Reviews

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INCREDIBLE over the top wedding and Catholic confirmation dresses have been the stars of Austar’s hit documentary My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. But the creators of these massive and expensive garments are surprisingly approachable and grounded dressmakers despite their new found celebrity. The..

MY association with Harry Potter has been a long and entertaining journey that has finally concluded after the much-awaited release of The Deathly Hallow Part2. After 14 years of reading seven books and watching eight movies, I am at peace with the knowledge that Harry, Ron and Hermione..

THERE is an unusual and a disturbing component of the big screen comic adaptation of Captain America. Unusually, it does not become apparent until the very end that this is a franchise with more chapters to come. Disturbingly the screenplay writers Christopher Markus and Steph..

Cosmo Cosmolino is an eclectic mix of European sounds from Melbourne’s brilliant string and piano accordion quintet. The ensemble consisting of Helen Mountfort, Judy Gunson, Dan Witton, Andrea Keeble and Sue Simpson (replacing Hope Csutoros) deliver beautiful compositions of har..

Love Never Dies Andrew Lloyd Webber Regent Theatre, Melbourne THE Phantom of the Opera proves love never dies in the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster musical that has entertained millions for a quarter of a century. Australia should be very proud of its production of Lov..

Davidson Brothers - Here to Stay Musical mastery... and magnificent to boot. This new offering from Bendigo’s blugrass boys is more polished, tighter and more enjoyable than previous output. A great sound has become even better. Recorded during a whirlwind trip to Nas..

The Grates - Secret Rituals Two piece band The Grates have made fun the driving force in Secret Rituals. Well it sounds fun with Patience singing in jaunty tone, but listen closer and you’ll hear a darker side. I’ll need to listen again as I lost some of the drift, i..

THERE is a bonus scene just before the credits in the American comedy Bridesmaids that is so shockingly gross that I involuntarily mentally blocked it and had to be reminded later as to its content. Like Quinton Tarantino and his use of over-the-top violence, some modern comedy experime..

JACK Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise are like a friend — you know when you catch up with them that they are good for a laugh and that they are pleasant company for a couple of hours. It is a movie miracle that a fairly innocuous water ride at Disneyland, Los Ang..

CATFISH is an extraordinary movie in the documentary genre that will capture your interest from beginning to end. It was released in Australia in August 2010 as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival and then on limited release in art house cinemas last January. If you bl..

Jebediah – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne. May 5, 2011. Review by Emily Smith It is always slightly awkward when a band comes back from hiatus. Exhibit A, Perth rock band, Jebediah. On one hand, you’re delirious with joy, whipping out the old albums and, in this case, ..

INSIDE Job is perhaps the most important film to come out of the US for quite some time and should be on a ‘must see’ list of films. It is an excruciatingly brutal expose of the machinations of those who engineered and profited from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in the United S..

Artist: Clare Maguire Title: Light After Dark Review by Steve Kendall I FIND it worrying when I am told about the next great voice. Funnily enough I like to decide for myself. Clare Maguire’s press has given her such an accolade. With Irish roots and now living in England, Clare ..

Paul Kelly, Rod Laver Arena, Wednesday, April 20 Paul Kelly is at his best in a minimalist environment. Completely dwarfed by the looming Rod Laver Arena stands, and pressed in by the huge amount of people sitting impatiently in them, the stage and its two spotlights were made increasin..

Bob Dylan and his Band, Rod Laver Arena, Wednesday, April 20. In the lead up to this event, my friends and I took great joy in partaking constantly in our new favourite game. It was simple, and consisted only of one person yelling out rather obnoxiously to another in crowded areas; "Hey..

Artist: Adele Title: 21 English singer song writer and Grammy award winner Adele is back for another slice of cool contemporary adult tunes. We all thought she was a grown up when she released 19 two years ago but look at her now with the release of 21 offering a mix of musical styles p..

Beginning in Bendigo - at the Post Office Gallery, a satellite space of the Bendigo Art Gallery, in the Information Centre, Pall Mall, Until August 14 As a small and stylish foray into Bendigo’s commercial history, Beginning in Bendigo is provocatively more-ish. We are enticed in..

IF you had to pin Hollywood down as to what genre of film it does best it would have to be special effect-jammed action flicks and musicals. Battle: Los Angeles is definitely not a musical although it has an amazingly fitting musical soundtrack and sound special effects that play an i..

Battle: Los Angeles Director: Jonathan Liebesman Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan IF you had to pin Hollywood down as to what genre of film it does best it would have to be special effect-jammed action flicks and musicals. Battle: Los Angeles is definitely no..

Movie: Hall Pass (MA) Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis THE majority of the romantic comedy Hall Pass follows the Hollywood formula of its genre that has worked and not worked for countless of similar movies. However, the only factor that makes this predominantly unexciting project diff..