings together several of the actors and key behind the scenes creatives from the movie released in the early noughties….
Can you be too white? That’s something one of the characters ponders in White Pearl, Anchuli Felicia King’s biting play set amongst the Asian cosmetics industry. It’s almost as if the character in question, Japanese woman Ruki (Mayu Iwasaki) feels it’s her fault that her skin is too white for it to have benefited from the…
Remember back to hazy, crazy days of the summer of 2008, when people were listening to folk music again, and we all fell in love with an indie act from Seattle that was leading the pack with their strong vocal harmonies and catch folk pop songs? Younger fans were intrigued with the new sounds that…
Latest figures in Australia, the US and the UK reveal that one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. So how do you create a movie on this topic that is watchable and relatable and enjoyable? That was the challenge confronting the filmmakers responsible for Miss You Already. This dramatic comedic romance…
Excellent pacing, a strong ensemble cast, a rich and attractive set and a ripping good whodunit are the hallmarks of this Agatha Christie masterpiece. Christie regarded it as her favourite of the 80 plus novels and plays she wrote. It was first published in the UK as a book titled Ten Little N*ggers in November…
