Natasha Lester’s A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald was one of my favourite reads of 2016. Her commitment to writing inspires me, so I was more than a little keen to read her next novel, Her Mother’s Secret. Here’s the blurb: 1918, England. Armistice Day should bring peace into Leonora’s life. Rather than secretly making cosmetics…
It’s interesting how often one book flows on to another, whether by theme, a place or a name. Plane crashes seem to be a theme this week, with Judy Blume’s In The Unlikely Event rounding out three books with that as the inspiration. This is the first book written for adults by Blume that I…
The full programme for the 2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival has been announced, with this year’s event featuring a stunning selection of box office hits and award-winning films plus family fun and anniversary celebrations. Sydney will be the first to experience la dolce vita from September 18 with Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Ballina,…
In the foyer, one is posed a question to consider before entering the Antigone theatre: “How do the unwritten laws of personal conscience survive when set against the laws of a society and a nation?” Something to ponder in 2016. Sophocles’ play Antigone, was written c. 441 BC in Athens. In it the sons of…
Trailblazing indigenous artist and outspoken provocateur Richard Bell is arguably one of our most important artists whose work has been exhibited internationally. But he is also confrontational and unapologetic in his opinions about Australia’s treatment of its First Nations people, and he also bemoans the fact that traditional Aboriginal art work and paintings have now…
Intrigue is the currency of merit in the intelligent, slow-moving drama, The Sense of an Ending. Tony Webster is semi-retired. The Internet and mobile phones are foreign to him. He potters around in his small shop which sells expensive second-hand cameras. Although long divorced from his lawyer wife, the pair remain on friendly speaking terms, especially…
– The Crime is Mine – Only in cinemas from 12 October 2023 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Vendetta Films. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE From master director, François Ozon, (8 Women, Swimming Pool, Potiche) comes The Crime is Mine, starring French superstars Isabelle Huppert and Dany Boon…
The gig economy has grown exponentially in recent years. So much so, concerns are now being forcefully voiced about its actual and potential dangers. Director Noah Hutton taps into those fears as he takes audiences on an intriguing and sometimes frightening journey into a digitised future in Lapsis. Lapsis has something in common with one…
In 1998, 70-year-old Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser was sued by the giant agricultural Monsanto company for “patent infringement”. That battle provides the source material for Clark Johnson’s film, Percy vs Goliath. Schmeiser grew canola crops on his property near the town of Bruno. Apparently some genetically modified canola seeds blew onto his crops and Schmeiser…
Every now and then we meet a literary villain who is both villain and victim. Meet Bella, a young woman who does not take kindly to being sidelined or left behind. You might recognize her. Someone who once worked in your office. Someone who once dated one of your friends. Someone you’d like never to…
