Film review – We all need a little “Pride”
Their protests were met with a scale of police brutality that their small villages and tight-knit communities had never before experienced. Injustice reigned. The days were literally dark (with utilities unpaid) and friends were few. Surprisingly enough, there was another group that could absolutely relate to these tribulations: gays and lesbians in 80’s London. With […]
THEATRE REVIEW: ONE ARM
I’ll never forget my introduction to the wonderful words and works of Tennessee Williams. It was in the early 90s and it happened late one Sunday night in a Disa Park bachelor flat where Jan, my then-boyfriend and an out-of-work actor, stayed. The film version of Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner […]
MAMBA SPINS: MICHAEL JACKSON, MARIAH CAREY, LILY ALLEN & MORE
MICHAEL JACKSON – XSCAPE The King of Pop might have passed away in 2009 but his music is still alive and well, thanks to this, his second posthumous album. Hang the heck on: aren’t posthumous albums a shameless money-making sham with poorly-composed and half-finished tracks (I hear you cry…)? And normally the answer is a […]
FILM REVIEW: THE 10 YEAR PLAN
Hailing from the studios of Cinema175 in West Hollywood, writer/director J.C. Calciano, creator of previous festival favourites such as Is It Just Me?, eCupid and the sneaky hit YouTube web series, Steam Room Stories, brings us his latest cinematic shenanigans. Who doesn’t enjoy an entertaining Rom-Com every now and then? Something you can slip on, […]
FILM REVIEW: THE FALLS
Unlike Ang Lee’s Oscar winning 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, American director Jon Garcia’s film The Falls is not big budget, overlong or does not feature any major Hollywood stars. Instead, The Falls is a nuanced and superb analysis of how two young men find affection and sexual attraction for each other in the confines of a […]
REVIEW: QUEEN AT THE BALLET
This past week saw the opening of Sean Bovim’s much publicised and highly anticipated Queen at the Ballet at the Joburg Theatre. After a sell out season in Cape Town, I’d been looking forward to experiencing this homegrown production for myself to see what the fuss was about. The show uses Queen’s songs to create […]
SPINS: KATY PERRY, MILEY CYRUS, LORDE
The ladies are in the house! Jared Orlin reviews the latest releases from Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Lorde and Icona Pop as well as 5FM’s newest compilation, PowerBytes. KATY PERRY – PRISM Katy Perry’s fourth studio album debuted to something of a tabloid war; a contest in the press to see whether her new […]
SPINS: CHER, JOHN LEGEND, JOHN MAYER & MORE
Jared Orlin reviews the latest releases from veteran diva and gay icon Cher, the oh-so-sexy John Legend, the still at it Backstreet Boys, Aussie synthpop duo Empire Of The Sun and soulful country crooner John Mayer as well as a handy gym workout compilation. CHER – CLOSER TO THE TRUTH She’s retired from music more […]
REVIEW: BEHIND THE CANDELABRA
Michael Douglas and Matt Damon gleefully throw their heterosexuality to the wind as they take on the roles of showbiz lovers in the memorable Behind the Candelabra. The film is not so much about the life of the legendary high priest of piano camp Liberace (Douglas) as it is about the dysfunctional five year relationship […]
REVIEW: JIMMY IN PIENK
Being different has never felt so right in this passionate and heartfelt film. Jimmy in Pienk is a delightfully charming Afrikaans film that shows the true colours of the new South Africa. It tells the funny and touching story of Jimmy Bester, a rugged seventh generation mielie farmer who can give an accurate five-day weather […]