Top 10 books of 2023
Robert Goodman For more of Robert’s reviews, visit his blog Pile By the Bed
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Man Up – movie review
There have been a lot of romantic comedies hitting our screens of late, and unfortunately most of them are either too formulaic, mean spirited or too raunchy. Which is why Man Up proves to be a nice surprise as it brings a fresh new take on the tired formula. The lively, witty and fast paced…
Lightyear – movie review
This prequel to the charming and endearing Toy Story franchise didn’t quite give me the buzz that I was expecting. This is actually the second spinoff from Toy Story to feature Buzz Lightyear following 2000’s Buzz Lightyear of the Star Command. But this all seems like a cynical exercise to capitalise on the goodwill delivered…
Welcome Home (Chapel Off Chapel) – theatre review
A delightful new play with originality stamped all over it, Welcome Home concerns two women who each believe they own the same house. Joyce (Julie Arnold) is elderly. She has just returned to the home her father built, having spent several months in hospital and rehab after a fall, only to find the place considerably…
Trinkets (Netflix) – streaming review
Okay, let’s say you’re scrolling on Netflix and you come across Trinkets. What do you think? “Ugh, another series about spoiled teens. What, am I on the Disney Channel?”, maybe? Well, yes, Trinkets is about teenagers; and yes, they are privileged in that generic American way. But the writing from creator Amy Andelson and her…
Remembrance Day movies – movie review
Journey’s End The true horrors of war feature in the somber WWI film, Journey’s End. The movies tells the story of a company led by the war-weary Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin), waiting to take its turn in the front-line trenches in northern France. A German offensive is imminent and the officers (played by Paul Bettany,…
Polite Society – movie review
In a cinema environment overcrowded with remakes, reboots, sequels and superhero movies, it’s a pleasant surprise to come across something that’s as unique and genuinely entertaining and as hard to define as Polite Society. This energetic and colourful hybrid of Bollywood films, fantasy, high school comedy, rom-com, martial arts drama and action-thriller has been compared…
Let it Snow (Netflix) – streaming review
Christmas. The period everyone is jolly again. Family reunions. A brown-baked turkey with a tasty filling that was squeezed through its smallest hole. Christmas trees full of sparkling baubles, angel hair and soft-yellow LED lights. Every few moments a Christmas song is being heard on the radio. Christmas presents are piling up. And everyone hopes…
West Side Story (Opera Australia) – theatre review
West Side Story debuted in 1957 on Broadway. Four genius artists somehow subdued their egos to collaborate as an ensemble to produce one of the great works in the musical theatre canon: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins. A motion picture version arrived in 1961 winning 10 Academy Awards – it created…
Apocalypse Meow: Crisis is Born (Malthouse Theatre) – theatre review
Talk about a force of nature taking to a stage and theatrical space and making it her own. Meow Meow does so and how! She is a consummate performer with a golden voice and a smart mouth. First up a couple of musos run across the stage in shiny gold jackets and bright orange plastic…