Eden CacedaEden Caceda is a Sydney-based writer and broadcaster. His work has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, Filmink, Junkee, Concrete Playground and many other publications.
ARNA is a an annual publication published by the Sydney Arts Students Society at the University of Sydney. First published in 1918, the journal includes prose fiction, poetry and visual art, with expanded to include radio scripts, photography and academic essays. In 2016 I was announced as the editor-in-chief of ARNA Literary Journal. I was […]
For Hijacked: Last night Eden Caceda scoped the red carpet at the fifth annual AACTA Awards held at The Star in Sydney.
For Hijacked: Last night Eden Caceda hit up the ARIA Awards red carpet at The Star in Sydney. He spoke to some of the biggest names in music to see what they’re up to over the summer.
For CelebrityOz: In the hype of reality cooking television series that appear to be overrunning our networks, it’s not unusual that film studios have tried to commodify this trend.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 blockbuster musical Cats is without a doubt an example of worn out musical theatre, and in many circles is considered one of Lloyd Webber’s productions to dismiss entirely.
Macbeth is certainly one of Shakespeare’s most popular works, and after so many adaptations through the years, there’s any wonder that a new film of the play could bring anything new to the table. But somehow Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel takes the source material, cuts out its best parts and makes it his own, contributing unique elements and creative flair so that it feels original and refreshing.
After a long five films of the Paranormal Activity film series, everything finally comes to a head in the final chapter, The Ghost Dimension, sadly ending with a whimper than one large scream.
Fortunately for comedy lovers, The Dressmaker is a deviation from serious flicks, and evokes the absurdity and farce of past Australian classics like Muriel’s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert that have been absent from our domestic screens for too long.
For CelebrityOz: From What Women Want to Something’s Gotta Give to my personal favourite The Holiday, audiences have complained about Nancy Meyer’s approach to romance, feminism and viewpoint on life.
For CelebrityOz: It’s safe to say that director Ridley Scott hasn’t had the best luck with his films of late. From the tedious Prometheus to the disastrous Exodus: Gods and Kings, Scott has struggled to regain the brilliance and gravitas that his earlier works, including Alien and Blade Runner, added to the cinematic canon.
For The Australia Times: There’s obvious hesitation to Joe Wright’s new film Pan. It’s the latest in a slew of remakes, sequels, prequels and reimaginings of old classics and adored children’s stories that seem to be saturating every cinema across the world right now.
For BULL Magazine: Anything Goes is one of Cole Porter’s most well known musicals and had been performed countless number of times since it was written. But while each amateur and professional production may be full of fantastic singing and stunning set design, Anything Goes is not one of the best shows in the musical theatre canon.
For BULL Magazine: When I was in high school, I remember once being told by a new teacher that she had to take a different approach to teaching us because we were an all boys class. She continued to explain that she had to treat our class more harshly than any class at an all girls high school, simply because we were another gender.
For OuttaGum: From the first few moments of Life, there’s absolutely no indication where the story is about to go.
For ARMED: In recent days American singer Taylor Swift and music video director Joseph Kahn have come under fire for their representation of ‘Africa’ in Swift’s newest hit video ‘Wildest Dreams’.
For Aphra Magazine: Holding The Man is one of the most profound LGBT Australian books ever published. Released in 1995, the memoir chronicles the life of actor and activist Timothy Conigrave and his relationship with long-time partner John Caro, from their early days in high school through to their joint fight against HIV.
For Honi Soit: There is absolutely no denying that television shows and films have begun to feature more diverse LGBTIQA+ characters in recent years.
For CelebrityOz: Every few years sees the release of a new teen film dedicated to representing the quirkiness and nature of a generation. Millennials have already seen Mean Girls, Easy A and Juno represent many of our attitudes and contemporary behaviours, but there has always been a tendency toward fewer younger male voices who are less Perks of Being A Wallflower, and more 21 And Over.
For Honi Soit: Last month there was significant debate when Mackay Member of Parliament and Liberal Party politician George Christensen announced that he was to attend and speak at a Reclaim Australia rally in Queensland.
For OuttaGum: The Mission: Impossible series has lasted for almost 20 years and is one of Tom Cruise’s most recognisable roles. They aren’t groundbreaking cinema, nor are they the best films about espionage in the modern age. But what they never fail to be is an entertaining, high impact action film series, with Cruise’s headstrong performances a primary reason to revisit them again and again.
Roald Dahl’s classic Matilda comes to life on Sydney’s Lyric Theatre after playing on Broadway and the West End, with music and lyrics by Australian musical comedian Tim Minchin.
For CelebrityOz: Unfortunately this is not the reboot of Fantastic Four that the original 1961 comic book series deserves. Fant4stic (as it’s been remarketed) lacks the thrill, charisma and chemistry necessary for a superhero film to succeed.
For Aphra Magazine: From the outset, Paper Towns just looks like another boring, predictable teenage film about a White unpopular high school boy and his infatuation with his beautiful White popular girl neighbour. But instead the film handles the main themes and common clichés well, with depth and humour throughout, making the film an above average teen rom com.
For BULL Magazine: Eden Caceda isn’t excited to visit a graveyard any time soon.
Long time musical theatre favourite Les Miserables took home Best Musical last night at the annual Helpmann Awards at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.
For CelebrityOz: In recent years Melissa McCarthy has brought to our screens a different kind of funny woman: rowdy, sex-positive, dirty-talking, and unconventional in every sense of the word. But comedienne Amy Schumer’s debut film Trainwreck embodies many of these aspects and more as she continues to drive a provocative humour that pushes many boundaries, making the film one of the funniest and more original ones this year.
For the Sydney Environmental Institute: Eden Caceda describes what it’s like to represent Iran in a mock COP21 conference.
For Aphra Magazine: It’s been seven years since Matthew Mitcham made sporting history and became the first openly gay man to win an Olympic gold. But when I have the opportunity to talk to Mitcham, he still speaks like the fresh-faced diver who made Australia proud in Beijing all those years ago.
When Bring It On: The Musical opened on Broadway in 2012, audiences had only five months to catch the show before it was unceremoniously taken off the Great White Way.
For CelebrityOz: Watching Inside Out with a large audience of older people and young children in a cinema reminds me of the potential for animated films, mostly because the concept is devoid of talking animals and supernatural beings.
For OuttaGum: It’s said that there are variations of Hollywood films in every country around the world. If that’s true, newly released Australian comedy Ruben Guthrie is no doubt the equivalent of 2013’s modern classic The Wolf of Wall Street.
For the Sydney Environment Institute: Eden Caceda on Paris COP21 and how experimental negotiation methods can change how the United Nations discusses climate change.
Channel Ten’s Carrie Bickmore won hearts and brought some tears to viewers of last nights TV Week Logie Awards as she walked away with the coveted Gold Logie.
For Aphra Magazine: On November 14th, I got a call from conservative columnist Tim Blair while at dinner with work colleagues.
Nothing has challenged the 600-year tradition of indoor opera more than performing it outdoors. Without the imposition of a theatre, Handa Opera’s outdoor production of Aida on Sydney Harbour is one that aims to bring down the well-established walls of the opera experience. Unfortunately, it delivers delicious spectacle without an emotional build.
For Junkee: Australia loves Anzac Day.
It’s been over 40 years since the Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show premiered, but it seems that age has taken its toll on the outrageous stage production once renowned for pushing social boundaries.
For BULL Magazine: Eden Caceda was one of the five people who watched Ellen Degeneres’ season of American Idol.
After a year long play in Melbourne and shirt stint in Perth, musical classic Les Miserables hits the Capitol Theatre in Sydney after over a decade since it last played in the city.
Circus performance is something that has changed greatly over the years. Whether it’s the artistic and alternative performances of Cirque du Soleil or the traditional fairground shows of amateur big tops, there seems to be two different types of circus performers that circulate in the entertainment world.
Held at The Star in Sydney’s Pyrmont, the ASTRAs presented 19 awards to a number of television channels and hosts during the evening, also marking 20 years of subscription television in Australia. The event was hosted by American personality Giuliana Rancic from the E! Network.
For BULL Magazine: Walking into Thriller Live, there were two things that were evident. Firstly, the median age of the Lyric Theatre’s audience was 35 at best. Secondly, I was in a MJ fanatical crowd, the likes of which I had never experienced before.
For Junkee: Taking into account the nature of the plot and the fact that the novel was able to capture specific parts of Australian society and culture that hadn’t been properly explored before, it’s no surprise that the new Americanised series, which premiered last week on NBC, has received mixed reviews
For CelebrityOz: It’s a common fact that sequels are hit and miss. With films that have such a successful formula, it’s difficult to not want to repeat the same old recipe with a few new ingredients, as it is taking a chance to make the a sequel a completely different affair.
For Hijacked: Foodies and lovers of Asian culture at the ready, for the time has come. It’s Chinese New Year and in between the dumplings, buns, lanterns, dancing dragons and firecrackers it’s going to be hard to escape the festivity that comes with the cultural celebration. And hey, no complaining here.
For The Reel Word: Rosewater intrigues with its use of real footage to depict what is happening in Iran. Through this story of captivity, what shines is a tale of courage in a time of corruption and political conflict in the Middle East.
For ARMED: “Love it or leave it” implies that we must love the land that we came to unconditionally and unreservedly, and should we want change, leaving is the only remedy because that criticism is not welcome here.
For The Reel Word: The film’s distance from the publicized and celebrated career of Hawking is a fresh and interesting amendment to the biopic canon, framed by excellent performances by all.
For Hijacked: The nominations have been nothing less than unexpected, with some predicted favourites from earlier awards being snubbed while others received far more recognition than they have all season. Here are Eden’s predictions for the big wins. You’re welcome.
For Hijacked: Drag queens have long been a part of cross-dressing performance art and have appeared onscreen in classics such as Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Rent and The Birdcage.
Eden Caceda 