For someone who unashamedly struggles with Shakespeare (I never studied the Bard at school and find his language challenging), I was invested in Othello. I should add that my practice is never to read anything about a play before I see it. The reason – it must speak to me on its own merits. So,…
If you are in the mood for some light-hearted fun and hijinks, head for The National Theatre to see theatrical’s production of School of Rock. Debuting on Broadway in December 2015, it is based on the 2003 film, which was a hit for Jack Black, who played the most unlikely of teachers. The musical features…
Francois Marsault (Andre Dussollier) is a former military man. Now aged 75, he lives life on his terms. Married to Annie (Sabine Azema) since she was 19, they have three grown up children. The eldest, Amaury (Gael Giraudeau), has followed his father into the armed forces. At a family gathering to mark his mother’s birthday,…
The HSBC Spanish Film Festival presented by Palace is an annual celebration of film and culture from Spain and Latin America. The 2023 edition will be screening at Palace Cinemas around Australia, from this June to July. The festival is celebrating 25 years in 2023 and befitting such a milestone, will be presenting a thirty-two-film…
Four clean cut young lads who met at school in South Australia and were influenced by their music teacher, cabaret performer Michael Griffiths, have come a long way. Eleven years on, The 60 Four, as they are known, now tour Australia regularly and appear on cruise ships, playing hits of the ‘60s and ‘70s to…
The Tokyo Ballet’s romantic, tragic and haunting Giselle is spectacular. It looks and sounds magnificent. It is the story of a charming and naïve peasant girl with a weak heart, who attracts the attention of a woodsman, Hilarian and a count in disguise, Albrecht. Giselle falls for the latter, but humiliated, the former vows revenge. That comes when…
Legend certainly won’t be remembered as a brilliant gangster movie. You certainly can’t compare it with a gangster epos like The Godfather or The Untouchables. This film about the notorious Kray twins surely exhibits a successful retro look and shows how the brothers founded their business empire full of glamor and violence, and how it…
As local films like Storm Boy, Babe, Happy Feet and Red Dog have shown, the formula for making a successful family friendly film seems pretty simple. All you need is a cute, mischievous animal – preferably a dog – after all, dogs have been the main character in some great films over the years, from…
Seventies band The Eagles successfully blended country and rock and reached a massive audience. Of all of the members of the band though, Don Henley has had the most successful solo career, and given us hits like The Boys Of Summer. He has just released his first solo album of new material since 1989’s The…
Loneliness. Pain. Emotional connection. Desire. Sexual kinks. Consent. That is US writer Clare Barron’s Shhhh, which has its Australian premiere at Red Stitch Theatre. Bold, confronting and, on occasions, perplexing, it is a play that concerns itself with sexual assault, rape culture, mental and physical wellbeing, and the sisterhood. Playwright Shareen (Jessica Clarke), who suffers from a…
