Latest Blog Posts

In 2015, I witnessed some kiddy cricketers hurling insults at each other about their mothers and sisters so I wrote an op-ed piece for SBS News Online about the notion of sledging as a tactical skill in winning a game of bat and ball.  It was a clear-cut case of the emperor-has-no-clothes.  Sledging is bullying. I could laugh at recent cringe-worthy items deemed to be newsworthy – ‘grown man ponces off pitch due to sledge’, ‘cricketer reacts to sledge about wife’ – but instead, the ingrained sexism just makes me sigh .  The real insult is in the insidious low...

04/11/2018

Being GenX, I didn’t think I’d see this monumental change in my lifetime: so many brave women standing up and saying #MeToo in our own version of ‘I’m Spartacus!’  …

21/10/2017

Red Handed made it into: 17th Shriekfest Horror Film Festival – Official Selection 13th Halloween Horror Picture Show – Official Laurels Melbourne Underground Film Festival – Officia…

18/09/2017

Terminator 2 Judgement Day has a rare status of immunity to sequelitis. There aren’t many sequels that are as good as the original – T2 surpasses T1 on every front – narrative, chara…

13/08/2017

This is the shortlist.I have seen all of these movies, some several times over and I love each of them for various reasons. THE LION KING          …

18/06/2017

This page is updated with links to some of my articles.Ocean Media - Sails and Offshore Magazine: 'Home & Away' 7 Star Luxury Catamarans With Ever-Changing Stunning ViewsI was happy to write the…

01/05/2017

A client of BlackBox Voice Productions had audio-visual segments with non-professional narration and wanted to refresh the content with a professionally produced, polished voiceover. I was rapt my voi…

05/04/2017

It’s the 50 year ‘anniversary’ of The Battle Of Long Tan that happened in August 1966 during The Vietnam War aka The 2nd Indochina War aka The Resistance War Against America aka The …

20/08/2016

Suicide Squad has some great lines, production design, costumes and 2 engrossing characters – Harley Quinn & The Joker. Their Bonnie-&-Clyde relationship is the heart and soul …

03/08/2016

Tarzan is still portrayed as an oxy moronic 'sophisticated Neanderthal'.He’s an educated, urbane aristocrat who can get all physically Philistine in a loincloth and speak another lan…

19/07/2016

I was an innocent bystander to Ghostbusters.Now I am an eye witness to a crime against cinema. Who is the audience for this?Kids under 10 who love the sliming of stars at the Nickelodeon Awards? …

13/07/2016

Here is a snapshot of the Australian stats for spinal cord injury (SCI).Mostly young people, mostly car accidents and the fiscal cost is $4b but on a personal level, the true cost is too immense to me…

15/05/2016

Festival director Nashen Moodley continues to evolve the SFF into the most intriguing and beguiling international cinematic experience. The 2016 slate of screenings is astounding with too many highlig…

14/05/2016

I chatted with director Jon Favreau in Sydney about his CGI 3D masterpiece The Jungle Book for Disney with the only live action from Neel Sethi – the actor playing Mowgli.Here are the trailers s…

04/04/2016

On April Fool’s Day, private health cover premiums rose again - this time 5-6%. BUPA shafted me with my annual price gouge – this time 7.2% - with a healthy dose of ‘put up and …

01/04/2016

A Belgian, a Persian, a Maori, an American, a Samoan and I walk into a bar… It’s called The Ugly Mermaid (yep)… At Le Vasa on Upolu Island, Samoa, the chairs, roof and all fittings…

01/02/2016

Big thanks to the creative people and agencies I worked with in 2015.It’s been a great year full of inspiring and fun productions and I’m available for more work from Feb 1st 2016.I a…

21/12/2015

The Revenant is a beautiful, brutal revenge masterpiece that will attract awards attention for many of the cast and crew, particularly the talented trio who gave us the awards-magnet, Birdman: I&ntild…

06/12/2015

Declaring a herd of cows as a national threat sounds like an absurdist notion from Stanley Kubrick’s classic Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (1964) but i…

14/11/2015

You know what to expect. It’ll be served up the way you like. And after you’ve consumed it, there’ll be some satisfaction. Then you’ll forget about it until the next time a pro…

07/11/2015

I’ve seen both these real life stories dramatized for the big screen. Both have hard-working lead actors: Tom Hardy plays twins Ronnie and Reggie and uses bad English false teeth as an essential…

09/10/2015

Some Australian business names are so beloved by the public, they become part of our everyday language.  Boldness in a person is described as ‘more front than Myer’.  ‘Gone…

30/07/2015

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”         Kenneth Grahame, The Wind…

22/07/2015

Mad Max Fury Road is the most-anticipated movie of the year so far – more than Avengers Age Of Ultron – because it has a deeper, richer cinematic ancestry dating back to 1979 – …

17/05/2015

The people calling for Abbott to ‘bring our boys home’ from the firing squad in Indonesia remind me of the rabble calling for the freeing of Barabbas from the death penalty over some compa…

28/04/2015

Who will win? Adaline VS Avengers – scientific guff Vibranium?  I thought they were calling it Fibranium which weirdly made sense to me because I ass-umed it was a nuclear-strength version …

26/04/2015

There's plenty written, said, recorded and read about all of Tolkien's work as seen through the eyes of Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson.   So I'll cut to the chase.  I went to the …

18/12/2014

The Bliss Series - The Long Tail Of The Zoe Effect After five days at Bliss Sanctuary for women in Canggu, Bali, I felt the long tail of benefits in all areas of my life.I had new meditative tools fo…

14/12/2014

The Bliss Series - Daily Treatments Instantly Change Everything After having Balinese Customs officers go through all my belongings, ask me about the three boxes in my luggage (which did not exist) t…

13/12/2014

The Bliss Series - Stepping Outside Your Comfort ZoneBliss Sanctuary for women creates a wonderful comfort zone for guests and also offers opportunities to step outside that comfort zone too. I opted…

12/12/2014

The Bliss Series - Stepping Into A Comfort Zone.   Just days before heading to Bliss, my life was turned inside out with a monumental legal battle that involved a sudden expensive lawyer, an 11t…

09/12/2014

Russell Crowe has knocked it out of the ballpark with his directorial feature debut The Water Diviner.  The film deserves the 8 AATCA nominations it earned and I predict Oscar buzz too.  Ye…

06/12/2014

Pop Art was a frivolous flash in cultural pan – until it wasn’t.   Not ahead of its time but it did predict that the mundane and lightweight would be revered.  It was summed up b…

11/11/2014

What an enormous cock up. And I don't mean the good kind 😉 I’m talking about the latest Myer TVC. My brother Chris and I were chatting about weak ads today.  The Myer ‘Wonderland&r…

09/11/2014

Run by volunteers, supported by some precious sponsors, the Palestinian Film Festival launched in in Sydney last night with passion and a powerfully moving augmented reality app.   Download it th…

07/11/2014

Without Boardwalk Empire, TV just became a bored walk.  This is how I feel about it coming to an end.      A favourite way to unwind is to time travel IE immerse myself in period d…

02/11/2014

Every now and again I like to take a risk and subject myself to a piece of art about which I know nothing.   It’s hit and miss.  But that’s the spirit of adventure.  Don&rsq…

02/11/2014

Very excited to be selected as a Short+Sweet director for the 2015 theatre season!   Short+Sweet is the world's largest short play festival - home grown here in Australia and now in countries a…

27/10/2014

It's not often a film gets a Tomatometer rating of 95%.  Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary that feels like a quirky portrait of a humorless Mary Poppins-type character then it evolves into a…

21/10/2014

This Is Where I Leave You is a comedy about adullt kids who join their mum for a week of enforced family time after the death of their father.  It has a considerable Hollywood pedigree starring: …

17/10/2014

So Jennifer Lawrence’s bits are displayed on small screens instead of her talents on the big screen.  The media goes into a Fukushima-sized meltdown.   Can everyone just cut the dispr…

03/09/2014

Lots of people and film critics bag Woody Allen movies.    Sure, some of his 40+ features are better than others.  The ones I enjoy most are his fantasy films because they bridge a gap …

26/08/2014

Mad Max was made in 1979 (my favourite year of the 20th century as it was the end of a global innocence) - now he's getting the 21st century franchise makeover.  The internationally recogni…

28/07/2014

A Most Wanted Man, the film adaptation of a John Le Carre spy thriller might be the finest of Hoffman’s final films.   Complex human emotions and dramas are played out at an A grade level -…

25/07/2014

Will the MH17 disaster put powerful fingers on big triggers?       Events around the MH17 disaster are starting to resemble the triggers of war we've seen before. Look at the hist…

20/07/2014

The #BFFs squeezed into Cho Cho San about as hungry as we could bare so we could sample as much as we could of their re-imagined Japanese cuisine.       It’s the new hip and happe…

17/07/2014

I laugh at TV commercials trying to sell ‘oatmeal’ with a hero shot of a bowl of gruel the colour of a sick baby’s poo.    Not even Oliver Twist would ask for more.   …

29/06/2014

Lots of eateries invite you to have a drink at the bar while you wait for a table.   At Riley St Garage, the place to be is at the bar.   The BFFs [Best Foodie Friends photographer Bel…

22/06/2014

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes sounds better than Revenge Of The Chimps.  Glad they ditched the latter title.   Ever since I snuck into an R rated screening of George A Romero’s Dawn O…

19/06/2014

500 people in 250 cars worth less than $1000 each drove Perth to Darwin via the Kimberlies to raise money for Cancer Council in June 2014.  $1.4m was the target - $1.5m was reached.    …

18/06/2014

I make a Soup that tastes like it’s not from now but another time long ago.  It’s a hearty broth verging on a casserole.   People come to my home, consume it then struggle t…

29/05/2014

#juxnews  #storiestheywontpublish  #BudgieThugglers The 2014 Australian Budget and a fictional monster movie were both released in the same week on a public who was fully expecting them. The…

23/05/2014

I took myself along to see and hear Alice Walker at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival.  Only single seats were left and I got one of the last tickets.   Th…

22/05/2014

There was a wildly successful TV show last century called Cheers - the bar where everyone knew your name.   The bar in the show was a hit because of the intimacy.  Customers got w…

20/05/2014

DISCLAIMER If you need a spoiler alert for Godzilla, don't read on and don't blame me if you do.  I love seeing films with my movie-literate brother Chris aka Boonta.  He's a monster movi…

14/05/2014

Radio station Double J is back. I have missed you so much.  What's Rangoon To You Is Grafton To Me is still one of the greatest examples of creative radio ever made.    Rangoon V …

02/05/2014

** WARNING ** explicit language | sexual references | poor singing | improper use of a nursery rhyme | violent threats | repeated sexism | vile racism    At the end of this blog are the ravi…

10/04/2014

I went to Cambodia to visit my favourite charity - Free The Bears - and wrote a story about it for Get Up And Go Magazine.   Free The Bears is an Australian organisation that resc…

05/04/2014

I've seen some footage of the new Tom Cruise big budget blockbuster Edge Of Tomorrow (EOT) and yes - there is a Groundhog Day element.  But EOT is not a comedy.  Neither does it star a grou…

25/03/2014

I've seen some preview footage of the 2014 Godzilla movie and it is great!  It hasn't been turned into something stupid that Michael Bay would make with a title like Revenge Of The Atomic Dinos…

23/03/2014

The Other Woman looks great - kinda like The First Wives Club but more like The First, Second & Third Mistresses Club.          Cameron Diaz is right at home in this …

20/03/2014

This week, I went along to the AFI AACTA Members screening of Tracks starring Mia Wasikowska directed by John Curran who kicked off his career with the screen adaptation of a book I liked called Prais…

20/03/2014

George Clooney can act and can direct and The Monuments Men is probably his most competent work to date.  This is tricky because he's bagged a couple of Oscars so I guess I expected more than a …

16/03/2014

I think I may have seen a perfect film.  The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest from Wes Anderson who seems to have hit a career high with this period caper comedy.  I now regard him as my g…

23/02/2014

If Free-To-Air (F2A) tv channels want to at least pretend they are having a serious go at moving with the times and if they value shareholders' investment, they need to ban ads during narrative TV co…

10/02/2014

"if you make a funny show about the making of a crappy show, you might just have a hit show.  Plonk is the latest in that proud pedigree of pisstake."  renée brack Josh Tyler |…

06/02/2014

When I saw Philip Seymour Hoffman in Boogie Nights, I was astonished at his ability to perfectly realise an unpopular, tortured character on screen.  I loved his work in The Talented Mr Ripley. &…

03/02/2014

Family Guy and Ted creator Seth MacFarlane has a comedy western coming out called A Million Ways To Die In The West.  Good title.  When you think about it, it's a wonder anyone survived the…

31/01/2014

My love of bears is finding its natural direction.This is a short bit of vision of a recently rescued cub.  She was taken away too soon from her mum and will stay with another two cubs so they ca…

16/01/2014

Nha Trang is overloaded with overweight, joyless Russians.  They look like extras from the movie Wall-E.  Despite communism teaching generations to queue for food, they don’t want to d…

13/01/2014

Riding pushbikes around Hoi An is the best.  It’s 100% fun and only unsafe if you’re a bit of an idiot.  They don’t legislate against stupidity in Vietnam so common sense i…

12/01/2014

On the way from Hanoi to Halong Bay, I stopped at a stoneworks.  They turn rough boulders into artful statues all on the same premises.     Once on the waters of Halong Bay, I saw some …

11/01/2014

GETTING TRAFFICKEDGetting around Hanoi has all the fun of any big city but without all the regulations and rules.  People are polite but assertive.  All kinds of vehicles share the entire ro…

10/01/2014

You''re damned if you see Salo and damned if you don''t.  In 2010 I was given a collector''s dvd edition legally, after decades of a worldwide ban.  But first, let''s set the scene of censor…

23/12/2013

'Bring out the chimp.''The chimp's sleepin'.''Well, I guess you better go wake him up then.'  Being an animal lover, I enjoy seeing other primates get armed and put the wind up the domina…

20/12/2013

Every now and again, you get a partner in life for a period of time who gives you gifts that echo into your future and shape who you are.  Already an avid movie buff since childhood, at age 25 I …

16/12/2013

Everyone else can unplug their blinking fairy lights and pack 'em up for next year.  This guy synced a xmas light show to his daughter's favourite song and nailed it.  The song is mildly a…

14/12/2013

A different education for a different way to view the world.  Not a holiday but an adventure.  Voiceover to text is below.  Enjoy 🙂  Excerpt from the audiobook version of:Vagabond…

25/11/2013

Every time Katniss cried on screen, two girls behind us began to cry.  And Katniss cries a lot in this movie.  She cries about people she doesn't really know getting killed then kills peopl…

19/11/2013

When I first heard of The Lego Movie, I thought - meh.  Another toy cashing in on the big screen.  But the story idea rumoured in 2012 had legs.  It sounded kinda good.  I'm …

14/11/2013

Have you ever been so in love with a person's art that you almost cannot stand it?  Have a look below at the preview of Wes Anderson's new film The Grand Budapest Hotel.  I love this filmm…

13/11/2013

Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Colin Farrell in a lavish love story that really does transcend time.  …

07/11/2013

There is bittersweet poignancy in this Gen X romantic comedy called Enough Said starring James Gandolfini in one of his final big screen performances.  There wasn't enough said by this man on sc…

07/11/2013

Stunning, provocative piece that gets an appropriate reaction at the end.  From one of the most influential living artists today.  …

05/11/2013

I was asked by SBS News to comment about Chopper when he died recently.  This is what I wrote. And here's the original interview.…

03/11/2013

This makes my blood boil.  Humans put animals in zoos [prison] and charge money for us to view them and be amused.  We are a repulsive species at times.  And I have little sympathy when…

24/10/2013

The same branding?I love election graffiti and posters.  Insightful opinions of the people.  Fingers crossed we get more of this kind of provocative stuff to think about before voting Septem…

15/08/2013

Red Obsession sounds like a cryptic crossword clue for which the answer might be Kim Jong-un.  It's the name of a superbly engrossing documentary about red wine - in particular, Bordeaux.  …

07/08/2013

Twice nommed for an Oscar, Naomi Watts might get a third in 2014 if the Academy keeps awarding actors and actresses who portray real life people.  Helen Mirren won an Oscar for playing the queen.…

07/08/2013

Every now and again - maybe a few times in any era or generation - a movie comes along that uses the technology of the day in a way that is insightful, human and prophetic.  The trailer for Ben S…

02/08/2013

Okay while I'm here, I may as well include this classic: …

27/07/2013

Wear your favourite famous face - just like Buffalo Bill wanted to do with his victims' skin in Silence Of The Lambs.  Hyperflesh Masks are ultra-realistic masks of celebrities who look lik…

27/07/2013

Seen at Comic Con talking up future films - Tyrian of Game of Thrones aka Peter Dinklage.  The actor who looks a lot like Clive Owen's brother if you put a photo of each of them side by side and…

22/07/2013

Over a year ago, I was reporting on radio that an Oscar winning team of Michael Douglas, Matt Damon and director Steven Soderbergh couldn't use their combined weight to get an incredible movie releas…

17/07/2013

We can't see it [legally] in Australia as it's a Netflix property but love will find a way - and I would love to see Orange Is The New Black.  Black humour, pathos, guts and insights without ch…

17/07/2013

Lucky me.  Four of my favouite actors happen to be cast in the same movie - Out Of The Furnace.   Christian Bale  Woody Harrelson  Casey Affleck  Willem Dafoe  Woody…

14/07/2013

Beauty Brains Bodies and (am)Bition.  30 finalists in the DMK Miss Universe Australia Pageant need all four elements in just the right amounts in the hope to snatch the sash and land the crown.La…

05/07/2013

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03/07/2013

If you think Tony Soprano was a vicious mafia figure - check out the role Gandolfini plays in True Romance.  I have a strong stomach for scripted screen violence because it isn't real.  But…

21/06/2013

Martin Scorsese looks to have upadated his cinematic look with his new film The Wolf Of Wall Street.  Leonardo di Caprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and assorted others look like they are ha…

18/06/2013

Formula 1 racing's Golden Age - Brit playboy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) competed with Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) for the #1 crown.Check out this behind-the-scenes featurette of Rush the movie due in…

18/06/2013

This is a compelling view of the ascent of lofty idealism proving the law of gravity.  What goes up must come down.  And it's a tragic reality that entities inevitably face the problem of e…

17/06/2013

Penguins were the darlings of the screen a few years back - March Of The Penguins won an Oscar for combining chilly, white antarctic life with the warm choccy caramel voice of Morgan Freeman. &nb…

12/06/2013

I love art.  I love nature.  I love art more.  I love nature more.  It's like cheese-in-spray-a-can OR the ozone layer...Don't make me choose!Check these out - and especially the…

07/06/2013

The first thing that makes a TV show great is the writing.  The script is the only original creative part of the process - every other step in the process is an interpretation of the script. …

04/06/2013

When Beyonce stood up for her own butt being her own private property [despite exploiting it regularly as a marketing tool] and got a bumslapping fan ejected far away from her, I cheered and understoo…

29/05/2013

Every now and again, my eyes wander and I see... stuff.  I try to figure out the story behind it.  I know one thing - it's a nice tub.Better to sit in that - than in a barrel of toxic waste…

24/05/2013

You don't need a university degree to know that banning something makes it popular.  It puts it on the public radar.  It puts it into the consciousness of the people who are not supposed to…

23/05/2013

I saw on the www a re-working of the word 'rape' into 'struggle snuggle'.[...]    Quite a euphemism, huh.  Fingers crossed it doesn't translate into legislated language:  'On…

23/05/2013

If Angelina goes ahead with the removal of her ovaries, she will become the most famous organ donor on the planet -  if she donates them.  After all, that gorgeous DNA is worth a motza. …

17/05/2013

Well, kind of.  There is the colloquial word 'geniuses' or the proper word 'genii' which just looks like an autcorrect fail.  I wanted to find out because my next question is:  How …

17/05/2013

Angelina Jolie has written an eloquent op-ed piece for the New York Times.  It's about losing her own mother to cancer and how she did not want her children to be at the same risk of losing thei…

15/05/2013

It’s about time.  If there’s was one ‘incentive’ that made my blood boil, it was this bloated piece of draining, sucky legislation that rewarded people for putting a bigge…

15/05/2013

'Quirky Comedy' gets bandied around a fair bit - then along comes a movie that fits that description but not in equal measures.  There's more quirk than comedy.  Small Apartments celebrat…

23/04/2013

Last night I saw Olympus Has Fallen then this morning I woke up to see Boston bombed.  (PIC - Boston bombing)It's not that the events are in any way connected - it's the timing of them for me h…

16/04/2013

This makes her less of The Iron Lady and more like The Ironic Lady.  Ex-PM John Howard  was heard to say on radio today that Margaret Thatcher was the greatest Brit PM since Winston Churchil…

09/04/2013

Liberace was a legendary entertainer - a piano-playing performer whose dress sense and flair for the extravagant costume was bigger and better than almost anyone else - ever.  He literally wore h…

08/04/2013

The Great Gatsby - 3rd Trailer - makes this look like The Greatest Gatsby.  I loved the 1974 version with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow and the lessons about life and seeing the truth in human be…

05/04/2013

Headlines read 'The World Mocks Beiber & His Pet Monkey' and commentators crack jokes.  How soon we forget.  Can anyone else see any parallels between a [terminally] young Michael Jack…

03/04/2013

Airline tickets sold by the kilo.  I have been wishing for this day.  When my 58 kilogram body and my luggage are added together to determine my true and accurate ticket price, then sanity w…

03/04/2013

To save himself from Guantanamo Bay and a hell life in the hands of the US, Julian Assange might need a lot of people willing to stand up and claim 'I'm Julian!'  We know John Inman who played…

02/04/2013

Since posting about my perverse pleasure of getting into size 6 jeans, I was hit up with PMs asking me how I did it.  So or anyone else who was wondering, I thought I'd post how it happened.&nbs…

02/04/2013

Sydney has a bunch of 'stop' signs dotted among a bunch of 'no stopping' signs.  I was a passenger in a car with a recently arrived international visitor who was faced with contradictory sign…

31/03/2013

'We are not an easy-going nation anymore.  There are laws for everything - over-ruling common sense.'  When I posted this on social media a little while ago - it sparked spirited commentar…

26/03/2013

How does Bruce Willis do it? The 4th in a film franchise usually stinks.  So one would expect the 5th installment would have a tatty red carpet rolled out at Blockbuster [assuming there’s …

20/03/2013

Money + Fear = Hilarious Stupidity If you have enough cash and are terrified of a global catastrophe, you can invest in: A Floating Disaster Shelter An Emergency Disaster Pod Take a road trip aroun…

20/03/2013

Seeing the latest trailer for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby I can say - all is forgiven [for Australia!].While I didn't enjoy Australia! starring Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and Jack Thompson (who…

14/03/2013

As an adult in the US it's legal to carry guns, a gun license, buy toy guns for kids, have kids play-act murder with guns in the playground and video games - but it is not okay to point a Danish at a…

05/03/2013

Art is in the eye of the beholder.  And I despise censorship.  But it must have been very funny sitting in on the committee meetings ticking off the go-ahead for this sculpture to be install…

01/03/2013

If you don't have access to a loaded gun as a way to solve a problem, you won't use a loaded gun as a way to solve a problem.Make some of these fatal conflict resolution options unavailable, then pe…

28/02/2013

The 2013 Oscar presenters came and went in a pretty ho-hum way - until Ted appeared onstage with Mark Wahlberg.  What was so fascinatiing was how the CGI had him interacting seamlessly with every…

27/02/2013

Some great compliments from some great talents.Seth did an ok job.But will they have him back for another year?Not a Billy Crystal hope in hell.But he did pull in the younger viewers.And that is a plu…

26/02/2013

The ad for these sex TVs was cleverly disguised as Latin.  I knew the 2 weeks at high school studying that pretty much dead language would serve me some day.Also seen at the Vatican - a sign that…

20/02/2013

For every stroke of genius, there is some monumental idiocy.The Art Gallery in Sydney is host to a heap of tourists every year.They advertise great artist's names all around the impressive building:Y…

18/02/2013

He's one of those rare performers who owns and nails every role - even in a spoof.  Now you can see Cristoph Waltz as Djesus.If the biggest story of the bible got the Tarantino treatment - it mi…

18/02/2013

When Nicholas Hope appeared on the big screen with a demonic smile that would rival Jack Nicholson in The Shining, the cinema audience went nuts. It brought back memories of a lovable disturbed man-bo…

02/02/2013

How could the 2013 Academy Award Nominations ignore James Gandolfini in Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly?  He was stunning as Mickey – the washed-up hitman with a chip on each sho…

11/01/2013

Every now and again, a movie comes along that comes as close to movie perfection as you can get. Killing Them Softly is about the GFC hitting the US criminal underworld.  Funds for hits are trick…

15/10/2012

The rising of the Dark Knight is more plausible than that old superstition of Jesus rising from the dead.Director Christopher Nolan has given us an epic end to the story of a broody billionaire'…

18/07/2012

Yay - it's MA!If anything was going to kill the Family Guy wicked fun and laughs I love so much in the work of Seth McFarlane, it would have been Hollywood dumbing down a sharp, slapstick, bad taste,…

26/06/2012

The entire ep is here to see:…

18/06/2012

Prometheus – the second most keenly anticipated follow-up film to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien - the first being of course that other Ridley Scott classic, Blade Runner.The reason Al…

06/06/2012

If you want to work, give yourself a job - that's what Mel Gibson has done by writing, producing and starring in Get The Gringo.This is a great genre flick - action + revenge with a mild love sub plo…

21/05/2012

The first rule of MIB3D is:  Don't Talk About The EndingThe second rule of MIB3D is:  Don't Talk About The EndingThe other rule I like to follow is:  Don't reveal what happens in a m…

18/05/2012

Here is the cool song and the best insults from eps 1 and 2 of the 4 time 4 Emmy Best Drama winner Mad Men.  You can only see it on Movie Extra channel 417 8.30 Thursday nights.  I've …

14/05/2012

I loved the satire of Da Ali G Show - nomintaed for 6 primetime Emmys.  Most exciting were the segs of reportage on UK life from [the then] little known TV reporter, Borat.  And it was great…

14/05/2012

Nick Fury’s leather coat making him look a lot like an African-American Neo from The Matrix.Nick Fury’s eye patch. Scarlett Johansson in one of her better roles but still not as good …

02/05/2012

Some people are bagging the hell out of Battleship which is kinda sad, really. Not since Will Smith in Independence Day punched that alien and said ‘welcome to Earth’ have so many depended…

12/04/2012

If you put all 4 Emmy winning seasons of Mad Men into a microwave, you could see all 50-odd hours in 8 minutes by watching Mad Menology - each season summed up in 120 seconds.  Mad Men Season 5 s…

04/04/2012

I think I just saw the most perfectly crafted film of the year [so far].  This kind of synergy doesn’t come along very often.  But Mirror Mirror has cracked it.  Every element of …

28/03/2012

Let’s get one thing straight – The Hunger Games has only one thing in common with Twilight – and that is 2 guys and a girl. No pizza place. Katniss could wop Bella’s lazy ass i…

26/03/2012

I'll say this right from the beginning - I really liked The Rum Diary - starring Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, Michael Rispoli, Giovanni Ribisi and Amber Heard. For a start - it's dir…

05/03/2012

Just like Sex & The City movies and most romantic comedies are fairytales for grown-up girls, action movies like Killer Elite are fairytales for grown-up boys. Even though I'm not a boy nor compl…

22/02/2012

A feature-length film shows us the real power of Marilyn Monroe through the eyes of a 23 year old guy who spent one week with her in his first job as a 3rd assistant director on The Prince & The S…

14/02/2012

This is a documentary called Buck, about Buck and narrated by Buck.  The trailer alone is so deeply moving, I called the distributor immedately and said I have to interview this man.  When I…

13/02/2012

This movie has achieved something elusive and so far impossible within romantic comedy – it asks a bigger question than other examples in its genre and answers it better than anything made in Ho…

08/02/2012

As much as Meryl Streep’s 17 Oscar nominations for Best Actress with two wins is an astonishing achievement in itself and her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady is superb and faul…

31/01/2012

Flickerfest is one of those enduring extraordinary unique film festival events that is worth taking leave from your life to attend - because you’ll understand and love your life even more profou…

09/01/2012

When I interviewed Hugh Jackman this week about his superbly CGI-ed movie Real Steel, I kicked off with ‘boxing robots. How could it fail?’ Watching this movie presents us with a prospect …

04/10/2011

Gettting shots of unique signs that make me scratch my head or laugh is a lot of fun.Here are two I found in Rome.This first one makes it clear you cannot bring your wolf to the Pantheon with you.But …

10/08/2011

Another possible title could be Apewakenings or even Primatenormal Activity.  In a nutshell, this is a movie that illustrates how hideous it is to be a lab rat – to be experimented on &nda…

04/08/2011

Everyone will want – but no one can have – Red Dog.  It’s one of  the most beautiful things about him.  And that kind of exclusivity is priceless. This is the Australi…

02/08/2011

Forget the trouble you think you might have with a teenage daughter who smokes, drinks, swears and gets contraception from her friends in the playground then doesn’t use it anyway. Teenage girls…

28/07/2011

Captain America huh. What a good ol’ boy. A 95 pound weakling is delivered his ultimate fantasy of being a superhero. I’ll talk about Captain America: The First Avenger without spoilers so…

25/07/2011

I love these 2 very smart and funny actors.  Here's a highlight of my interview with them.…

16/07/2011

...she's better. Some people / reviewers/ critics are saying Cameron Diaz's latest character Elizabeth Halsey is selfish and unlikable.  Who cares?  We don't go to the movies to like eve…

12/07/2011

Bridesmaids is a celebration of female friendship and also falls into the neo-genre called the Vom Com.  It's defined by gross-out humour films and it's greatest modern example is probably The …

23/06/2011

Jack Black has always been a puddin'.And his Kung Fu Panda character Po is packin' quite a paunch in the sequel too.The story of this instalment is Po's search for his identity - who his real fathe…

22/06/2011

The US has the Deep South.  We have Deep South Australia.The US has the hillbilly.  We have the ocker. We even name our scary films after places in South Australia – or make the f…

19/05/2011

SUPER 8 is the new movie from JJ Abrams that stars 5 Tween boys and a Tween girl in the movie that looks to have the best explosive train wreck of all time.  It makes the plane crash at the end o…

10/05/2011

When I was first introduced to the mind, wit and commentary of stand-up comedian Bill Hicks in the mid-90s, I immediately felt my soul recognise a kindred spirit.Then I found out he was dead.It was co…

05/05/2011

There's a bit of a debate online and this might clear it up:  15 seconds into the 2nd BRIDESMAIDS trailer is a great Aussie award-winning actress Rebel Wilson NOT Jonah Hill in drag.  Matt …

21/04/2011

Thor is a hell of an attractive entity.  He’s not really a superhero despite finding himself in the Marvel stable of comic book personnel.  He’s a well-travelled god – kind…

20/04/2011

It was always going to be a tough call to convince lovers of the 1981 classic Arthur starring Dudley Moore – that anyone else could re-make this movie and get it right. But out of all the Brit a…

19/04/2011

The problem with Batman is the same problem I have with [ugh] Superman – he’s far too ‘Mr Goody Two Shoes’. Of course, this is true of Batman to a lesser extent – but bot…

19/04/2011

Santa Claus has a heap of movies made about him and his life – the least cheesy and most outstanding would have to be Billy Bob Thornton in BAD SANTA and lots of people are very excited he&rsquo…

05/04/2011

Walked out of JUST GO WITH IT starring Jen Aniston after 73 minutes.Worst movie so far this year.Worst rom com so far this year.Worst on screen couple so far this year.Worst kid actors in a movie so f…

05/04/2011

This is what happens when The Spice Girls get militant. Nah, it’s better than that but Zack Snyder is on a razor sharp fence here.  Falling to either side would save his arse – but lo…

05/04/2011

Who is the better mechanic? The 1972 original film called The Mechanic starring Charles Bronson and the Brad-Pitt-of-his-day Jan Michael Vincent (who’s rumoured to have lost his way to Hollywood…

21/03/2011

I’ve been busting to bust out a review of this film but an embargo forced me to keep my fingers away from the ‘upload’ function of the keyboard. Now The Great Wall Of The Embargo has…

15/03/2011

…

21/02/2011

THE FACTS Director – Ariel Schulman & Henry JoostStars – Yaniv Schulman [you'll have to see it to find out who else is in it]THE GIST I don't want to say for fear I may spoil the exp…

01/02/2011

THE FACTS Director – Michel GondryStars – Seth Rogan, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Tom Wilkinson, Cameron Diaz, Edward Furlong THE GIST Britt Reid is a rich brat.  His mean ol' dad die…

25/01/2011

At 9 mins 40 seconds in he says about movies:'It's up to the audiences to decide if it's entertainment, the critics to decide if it's good and ultimately, posterity to decide if it's art.'Here'…

18/01/2011

The Coen Bros have done a re-make of True Grit – the 1969 John Wayne classic western about an alcoholic, world-weary lawman who helps a teenage girl avenge her father’s murder.  The o…

17/01/2011

It was a great thing to be a juror for the 20th Flickerfest at Bondi Pavillion.  The films have screened, the awards have been won and now groups of entries will tour Australia so everyone can ge…

17/01/2011

memories...…

22/12/2010

There are in no particular order. 1   Kick Ass – well shot actioner with a tough aspirational pre-pubescent role model for women of all ages 2   The Kings Speech &ndash…

15/12/2010

And here he is backstage at the AFIs with me straight after the win - in the Star Pics Star Suite.I was personally thrilled to bits for him.It was an astonishing performance from an actor who is more …

14/12/2010

While doing a fun and informative interview with RED HILL writer/director Patrick Hughes along with lead actor Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), I wanted to find an interesting way to get into talking about …

30/11/2010

Revenge is the central theme of a lot of films – Westerns in particular – and the reason they are so popular is because they touch something deep within humanity. It’s the inherent d…

15/11/2010

…

29/10/2010

...in no particular order: THE LION KING                        LA FEMME NIKITA THE BEAR&…

24/10/2010

Wow.  If Ben Affleck has lagged behind his Boston buddy Matt Damon in the acting stakes, he's making up ground behind the camera as a director.This latest film THE TOWN has him acting in the lea…

11/10/2010

I'M STILL HERE will have people wondering - is Joaquin Phoenix all there?The twice Oscar-nominated actor (Gladiator and Walk The Line) is directed by his brother-in-law, the Oscar-nominated Casey Aff…

13/09/2010

Would any of these work on you?  …

13/09/2010

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09/09/2010

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07/09/2010

I have loved Danny Trejo for a very long time.He's not a headliner - but he's a great actor.And his presence scares the pants off me.If I thought I was excited about The Expendables (and I still am)…

13/07/2010

Would these work on you?Would these work on anyone?The best line that worked on me was from a guy in a music shop who said, 'what pick line would work on you?'I told him.He said it back to me.But it…

13/07/2010

If there is a God - he gave us The Runaways.  I was 8 years old singing 'Cherry Bomb' into a hairbrush and my parents thought it was cute.  The Runaways is one of the best movies so far th…

07/07/2010

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03/07/2010

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26/06/2010

RB meets RBA shot from the junket interview with Russell Brand for Get Him To The Greek.…

16/06/2010

Jonah Hill comments on Johnny Depp's possible appearance in 21 Jump St - the movie.Russell Brand talks a bit about reprising Dudley Moore role in the re-make of Arthur.https://www.moviehole.net/201025…

13/06/2010

Wow.  Get Him To The Greek is so much freakin’ fun, it’s hard to know where to start. I’ll be really careful with this review because I don’t want to telegraph any jokes o…

09/06/2010

Sex & The City 2 was themed with the female mid-life crisis of menopause.Shrek 4Ever After 3D is themed with the male mid-life crisis of fatherhood.Is this all there is?  Maybe.  But it …

07/06/2010

So who would you get for the job – The Losers or The A Team? The tagline is ‘problem solved’ and it’s true – but you have to ignore all the other problems they cause in e…

07/06/2010

Here it is:https://paulcush.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/interview-with-movie-network-channel-host-renee-brack/ Interview with Movie Network Channel Host Renee Brack June 6, 2010 paulcush Leave a comm…

06/06/2010

To cosnume or not to consume?  That was never the question. Well, I’ve seen it.  All 146 minutes of it.  And there is good, bad and ugly in it. THE GOOD Ron White has a bit part …

30/05/2010

Animal Kingdom is an award-winning den of inequity, filled with lying murderers and thieves who rely on gut instinct and a well-oiled hierarchy to get things done. The family is owned and operated by …

30/05/2010

WOW!  I just ejected myself from the cinema and wondering if it's too late to join up with Blackwater now that Geroge W Bush is outta the White House.The Losers is a crime thriller with del…

20/05/2010

Have a go at this beautiful dog:  …

19/05/2010

For the first time ever, the ACS Awards will be televised and I was lucky enough to host it.I chat to Oscar winners and special guests Andrew Lesnie ACS ASC (Lord Of The Rings) and Russell Boyd ACS AS…

19/05/2010

There's a new movie sub genre called the 'retro re-make'.  Take a hit franchise from the 80s and re-boot it with new actors and the latest SFX.  It's not Nightmare On Elmo's Street or N…

17/05/2010

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16/05/2010

Going to see a Russell Crowe movie is starting to become an event in itself.  The Oscar-winning actor is getting a status that will have him up there with the likes of Richard Burton - and he'll…

11/05/2010

Robert Downey Jr has kicked another goal under the smart and savvy direction of Jon Favreau. As Homer Simpson would say – it’s groin-grabbingly good. The sequel can never produce the same …

28/04/2010

Peter Helliar (pronounced Hell Yeah) has written a beautiful first feature film about mateship and love.  It’s a Bromantic Comedy.  A Brom Com.  A Bromance.  It’s not a…

27/04/2010

He's the Carl Williams of superheroes.   He's a zero hero - nothing super at all about him.   Hulk has anger management issues.   He has the body of someone who abuses massive doses o…

23/04/2010

The bulletproof t shirt - perfect for demonstrations, marches, protests and riots.This will revolutionize street-level politicking.When the humble t shirt first sported its first slogan - the individu…

13/04/2010

Did you see it coming?If you didn't, you will!And you'll be ducking and dodging all over your living room as the 3D experience arrives on your home TV - and revolutionizes the way people watch porn.…

13/04/2010

My brother knows all kinds of stuff and this week he said:'For movies to cut through to the average Joe and punter like me - there has to be a significant body count AND the director has to deliver t…

07/04/2010

Just fell out of the KICK ASS screening, kicking and screaming my way home to blog about it.Sensational stuff.Brilliantly shot.Perfectly realized.And finally - an aspirational film for teenage girls w…

07/04/2010

What happened to this movie?Clash Of The Titans may be up for a few Razzie Awards in 2011.I anticipated a futuristic fantasy film about ancient arguments between gods and men - an epic hero's journey…

31/03/2010

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25/03/2010

If you get the chance to see the doco GOING VERTICAL on the big screen - catch that wave and see it.It's an engrossing account of the history of the short board revolution in surfing with footage tha…

25/03/2010

It’s common knowledge that Alfred Nobel invented, patented and made a motza out of dynamite in the late 19th century.  He followed in his father’s footsteps and manufactured the produ…

23/03/2010

This is the short film that should have won the Oscar.RABBIT A LA BERLIN is cute, funny, sad, shocking, tragic, historic and unique.It tells the story of the Berlin Wall - as told from the point of vi…

09/03/2010

Bill Hicks was a philosopher, a visionary and a comedian who lived in a transparent world.  He saw everything for what it really was - then showed us the absurdity of it all.Tragically dead at 32…

09/03/2010

I'm a judge for a short film competition coming up in May with the intriguing title of THE TRAVEL AGENT IS DEAD.10 finalists will compete for prizes with their work screening at the Chauvel Cinema, P…

09/03/2010

THE REBOUND is about about a grown man who lives at home with his mum [and dad] and falls in love with another mum [a milf] and travels the world to return to - both his mums.  Not sure if he fin…

09/03/2010

My brother rightly pointed out - when James Cameron used the phrase 'shock and awe' in his script, he jerked his audience out of 2154 and planted us in present day Iraq.  And what's with the r…

08/03/2010

'War is hell' is a well-known quote and catchphrase but only truly understood by those who are right in the thick of it.This vid gives you a tourist visa for the thick of it:https://www.youtube.com/w…

06/03/2010

[rb shooting Movie Juice links at Movie Extra Tropfest 2010]It's one thing to be backlit -which is nice -but I think I look like Don King in this shot.…

02/03/2010

She's the girl I want to be hanging out with the kind of guys you'd want to have as friends.(And one of them is The Comedian from Watchmen!)Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watc…

03/02/2010

‘I don’t want to be where there are any pubs, clubs or under-35 tourists. I want to get away somewhere that has cultural and historical significance. And I want to go to the beach. Somewhe…

01/02/2009

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Foot surgery aka Bilateral Excision of Morton’s Neuroma IE a big fat tumour on a nerve in each foot. Two years later, I still have pain and cannot wear high heels for longer than a couple of hours. The pain is nerve damage – twitches – cramps – electrical impulses that feel like tight rubber bands around my toes. Yoga and pilates can have good days – the bad days are excruciating and leave me limping. For decades, I ignored warnings and vainly bragged about how I could do anything in heels including run long distance. I lived in heels......

30 September, 2018 /

This wonderful short documentary explores the world of adult LEGO – director Daniel Bourke. Ages 4-99 is not hyperbole. In the 24 hour Bad / Fake news environment, it is a pertinent reminder that to build something physical and stay connected creatively to your inner child is good for the soul, good for the world. It won the CFIFF Changing Face International Festival earning its first laurels. I was fortunate to co-EP A Room Full of LEGO – 1 of the highlights of the 10+ short docos I EPd in 2018. Check out the trailer....

10 July, 2018 /

May 2017 I scripted a short film based on a stalker incident in the 1990s before Australia anti-stalking legislation was passed (I reported the first Australian conviction under the new laws for 7 Nightly News).  I turned the film script into a play script that was staged by Short+Sweet – the world’s largest short play festival – then producer Chris Ramos asked for the original film script and brought on director Tony Tilse. It’s starting on the festival circuit and has won a Silver Remi Award at Worldfest – International Film Festival, USA Here’s the trailer and IMDB profile.  ...

10 May, 2017 /

The genre project has grown teeth and claws – I’m up to act 3 of the script. Every Monday, I wake up and kill someone before breakfast.  It’s a great way to start the week. Of the 13 characters who ‘agreed’ to be on board, only 3 are left. 1 character is a bit of a favourite so sometimes I imitate Arnie in Commando (1985) and say something like, ‘I like you.  I kill you last’. The post-modern transgressive mystery novel has 5 chapters drafted.  Progress will be updated here.   The post-modern transgressive mystery novel has 5 chapters drafted . ......

01 May, 2017 /

I MC-d their quarterly event that explores a high end tech topic with partner business showcases on the night along plus food and drinks.  It’s a great networking event for digital agencies with panel discussions recorded and available on youtube....

23 April, 2017 /

Late last century, I had the privilege of working with the Yoram Gross Studio doing professional PR and personal PR for this internationally renowned creative family.  It was wonderful to return to the studio and see how Yoram’s son Guy turned it into Church St Studios which is an artful, inspired space with composers and artists creating great projects.   Scan the talent list working there including Sean Carey and Guy’s imp ressive list of awards and credits. We all met to explore how recording artists with a completed album could go to the next level – management and marketplace......

20 February, 2017 /

A brave statement from a humble man who does what he says he will do.  Mark Cleary started S+S early this century and made it into the world’s largest short play festival with the mantra of ‘making the world a more creative place 10 minutes at a time .  We’ve talked about a S+S Film Festival for a few years – now it’s arrived with the first gala finale in Hollywood later this year.   It was my great pleasure to be one of the judges of festival 1,heat 1....

09 February, 2017 /

Seeing the email with the first word ‘Congratulations…’ a couple of tears burned the back of my eyeballs. I’m elated to start my MCA (Master Of Creative Arts) research degree with this world class university.   This is the step before a doctorate. Close friends know the 4 day weekends in 2016 I devoted to researching and re-writing the application alone. There are some talented academic and production visionaries who gave me great support, advice and guidance. I’d like to name names but most are quite shy and I don’t want to embarrass anyone. On the other hand, if I’m......

23 January, 2017 /

School-age filmmakers vie for awards and prizes at Flickerfest – the internationally acclaimed short film festival that is Academy® accredited. It is my 3rd time being a juror for FF having judged the International and Australian categories in recent years....

03 January, 2017 /

I wrote a film script about a real-life experience with a stalker (coincidentally, I also covered the first prosecuted stalker case under the new stalker legislation back in the 90s for Seven Nightly News). The film script became a play produced on stage for Short+Sweet then became a film produced by Chris Ramos. I tried to upload the original Stalker Tapes to my channel but youtube prevented it....

20 December, 2016 /