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By Helen Razer
For many years, great artists have depended for their flourishing upon the generous patronage of…blah, blah, blah, Leonardo. Give it a rest with the Renaissance Defence. Yes. Of course. We know: all art demands material support for its creation and survival. In this way, it is much like every single part of human life. Art
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It will surprise nobody with an appreciation of film and television, and some understanding of the culture in which they are discussed, to say that we live in spoiler-averse times. One might also say “spoiler obsessed” or “spoiler paranoid”. I cannot count (and I doubt you can either) the number of conversations I’ve had with
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The war inside America launches yet another battle in Syria Tucker Carlson is a daily political commentator on Rupert Murdoch’s pro-Trump Fox News. He’s firmly classified as right-wing, and for much of his career (2000-present) he’s worn a bow tie. Yesterday, before Trump ordered missile hits on Syrian government buildings that the US, UK and
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Eric Metaxas, author of Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (Viking) greets me over the phone with “Yiasou Patritha” (health to your homeland). We Greeks carry ‘homeland’ on our shoulders. The New York based writer of Greek German background says, “I loved your An Atheist in Greek Easter,” about an old piece I sent him
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By Daily Review
Judith Van Heeren’s new exhibition of natural history paintings, Sea Garden, is at Murray White Room in Melbourne’s CBD until May 5 . Sea Garden was partly inspired by the 1769 painting Sea Plumes, Lithophytes and Shells by Anne Vallayer-Coster in the Louvre. “The painting is just so exquisitely painted and full of mystery and intrigue. At that time I imagined the oceans
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By Shane Murphy
The title of this show was enough for me. The tension that a Millennial would feel in not looking at his screen for a whole hour sounded a funny premise around which a show could revolve. The New Zealand comic (latterly located in New York), Guy Montgomery has a gentle manner. This is not super aggressive
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By Shane Murphy
The Comic’s Lounge in North Melbourne feels like the beer barn of comedy venues in this festival. It brings a chunk of Frankston’s infamous Pier Hotel into the inner city, while conjuring up some memories of the long gone Last Laugh in Collingwood. It’s big, and quite full considering it’s a cool Tuesday evening. It’s
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In the under-rated anthology comedy Movie 43, Hugh Jackman plays a hunky bachelor with one, shall we say, slightly unusual thing about him: a pair of huge testicles that dangle from his chin. His shell shocked date, Kate Winslet, cannot take her eyes off them; nor can she understand why nobody else in a busy restaurant appears
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By Shane Murphy
After a blessed run of terrific, thought provoking shows and a lot of laughs, there had to a misfire. Unfortunately Gabe Hogan’s show was it. Hogan’s show is ostensibly about discovering her inner gay self at age 36. She bounces onstage and makes straight for her wine, making a crack about only wanting to get there
Read MoreBy Shane Murphy
Speakeasy HQ is an entirely appropriate venue for the First World White Girls. Speakeasy bills itself as the home of vaudeville and these girls are very showbizzy. In fact, you might even call their show a musical, and a very funny one. The White Girls sing their way through an hour of first world problems accompanied
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