Kicking off the first ever University of Sydney Union Identity Revue Season, the stakes were high for the Autonomous Collective … Continue reading Review: ACAR Revue (2016) brings their best for their sophomore year
Directed by: Babak Najafi Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Angela Bassett As a sequel … Continue reading Review: London Has Fallen (2016)
Turandot is without a doubt one of the most popular and enduring operas created, so naturally it was only a … Continue reading Review: Turandot, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (2016)
On the week of their 45th wedding anniversary, Geoff (Tom Courtenay) and Kate (Charlotte Rampling) are a seemingly happy couple … Continue reading Review: 45 Years (2016)
2005 was the last time a huge professional production of Fiddler on the Roof played to Sydney audiences. While significant time … Continue reading Review: Fiddler On The Roof, Capitol Theatre (2016)
The Seekers hold a place in Australian music history and have contributed significant amounts to music culture. Yet, when I … Continue reading Review: Georgy Girl: The Seekers Musical, State Theatre, Sydney (2016)
There are few cinematic experiences a fimgoer has when they see a new, groundbreaking work at a theatre. Though nobody … Continue reading Review: The Witch (2016)
Directed by: Louis Letterier Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Gabourey Sidibe There are expectations when going into … Continue reading Review: Grimsby (2016)
Entering the Reginald Theatre at the Seymour Centre, completely unaware of what Unfinished Works is, or what it is about, … Continue reading Review: Unfinished Works, Seymour Centre (2016)
There are many expectations going into Ghost The Musical at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on opening night. Bruce Joel Rubin’s adaptation … Continue reading Review: Ghost The Musical, Theatre Royal (2016)
Directed By: Michael Bay Starring: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Max Martini, David Costabile, Pablo Schrieber What happens when you … Continue reading Review: 13 Hours (2016)
Four girls live in New York City and try to navigate through the trials and tribulations of dating life. Sound … Continue reading Review: How To Be Single (2016)
Directed by: John Crowley Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters Old-fashioned storytelling, classic film techniques … Continue reading Review: Brooklyn (2015)
When Zoolander opened in cinemas in 2001, like most cult films, it premiered to poor reviews and little audience love. … Continue reading Review: Zoolander 2 (2016)
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. Continue reading Review: Burnt (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Pan (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Cats, Capitol Theatre (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Macbeth (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: The Dressmaker (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: The Intern (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: The Martian (2015)
From the first few moments of Life, there’s absolutely no indication where the story is about to go. Continue reading Review: Life (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Holding The Man (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Me and Earl and The Dying Girl (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Matilda, Lyric Theatre, The Star (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Fantastic Four (2015)
Eden Caceda isn’t excited to visit a graveyard any time soon. Continue reading Review: Glitch Season 1 (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Ruben Guthrie (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Trainwreck (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Bring It On, Parade Theatre (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Inside Out (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Aida, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: The Rocky Horror Show, Lyric Theatre, The Star (2015)
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.
Continue reading Review: Les Miserables, Capitol Theatre (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Le Noir – The Dark Side of Cirque, Lyric Theatre (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Thriller Live, Lyric Theatre, The Star (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
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. Continue reading Review: Rosewater (2014)
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. Continue reading Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)
It’s been four years since Wicked left Sydney and a decade since it opened on Broadway, but seeing Wicked at … Continue reading Review: Wicked, Capitol Theatre, Sydney (2014)
Melissa McCarthy rehashes her usual vulgar onscreen persona in this uninspired road movie, which squanders all its talent. Continue reading Review: Tammy (2014)
Suicide is often a difficult topic to include and explore in mainstream films. Unlike accidental deaths, which seem to be a plot twist in so many movies, suicide is rarely depicted on screen, and when it is, it easily comes under criticism because of the way it’s shown and the meaning it is trying to create. Continue reading Review: The Skeleton Twins (2014)
Eden Caceda wished Ed Revue actually taught him something.
Continue reading Review: Education and Social Work Revue (2014): Trapped in the past
Network TEN’s hit drama Offspring has developed considerably over its five year run, and has perhaps at long last found its true tone. Continue reading Review: Offspring Season 5 (2014)
Based on Robert A Heinlein’s short story “All You Zombies”, Predestination centres on a time travelling “temporal agent” (Ethan Hawke), travelling by time-warped violin case, who attempts to prevent a mass terrorist, the Fizzle Bomber. Continue reading Review: Predestination (2014)
Focused on seven international qualified bodybuilders training to compete in the Mr. Olympia contest, Mickey Rourke narrates Generation Iron, which aims to get to the core of why these bodybuilders do what they do. Continue reading Review: Generation Iron (2013)
Controversy has surrounded US military interventions in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia, and the new political documentary Dirty Wars, reminds viewers of the grave issues of this foreign policy. Continue reading Review: Dirty Wars (2013)
Baz Luhrmann’s first film Strictly Ballroom comes to life in this colossal stage adaptation, with all the same lines and songs Australia has come to love. Continue reading Review: Strictly Ballroom, Lyric Theatre, The Star
