Cops are tops. But if you’re Erin Bell in Destroyer you’re less tops and more likely to be drinking hops. Nicole Kidman plays a bedraggled and unrecognisable detective in this noir. While there are some moments where it is thrilling, most of it is far too slow-burning and perfunctory to really cut through. This film…
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Imagine the photo shoot for Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ or concerts like: Woodstock, Johnny Cash’s gigs at Folsom and San Quentin, and The Beatles’s last official show at Candlestick Park. Most of us would trade our left hands to have been there. But if you were Jim Marshall, you could boast that you went and shot…
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The Titanic had the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Texas meanwhile, had the unstoppable Molly Ivins. This tall, flame-haired woman was an outspoken, political commentator with a razor-sharp wit. Raise Hell is a documentary that covers every inch of this larger-than-life character. This film is the first documentary to be made about this formidable subject. It’s hard…
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At SXSW 2017, American biochemist, Jennifer Doudna was telling everybody about CRISPR. Allow me one last Human Nature reference… Doudna was telling the last ones to know about a new technology that has the potential to alter genes. Human Nature is a documentary that takes a deep dive into this fascinating scientific world, and chronicles…
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Sometimes Always Never proves its only words. This UK dramedy is about a father and son’s complex relationship. It has an English sensibility and a profound love for the Scrabble board game. The result is a quirky and whimsical character study that feels like it pans out in real-time. This film at first was a…
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Models are cool people. Beautiful glamazons. You don’t think of them as freaks unless you’re Jean Paul Gaultier. The French designer dedicated an entire show to just this. Freak & Chic is a feature documentary that shows us this crazy world, as well as the hard work and creativity that went into shaping this wild…
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It is not uncommon to see reviewers describe a film as “Like a love letter” to something. In the case of French documentary, Wine Calling this is also true, but given the subject matter a toast seems more appropriate. This film is a deep dive into the worlds inhabited by a group of passionate and…
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Carriageworks host an excellent farmers market every Saturday. They also feature chefs’ masterclasses which showcase the markets excellent and sustainable produce. Duncan Welgemoed of Adelaide’s Africola hosted the March edition with Shannon Martinez from Fitzroy’s vegan mecca, Smith & Daughters. They cooked up delicious dishes that were influenced by different cultural influences and fused together…
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Bananarama, Tiffany and Amber walk into a bar. It’s not 1989, even if it may feel that way. These artists know that girls just wanna have fun and they delivered joyous sets filled with nostalgic pop music. The Enmore Theatre could have been the setting for fluro outfits, large perms and shoulder pads, but these…
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Most people have seen Yves Saint Laurent’s creations but how many have wondered what is going on beneath the covers? The documentary, Celebration: Yves Saint Laurent, should answer some of these questions. This French film is shot in cinéma vérité style and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion legend and his army of helpers….
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The Caretaker focuses on three men in their natural habitat. The renowned, Harold Pinter play is a character-driven one that explores the relationship between a homeless man and two brothers. The story is a dense, dialogue-driven piece that unfolds within the confines of a West London flat. Some viewers may enjoy its clever lines, but…
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The Carriageworks Chef Series Masterclass returns again in 2019. The first person off of the rank is Duncan Welgemoed, the head chef and owner from the award-winning, Africola in Adelaide. Welgemoed’s techniques draw upon his rich cultural history including his chef dad, and Portuguese and Italian grandparents. We sat down with Duncan to learn more…
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The walrus was Paul, Clapton was God and Lennon is Legend. John Waters knows this because he’s had a lot of practice. Playing the tribute show, Lennon: Glass Onion since 1992, he sure knows how to live and breathe John Lennon. Oh, and that’s along with a little help from a friend called, Stewart D’Arrietta….
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Created and performed by renowned Australian actor/musician John Waters and esteemed singer/pianist Stewart D’Arrietta, Lennon – Through a Glass Onion is part concert and part biography, revealing the essence of the life and astonishing talent of one of the most admired icons of the past century. It’s a compelling story and features 31 iconic hits…
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Some acts come as a package deal. Bert and Ernie. Batman and Robin. Tom and Jerry. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy AKA comedy duo, Laurel & Hardy, can be added to this list. The two comedians made over a hundred silent and talking films. They entertained audiences with their funny antics and slapstick for decades….
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A weather report can be a clichéd way to open a review. But when it’s opening night of Jesus Christ Superstar and it has rained to biblical proportions, what do you do? You can sing, “Christ you know it ain’t easy” or tell people that Parramatta has been turned into a scene from Noah’s ark,…
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Maria Callas is a legendary opera singer whose life often resembled a Greek tragedy. The documentary, Maria by Callas, captures some of this sadness and heartbreak in its two-hour runtime. This film is a complex and detailed one about an infamous prima donna that should appeal to opera aficionados. This documentary is directed by Tom…
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an American Supreme court justice who has been dubbed, “The Notorious RBG.” This woman in an incredible one so it should come as no surprise that in the past few years she has inspired not one, but two films. RBG was a comprehensive documentary about her life while the latest offering…
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Fifty years in the music business and Phil Collins is adamant that he’s not dead yet. His current Australian tour – named after his memoir that is also marking over 20 years between drinks – may be designed for people to lower their expectations. The English multi-instrumentalist seems older than his 67 years but while…
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It should come as no shock that a theatre show about one of our nation’s greatest artists looks fabulous. The world premiere of Brett & Wendy…A Love Story Bound By Art is one vivid and lyrical look at two creative tour de forces. This production is an ambitious one that covers a lot in its…
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Paul Capsis is a performer who appreciates artists who are both unique and true to their real selves. You could argue that he too fits into this distinctive mould. His Sydney Festival show at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent was an eclectic love letter to his many inspirations. The repertoire for the night was arranged by…
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They say you should write about what you know. You get the sense that Lin-Manuel Miranda did just that with In The Heights. This musical is the first one that the Hamilton creator ever wrote. It’s also a love letter to his loud and proud Puerto Rican heritage and the colourful people from his neighbourhood,…
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Robert Ian Bonnick is a warrior. This successful man has had a career that most people could only dream of. But, what some of us may not know is that he had to overcome extreme adversity and challenges in order to get there. In his debut book, Soul Survivor, he describes his own personal rags-to-riches…
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Power is a fundamental thing. A lack of it can render someone a wretched husk, and too much of it can make people go drunk and blind. Writer and editor, John Freeman knows all this, because he chose it as the topic for the latest instalment of Freeman’s Best New Writing; the anthology that includes exciting…
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It didn’t matter if you were six, one hundred and six, or somewhere in between. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory made us all act like little kids in a candy shop. This was a joyous musical based on the beloved Roald Dahl book and one that successfully straddles the lines between lightness and darkness. It…
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In 2005 Nigel Marsh wrote Fat, Forty & Fired about his year embracing life away from the office. In some ways, Jacqueline Raposo’s The Me, Without: My Year on an Elimination Diet of Modern Conveniences is cut from the same cloth. Raposo’s book is both memoir and a case study into her failed life at…
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The Beatles’ last official live concert was in San Francisco in 1966. They also did one last impromptu appearance on the rooftop of Apple in 1969 to bemused onlookers. This means that many of the band’s more experimental and expansive songs from their studio years have only been performed by tribute acts. The All You…
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The Day the Rock Star Died returns to our screens soon. The show is a series of half-hour programs and handy little primers to some beloved musicians who are no longer with us. Their story is told through the use of some archive material and interviews with esteemed authors, producers and broadcasters. The AU Review…
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Phil Collins is an artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously. The solo musician and former member of Genesis has written a memoir titled, Not Dead Yet, as you do. He has been on the receiving end of some jokes but he takes them all with good humour. Ahead of his Australian and New Zealand…
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Melbournian actor, Stephen Lopez played Usnavi De La Vega in the debut Australian production of In The Heights in Melbourne in 2015. The show, a quadruple Tony award-winning work, written by Hamilton creator and Moana composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a modern summer musical boasting hot, Latino rhythms. A return staging of the show will be hitting the Sydney…
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