What’s Love Got To Do With It? is an unfortunate title considering the other film of the same name documents Tina Turner’s relationship with her horribly abusive husband. Nevertheless, it’s apt for this rom-com with its focus on the pros and cons of arranged marriages – or in this case assisted marriage. Zoe (Lily James)…
British author Kate Atkinson delivers another fascinating, well researched historical novel in Shrines of Gaiety. Set in London between the wars, its focus is on Nellie Coker, the matriarch of a family that runs a group of illegal clubs. The narrative ranges over not only Nellie Coker and her family but others around the clubs…
My Old School is a quirky and unusual documentary constructed from a mix of archival footage, interviews and animation. In 1993 17-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled as a student at Bearsden Academy in Glasgow. He was a popular student even though his appearance was a bit odd. He claimed that his unusual looks were due to…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 20 January 2023. MC and producer Oddisee has released his latest full-length project To What End on his Outer Note Label. The 16-song project features Phonte, Freeway, Oliver St Louis, Bilal, Toine Jameson, Noochie, Haile Supreme, Saint Ezekiel, Kay…
Sunday Reed is a firecracker. She is a woman unlike any other. She is instinctive … a free spirit. Although she has some mental health issues, Sunday doesn’t hold back. She says what she thinks and feels. Married to John, he surprises her when – on a whim – he purchases a farm in Heidelberg (in Melbourne’s northeast) in the…
Formed in the fall of 1998, Dead Meadow rose out of the Washington, D.C. indie/punk scene and have continued to evolve their sound through each record into the heavy modern psych you hear today. This psych path was highlighted on their Levitation Session album that was released in 2021. Force Form Free truly spotlights why…
Whatever else you might think about writer-director Damien Chazell’s first two films – Whiplash and La La Land – they definitely had a very clear narrative drive. And, even though it was grander in scope, you could say the same about his third film, First Man. But with Babylon, he replaces sharp linear narrative with…
This re-imagined production of Peter Schaffer’s Tony Award winning drama about the fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri is being staged as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Sydney Opera House. Classical music and opera are incorporated into Schaffer’s drama. Snippets of Mozart’s famous compositions and his operas, such as…
Stories about people looking to escape from repressive religious communities are having a moment, no more so than stories about the ultra-religious Jewish community. Unorthodox, based on the true story of an ultra-orthodox woman running away from an arranged marriage was a hit for Netflix. In a recent Australian debut, Abomination by Ashley Goldberg, one…
Energy and enthusiasm are the hallmarks of a slick tribute show to some of the greatest musical artists the world has seen. Legends in Concert features tributes to Elton John (Stephen Sorrentino), Cyndi Lauper (Nellie Norris) and Cher (Lisa McClowry) before interval. In the second act, it is Stevie Wonder (Tino Ibach), Tina Turner (Lori Mitchell), Michael…
