I wept tears of joy watching Ron Howard’s stellar documentary charting the life of one of the greatest operatic tenors to have blessed the planet. Including never before publicly seen photos and footage, Pavarotti is insightful and compelling. The music icon sold more than 100 million records in his lifetime. Dubbed “The People’s Tenor”, Pavarotti…
If you want a profound understanding of what inspired JRR Tolkien to write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, you should look elsewhere. While Tolkien gives some insights into his creative mind when it comes to whole new languages, it’s essentially a tale of heartache and love. It unfolds as a dramatic and…
Finland’s official entry for the Foreign Language Oscar in 2018, Tom of Finland is a handsome production. This is a biopic of artist Touko Laaksonen. Laaksonen’s erotic drawings (under the pseudonym Tom of Finland) had a huge influence on gay identity and became a symbol of gay pride in the sexually liberated 70s and 80s….
Queen Victoria formed an attachment late in life that brought the royal household to the point of apoplexy. That true story is given poetic licence in Victoria & Abdul. In 1887, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) – a 24-year-old clerk – travelled from India to the UK to present a ceremonial medal as part of the…
Lip Service is a new Australian play that premiered in a separate production in London earlier this year with the title: Madame Rubenstein. That production featured the indomitable Miriam Margolyes, as Rubinstein and Frances Barber, as Elizabeth Arden. At the Ensemble we have Amanda Muggelton playing Madame Rubinstein, and it is a performance that I…
Captivating imagery and insights into a brilliant but troubled mind come from one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists and is wife of 27 years in this evocative documentary. Brett Whiteley is an Australian cultural icon. Nearly a quarter century after his death, you could argue there has never been anyone in the history of Australian art quite…
Steve Jobs may have died from pancreatic cancer in October 2011 at the age of 56, but the American technology entrepreneur and inventor certainly left his mark on the world … and how. Much has been written and spoken about the man, and his divisive personality. The latter is certainly laid bare for all to…
Michael Tuahine thought up the idea of writing this fictionalised version of the life of Aboriginal entertainer and activist Jimmy Little, the first Aboriginal entertainer to appear on television, and what a great idea it was. The show provided a great night of the joyful retelling the life of a man who not only entertained…
