Damian Chazelle made a splash with 2014’s Whiplash, and now he takes a headlong dive into the deep end of the Hollywood pool with La La Land. This brilliantly conceived and handsomely executed paean to the Dream Factory is definite Oscar-bait and will also win a strong following from everyday moviegoers who should respond to…
Much-loved international klezmer ensemble the London Klezmer Quartet return to Australasia this month their latest album. LKQ’s fourth album, To the Tavern, takes their evocation of the celebratory and soulful music of Jewish Eastern Europe (klezmer) to a whole new level. The recording, which they will re-create live in performance for the tour, is a…
– Split – Only in cinemas from 26 January 2016 We have 10 double in-season passes thanks to Universal Pictures Australia. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to…
– Moonlight – Only in cinemas from 26 January 2016 We have 8 double in-season passes thanks to Roadshow Films. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE At once a vital portrait of contemporary African American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship and love, MOONLIGHT is a…
Due to finishing my first novel and taking up a new role as a publisher with Serenity Press, I’ve been reading more than I’ve reviewed this year. I no longer request many books from publishers, although I haven’t run out of advance copies yet. And I haven’t consistently updated Goodreads or my Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2016 links….
– Up for Love – Only in cinemas from 1 December 2016 We have 3 double in-season passes thanks to Icon Film Distribution. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE When successful lawyer, Diane (Virginie Efira) gets a call from the man who has found her mobile phone, she is immediately intrigued and…
This new film from three time Oscar winning director Ang Lee is a bit of a disappointment given his impressive resume that includes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the heartbreaking gay romance Brokeback Mountain, and the visually impressive Life of Pi. Based on the acclaimed 2012 novel written by Ben Fountain, and adapted by first time…
Ira Sachs is better known for his queer themed films like Keep the Lights On and the wonderful Love is Strange, starring Alfred Molina and John Lithgow. His latest film is a subtle, accessible, enjoyable and charming New York set coming of age story exploring the blossoming friendship between two thirteen year old boys from…
Writing is a solitary pursuit and when it comes to publication even to get to first base is not only inordinately difficult, but highly competitive. Insecurities and doubts are constant bedfellows, especially for the novice. Perfect fodder then for four up and comers, supposedly with talent, who are being told the way it is by…
Based on fact comes The Fencer, a story about a man trying to escape his past. Fleeing from Stalin’s secret police in the early 1950s, an ambitious young fencer finds himself teaching small town children in a godforsaken Estonian coastal village. Endel Nelis (Mart Avandi) arrives in Haapsalu having fled from Leningrad. His riding instructions…
