Culture
Movies
★★★★
Review
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is spellbinding, but not for kids
With the voices of Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz, this version of Pinocchio is seductive, amusing, dark as pitch and full of metaphor.
- by Paul Byrnes
Latest
The Succession and GoT director who’s taken a cleaver to celebrity chefs
Cashed-up patrons pay around $2000 each to dine at an ornate and exclusive restaurant that can only be reached by boat in Mark Mylod’s film The Menu.
- by Garry Maddox
★★
Review
So Timothee Chalamet’s buzzy cannibal movie isn’t very good. This is why
Bones and All is an overwrought story of transgression that is both consciously ridiculous and sappy.
- by Jake Wilson
★★★★
Review
Truth or fiction? The Queen of Denmark’s son who came back from the dead
In Margrete: Queen of the North, the strange, real-life 15th-century case of a peasant pretending to be a monarch’s long-lost son is given a fictional twist.
- by Paul Byrnes
Is the priceless artwork in Russell Crowe’s new film real – and is it his?
There are some spectacular paintings on display in Russell Crowe’s Poker Face, and the writer-director-star claims most of them are real. But how many are his?
- by Karl Quinn
★★½
Review
Poker Face gambles too much, but reminds us that Russell Crowe’s a star
The Oscar winner stepped in to direct this caper at the last minute, but his star power is not enough to save the rather obvious plot.
- by Paul Byrnes
★★★★
Review
Australian high-camp is back: could this be our new Priscilla?
Seriously Red is a joyful, candy-coloured confection with a touch of lemon about the joys and sorrows of show business.
- by Sandra Hall
Poker Face official trailer
Russell Crowe stars in and directs the Stan Original movie premiering on November 21.
From Hitchcock and Hanging Rock to Hollywood: Peter Weir reflects on his brilliant career
The great Australian filmmaker received an honorary Oscar for his “consummate skill and artistry” this weekend, but talking to him about it required an old-fashioned approach.
- by Garry Maddox
Director Peter Weir joins list of cinema greats with historic award
The filmmaker behind Picnic At Hanging Rock, Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show will be the first Australian director awarded an honorary Oscar this weekend.
- by Garry Maddox
Tim Winton on a blue groper, a novel – and his life-imitates-art moment
With his novel, Blueback, now a movie, the author reflects on how his love of the sea has evolved – and what he’s prepared to do to protect it.
- by Tim Winton