culture

film

film June 24, 2017

‘A Quiet Passion’ and ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’

Christos Tsiolkas A film about Emily Dickinson and a documentary on Whitney Houston may seem worlds apart but both address – with varied success – the notion of divine gifts.

film May 13, 2017

Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’

Christos Tsiolkas Jordan Peele’s satirical horror Get Out fails to frighten by addressing America’s race politics on the surface rather than probing its subconscious fears.

film April 15, 2017

Kristen Stewart and Olivier Assayas’s ‘Personal Shopper’

Christos Tsiolkas Although at times a slightly confused ghost story, Personal Shopper trades on the talent of Kristen Stewart and her connection with director Olivier Assayas.

music April 29, 2017

Composer and Oscar winner Hans Zimmer finds new audiences

Darryn King

Composer Hans Zimmer’s monumental soundscapes have won him an Oscar for The Lion King and powered Christopher Nolan’s films, but their rapturous reception at rock music festival Coachella took even him by surprise.

film April 8, 2017

Filming ‘Chauka’ at Manus Island's detention facilities

Martin McKenzie-Murray A collaboration between a journalist held on Manus Island and a filmmaker in Holland shows life in detention in all its stark monotony.

film March 11, 2017

Jeff Nichols’ ‘Loving’

Christos Tsiolkas Made with fidelity and care, ‘Loving’ re-creates history without lapsing into histrionics.

film February 18, 2017

Designer and film historian Peter Dietze

Kate Holden A pioneering Melbourne designer discovers a family link to the birth of the Indian film industry.

film February 4, 2017

Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’

Christos Tsiolkas In his tale of Portuguese Jesuit priests travelling in Japan at a time when Christianity was outlawed, Martin Scorsese returns to the complexities of faith, and makes his best film in 20 years

film December 24, 2016

Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land’

Christos Tsiolkas Whiplash director Damien Chazelle has sought to deliver a classic Hollywood musical, but La La Land fails to spark.

television November 12, 2016

Rose Byrne in David Mamet’s ‘Speed-the-Plow’

Steve Dow After conquering Hollywood, Rose Byrne returns to Australia to take on Mamet for the STC.

film November 5, 2016

Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Elle’

Christos Tsiolkas Isabelle Huppert’s masterful turn in Elle, Paul Verhoeven’s latest skewering of middle-class concerns, is let down by a psychosexual bent with no convincing basis.