Not only do recent Christmas movies tend to be more narky and mean spirited, but they also seem to be hitting cinemas earlier. Even though it is only November we have three Christmas themed films in our multiplexes. There’s Bad Moms 2, the home invasion black comedy Better Watch Out, and now we get Daddy’s…
The Kransky Sisters rock. They’re an eccentric’s delight and their oddball antics in A Very Kransky Christmas are a delicious treat. I knew nothing about them when I entered Alex Theatre. But I turned into an acolyte long before I exited their hilarious 100-minute pre-Christmas Christmas show. Let’s just say showing emotion isn’t their strong suit (think…
Playwright Eddie Perfect (The Beast) has crafted a wickedly clever musical satire with Vivid White, which focuses on the overheated property market. Liz (Verity Hunt-Ballard) and Ben (Brent Hill) have been friends with popular performer Evan (Ben Mingay) for years. Evan is married to producer Cynthia (Christina O’Neill). Back in 2005 Ben and Evan won a major…
Of all the high concept TV around at the moment, The Good Place probably has the highest concept of them all. I mean, it’s a brave show that starts out with a dead protagonist. It’s an even braver show that tackles deep philosophical themes. But it’s a brilliant show that can pull all that off…
Question: How often can you watch a musical based on a 1939 MG movie musical? Answer: As often as they revamp the story the amazing way this production was. What a magical re-interpretation The Wizard of Oz is. You will be smiling all the way home when you leave the theatre. Jon Driscoll’s video designs were…
A middle-aged man gazes inward and doesn’t like what he’s seeing. That’s the premise of Brad’s Status, a bittersweet comedy from writer/director Mike White (The Good Girl). Ben Stiller plays Brad Sloan, a bloke on the edge of a meltdown. He’s reevaluating his life’s worth and achievements. A trip to Boston with his college-bound son Troy…
More of the same … with a twist. That’s what you’re in for with Bad Moms 2, the follow-up to last year’s original. What Bad Moms’ leading ladies Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) represented was freedom. Freedom to mess up. Freedom to do the best you can and still mess up. Now…
Ben Elton is back to bring us Three Summers, an ensemble comedy that embraces the diversity of modern Australia. At a summer music festival – “Westival” – the feisty lead singer of an Irish folk band (Rebecca Breeds) meets a folk-music-hating Theremin player (Robert Sheehan) and sparks literally fly. Characters surrounding this awkward romance include a…
A brilliantly re-imagined musical is on offer in The Production Company’s Brigadoon. Lerner and Loewe’s original opened on Broadway in 1947 and in the West End in 1949, before making its Australian debut in 1951. However, many will recall the 1954 film version, which starred Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse. It was nominated…
Brigsby Bear deals with themes of family, friendship, the loss of innocence, love, the indelible impact of pop culture, nostalgia, and the power of movies to heal and transform. This inventive and quirky independent film comes from debut feature filmmaker Dave McCary (better known as a writer on SNL), James (Kyle Mooney) has led a…
