Selma is a specific film made for a specific audience at a specific time. It is a well made film, that includes competent performances, a high level of technical acumen and is directed by one of Americas most interesting directors. Its purpose is two-fold; to highlight a specific problem to the American people that recent […]
Monthly Archives: January 2015
January
27
Selma – an American problem, an American film, an American audience. (Film Review)
posted by lisathatcher
January
26
Bad – Thinking theatre at its best. (Theatre Review)
posted by lisathatcher
Bad The Old Fitz Theatre Late Show 14 – 31 January. You can buy your tickets here. Photo Credits – Yael Stempler Most welcome at the Old Fitz is the late night offering Bad, written and performed by Kate Walder and Penny Greenhalagh, an all girl clown performance exploring the question of ‘Bad’ theatre through […]
January
22
American Sniper – I need a hero! (Film Review)
posted by lisathatcher
American Sniper is a tribute eulogy to Chris Kyle, fetishising the American hero in the most calculated ways, not the least of which is linking him to The Man With No Name and Dirty Harry. It is a disturbing propaganda piece, of which the man himself would most likely approve, painting a horribly gray […]
January
20
Wild – Reece Witherspoons real woman. (Film Review)
posted by lisathatcher
Note: I originally placed reviews for Wild and Tracks next to each other in my publication scedule, because I thought they may be similar films (with Tracks coming out a full year earlier) but after seeing Wild, I realised they’re very different films, with very different female leads. They are as different as Platoon and […]
January
20
Great Movies I (almost) missed in 2014 – Tracks (Film Review)
posted by lisathatcher
One of the rather dire problems of Tracks, is that its protagonist, Robyn Davidson (performed by Mia Wasikowska) seeks to escape the patronizing gaze of a humanity that tries to fetishise her, which is the very motivation to make the film. It’s a tricky one, because on the one hand, Tracks is the perfect film […]
January
19
Still Alice – Julianne Moore swims skillfully through an ocean of tears. (Film Review)
posted by lisathatcher
Ok, so the first thing to say is that Julianne Moore is amazing in Still Alice and even though she deserved The Award for so many other films, it will certainly help me sleep just that little better at night knowing she finally has ‘One’, and unlike Susan Sarandon that should have had one forever, […]
January
19
The Theory of Everything – Black Holes filled with treacle and saccrine soaked time. (Film Review)
posted by lisathatcher
There is something unsavory about the bio-pics in 2014 that I have yet to put my finger on, but seem to have a lot to do with using a famous person for the sole purpose of motivating a dying-to-be-inspired audience in the wake of our universal conviction that the bio-pic can’t really get to the […]
January
18
The Winslow Boy – Witty words at the Genesian. (Theatre Review)
posted by lisathatcher
The Winslow Boy 17 January to 14 February at The Genesian Theatre You can grab your tickets here. Photography credits Mark Banks Life for lawyers is changing. One of the great unintentional by-products of mass communication on the internet is the redistribution of power via a demystification of elitism. Vocations such as lawyers and merchant […]
January
17
Masterclass – Gareth Davies and the power of performance. (Theatre Review)
posted by lisathatcher
Masterclass Old Fitz Theatre, 13 – 31 January Grab your tickets here. Photography – Marnya Roth In the cinema, the viewer is an afterthought, a reality that occurs after the film project is complete, one of a series of numbers in a room. In the theatre the spectator is real (as opposed to a reality) […]
January
17
Short and Sweet Top 80 – The Festival kicks off on a high. (Theatre Review)
posted by lisathatcher
The Short and Sweet Theatre Festival Sydney stages, Jan 7 to march 15. You can grab your tickets here. Images by Sylvi Soe. One has to be patient and generous with large-scale festivals forging their own imprint on a culture. Often it takes a few years for a festival to find its footing, but […]
Lisa Thatcher 