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ALL STORIES


Bonnie and Clyde: The Deco revival and the ‘Great Hemline Hassle’
Genevieve Nardella unpicks the 'hemline hassle' and the fabled fashion influence of this classic film.
Aug 14, 20223 min read


Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future finds beauty in the grotesque
FILM REVIEW • Crimes of the Future • Melbourne International Film Festival • Director: David Cronenberg • Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart • Run time: 1h 47 minutes • When: On general release from August 25 • Rating: 3.5/5 Crimes of the Future opens on a shot of a seemingly normal young boy sitting by the beach. His mother tells him not to eat anything he finds. Minutes later, the boy is murdered by his mother after he is caught eating a plastic waste ba
Aug 14, 20223 min read


Artwork life-changing for Indigenous prisoners
An art exhibition of work by Indigenous artists who are or were in jail is highlighting the transformative impact of the program, an organiser says. The exhibition Confined 13 is showing 400 artworks from 350 different indigenous artists now or previously in prison. Indigenous arts officer Matty Chilly from support group The Torch says the aim is to prevent prisoners from reoffending, by “keeping that work ethic up”. “The program is there to help them find a focus in their
Jun 5, 20222 min read


The musical ABCs of Albo: It’s as Albanese as 123
Throughout the election campaign, Labor leader Anthony Albanese did not hesitate to remind us of his humble roots: the housing commissions of rough and tumble western Sydney, raised by a single mother on a disability pension. Yes, he may have sounded like a broken record, but one could make the argument that if you had such an uplifting story, you’d probably struggle to keep it to yourself. But in the current attention economy, the fight to win over the imagination of voters
May 28, 20222 min read


Doctor Strange 2: multiverse action driven by strong characters and 80s horror tropes
ACTION FILM REVIEW Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Run time: 2h 6mins Who: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor Where, when: In cinemas now Rating: 4/5 stars Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most recent movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is for both diehard fans of the franchise, and movie-goers looking for an enjoyable two hours of action. It combines classic MCU with throwback superhero sequel arcs and 80s horr
May 20, 20222 min read


Nic Cage plays Nick Cage, and the result is offbeat comedy gold
FILM REVIEW The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent People: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish Where: In cinemas now Nicolas Cage has been in the film industry so long that audiences kind of take him for granted. Even in a time when one-off movies have given way to billion-dollar franchises and cinematic universes, he’s stuck around far longer than many stars who started working in Hollywood around the same time he did. In the current cinematic landscape, it’s diff
May 6, 20222 min read


Dreamlike and magical: fairytale-like film a powerful debut for young sisters
FILM REVIEW Petite Maman Run time: 1h 12mins. Who: Céline Sciamma (director), Joséphine Sanz, Grabrielle Sanz, Stéphane Varupenne, Margo Abascal. Where: In cinemas When: From May 5 Rating: Hard to fault. Céline Sciamma’s film Petite Maman , released in France last year, is as gorgeous and gut-wrenching as its predecessor, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Petite Maman follows Nelly (Joséphine Sanz in her screen debut) as she forms an improbable bond with the child version of h
Apr 23, 20222 min read


Romy and Michele at 25: A candy-coloured costume confection
As grunge’s mainstream popularity started dying out in the mid 1990s, a new and happier ’90s emerged, one that laid the groundwork for the TRL bubblegum pop and Y2K fashion of the later part of the decade. There are many explanations for why the ’90s eventually turned out this way, but the one that seems the most obvious is that it was a happy time: the Cold War was over, the American economy was good, and 9/11 had not yet come to harsh the public’s mellow. Romy and Michele
Apr 22, 20223 min read


Pop-up CBD bar a paradox in both name and nature
BAR REVIEW Bar Paradox Where: downstairs at Supernormal, Flinders Lane, CBD When: until April 24 Bar Paradox is a pop-up venue adding to the many attractions bringing people back to the CBD during the second half of the Comedy Festival. Open from April 11 to 24, the project is spearheaded by Orlando Marzo, crowned World Class Bartender of the Year in 2018. Paradox is an intimate and pensive venue. The low lighting and quiet sound create a delightful space for conversation to
Apr 21, 20222 min read


Fantastic Beasts 3: an entertaining return to form
A large cast is one of the film’s shortcomings. FILM REVIEW Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Run time: 2h 20mins Who: David Yates (director), Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Mads Mikkelsen Where: In cinemas now After delays, controversies and a global pandemic, the third entry in the divisive Fantastic Beasts series has finally arrived. This instalment focuses on a younger Dumbledore and his attempt to stop the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald from seizing control of
Apr 21, 20222 min read


Bridgerton S2: Flawed but fun
Genevieve Nardella savours the spinster vibes of the highly-anticipated B2 - but not without a warning for the history buffs among you.
Apr 9, 20223 min read


Villains and heroes for our times: The Batman not the movie we deserve
Batman films have always been a good gauge of the West’s big social problems of the day. This was explicit in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, grounded in a post-9/11 America that defined itself with fear and paranoia. But the Dark Knight films were made more than a decade ago, with the final instalment, The Dark Knight Rises , released in 2012. Nolan’s brand of fear is specific to the Bush era and its politics – fear of the foreign with Ra’s al Ghul and his League
Apr 7, 20224 min read
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