I TELL YOU WHAT I THINK
First on Entertainment

Her parents died when she was young. She only knew fragments of their lives, material she had pieced together from her mother’s diary. Her grandparents on her father’s side kept her at arm’s length, but why? This is the story of 18-year-old Marina (Llúcia Garcia) who is looking for answers. The year is 2004 and she arrives in Vigo, on the Spanish Atlantic coast. She wants her grandparents’ signature on documents she needs for a scholarship application. But before s

Let’s start with a simple question. What is the Minions’ mantra? If your answer is to find the most evil boss of their time to serve, you get an elephant stamp. But what would any Minion worth his salt do along the way? Create mayhem, of course. So it is that this seventh film in the franchise, dating back to Despicable Me in 2010, is built on the contention that Minions have always been around. Grainy black and white footage at the start of the movie – a nice touch – g

The wellness industry gets a well-deserved dressing down in Marieke Hardy’s uproarious comedy with a dark underbelly, Losing Face. Jo (Michala Banas), Lauren (Christie Whelan Browne) and Simone (Madeleine Sami) have been besties since ... forever. Only these days they don’t see much of each other because, well, life has gotten in the way. Photos by Pia Johnson In fact, they haven’t been together for five years, when with only a week’s notice, Jo invites them to join her

Colour, movement and music to delight the senses. Modern balletic dance at its finest. A work of sublime beauty and integrity that has 30 captivating dancers entrancing the audience from a blank canvas. Save for lighting differentiation and enthralling music, their backdrop is an open stage. All the more reason to admire their endeavours. Photos by Kate Longley As the curtain lifts, the performers are covered head to leg in sheer wrapping, only to shed those light “g

The fun starts even before you enter the heated Big Top, which is located opposite Westfield Fountain Gate in Narre Warren. Snow is falling immediately outside, courtesy of a snow making machine. FROSTED – A Winter Spectacular is a magical experience for the littlies and for the parents and grandparents who watch their small faces light up. It is the second time that Showtime Attractions has staged this Christmas in June and July celebration and it has been expanded sinc

Set between Australia and the Philippines, the tragicomedy MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune! deals with pain and regret. Diana (Dax Carnay-Hanrahan) is a trans Filipina woman who now lives in Australia and is engaged to be married to the love of her life, Jerry (Aiden Gale Miranda). At the same time, she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Photos by Myca Guinchoma She is holding on to a dark secret that she can’t bring herself to share

Relationships can be complicated beasts. That is shown up in all its tangled glory (well, not so much glory) in Four Play. Rafe (Anthony Jacobsen) and Pete (Reuby Chip), both virgins when they met at university, have been in an exclusive relationship for seven and a half years. That’s when Pete puts forward an unusual suggestion that Rafe agrees to run with. Photos by Phoebe Anne Taylor He wants both of them to try having sex with the same third person, someone they both

It is a flashy, feisty, feminist take on superheroes and villains, specifically Supergirl, the 23-year-old cousin of Superman, but I wanted more substance. As it is, Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), raised on the planet Krypton, who watched her parents become ill and die, doesn’t want any responsibility. She has effectively checked out and lives a drunken life with her beloved dog Krypto. In short, she is celebrating her birthday week by partying across space.

A glorious spoken and sung hoot, this is an audacious retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Just what would author Jane Austen have thought of it? I dare say she would be figuratively rolling around the aisles, just like the rest of us. Photos by Matthew Chen Scottish playwright Isobel McArthur simply goes “bang” and wows us, time and again tickling the funny bone. Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) follows the basic storyline of the classic 1813 romantic novel. Mrs Bennet, facin