Disgraced is the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning play by Ayad Akhtar. This is the typical well made American play that I talked about in my entry about The Whale. A small cast of five in a single setting with a subtly disguised exposition that introduces the protagonists with their differences and backgrounds. Emily (Sophie Ross),…
In the opening scene of Fatima, a scared 10-year-old girl has a vision that would shape the course of her life. That was in 1917, shortly after Portugal had become a Republic and turned anti-clerical. Next, the film cuts to a convent in the city of Coimbra in 1989. That girl, now an ageing nun…
In 1613 William Shakespeare (played in All is True by Kenneth Branagh) was the most famous writer in England. But then his beloved Globe Theatre burned to the ground during a performance of his final play Henry VIII after a prop misfired. Shakespeare retired following that disaster and returned home to Stratford-upon-Avon. There he pottered…
Fifteen years ago, Robert Randolph and his Family Band burst into rock music consciousness with Live at the Wetlands — a concert album of the band’s final performance at the celebrated NYC club and jam band Mecca that was going out of business – already a serious artistic force to be reckoned with, led by…
There’s an often unspoken challenge for artists that find a strong artistic footing early in their musical careers, sometimes tasting critical acclaim while still in their teens. If all goes well, an artist will grow in musical skill and develop and grow as both a person and an artist, so how does one stretch and…
UK based Trust Fund is led by Bristol songwriter Ellis Jones which has typically built his records by a friend committee of musicians. You might think this could disturb the production but Seems Unfair is Jones’ second release this year as their debut No One’s Coming For Us came out in February. What is great…
A ripping yarn and a grand adventure, The Personal History of David Copperfield delighted me. It highlights just how magnificent a writer Charles Dickens was. The movie (penned by Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, with direction from the former) re-imagines Dickens’ classic ode to perseverance through a largely comedic lens. Copperfield (Dev Patel) narrates his…
Just why the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose to only nominate Hidden Figures for three Oscars (Best Film, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay) one can only speculate. For mine, it is one of the films of the year. Hidden Figures is inspirational, poignant, infuriating, witty and warm, an ode to…
As a director Ben Affleck so far has a perfect strike rate with his three previous efforts behind the camera. First up was the tough Boston noir Gone Baby Gone, which was adapted from the novel written by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), and starred younger brother Casey. Next up was The Town, a tough crime…
– Aftersun – Only in cinemas from 23 February 2023 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Kismet Movies. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined become a…
