One of the things that has always defined space opera in all its thrillingly expansive glory is the idea of starting anew. Countless authors have filled their daring, action and adventure dashes across the universe with characters needing a fresh, life-transformative start, the kind which doesn’t come easy but which Continue Reading
Beware the kitteh: Jurassic Park but with a cat
Cats rule. Sorry dogs, you might be adorable and man’s best friend and rescue Timmy from a well like it’s going out fashion, but it’s true – cats rule and it’s seems only fair that popular culture reflect that. Even, in the case of Jurassic Park but with a cat, Continue Reading
Book review: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Happiness has been in short supply over the last couple of years as the COVID pandemic has run rife through once iron-clad certainties and disrupted lives in ways that were unpredictable and often unceasing. While Kent Haruf’s final novel, Our Souls at Night, wasn’t written with the status quo-busting messiness Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: The rule defying joy and sober awareness-raising of THE SOLOISTS
SNAPSHOTIn a small village ruled by ridiculous laws, three singing sisters and their dog rehearse for the Annual Autumn Festival. But an unexpected event will disrupt their plans. Dans un petit village régi par des lois ridicules, trois sœurs chanteuses et leur chien répètent pour le festival annuel d’automne. Mais Continue Reading
Movie review: Mixtape
Identity matters. Nothing abhors a vacuum more than a person trying to determine who they are, and who they will be as a result, and it’s this quest for getting to the heart of self that powers the affecting momentum of Mixtape, a film that also digs deep into the Continue Reading
‘An idealised Australian ethos’: why Bluey is an audience favourite, even for adults without kids
Liam Burke, Swinburne University of Technology; Djoymi Baker, RMIT University; Jessica Balanzategui, Swinburne University of Technology, and Joanna McIntyre, Swinburne University of Technology Bluey, the Emmy award-winning animated series about a family of anthropomorphized cattle dogs, has become a ratings phenomenon since it was first broadcast on the ABC in Continue Reading
Book review: Keeping Mum by James Gould-Bourn
Time heals all wounds, so people say. Quite who these myopically wise people are is never made clear, but in their pithy, not-quite-fully-formed view of the world, they assure anyone who will listen that given enough time that all the hurt, pain, sadness and grief of life will eventually pass Continue Reading
The short and the short of it: Being mindful of fear but open to hope in Far From the Tree
SNAPSHOTParenting is tough, especially when the stakes are so high. On an idyllic beach in the Pacific Northwest, curiosity gets the better of a young raccoon whose frustrated parent attempts to keep them both safe. Far From the Tree is written & directed by American animation filmmaker Natalie Nourigat, who works as a Continue Reading