Rosalind Ross’s directorial debut Father Stu is based on the true story of Stuart Long. He was a struggling boxer from Montana forced to quit the fight game after suffering too many blows. He ultimately found religion and after many setbacks became an ordained Catholic priest. The conversion came much to the surprise and chagrin…
In the mid to late 70s, Neil Young had a particularly productive period in his songwriting, it was shortly after the release of the grief-ridden Tonight’s the Night, and Zuma, which featured “Cortez, the Killer,” and his too brief exploration with Stephen Stills that produced one album, Long May You Run. David Briggs, often Young’s…
I nearly decided not to review Avengers: Endgame. After all, the film is pretty much “review-proof”. If you have even the slightest interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU, for the uninitiated), you’re probably going to see it regardless. If you have no such interest, seeing it will be pretty pointless. But in the end,…
Anybody who has persevered through sweaty struggle to pull on a leotard will be immediately in awe of the premise at the core of debase productions’ Boyle and Waters in Leotard. It sees performer/creators Bridget Boyle and Neridah Waters sharing the stories behind vintage leotards of all shapes and sizes. From their entry to the stage,…
The relationship between a mother and son is heartfelt, but it can also be fractious. Think of the original ABC TV comedy series of that name starring Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald that ran for a decade until 1994. Recently, it has been reimagined with Denise Scott and Matt Okine playing the leads. Writer, director and producer Tony…
Arrogance, entitlement and indulgence meet desert justice in The Forgiven. This rich and textured movie by John Michael McDonagh (Calvary) is based on Lawrence Osborne’s eponymous 2012 novel. Medical specialist David Henninger (Ralph Fiennes) and his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain) spend a lavish weekend with old friend Richard Galloway (Matt Smith) in Morocco. The location…
The story made world news. On 15 May 2010, 16-year-old Jessica Watson became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted. It was just her, a 10-metre-long boat named Ella’s Pink Lady and the elements. In the Netflix movie True Spirit, Teagan Croft plays Watson. Her mentor is a Ben Bryant (Cliff…
The Second Mother is a film about a set of social rules, which have been in place in Brazilian culture since colonial times and which continue to affect its emotional architecture to this very day. Val (Regina Case) is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid’s uniform…
Like the original that was released in 2014, the storyline of Bad Neighbours 2 is thin but the crude language and sight gags are plentiful, with the centerpiece again being Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, along with Zac Efron. Direction is once more from Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). The tone is set from the…
La Boite Theatre’s first mainstage presentation of 2023, the world premiere co-production of The Poison of Polygamy comes with an array of content advisories. The work, which is recommended for audiences aged 15+ contains descriptions of murder, violence, drug use, sexual activities and references to suicide. The production also contains loud noises and the use…
