Loki – Thor’s adopted brother and nemesis – has his sights set on becoming the supreme leader of Asgard and Earth in the action-adventure Marvel Universe Live! It pits Loki, Nebula and the forces of evil against Spider-Man, The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy. It is Dr Strange who takes to the stage (or, in…
Social media is a language. Those you speak it will appreciate the authenticity of the early scenes of Lewis Treston’s IRL, which sees 17-year-old Alexei (Will Bartolo), back and forthing in messenger conversation with his closeted internet crush Thaddeus (Byron Lankester Howells), complete with the awkwardness and overthinking insecurity the manifests itself in any such…
In the days before the pandemic (remember them?), hype swirled around Disney’s adaptation of Artemis Fowl, the much-loved YA novel by Eoin Colfer. Originally slated for a (northern) summer release, COVID-19 torpedoed those plans and Disney moved it straight to its new streaming platform, Disney +. In hindsight, that could have been a wise move….
Imagine if the world had all but come to an end and you were the last person left on Earth. Global warming has sparked a hellfire and only you survived – at least until now. Your demise is but days away. You are 33 years of age. Tortured images grip what little sleep you get. You continue to…
From The Hunger Games to Divergent, dystopian films aimed at tweens have made serious coin; so why wouldn’t producers keep pouring money into them? They follow a familiar storyline where youngsters are outcasts. And so to the latest incarnation, The Darkest Minds. Based on the popular YA novel by Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds starts…
The legendary, wholesome Dolly Parton with a mischievous streak is on show in the part musical, part play, part concert Here You Come Again. It is the conceit of the creator and star of the piece, Tricia Paoluccio, who has a magnificent, rich, rounded, Dolly Partonesque voice. Her vocalisation is superb throughout this fun-filled production….
In The Saturday Paper, author Charlotte Wood describes her latest novel, The Natural Way of Things, as a “sledgehammer”. “I like things that are subtle and elegant, but I’ve written a sledgehammer.” (The Saturday Paper, October 24, 2015) I can’t think of a better way to describe this novel. Reading Wood’s book was a visceral experience, creating tension…
At the risk of offending true believers, this is a church movie. It pivots around forgiveness. To the best of my knowledge, it was largely, if not entirely, funded from church resources. I dare say its key audience will be those of the faith, and ex-pat New Zealanders (it was made there, and is set…
An epic and intense tale of bravery in the lead up to and during the First World War, War Horse focuses on the trials and tribulations of a chestnut animal named Joey and on those who come into contact with him. When it was first performed on stage, in London in October 2007, War Horse…
Following his work on X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer takes the reigns again on X-Men: Apocalypse, in which the X-Men battle the original and most powerful mutant, known as Apocalypse. It was Singer who kicked off the successful X-Men franchise in 2000, followed by the blockbuster X2 in 2003. But back to the storyline…
