Back in 2003, when Johnny Depp wearing eyeliner still conjured up images of Edward Scissorhands, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer teamed up with Disney to turn a tired old Disneyland ride in to one of the most profitable movie franchises in history.

It was, of course, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Cure of the Black Pearl: a fun, funny and invigoratingly fresh film that represented everything a blockbuster movie should be. The [...]

Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech is one of the funniest, most compelling and richly fulfilling cinematic experiences of the year, but I understand completely if you don’t believe me. Heck, had someone told me that prior to seeing the film, I probably would have fetched myself a cup of tea just for the sake of dramatically spitting it out mid-sip. After all, regal dramas have a habit of [...]

It’s easy to laugh at the inherent goofiness of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, a Tolkien-esque fantasy epic in which a bunch of talking CGI owls don ornate suits of armour and deliver lines like “Trust your gizzard, Soren” without so much as a wink. In fact, there isn’t a single sight gag or pop culture reference to speak of, which is astonishing, really, when [...]

If most have the idea that an Australian musical isn’t plausible, then most wouldn’t know what they’re talking about. After all, Muriel’s Wedding is arguably a loose musical; with the ABBA soundtrack used as an emotional outlet. You can throw Priscilla: Queen of the Desert in there too. But since Chicago, Hairspray and Mamma Mia! making the successful transition from Broadway to Hollywood, the musical has stepped up a notch to become a potential powerhouse genre. Look at what the High School Musical films did for Zac Efron. So what for the stars of Bran Nue Dae, the first dynamic Australian musical to ever hit screens? Yes, dynamic – because it actually pokes fun at social issues and everyone can hold a decent tune. Even Ernie Dingo. Quite simply, the fact that no other true musical made in this country comes to mind makes it a stand-out. It’s truly worth a watch.