You might have seen Lars Von Trier’s film Melancholia. This world premiere stage production is based on it. But if you enter the theatre knowing nothing about it, I dare say you’re likely to find much perplexing. Suffice to say that like the film, events unfold in two distinct chapters. Underpinning both is depression that…
Good Muslim Boy is a tale of procrastination, bureaucratic somnambulance and frustration, but it’s brilliantly told at a breakneck pace. It’s fast, funny and powerful and had me fretting for the hero and so much relating to his predicament of being stuck in a foreign place where no one really cared about your predicament. It…
Denzel Washington has certainly starred in his fair share of remakes; with Man on Fire, The Manchurian Candidate, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 and The Magnificent Seven to name a few. But in his storied career he’s never appeared in a sequel – until now. The Equalizer 2 is, of course, a follow-up to his…
I’m a sucker for a good spy drama – and Killing Eve is an exceptional spy drama. This BBC production (available here on the ABC) is a taut psychological thriller as you might expect. But its insight and its determination not to treat the viewer as an idiot are remarkable. If any TV series is…
A group of writers sit around a boardroom table trying to come up with a compelling story in Annie Baker’s latest play, The Antipodes, now showing at Red Stitch in Melbourne. Under the watchful eyes of their older mentor in Sandy (Jim Daly) the group of seven – though only one woman, Eleanor (Ngaire Dawn Fair)…
Fifteen years ago Tommy Wiseau showed the world he couldn’t write, act or direct by dishing up the simply horrible The Room. Mind you, he had the last laugh. His putrid offering has became a cult hit around the world, including Australia, where it continues to screen from time to time. The Room even spawned…
Well, the last Mary Rachel Brown play I saw in Sydney was Silent Night for the Darlinghurst Theatre Company late last year. It was a disaster. Approaching another evening with Ms Brown was a tentative commitment. However, I can say, it was worth taking a punt, for the experience was a better one. Permission to…
Edith “Edie” Moon (Sheila Hancock) is an 85-year old widow. She’s spent the better part of her life caring for her domineering but wheelchair-bound husband. Now she’s preparing to move into an aged care facility. But when she visits the place to check it out, she decides she isn’t quite ready for the move. While…
John Misto’s witty and acerbic Lip Service translates to a top night of entertainment. The play concerns a battle royale between cosmetics giants between 1954 and 1965. It’s Helena Rubinstein versus Elizabeth Arden, with both under siege from Revlon. Misto has taken the truth and embellished it with sparkling effect. Don’t for a moment think…
Skyscraper is essentially a cross between Die Hard (the best action film of the 80s), and The Towering Inferno (the best of the 70s disaster films). This is a big dumb action film, and no-one is better at making big dumb action blockbusters than the charismatic Dwayne Johnson; arguably the biggest movie star on the…
