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…
An engaging script, a strong showing by two of the leads and good humour are hallmarks of this picture, which introduces us to a founding member of The Avengers’ universe. Marvel Comics first introduced Hank Pym/Ant-Man in 1962 in “Tales to Astonish #27” and the following year Pym appeared alongside The Avengers in the team’s…
Superb chemistry between the male and female leads is a highlight of The Production Company’s 50th musical, which remains as poignant today as when it first appeared. The story, set in the mid 1950s in New York City’s Upper West Side, explores the rivalry between gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The Sharks are Puerto Rican,…
Based upon Gustave Flaubert’s literary classic and not to be confused with the recently released Gemma Bovery, this is the story of a young married woman desperate to escape the dullness of her provincial life. Madame Bovary is a straight drama, while Gemma Bovery was a comedic dramatic romantic reimagining, which drew inspiration from a…
