Director Rupert Wyatt has excelled in producing a phenomenal prequel of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes. Wyatt’s depiction inevitably proved a remarkable technological progression of the classic ’60s sci-fi representation. Avatar‘s Oscar-winning visual effects masterminds, Weta Digital, combined with renowned producers and screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver to created not only a […]

Jenni Kelly was one of six award-winning artists who took part in the “Travellers’ Tales” exhibition funded by the Moreton Bay Regional Council. The event was held this month at the Pine Rivers Art Gallery in Strathpine. The theme “Travellers’ Tales” embraced memoirs of the artists’ intrepid travels derived from photographs translated into art pieces […]

Based on an iconic book and epic three-hour movie, the musical adaptation of Dr Zhivago has a lot to live up to. After all, song and dance would not be the first choice for many to convey the loneliness, individualism and ideology explored in Boris Pasternak’s novel. Yet director Des McAnuff and composer Lucy Simon […]

When someone held in high regard speaks her mind it’s hard to ignore. But prominent Brisbane film identity Anne Demy-Geroe says she is speaking out about the restrictions on Iranian filmmakers because it means so much to her. Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof are two Iranian filmmakers who have suffered a great deal for their […]

Preparations for a school concert will always be nerve-wracking for students and teachers alike. But when the big event is to be held at the Sydney Opera House and the music teacher is the determined, passionate Mrs Karen Carey, the potential for a riveting documentary is created. Mrs Carey’s Concert follows the teachers and students […]

The Terzina String Trio entertained patrons with enchanting baroque music at the Brisbane Square library last week as part of the Fête de la Musique Brisbane festival. The two-year-old trio is made up of Queensland Conservatorium students – twin 19-year-old brothers Michael Poulton on violin and Phillip Poulton on viola and Camilla Tafra, 20, on […]

Locals gathered at the Groove Train restaurant in Eagle Street Pier on Tuesday night to watch acoustic trio “Tony Mockeridge” perform for the Fete de la Musique-Brisbane, a non-for-profit , Brisbane City Council event. Established by the French Government in 1982, Fete de la Musique is celebrated on June 21 every year in more than […]

Based on real events, Oranges and Sunshine gives a deeply moving account of the deportation of thousands of British children to Australia. Between 1947 and 1979 up to 130,000 British children were deported to different institutions around Australia, unbeknown to their families. The film centres on Margaret Humphreys (Emily Watson) a British social worker who […]

When you walk into a gallery you never expect to leave haunted by an image that you saw. South African photographer Jodi Bieber captured the very confronting image of a disfigured Afghan girl who had both her ears and nose cut off as retribution for fleeing her husband’s home. This photograph is so powerful in […]

The combination of a great photo and explanatory text is powerful. The shock of the image stays in your mind in a way that even the most descriptive story never does. World Press Photo 11, the 54th annual World Press Photo exhibition of photojournalism is showing at Brisbane Powerhouse. It has been publicised with a […]

Queensland Theatre Company and the Bell Shakespeare’s immersion into necromancy, incest, rape, and self-mutilation somehow makes for a good night at the theatre. Like Dr Faustus who in compact with Lucifer brings the dead to life, director Michael Gow has revived the Faust myth itself: that old and prolific parable of the spineless genius who […]

Snowtown is definitely not a movie for the faint-hearted. Directed by Justin Kurzel it’s based on the chilling murders in South Australia 10 years ago and show how the worst serial killer in Australia’s history manipulates those around him to believe the lies he tells. Lucas Pittaway plays Jamie Vlassakis as an unsuspecting teenager who […]

This is an example of Hollywood’s worst commercial instincts and its continued decline from the heights of classic, original well-acted movies. It features generational audience targeting – the mocking of Gen Y’s intelligence – and a moronic storyline sparsely dotted with good acting performances but excellent special effects. Its interesting concept of human evolution that […]

An exhibition that challenges our perceptions and questions our understanding of Australia’s closest neighbours is on display at Logan Art Gallery. “Pacific Storms” aims to overcome stereotypes of Pacific Island art by focusing on captivating the viewer and drawing attention to the Pacific culture seen through the eyes of Pacific artists. The painting “Frigate Bird” […]

It’s amazing what can be the most attention grabbing artistic work in a collection. People joke about sculptures made from great heaps of rubbish, and paintings that are reminiscent of their 4-year-old niece’s artistic triumphs. But in this case, we see a quiet painting of a man who seems as if he isn’t even there, […]

Queensland Art Gallery When painter Amrita Sher-Gil died in 1941 aged 28 she was already recognised as one of India’s most important artists, though she left behind only about 150 canvasses. Born in Hungary to a Jewish opera-singer mother and an Indian Sikh father, her talent was nurtured early and at the age of 16 […]

In the city’s 151st year, Ipswich showcased its rich multiculturalism in the Global Fiesta at Queens Park on Sunday. The fiesta featured live entertainment from local bands, Australian Idol contestant Ngaiire, youths from an Indigenous Hip hop and RnB crew, other cultural performances, line dancing, food stalls, workshops, displays and amusement rides. Between the two […]

More than 100 pieces of Lloyd Rees’s artwork are being shown at the Queensland Art Gallery this month, celebrating the Brisbane-born artist’s long and successful career. The Life and Light exhibition focuses on Rees’ early drawings of Brisbane and showcases his exploration of light in landscapes, street scenes and portraits. One of his most prominent […]

Opera Queensland (Lyric Theatre) A strange mix of poker games, Italian, gun fights and high notes, Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West combines the cultured world of opera with the 1850s gold rush in California – and somehow does it well. The opera has a Romeo and Juliet feel to it, with Minnie, the […]

The Queensland Art Gallery’s current exhibition “Myth to Modern” displays a fascinating exhibition of bronze sculptures. This piece entitled Sketch (of a boy) by Daphne Mayo, standing only a few inches tall, struck me from across the room of raw, sculptured bodies. The piece embodies the femininity of a young boy that perhaps sets out […]