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 October 22, 2016

Martu elder Nyarri Nyarri Morgan and ‘Collisions’

Romy Ash A virtual reality tour with Maralinga survivor Nyarri Nyarri Morgan.

film October 8, 2016

Joe Cinque’s Consolation

Christos Tsiolkas In examining Australian society via a heinous true crime, Joe Cinque’s Consolation forces us to look at ourselves.

film August 27, 2016

Ben Wheatley’s ‘High Rise’

Christos Tsiolkas Director Ben Wheatley is too faithful to J. G. Ballard’s simplistic prose in High-Rise, missing the opportunity to refine its class politics for the present day.

film July 23, 2016

Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig Ghostbusters falls into same traps as original

Christos Tsiolkas The reboot of Ghostbusters stifles a group of fine comic actresses with an unadventurous script.

television June 11, 2016

Bruna Papandrea’s journey from Elizabeth to Hollywood

Donna Walker-Mitchell The Australian-born Hollywood producer putting women’s stories at the centre of film and television.

film June 4, 2016

Werner Herzog’s ‘Queen of the Desert’

Christos Tsiolkas Queen of the Desert plays it safe and fails the story of Gertrude Bell, the pioneering woman who guided the British during the emergence of the modern Middle East.