If you want to see something extra special before it leaves Australian shores, I suggest you head straight to the Art Gallery of NSW. That is where, until only next Sunday (12th April, 2026), you can view the remarkable work of renowned Melbourne-born sculptor Ron Mueck. His is an art form known as hyperrealism, which…
A couple of powerhouse performances are at the heart of this drama about a pair of gamblers, one of whom lays it all on the line. Mississippi Grind was inspired by films from the ‘70s such as Five Easy Pieces, Scarecrow, The Last Detail, California Split and Midnight Cowboy. The movie is about flawed characters…
One of the most energetic pieces of theatre I’ve witnessed, Perpetual Frustration Machine is performance art combining circus with a dystopian underbelly. When we enter the theatre, the four cast members – Debra Batton, Adam O’Connor-McMahon, Seth Scheuner and Stephanie Benson – are engaging in a series of activities. They’re exercising on a mat, cleaning…
Intersperse opera with musical theatre and add in melodrama together with the story of a developmentally impaired young woman and you have the makings of a most unusual Tony Award winner. The Light in the Piazza is based upon a 1959 novella by Mississippi writer Elizabeth Spencer, first published in The New Yorker magazine. Set…
The Bar (El Bar) pretends to be a thriller comedy, but falls short on both levels. The film leans rather towards the comedy genre. But in terms of thriller, it’s a bit too weak. What’s actually the ultimate cause of the incident witnessed by a number of persons, isn’t really clear in the end. Are…
Some movies are good. Some movies are bad. And some are just so bonkers, they defy rational assessment. Fatman is one of those. Co-directors and writers Eshom and Ian Helms have crafted a stunning piece of whack-battery that seems more like a fever dream than an actual plot. Not that there’s anything wrong with zany…
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…
This all singing, all dancing, hit song fest just gets better and better, year after year. What a show! What a production! Elvis may have officially left the building, but Bill Cherry, for one, does a mighty job of looking and sounding like The King, who would have turned 90 this week. And he’s up…
Do you love giant robots? How about huge slobbering monsters? Buildings being smashed to pieces? The world being saved? If you said yes to any of these, then Pacific Rim: Uprising is exactly the movie for you. Director Steven S. DeKnight brings this muddled tale to the big screen with a lot of spectacle, but…
We get to see very few Scandinavian films outside of film festivals in this country. The Icelandic film industry produces around 5 or 6 films a year, and several directors have gained an international reputation. Recently many major Hollywood productions, including Star Wars: Rogue One and Prometheus, have taken advantage of the country’s strikingly remote…
