Film & TV
True Detective
As the clinical interrogator of civilisation’s ills, the detective trawls through the darkest and least accessible pockets of society in search of answers to the riddles that lay before them. What emerges from their cunning, outside-the-box thinking has long made…
The Great Beauty
The opening scenes of The Great Beauty give you a double helping of Rome, with Rome on top: gardens, monuments, cloisters, statuary, and a disco party next to the Colosseum. And all of this drenched in sunshine, or in shining…
Downton Abbey: Season 4
Julian Fellowes has, as Hugh Bonneville puts it, ‘pulled a rabbit out of a hat’ and produced what must be my favourite season of Downton Abbey so far. While some of the acting can be criticised (I’m not sure about…
Blue Jasmine
Woody Allen hits another home run with this funny, startling reimagining of Tennessee Williams’ seminal stage play A Streetcar Named Desire. Positing the titular Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) in the role of Blanche DuBois, Allen uses Williams’ paradigm to frame…
Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing
Shot over just twelve days at Joss Whedon’s own home, Shakespeare’s classic comedy of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick (and sappy lovers Claudio and Hero) is given a modern twist in this film that is dark, sexy and frequently absurd.
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Banshee: Season 1
Banshee is pretty much the rollicking-est, sexiest ride you’re bound to take this year. It’s over-the-top and violent, but mostly it’s just wicked fun. So buckle in, hold on and take the ride. It’s seriously riveting TV.
This character-driven drama…
Behind The Candelabra
This made-for-TV movie (which later received a cinematic release) recounts the stormy six-year relationship between flamboyant entertainer Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his younger lover Scott Thorson (Matt Damon).
Raised in foster homes, a 17-year-old, bisexual Thorson is introduced to Liberace…
Mad Men: Season 6
In the penultimate season of Mad Men, it’s the late 60s and the times are changing. One of the most interesting aspects of Mad Men is how each season evolves to expose the era it is depicting. By Season…
The Hunt by Thomas Vinterberg
While I cry easily in films, I can attest to the fact that there are few which can somehow persuade me to curl up into the fetal position while in a cinema and let loose loud, wracking sobs that cause…
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets: David Simon
First published in 1991, this true crime classic has just been released in Australia for the first time. It’s significant for a number of reasons – but most of all, because it launched the career of David Simon, creator of…
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