Cautionary Tales for Children

0 Comments. 7 Views. Posted 22 Feb 2012 @ 11:32am.
Cautionary Tales for Children is a steampunk cabaret, taking children’s musical theatre to a whole new level. The folks at Arena Theatre Company have put together an ensemble to get toes tapping, adults chuckling and kids screaming at the top of their lungs.  Cautionary Tales for Children is one of three performances presented by The Arts Centre as a part of their Carnegie 18 New Music Theatre Series. In its second year running, the Carnegie 18 showcases some of the most promising musical theatre performances still in development stage, giving audiences the... Read More!
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Tribes review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 67 Views. Posted 13 Feb 2012 @ 11:45am.
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”. So wrote philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, discussing the relationship between language and reality in 1922. This quote could well be the epigraph to Tribes, a new family drama that explores the correlation of language and identity, and the power of words to divide people as much as they unite.    Written by upcoming British... Read More
A Few Best Men film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 159 Views. Posted 25 Jan 2012 @ 7:50am.
In the early '70s Australian filmmakers gave the British public a taste of some uniquely Australian larrikin humour with films like The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie and Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, which traded on crude cultural stereotypes and distinctly Ocker humour. Now nearly four decades on, the British have returned the favour, exporting some boorish British boys behaving badly down under... Read More
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll review, theatre, arts.
1 Comments. 242 Views. Posted 22 Jan 2012 @ 5:00pm.
Before the actors set foot on stage, the set of MTC’s Summer of the Seventeenth Doll says much about the wistful portrait of 1950s Australian suburbia that will follow. Mottled peach walls, musty lace curtains billowing in the always-open window, floorboards scuffed raw with the years, languorous summer light that speaks of the dwindling of days. Even the kitchen sink in the corner is a sly nod... Read More
Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 232 Views. Posted 5 Jan 2012 @ 1:26pm.
Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate is a follow up of sorts to Tsui Hark’s 1992 martial arts film New Dragon Gate, which itself was a reworking of King Hu's 1966 martial arts film Dragon Gate Inn. The film is set in ancient China, during the Ming dynasty, a time the country was still divided into separate kingdoms ruled by warlords who were at odds with each other. There were palace intrigues, power... Read More
The Skin I Live In film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 290 Views. Posted 5 Jan 2012 @ 1:26pm.
The Skin I Live In is the latest film from flamboyant Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, and it explores some of his usual themes and preoccupations – obsession, sex, sexual identity, transgender issues, love and desire. It also reunites him with Antonio Banderas, whose career he virtually launched with Labyrinth Of Passion. The pair went on to make five movies together including Law Of Desire and... Read More
Tower Heist film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 304 Views. Posted 5 Jan 2012 @ 1:26pm.
Slickly directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, etc) and featuring an ensemble cast, this clever comedy thriller is the best comic crime caper movie since the first Ocean’s Eleven. A group of working stiffs who work in menial jobs in one of New York’s most luxurious high rise apartment buildings learn that one of their tenants has ripped off their pension fund. Former high flying stockbroker Arthur... Read More
We Bought A Zoo film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 247 Views. Posted 5 Jan 2012 @ 1:25pm.
We Bought A Zoo is a wonderfully saccharine, sweet, cliched and family friendly drama from Cameron Crowe, the former Rolling Stone journalist turned filmmaker, who previously gave us Say Anything, Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, etc. This is Crowe’s first film in six years, since the failure of Elizabethtown, and it lacks the edge and genuine emotional resonance of his best films. It’s based on... Read More
The Adventures Of Tintin film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 217 Views. Posted 5 Jan 2012 @ 1:19pm.
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the popular comic book character created by Belgian artist Herge in 1929 is his first foray into animation, and it seems to have rejuvenated him as a filmmaker. He does a brilliant job, and gives the character the blockbuster treatment he deserves. Working in collaboration with Peter Jackson and his WETA effects factory, Spielberg uses the latest in body motion... Read More
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 301 Views. Posted 5 Jan 2012 @ 1:19pm.
The name is Holmes, Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictitious sleuth used his considerable powers of deduction, not brawn or violence, to solve crimes. Fans of the detective would have been horrified at the way in which British director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, etc) has messed with the tone of the character, turning him into an action hero in 2009’s... Read More
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 496 Views. Posted 23 Nov 2011 @ 8:39am.
As the phenomenally successful Twilight series moves towards its conclusion the tone turns decidedly darker, but everything else remains pretty much the same. The angst-ridden romantic triangle between emo-like vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), virginal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and the angry werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) is still at the crux of the film. But things must change.... Read More
The Ides Of March film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 456 Views. Posted 23 Nov 2011 @ 8:38am.
Ever since Julius Caesar copped it in the Senate way back in 44AD, the phrase the ides of March has carried with it sinister overtones of treachery and political skulduggery. It’s the perfect title for this cynical look at the power plays, strategies, backroom machinations and deals, and scandals that can make or break a politician. Ideals, dignity, integrity and vision meet political expediency... Read More
Bill Cunningham New York film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 472 Views. Posted 9 Nov 2011 @ 5:35am.
Bill Cunningham New York has won the audience award at numerous film festivals, which is not surprising, as this is an engaging, fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable documentary exploring the life of a genuine eccentric. Well into his 80’s, Cunningham is a workaholic maverick photographer who prowls New York on his bicycle, photographing the trends he sees on the city streets for his regular On... Read More
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 552 Views. Posted 9 Nov 2011 @ 5:31am.
Shot in Melbourne in 2009, this is a remake of a 1973 horror film about a couple and their young daughter who move into a big old house that is occupied by malevolent creatures. That scary low budget telemovie apparently was a big influence on Mexican born horror film director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, who describes it as the scariest movie ever aired on television. It’s... Read More
In Time film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 493 Views. Posted 9 Nov 2011 @ 5:29am.
So, what is your time worth? This new sci-fi thriller comes from New Zealand born filmmaker Andrew Niccol, who wrote The Truman Show and directed Gattaca and Lord Of War. It is set in the near future, where everyone is genetically programmed to stop aging at 25, rather like Logan’s Run revisited, which adds a neat twist to the “race against time” thriller device. After your 25th birthday, you... Read More
Paranormal Activity 3 film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 593 Views. Posted 27 Oct 2011 @ 2:50pm.
Audiences can expect more of the same from this third instalment of the ultra low budget horror franchise that has kicked goals at the box office. Shot for a paltry $15,000, the first Paranormal Activity was released in 2007 and became a sleeper hit that grossed some $200 million at the box office. The second film was also very successful, but offered little that was fresh or original. ... Read More
Double Think review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 475 Views. Posted 25 Oct 2011 @ 6:04pm.
The Orwellian notion of ‘doublethink’, upon which Byron Perry’s latest show is based, is a rich concept for performance. But while Orwell’s theory holds strong political connotations, describing a dualistic mode of thought necessary to retain one’s sanity under totalitarianism, Perry translates this idea into a purely visual register.   Perry’s Double Think is more a running dialogue... Read More
The Woman in His Mind review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 559 Views. Posted 25 Oct 2011 @ 6:04pm.
Set in a seedy motel room, Christine Lambrianidis' new play, The Woman in His Mind, is an exploration of a marriage at the point of implosion. The set mirrors the state of their relationship, all suburban décor, crumpled bed sheets, strewn clothes and a TV set screening only static.   John (James Deeth) and Katharina (Kate Gregory) are a Greek-Australian couple on the brink of divorce,... Read More
Bobby Macumber, This Is Your Life review, arts.
0 Comments. 1,072 Views. Posted 21 Oct 2011 @ 9:21am.
What would the Melbourne Fringe Festival be without a bit of self-deprecating humour? Performing at the Glass House Hotel is Melbourne’s own Bobby Macumber, a Bacchus Marshian in the rough. It’s a poor man’s backdrop, which Bobby cheerfully acknowledges as she opens her own curtains for her show to start. One has to admit, the décor at the Glass House is every bit as unconventional as everything... Read More
Robert Haley: Mind Reader review, arts.
0 Comments. 917 Views. Posted 20 Oct 2011 @ 11:09am.
A consequence of the Internet Age is the widespread availability of filmed performances on video sharing sites such as YouTube – from stand up comedy to mentalism. Heading into Mind Reader, a mentalist show by Robert Haley who doesn’t profess to be actually psychic but rather employs suggestion and sophisticated observation, I had seen plenty of videos online of other acclaimed mentalists such as... Read More
Autoluminescent film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 738 Views. Posted 18 Oct 2011 @ 11:38am.
No matter the filmic talent behind them, biographical documentaries are largely defined as intriguing or banal by the character they explore. Autoluminescent, directed by Richard Lowenstein and Lynn-Maree Milburn, documents the life of Australian guitar legend Rowland S. Howard, who passed away in 2009. Howard was the guitarist of iconic bands such as post-punks The Boys Next Door and The... Read More
Tom Tom Crew review, arts.
0 Comments. 772 Views. Posted 13 Oct 2011 @ 2:09pm.
A fusion of hip-hop, acrobatics, contortion and incredible drumming skill, Tom Tom Crew is a standout at this year’s Melbourne Festival. A fusion of hip-hop, acrobatics, contortion and incredible drumming skill, Tom Tom Crew is a standout at this year’s Melbourne Festival.   For the most part, this show is a continuous stream of energy that shatters audience’s expectations from the get-go,... Read More
The Unexpected Variety Show review, arts.
0 Comments. 878 Views. Posted 13 Oct 2011 @ 2:07pm.
Musical comedienne Jenny Wynter presents ‘The Unexpected Variety Show’ as a highlight of Melbourne’s Fringe Festival. An aptly named performance that explores the ups and downs of life, Wynter’s performance is indeed unexpected, yet delightful.  Despite being a mother of three, Wynter is a vivacious ball of energy with incredible control on her audience’s emotions. This one-woman show... Read More
Pond review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 497 Views. Posted 11 Oct 2011 @ 5:01pm.
Grit Theatre’s Pond could be a different production to the one I’ve read several lukewarm reviews of. And if it wasn’t for critics’ descriptions of the show’s notable set design, an apartment cum post-industrial wasteland, I'd be convinced that I’d wandered into the wrong theatre.   We open in darkness with a couple (Thomas Browne and Laura Hughes) kneeling on a bed. A slow strobe light... Read More
Pond review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 633 Views. Posted 11 Oct 2011 @ 3:32pm.
Grit Theatre’s Pond could be a different production to the one I’ve read several lukewarm reviews of. And if it wasn’t for critics’ descriptions of the show’s notable set design, an apartment cum post-industrial wasteland, I'd be convinced that I’d wandered into the wrong theatre.   We open in darkness with a couple (Thomas Browne and Laura Hughes) kneeling on a bed. A slow strobe light... Read More
Ganesh Versus the Third Reich review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 1,057 Views. Posted 3 Oct 2011 @ 10:11am.
Back to Back are a company known for their confronting approach to performance, and their latest offering, Ganesh Versus the Third Reich, is no exception. The play generated much controversy before its premiere, with the Council of Indian Australians calling to have it removed from the Melbourne Festival programme. Yet the very concerns that the Council have raised are central to Back to Back’s... Read More
Less Than <3 Three, Because I Heart U: The Overdramatic Life of Kyle Connelly review, theatre, arts.
0 Comments. 822 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:52pm.
Less Than Three is a satirical portrayal of the cliques and trends of the noughties. Written and directed by Jessica Marsh, the play is composed of a series of vignettes that lament the loss of the emo while sending up the development of Melbourne’s indie/hipster culture over the past few years. The aim was to create the impression of an indie film with a Disney Channel message – and that’s... Read More
Abduction film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 502 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:42pm.
Abduction is a big budget attempt to present hunky Twilight star Taylor Lautner as an action hero, a sort of high school Jason Bourne. While his legion of fans will probably lap it up, the rest of us remain unconvinced. Lautner and his father Dan have produced the film through his Tailor Made Production company, but the film seems to have been rushed into production with a half finished script.... Read More
The Eye Of The Storm film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 661 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:40pm.
This visually rich and literate adaptation of Patrick White’s novel marks Fred Schepisi’s first Australian film since Evil Angels, over 20 years ago. Written in 1973, White’s novel was an exploration of class issues in Australian society in the early 70’s, but much of it still seems relevant today. Elizabeth Hunter (Charlotte Rampling, in fine form) is the imperious, demanding and ailing... Read More
Fright Night film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 638 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:37pm.
Vampires are popular at the moment, what with the Twilight series, the darker Let The Right One In, and the very sexy bloodsuckers of True Blood on television. So it’s not that surprising that Hollywood has delved into the vault in search of a suitable vampire tale to remake. For some reason they have chosen Tom Holland’s 1985 camp cult classic, which had a special charm of its own as it mixed... Read More
The Smurfs film, review, arts.
1 Comments. 885 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:34pm.
I went into this preview of The Smurfs with low expectations. After all, this is a movie based on the 1980’s cartoon characters featuring a bunch of annoyingly upbeat, perennially happy diminutive blue creatures who live in a far way fantasy land. They are all named after peculiar personality traits (thus we get Brainy, Clumsy, Grouchy, etc). The Hanna Barbera produced cartoon series featuring... Read More
Priest film, review, arts.
1 Comments. 389 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:27pm.
Unlike the recent Cowboys And Aliens, which combined two popular genres in an entertaining mash-up, Priest somehow is a rather dour and visually ugly hybrid of the western and horror genres. It is also an eminently unpleasant, chaotic, disappointing and forgettable piece of cinema. Priest follows the template of the John Wayne classic The Searchers, but this futuristic action film is set in a... Read More
Hobo With A Shotgun film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 759 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 6:13pm.
Like Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, Hobo With A Shotgun actually began life as one of the fake trailers in the Grindhouse experience. The title basically says all you need to know about this extra-violent take on the vigilante genre. Rutger Hauer (from Blade Runner, etc.) plays the titular nameless hobo, who jumps off a train and ends up in the lawless Hope Town, which has been rechristened “Fuck... Read More
Discussion Forum Review: Middle East: Spring or Fall review, arts.
0 Comments. 796 Views. Posted 13 Sep 2011 @ 5:02pm.
As spring begins, the Melbourne Writers Festival offered Melbournians a chance to gain a nuanced insight into the events of the Arab Spring in the Middle East. It was interesting, then, that one of the most important points to come out of the talk was that it shouldn’t be called the Arab Spring at all. As event compere Louise Adler mused, the Arab Spring has become the Arab Spring, Summer and... Read More
Exhibition Review: Australia's Worst Artist review, arts.
0 Comments. 1,227 Views. Posted 13 Sep 2011 @ 4:53pm.
If you play in a band in this fair city of ours, chances are you’ve already had the pleasure of encountering Ben Butcher. Over the years his trusty Minolta lens has peered into the souls of Melbourne’s musical gentry, from Rowland S. Howard to Eddy Current Suppression Ring – not to mention just about every two-bit Fitzroy-dweller who ever walked out of their front gate festooned with a flannel... Read More
Journey To Mecca film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 894 Views. Posted 7 Sep 2011 @ 5:51am.
Based on the journal written by Ibn Battutah, a 14th century law student who made the epic but dangerous pilgrimage to the holy shrine at Mecca. He set out from Tangiers in 1325 and returned to Morocco almost 30 years later, having travelled 4500 miles, across some 40 countries, during his epic journey. Produced under the auspices of National Geographic, this 45-minute semi-documentary film... Read More
Final Destination 5 film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 779 Views. Posted 7 Sep 2011 @ 5:51am.
This fifth film in the successful Final Destination series brings the franchise full circle. It is one of the best films in the series as well. The film follows the usual formula, in which a group of people cheat death by surviving a spectacular accident, but then find themselves falling victim to gory accidents. Scriptwriter Eric Heisserer has scripted the remakes of A nightmare On Elm Street... Read More
The Change-Up film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 541 Views. Posted 7 Sep 2011 @ 5:50am.
In the classic To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) says: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” That philosophy has driven a number of role-swapping comedies in which people come to learn some truths about themselves and the people around them when they magically swap identities... Read More
13 Assassins film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 892 Views. Posted 7 Sep 2011 @ 5:49am.
The Dirty Baker’s Dozen? Prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition, etc) leaves behind his preferred milieu of gangster thrillers and horror movies to venture confidently into Kurosawa territory with this sword and samurai action film, set in mid-19th century feudal Japan. 13 Assassins is a remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black and white samurai movie of the same name, but infused with... Read More
Horrible Bosses film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 790 Views. Posted 7 Sep 2011 @ 5:47am.
Revenge of the working stiffs? We’ve probably all fantasised about seeking revenge on our unsympathetic and cruel bosses. But now we get the chance to vicariously experience our various revenge fantasies with this male variation on Nine To Five. Horrible Bosses deals with three harassed, bullied and verbally abused workers who decide to kill their overbearing and cruel bosses. Nick (Jason... Read More
Zookeeper film, review, arts.
0 Comments. 778 Views. Posted 7 Sep 2011 @ 5:46am.
Kevin James is one of the least funny men in movies, and has graced some of the lamest comedies of the past decade (I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry, etc). But thanks to friends like Adam Sandler he keeps getting work. But his latest effort is easily his least impressive film to date. Zookeeper is a shrill, dull, and laugh free romantic comedy, and is little short of a vanity project for the... Read More