Reviews 1040 results

Cluedo! The Interactive Game: The Christmas Edition Theatre Review

So starts the night when Brisbane Immersive Ensemble deliver their special brand of magic and bring the popular board game Cluedo to life for some real live action. The evening begins with a room filled with merry makers along with Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Dr. Black and the rest of the Cluedo cast dressed to the hilt and totally in character.   //   As the adult refreshments flow and the discussions climb in volume, there is suddenly a loud scream ...

Mortal Engines Movie Review

In this future there are monstrous machines the size of cities and their goal is to gobble up all the smaller machines to power their furnaces, as the planet is running out of natural resources. The biggest of these moving cities is called London and its design ethos echos The Smoke in its prime. It’s on this machine that the main conflict takes place.   //   Hugo Weaving plays Thaddeus Valentine, a loving father that has a dark secret. His hidden agenda powers the ...

Roma Movie Review

It’s pace is deliberate and gradual and it slowly pulls you in. It relies on your patience and love of realistic story telling. Based on Cuarón's own personal experience of growing up in a middle class household with a live-in housekeeper, it will make you care about this family unit and it will break your heart.   //   Things in this Mexican household unfold at a leisurely pace, a lot like things do in real life, and it is left up to you to form your own opinions ...

Can You Ever Forgive Me? Movie Review

She is outstanding as is her co-star Richard E. Grant who stars as her flamboyant drinking buddy and partner in crime, Jack Hock. Israel was a once successful writer that had fallen on hard times and turns to a life of crime forging letters from famous people.   //   By all accounts, the real Lee Israel was a difficult and rather unpleasant person and McCarthy gets those nuances just right. She plays her with just the right amount of grit but keeps her from becoming a ...

Two Man Tarantino Theatre Review

One man (Stephen Hirst) and one woman (Emily Kristopher) meet at the Red Apple Video store during its dying day. He behind the counter and soon to be out of work and her dropping off those overdue discs and still in the throes of a bad break up. Together they engage in a titanic riff off, quoting their favourite QT moments from Reservoir Dogs all the way to The Hateful Eight.   //   The battle include everyday items used as props and more than a little physicality as ...

Anna And The Apocalypse Movie Review

First it must be said that high school is difficult enough without having to deal with a rampant plague of zombies. And while not much happens in the quiet town of Little Haven and Anna (Ella Hunt) and her fiends are used to the quiet life, things are about to change for the worse when they start to notice the colour drain from their classmate’s faces.   //   As things usually unfold in these adventures, the school is soon overrun and then the rest of the film becomes ...

The Grinch Movie Review

The bright holiday colours absolutely jump off the screen and the wild Rube Goldberg inventions in Grinch’s cave and the set design show a heightened level of detail. Benedict Cumberbatch is the voice behind the unfriendly one and modulates his voice to good effect. A serious rendition this is not.   //   The story while being a familiar one, is still worthy of retelling as this time of year brings as much loneliness to some as it does happiness. Making people aware of ...

The King And I: from the Palladium Review

Rendered in high definition and featuring the best seats in the house, the presentation is almost faultless. Kelli O’Hara as Anna is strong of voice and her expressive stage craft is outstanding. Seeing Ruthie Ann Miles return to stage as Lady Thiang is very inspiring after the tragedies she’s had to endure and Ken Watanabe puts in a workman like take on the King of Siam. The songs are as memorable as ever and the young cast are uniformly cute.   //   The multi-award ...

The Children Act Movie Review

When an emotional case is added to her docket, she breaks protocol and becomes involved. This has the effect of changing her and husband Jack’s (Stanley Tucci) life. Things unfold in an unhurried fashion and the lack of cliche predicaments announce a work squarely aimed at audience members that enjoy character driven stories.   //   It’s examination of a wide range of topics such as monogamy, religious zealotry and obsession are expertly handled. It’s to Thompson...

Widows Movie Review

McQueen fills his films with the components that make for a lasting experience. The script is taunt and concise, the people in his films more often than not make their point through actions and not words. He uses precision and economy to set the stage. There are those with money and power and those that are trying to claw their way to a better life.   //   The films stats with dramatic action. There is an all male criminal crew that try to pull off a big heist. Things go ...