Eating Cake in the Front Row at the Guillotine
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!’Â …...
21 October, 2017
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Red Handed Rests On Laurels
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 September, 2017
T2 in 3D
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 August, 2017
Favourite Films
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 June, 2017
Latest Articles Op Ed And Commentary By Renée Brack
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 May, 2017
Is It What You Say Or The Way You Say It?
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 April, 2017
Lessons Of War From The Vietnam Cuchi Tunnels
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 August, 2016
Hollywood Wants You To Join A Silly Sexy Suicide Squad
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 August, 2016
Tarzan Is A Sophisticated Neanderthal
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 July, 2016
Ghostbusters – More Hollywood Pro-Gun Propaganda
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 July, 2016
To Walk Again
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 May, 2016
Must-See Movies At The Astonishing Sydney Film Festival 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 May, 2016
The Jungle Book 3D Live Action CGI And Bill Murray
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 April, 2016
April Fools’ Day Shame
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 April, 2016
White Sunsets Over Samoa
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 February, 2016
Shout-Out To All The Talented People I Worked With This Year
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 December, 2015
The Revenant Might Get Leonardo Di Caprio His Oscar
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 December, 2015
Cows Pose Threat To National Security – The 2015 Palestinian Film Festival
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 November, 2015
This Is Why Seeing Spectre Is Like Eating Your Favourite Fast Food
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 November, 2015
A Tale Of Two Crime Films – Legend VS Black Mass – Which Won?
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 October, 2015
Gone To Gowings Bar & Grill & The BFFs Are Going Back
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 July, 2015
Messing About In Boats
“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 July, 2015
Mad Maxine Furiosa Road
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 May, 2015
Misfired Mercy Shoots Anti Death Penalty Campaign In The Foot
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 April, 2015
Adaline VS Avengers – Battle Of The Ages
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 April, 2015
What’s Good About The Bad & The Ugly – The Hobbit: The Battle Of The 5 Armies
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 December, 2014
Looking For A Rare, Rewarding, Rollicking Holiday Experience? Head To Bliss Sanctuary
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 December, 2014
What Is The Magic Touch Of Bliss Sanctuary?
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 December, 2014
drinking a catPOOcino
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 December, 2014
Getting Rubbed Up The Right Way
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 December, 2014
Why The Water Diviner™ Won’t Get Russell Crowe A Best Director AACTA Award
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 December, 2014
Pop Art Got More Than 15 Minutes Of Fame
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 November, 2014
Myer TVC Is Phallus In Blunderland
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 November, 2014
Just Let Us Live 2014 Palestinian Film Festival
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 November, 2014
The Upside Of V.D.
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 November, 2014
The Show I Never Missed I will Now Miss Forever
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 November, 2014
Directing A Short+Sweet Play
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 October, 2014
Secret Artist – Finding Vivian Maier – Doco Review
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 October, 2014
All Families Are Nuts – Film Review – This Is Where I Leave You
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 October, 2014
8 Ways To Stop Leaky Nude Pix & Your Bits Going All Viral Jennifer Lawrence
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 September, 2014
Real Magic In The Moonlight
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 August, 2014
Does The 2015 Mad Max Have The Heart Of The 1979 Mad Max?
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 July, 2014
A Most Wanted Man – Philip Seymour Hoffman’s War
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 July, 2014
How To Start A War
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 July, 2014
Best Foodie Friends Find Cho Cho San Is Casual Class & Superb Style
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 July, 2014
Why Porridge Gets You More Love Than Oatmeal
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 June, 2014
Riley St Garage – Park Your Butt At The Bar
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 June, 2014
Chatty Chimps With Guns Can Rule Us All
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 June, 2014
Shitbox Rally – Mufflers Are Like Showers
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 June, 2014
In Defence Of Family Tradition – The 300 Year Old Soup
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 May, 2014
BUDGETZILLA A $7 Co Payment For Political Assassination
#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 May, 2014
We Are The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For – Alice Walker
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 May, 2014
MmmmMojo The Cheers Of Waterloo
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 May, 2014
Godzilla Is Goodzilla
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 May, 2014
2JJ Welcome Back – You Are Rangoon To Me
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 May, 2014
Can A Stalker Be Guilty Of Improper Use Of A Nursery Rhyme?
** 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 April, 2014
Bear Care In Cambodia
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 April, 2014
Tom The Transformer Takes Us To The Edge Of Tomorrow
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 March, 2014
OMGodzilla – Wow
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 March, 2014
The Other Woman – Women Are Not The Enemy
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 March, 2014
From Alice In Wonderland To Robyn In Gondwanaland
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 March, 2014
George Clooney’s Monuments Men Is Good But Not Monumental
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 March, 2014
is The Grand Budapest Hotel a perfect film?
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 February, 2014
Ban Ads From Narrative TV & Make Money
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 February, 2014
Plonk – A Pisstake
"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 February, 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman – An Authentic Talent
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 February, 2014
Already A Guilty Pleasure – New Seth MacFarlane Film
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 January, 2014
Sun Bear Cub Finds Sanctuary & Avoids Being Bear Paw Soup
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 January, 2014
Photo Bombing & The Russian Invasion Of Nha Trang
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 January, 2014
Boats That Do Donuts & Meditating With Buddha
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 January, 2014
Hide From The World & Discover It At The Same Time In Halong Bay
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 January, 2014
What Gives Hanoi It’s Calm Chaos?
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 January, 2014
Salo – An Essay On The Most Banned Film Ever
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 December, 2013
Bring Out The Chimp – Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
'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 December, 2013
Peter O’Toole RIP & the Ex Who Introduced Me
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 December, 2013
Xmas Lights Winner 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 December, 2013
Vagabonding – less about travel more about time
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 November, 2013
The Hunger Games Catching Fire Is Survivor Meets Schoolies Week With Weaponry
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 November, 2013
A Blockhead Saves The World – The Lego Movie Is Being Assembled For You
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 November, 2013
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel Preview
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 November, 2013
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
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 November, 2013
Winter’s Tale – movie preview – Russell Crowe Colin Farrell
Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Colin Farrell in a lavish love story that really does transcend time. …...
07 November, 2013
Banksy’s Moving Installation Art ‘Sirens Of The Lambs’
Stunning, provocative piece that gets an appropriate reaction at the end. From one of the most influential living artists today. …...
05 November, 2013
The End Of Chopper Read – My Obit For SBS News
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 November, 2013
See Doco Blackfish And Ask Yourself About The Imprisonment Of Polar Bears On The Gold Coast
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 October, 2013
What Does Tony Abbott Have In Common With Colonel Sanders?
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 August, 2013
Can Diana Win Naomi An Oscar?
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 August, 2013
Watching Red Obsession Is Like Drinking A Great Wine
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 August, 2013
Art & Heart – The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
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 August, 2013
Have You Ever Sneezed So Hard This Has Happened…
Okay while I'm here, I may as well include this classic: …...
27 July, 2013
Trends Now – EG Iron Man Iron – Irony Not Included
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 July, 2013
Serious Monkey Business & More Olympic Sideburns & Peter Dinklage At ComicCon
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 July, 2013
This Might Be The Best Women’s Prison Show Ever – Orange Is The New Black
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 July, 2013
5 Good Reasons To See Behind The Candelabra
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 July, 2013
Bale Affleck Harrelson Dafoe – In The Same Movie!
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 July, 2013
30 Beauty Queens – Only 1 Crown
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 July, 2013
James Gandolfini On Sesame Street Talks About What Scares Him
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 June, 2013
Scorsese’s Wolf Of Wall St Looks Great
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 June, 2013
The True Story Of Formula 1’s Niki Lauda & James Hunt – The Movie
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 June, 2013