Ber Carroll explores contemporary issues such as relationship breakdowns, child custody, belonging, identity and abandonment in her latest novel, Once Lost. It’s the first time I’ve read one of Carroll’s books, and I was impressed by her ability to give authentic voice to the everyday conflicts women face in modern life. Once Lost is a…
Melissa McCarthy tackles one of the best roles of her life in this hilarious homage to James Bond. Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is an overweight, unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst and the unsung hero behind the Agency’s most dangerous missions. But when her super smooth partner Bradley Fine (Jude Law) falls off the grid and another top…
Sometimes third albums put artists in weird places. You have your introducing debut, avoid the sophomore slump with either more of the same or pushing your artistic boundaries and then where do you go? For Best Coast, it is no different with a great debut like Crazy For You (2010) that put Bethany Cosentino on…
On May 8, 1945, VE Day, the royal princesses Elizabeth and Margaret ventured beyond the gates of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the end of the war in Europe and mingle with the celebrations on the streets of London. That much at least is true. But what follows in A Royal Night Out is the product…
Thirty years after the last (and third) instalment, 12 years in the making, director George Miller (Happy Feet) is back with more of the post apocalyptic horror of Mad Max. But this time it is English actor Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) instead of Mel Gibson, who plays the road warrior Max Rockatansky. Haunted…
In October 2013, the enigmatic and subversive British street artist known simply as Banksy headed to New York to create an original work of art a day for the entire month with an ambitious project known as Better Out Than In. Every morning he would place a picture of his latest creation on his Instagram…
Some books you save for a rainy day. Season of Salt and Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe landed on my review shelf a while ago, but I’ve been saving it. I sensed that this was a book for savouring … and I was right. The cover spoke to the foodie in me and finding out there were recipes…
Ryan Adams live used to be “watch and see” because Adams might do something nuts like kick someone out of the show, walk off the stage, go into a rant and then go into another rant. Basically, the music would be absolutely spot on but you were always a little scared to shout out a…
I am a great fan of Dead Puppet Society. It has walkways intrigued me with dark tales and clever puppetry combined with the human element to create fascinating entertainment. But Argus, designed and directed by David Morton, is something completely different and challenging. There were no giant puppets, or mysterious figures behind doors, in fact…
Grab your tuning forks, sequin vests and spirit fingers: the Barden Bellas are back to serenade us in Pitch Perfect 2. The clever followup to 2012’s runaway smash Pitch Perfect, this sequel reunites the core acapella afficionados for their senior college year after their win at the national titles. The troupe suffer a global fall…
