Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first created the fictitious character of Sherlock Holmes in 1887, he has become one of the most enduring and popular character in detective fiction. Holmes has become a staple of the big screen, where he has been played by the likes of Basil Rathbone (who gave us arguably the…
Sick of Masterchef? Over The Block? Can’t bear to think about the wave of reality TV coming our way in the next few weeks? Then UnREAL is for you. This scripted show (screening on on-demand provider Stan) takes a cynical look behind the scenes of a reality TV show that is absolutely, definitely not The…
I’ve never seen the TV series Dexter so the marketing pitch “Fans of Dexter will love Normal” doesn’t do much for me. I’m guessing it will for Dexter fans. All I knew to expect was an anti-hero who looks normal to outsiders, but believes it’s normal to hurt people … which most of us would…
Confronting. Intense. Excruciating. These three words describe one of the most remarkable, raw and minimalistic cinematic experiences. I am talking about a movie that deals with a divorce unlike any other you have seen. It is a courtroom drama with the look and feel of a play. The plaintiff is Viviane Amsalem, long married to…
The Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series once more brings out the “big guns” with an exhibition featuring over 400 works from the personal collection of Catherine the Great. Gathered over a 34-year period, Masterpieces from the Hermitage: The Legacy of Catherine the Great represents the foundation of the Hermitage’s collection and includes outstanding works from artists…
The Dapto Chaser is a new Australian play by Mary Rachel Brown. It was commissioned by Illawarra’s Merrigong Theatre Company, in 2011. Dapto, a suburb of Wollongong, has a ‘famous’ greyhound race track. The play concerns a family, the Sinclairs, and their greyhound connections, ambitions and dreams. Horse racing is known as the Sports of…
Long before Catherine Martin was stealing all the plaudits in Hollywood, another Australian, Orry-Kelly (31st December 1897 – 27th February 1964), had already blazed that trail. This is his story, told through interviews and commentary from an actor who plays Orry, as directed by Gillian Armstrong. During the boom years of Hollywood, Orry was costume…
Australian born filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell are certainly beginning to carve out a niche in Hollywood as purveyors of well crafted horror movies that have defined the genre over the past few years. They are best known as the creators of the gory Saw franchise and other formulaic scary films like Insidious and…
“I’m ashamed to say I knew nothing about him. I’d never heard of him,” confesses filmmaker Gillian Armstrong when talking about Orry-Kelly the Oscar winning costume designer who is the subject of her latest documentary film Women He’s Undressed. Kelly was born in the NSW town of Kiama in 1897, and made his reputation as…
Adapted from the bestselling novel by author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), this is centred on Quentin (Q) and his enigmatic neighbour Margo, who loved mysteries so much she became one. Quentin Jacobson is intelligent, a loyal mate and a romantic. He’s 17 and in his senior high school year. Q believes that…
