The Artist is one of the best movies I think I have ever seen. Granted, that is always a risky thing to say since I will no sooner declare that and another immensely creative, well-acted, beautifully shot and realised movie will come along and I will be in love all Continue Reading
Lindsey Stirling: never have violins been this much fun!
I hate to admit this but I have always found bouncy upbeat tunes featuring violins a bit twee. Perhaps it was the Switched On Classics of my youth. Perhaps I was attacked by a pack of poorly played violins as a child. Who knows? I can’t be certain what caused Continue Reading
First impressions: "Suburgatory"
There is hell, and then, as this show posits, there is Suburgatory. It is a name so perfectly apt, I desperately wish I had come up with myself. Along with the overly-manicured setting, Stepford Wives-like personalities, and the preternaturally clever teens who trade sophisticated witty lines like they imbibed dictionaries, Continue Reading
First impressions: "Outland"
The ABC debuted its new sitcom, Outland, last night, and it was, in a word, HILARIOUS. Yes in capitals thank you. It was that funny. Which is what you hope for and expect when someone dangles a juicy new piece of comedy tantalisingly close to your viewing schedule. Sitcoms are Continue Reading
"Locked By Land" – Jinja Safari
Is there such a genre, in this ever more musically fragmented world, as Rastafarian-Funk-Tribal? Because if there is, then Jinja Safari should own it hands down. Not that that is the dominant sound on this wholly unique album. It also possesses some Bon Iver dreaminess, or the folk sensibilities of Continue Reading
"Born To Die" – Lana Del Ray
Why does everyone hate Lana Del Rey so much? I know it is much easier to tear down than build up, and people are often too cowardly to voice a differing opinion when the inflamed mob is of one brain-addled mind. Even so, it is like people have gathered together Continue Reading
Cougartown: The most hilarious underrated show on TV!
Yes I have declared Cougartown to be the funniest show on TV. Why is that you say, wondering why I would pick a show that sounds like it’s about sun-bronzed, women in their 40s desperately chasing after much younger men? Because it isn’t about that, my friends. No, it is Continue Reading
"Something" – Chairlift
For Chairlift the 1980s, and its synth-drenched rhythm never really ended. And no, I am not using their choice to put down creative roots in the heyday of Gary Numan, and Duran Duran as some sort of patronising putdown. It is anything but. Unlike so many other bands that draw inspiration Continue Reading
Unforgettable – Natalie Cole with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra(concert)
Natalie Cole is one of the most gifted singers I have ever seen live. Yes, there I said. Ever. She’s right up there with Annie Lennox and Michael Stipe of REM as a singer with a voice so perfect that it takes your breath away. It was a joy to Continue Reading
First impressions: "Grimm"
Grimm is every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Its basic premise is that fairytales are retellings of events that really happened. That werewolves, witches and the like are not simply the product of people’s overactive and fearful imaginations but real, dangerous and capable of causing great Continue Reading