Caught the wonderful exhibition of photographs of Old Paris by Eugene Atget at the Art Gallery of NSW and am inspired to start examining the details of my own suburb in more detail. Atget’s love of old door handles and hidden cracks and crevices captured a slice of Paris that doesn’t exist today. His glass …
It was writer/curator Kevin Murray’s idea to stage a hypothetical at the Powerhouse Museum. I’d never hosted one before but I had facilitated Dfactory there every month for three years so the powers that be knew that I could handle a panel. I’m used to dealing with around four or so people at one time …
I’m about to put together a little doco I made on the campaign trail during the 2012 local council elections starting on the day the Clover Moore Independent Team had their publicity photos taken and rolling right through until our triumphant victory on September 8. I was in the exciting position of number 6 on …
It was quite a momentous night when, after 31 years, I finally got the chance to pass on the ‘Puberty Blues’ baton to the next generation. Original cast members of the film including Tony Hughes (‘Danny’), Jay Hackett (‘Bruce’), Ned Lander (‘Strach’) and Dean Dunstone (‘Seagull’) joined me at the Bondi Pavilion for a special …
Annabelle Gaspar is a dark horse. Not only is she an awesome DJ who can keep folk dancing like demons til dawn, she’s also an incredible photographer. Her current focus is underwater photography and she has donated a really powerful work of art to the silent auction that we are holding as part of our …
With all the hype surrounding the fabulous new TV series of ‘Puberty Blues’ I thought it would be great to be able to do some good work for people suffering from mental health issues like Jad did. So I’ve organised a tribute event in her memory at the Bondi Pavilion on Oct 13th thanks to …
Getting ready to be exposed on tonight’s episode of Australian Story which features the hitherto untold story of my co-star Jad Capelja who suffered from schizophrenia and ultimately took her life two years ago. It’s been a long journey with a lot of probing and a few disappointments including the fact that I didn’t manage …
Selma Hayak paints a feisty portrait of the legendary Mexican artist who became the figurehead of a revolution and expressed her profound personal pain on canvas. The art of Frida Kahlo graces the walls of galleries all over the world and her fans include people like Madonna who is now the biggest private collector of …
When a young boy discovers that his father is an enforcer for the mob, he puts both himself and his Dad in dire jeopardy. There’s a famous Japanese Manga comic called Lone Wolf and Cub about an outlaw Samurai who slays a slew of opponents while nurturing his infant son. The story inspired an American …
A fanatical orchid poacher, a brilliant New York journalist and an imaginative writer with writer’s block whose twin brother decides to take up writing too – it’s a recipe for magic in Adaptation. Charlie Kaufman is an Oscar-winning screenwriter but even he has days when his muse goes AWOL. This happened to him in a …
Before Marie Bashir became the first female Governor of New South Wales I knew her simply as my best friend’s Mum. Alex Shehadie and I were bosom buddies at Sydney Girls High School and her mother always gave me a warm welcome whenever I went over to visit. She still greets me warmly whenever I …
Sydney is one of the most gorgeous cities in the world but its not without its problems. For the past eight years our Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been doing an amazing job bringing our city up to speed with other major cities like New York, Paris and London. Foremost on her mind has been …
An 11 year-old Maori boy hero-worships his absent Dad until he suddenly shows up fresh from jail and gives him a reality check. Boy is an absolutely endearing film written/directed and co-starring Taika Waititi who was nominated for an Academy Award for his first short film Two Cars, One Night (and famously pretended to be …
Intrigue and drama abound in Elizabethan England when the Earl of Oxford writes a series of rabble rousing plays attributed to a man called William Shakespeare. It’s a controversial theory but one held dear by a bunch of people called the ‘Oxfordians’; that Shakespeare did not in fact write those famous 37 plays that bear …
Cross-dressing is a matter of survival for the daughter of a Medieval Priest who, through bold faced determination and random fate, rises to become Pope. There was a rumour doing the rounds in the Thirteenth Century that a woman had held that most revered position of Pope four hundred years previously. Apparently this pious person …
Saw Prince recently and wore the raspberry beret that I bought for $2.50 at my local second hand store. Noticed they were selling brand spanking new ones for $100 a pop at the merchandise stalls but felt safe in the knowledge that you just can’t buy retro chic. It comes with years of practice. And …
It’s been 20 years since the landmark Mabo High Court Ruling that established the basis for the recognition of Native Title in Australia and to mark the occasion, the ABC screened a new and very moving dramatisation of Eddie Mabo’s ten-year battle to gain ownership of land that his family had been in possession of …
I had a spontaneous catch up with an old friend the other day and as these random connections can sometimes be, it was simply spiffy! We went down to the harbour’s edge to Bird and Bear, a cafe and coconut outlet on Elizabeth Bay wharf, where we each ordered a freshly shucked coconut (amazing to …
When twins go in search of a father they thought was dead and a brother they didn’t know existed, they discover the mother they never fully knew. If you thought you had identity problems, think again. The Oscar-nominated Incendies unravels a mystery that’s been haunting one Arab Canadian family for almost forty years. And it …
A bunch of kids set out to shoot a zombie movie and get caught up in a mystery involving the air force and super natural Rubik’s cubes. If you were like me as a youngster, you probably would’ve been into making Super 8 movies with those little plastic rolls of film that you’d send off …
When a young veterinary student jumps onto a passing train, he falls into an extraordinary world of magic and madness. If you’ve ever wanted to run away with the circus, Water for Elephants might make you think twice. Set in the 1930s, which was pretty much the golden age for circuses, this screen adaptation of …
A case of severe rivalry causes a maid of honour to morph into a maid of dishonour in the lead up to her best friend’s wedding. Hi there. Getting married can be extremely stressful, not only for the bride and groom. Those nearest and dearest to the lucky couple can be financially crippled by all …
An online romance lures a photographer and his filmmaker brother into a web of cyber intrigue and discovery. We all know how easy to get drawn into the world of Facebook. Friend requests can lead to all sorts of interesting connections that you might not make in your day to day life. But they can …
Hiss at Tom Cruise’s psychopath in the back of Jamie Foxx’s taxi cab when he plays a mercenary on a merciless mission. Collateral is the first screenplay by Aussie writer Stuart Beattie and it’s a ripper. Originally titled The Last Domino, Beattie dreamed it up at the age of 17 on a cab ride from …
When a good cop goes in to battle with Chicago’s ruling mafia, he soon finds out that playing by the books isn’t really an option. By 1930, America had experienced a decade of prohibition. But in Chicago, the booze flowed freely thanks to the notorious gangster Al Capone. With his contacts at City Hall, he …