Category: Entertainment

CONCERTGOERS to this week’s Jukebox Revolution show at the Albany Entertainment Centre are in for a rollercoaster ride of iconic music from the world’s most loved artists, according to the show’s director.

Australian group Boys in the Band will stop off in Albany as part of their 40-date national tour on August 10 and Director David Malek could not be more excited to bring the show to the Great Southern.

The singing quartet will be joined by four-piece band The Players as they perform songs from the likes of Elvis Presley, Queen, AC/DC, Daryl Braithwaite and John Farnham.

Malek explained a performance of Jersey Boys in London’s West End inspired him and co-creator Dale Buridge to generate Boys in the Band.

“We had already created a hit show called The Rat Pack’s Back which paid tribute to the music and lives of Sinatra, Sammy Davis and Dean Martin and we hoped we could do it again, but we wanted to do something different,” he said.

“We didn’t want to tell the story of just one band and era of music which Jersey Boys does – and does very well – because we wanted to tell the story of five decades of the greatest music from the greatest bands of all time and tell their story.”

Boys in the Band stars Hugh Barrington, Keane Fletcher, Justin Rynne and Damon Wade, all of whom have national and international performance experience tucked under their belts.

Tickets for the August 10 show can be purchased online or at the box office via the Albany Entertainment Centre.

Opinion

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino

MA15+

WE WILL start this off by saying Quentin Tarantino would have to be one of the more controversial directors of our time.

The aestheticisation of violence, the satirical subject matters, the blaxploitation and the frequent usage of a derogatory word (you know which one) don’t exactly put Tarantino in a favourable light.

That being said though, those characteristics found in Tarantino flicks are just as endearing to cinephile’s such as myself.

Cult classics like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill (both volumes), Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight have all produced popular spoofs and tributes in pop culture.

Tarantino fans have been made to wait between each film with the longest stint being a tantalising six years, but each breath held for the film is worth it.

We are only weeks away from the latest in the anthology, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and I have to say that I’m equally as excited as I am bummed out.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, or OUATIH for short, promises fans a comedy-drama set in 1969 Los Angeles following alcoholic actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), his best mate
and stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), and Dalton’s new neighbours Sharon Tate (Margo Robbie) and Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha).

People familiar with Tarantino’s sense of humour and tone in films could probably see where this is going, but for people not familiar, let me explain.

What you’ll watch will be in all likelihood 161 minutes of the grievously gory reimagination of one of the most shocking murders in history, and an extension of that, one of the most feared and famous criminals and cult leaders of history.

Sharon Tate and Charles Manson.

Now believe me I’m plenty excited to see DiCaprio and Robbie on the same screen again after their brilliant performance in 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

I love a bit of Pitt in Tarantino films and I’m beyond intrigued to see what Al Pacino is doing cast in the film.

I mean he’s 79 years old, and probably having an absolute hoot.

But I can’t help but feel like it’s just a bit of a cop out by Tarantino and with this rumoured to be one of his last films, I’m just really bummed.

We’ve already talked about how every production company under the sun is jumping on the serial killer bandwagon at the moment.

We’ve had retellings, documentaries, mini-series, docu-series, films, podcasts, books … you name it, it has been done.

And don’t forget there’s Charlie Says coming out this year as well, another Manson movie.

So Tarantino straying from his purely fictional repertoire to a story with elements of truth with Manson, Tate and Polanski almost seems lazy, and verging on glorification of actual murder.

I could be entirely wrong, and it could be a complete 180 in terms of story, but I still feel disappointed given the amazing stories created in Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight – and how completely different they were from other Tarantino flicks.

Each film Tarantino does simply cannot be compared to the last, simply on the merit that each story and each tone is so completely different despite familiar casting and the trademark gore.

OUATIH certainly fits that bill, but could the move from The Weinstein Company to Sony Pictures changed something elemental in Tarantino’s gift of the gab?

From day dot, Tarantino always said he would only do 10 movies and if film were phased out before then and transferred to digital he would call it quits.

So could it be that now Tarantino has completed his ninth film and approaching his last film, he’s getting sloppy?

Or, it could just be me suffering from Tarantino withdrawals already.

Who knows? I’m hopeful that I’ll love every millisecond in the cinema like I always have though.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is scheduled for release in Australia on August 15.

Film review

Last Action Hero

PG 13+

Five out of five stars

 

LET’S talk about guilty pleasures.

We’ve all got one, or maybe more than one. Whether it’s chicken nuggets with tomato sauce, Willy Wonka Nerd Rope, obscure Victorian soft drinks that no one in Western Australia seems to know about, eating Nutella from the jar, or smashing through a tub of hummus in one sitting.

I’ve been there, I’ve done that – and I definitely have the t-shirt.

But my one time, ultimate guilty pleasure is sitting on the couch, turning the lights off, cranking the volume and watching Arnie movies.

To clarify, I’m talking Arnold Schwarzenegger before the steriods and years of heavy spray tan usage starting to creep up on him.

And definitely before he became the Governor of California.

I’ll settle for any Arnie movie, but the one that holds a special .44 Magnum sized space in my heart is 1993 action fantasy flick Last Action Hero.

When I mentioned to a work colleague that Last Action Hero was being released on Netflix, and my subsequent giddy excitement, I was met with the blank stare of ‘huh?’.

I couldn’t blame him though. Of all of Arnie’s films this one definitely slides to the wayside and into the realm of obscurity.

When Last Action Hero first came out it was met with plenty of negative reviews and was also competing with Jurassic Park for airtime.

But in my eyes, this film is an action masterpiece of epic proportions.

You have Arnie dressed as Hamlet making a cameo; you have Charles Dance as a bad guy (also known as playing Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones for those Millennials out there), Tina Turner pops in for about three seconds, Danny DeVito voice acts as an animated cat, and Ian McKellen appears as Death.

It’s a wild ride in terms of actors, that’s for sure.

But what gets me excited and more than a little confused is that this incredible film was directed by the one, the only, John McTiernan.

Who is John McTiernan you may ask?

Well, let me rattle off a few film titles. Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard with a Vengence, The 13th Warrior, The Thomas Crown Affair … if you hadn’t guessed by now, he directed all of them.

So why the film is more of a cult classic instead of an outright hit is absolutely beyond me, and with a CV like that, you should be at least tempted to flick over and watch Last Action Hero this Friday night.

If that doesn’t get your engine started though, let me go further.

Last Action Hero is the perfect combination of cringe, comedy, self-awareness, fourth-wall-breakage, homage to action, celebration of kids idolising their movie heroes, and of course Arnie one liners.

From the opening to the final credits we see explosions, glass eyes that honestly make no sense, plenty of bullets, and fast cars.

But when you look past the action film tropes, what really gets you hooked is watching every unsuccessful attempt made by Austin O’Brien’s character Danny Madigan attempting to convince Arnie’s character Jack Slater that he is in fact a fictional character.

Without giving too much away (I’m not in the business of spreading spoilers), Danny manages to transport himself into his favourite action film of all time and then joins his hero, Jack, on a crime fighting adventure.

By the end of the film both Danny and Jack learn something new about themselves, they evolve as characters and learn that there is more to life than being an action star.

So in conclusion, do yourself a massive favour and watch Last Action Hero.

First person to laugh when I say “rubber baby buggy bumpers” because they know where it’s from gets a gold star.

Us
Rated MA15+

Four out of five stars

COMING off the back of Jordan Peele’s stellar directorial debut Get Out, a lot of folk, myself included, had high expectations for his second stab at the horror genre.

Much like his 2017 surprise frightfest of a hit, this year’s Us pulls from the station with a simple enough premise: a young family, enjoying a getaway at their holiday home, is suddenly terrorised by a group of crazed strangers.

But what might sound almost cliché on paper when you think of all the masked slasher slash home invasion adrenaline jolters of the past few decades soon devolves into something else entirely.

The train you’ve boarded isn’t a train at all. It’s a rollercoaster, and it’s about to derail.

Without wading too deep into spoiler territory, there’s a point in the film where it dawns on you that this thing is going in a very big and very strange direction, and I mean that in the best possible way.

The film’s plotting and pacing benefits tremendously from keeping the questions flowing throughout: Who are these apparent doppelgangers standing in this family’s driveway at night?

What do they want? Why can’t they speak?

All the high hallmarks Peele set in Get Out return in fun new forms here.

The devilishly creepy scenes, although not terrifying, are plentiful and done well and rely more on psychological discomfort than blatant jump scare ‘gotcha’ moments.

The social and political satire, although a little on the nose, is clever, compelling and thought provoking enough not to feel tacked on.

And the humour is excellent, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

If nothing else, Us is a testament to the fact you apparently shouldn’t judge an artist by literally every other thing they’ve worked on previously.

From MadTV and The Muppets to Bob’s Burgers and the goofy sketches of his now disbanded Comedy Central show, Peele has in his time stuck plenty of fingers in plenty of feelgood comedy pies.

But Us proves Peele has the skills, the know how and the passion to craft films that can’t not be talked about.

The laughs you’ll encounter in Us are made all the better by their bloody context and provide something of a nervous catharsis in the midst of all the freakishness.

All that is bolstered further by the fact that the real ‘oh s***’ moments of the film are in the details.

Us is one of those rare, well crafted gems that reward a re-watch tenfold, where the storytelling and characterisation is so precise you’ll notice things you didn’t on your first run.

My partner and I spent a good hour talking about all the things that made more sense in retrospect and the film remained wedged in my head for a good while beyond that.

With all the clues and the call-backs, this film is plenty of fun to dissect and discuss.

Lupita Nyong’o shines in ways I can’t talk about here, Elisabeth Moss is nothing short of wicked, and child actors Shahadi Wright Joseph as Zora and Evan Alex as her brother Jason seem remarkably genuine to the point you almost forget this family doesn’t actually exist.

A good horror film makes you care about the characters, if only so you’re absolutely horrified when they are faced with the dark.

While it doesn’t quite meet the extraordinarily high standards set by Peele’s first terrifying lovechild, due in large part to moments that ask you to suspend your disbelief a little too much,
Us certainly comes close.

It’s a fun and surprising thrill ride well worth the plunge.

ALBANY music group About FACE Youth Choir took the top gong at this year’s Albany Music Eisteddfod last week with a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100.

From more than 200 entries, the vocal ensemble impressed the adjudicators the most with their renditions of Lullaby and Miniyama Nayo.

Artistic director of the choir Sue Findlay couldn’t be happier with the result.

“About FACE is very excited to have received such high accolades from the vocal adjudicator,” she said.

“The Eisteddfod gives performers the wonderful opportunity to be critiqued by musicians at the top of their field.”

Frances Ullrich won the Mary Thompson Award for most promising instrumental student and Elsabe de Klerk, Isabella Pietropaolo and Francine ‘t Hart each won an Australian String Association Award.

Eisteddfod Committee President Elizabeth Burns congratulated all of the participants.

“It has been a fabulous week of music with our local students impressing once again with very high marks and standard of performance,” she said.

“We are a privileged community to foster such talent.”

The Adjudicators Choice Awards were given to Rosie Talbot with voice, Sjaan and Bryce vander Heide with a voice duet, Lily Turbill on double bass, Lila Wenzel on piano, John Calvin School Recorder Group Year 9, Albany District Schools Concert Band 1, Emma Turbill and Julie Parish with a cello duet, and Elsabe de Klerk on violin.

Adjudicators Helen Tuckey and Matt Ward were blown away by the talent of competitors.

“What talent!” Ms Tuckey said.

“It is a great honour to adjudicate such talented students with such a supportive community.”

“Congratulations to all the competitors,” Mr Ward added.

“I’ve enjoyed every single performance and have been impressed by the level of talent and preparation.”

 

A CONCERT will be held at Albany’s Oceans Church next week to raise money for YouthCARE school chaplaincy programs in the region.

Albany City Wind Ensemble will join forces with AboutFACE Youth Choir for the family-friendly event A Concert for Chappy featuring a highly-varied program.

From the soundtrack of Shrek to Lord of the Dance, to children’s fables and pieces from the Glenn Miller Big Band, music director Sue Findlay promises there will be something for everyone.

She said the addition of a brand-new instrument would take the performance to another level.

“We’re usually locked into venues with grand pianos for our concerts,” Ms Findlay explained.

“Particularly if we want a soloist to perform.

“This new digital piano will make such a difference and the great thing about it being based at Oceans Church is that other community groups can use it too.”

The new digital grand piano is a gift from Albany accountancy firm Lincolns, who had the instrument in storage.

Lincolns partner Craig Anderson was happy to see the piano go to community use.

“It’s better than it sitting and collecting dust!” he laughed.

Ms Findlay said tickets to the June 22 concert commencing at 7.30pm would include a light supper, and proceeds would go to YouthCARE Albany programs.

Adults are $22, concession $18, children aged six to 17 $8, and children under five are free.

Tickets are available at the door or online via trybooking.com

A GROUP of Albany dancers will take part in the upcoming Echoes of Pink Floyd tribute concert when it rolls into town on July 6.

Students from Twilight Dreams will form the Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 choir and sing alongside the tribute band during the chorus of the song.

Twilight Dreams owner Anyes Icher said her dancers were excited to participate in the performance.

“I think they chose dance students rather than singing or music students because my dance students are motivated to be theatrical,” she said.

“And that’s what they [tribute band] want – they want drama and a bit of attitude.”

The Pink Floyd tribute concert will feature the entirety of the original band’s iconic album The Wall, and be headlined by singer Matt Goodluck, guitarist Daniel Hunter, drummer Jason Miller, bassist Mark Dole, Paul Bindig on keyboards and synthesisers, and Mark MacNab on rhythm and acoustic guitar.

Hunter said each member of the band loved and respected what the original Pink Floyd gave to the world with their music.

“We want to bring this to life for the audience who may not have had a chance to experience a Pink Floyd concert, or wish to relive memories from their youth,” he said.

“We aim to ensure every aspect of the original Pink Floyd music is captured authentically.”

Echoes of Pink Floyd will perform The Wall tribute concert on July 6 at the Albany Entertainment Centre.

Tickets are available online or at the entertainment centre’s box offic

DENMARK workshop facilitators James Gentle and Ruth Maddren hope their upcoming wool and timber-based activities at Albany’s Vancouver Arts Centre will provide people with a safe space to talk about death.

The Unravelling, The Last Loop and Bed Beneath The Earth will take place over three weekends in June and July and the creations from those workshops will be showcased in the final exhibition Permission to Die.

It’s all part of Dying to Know Day which aims to stimulate conversation and reduce the stigma surrounding death, dying and bereavement.

“There’s multiple stages to the project,” Gentle explained.

“The Unravelling will see people dismantling knitted woolen clothes, they will then use that material to crochet flowers in The Last Loop which form part of the final installation, and then they will be helping to construct a coffin in Bed Beneath The Earth.”

Maddren said the creative element of the workshops should help alleviate any stress or pressure felt when talking about a sometimes-uncomfortable topic.

“I think it’s important for people to come together when they have a difficult discussion such as about death, but they can be distracted by busy hands,” she said.

“If they don’t want to make eye contact with someone, that’s okay; they can sit in silence or they can just speak every now and then.

“We’re not intending to give a lecture on the right way to die or deal with death; we’re merely creating a space so people can share their stories.”

The pair remained tightlipped on the content of the final exhibition Permission to Die but did reveal how the workshop creations would come together.

“It will be in three different parts and be interactive,” Gentle said of the exhibition.

“The crochet flowers will be on the coffin and the coffin will be there so people can ‘try out’ death – they can lay in the coffin and take a picture of themselves in it.

“This is quite a confronting thing for some people, but death is something that is going to happen to all of us, so it’s important we talk about what things we’ll need, like emotional support.”

“We just hope people will feel like they have permission to explore the rituals we have with death, like the coffin and sitting in a room, because usually, the only time we do is when we’re grieving,” Maddren added.

“This is an unusual opportunity to experience it.

“I know even with my experiences with cemeteries and death – my grandfather was a grave digger and gardener – I know I have blockages when it comes to talking about this, so I hope people can find peace and resolution in our project.”

Gentle and Maddren said the project and exhibition was open to all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Unravelling will be held at Albany Public Library on June 22 from 1-4pm and at Vancouver Arts Centre annex on June 23 from 1-4pm.

The Last Loop will take place at Albany Public Library on June 29, 1- 4pm and at Vancouver Arts Centre annex on June 30, 1-4pm.

Bed Beneath The Earth will be held at Vancouver Arts Centre annex on July 6 and 7, 1-4pm.

All workshops are free, and RSVPs are encouraged but are not compulsory.

RSVPs can be made via Vancouver Arts Centre.

Permission to Die will exhibit in August.

THE history of Indigenous families in the Great Southern will be pictorially displayed at Vancouver Arts Centre from tomorrow in celebration of NAIDOC Week.

Averil Dean and her son, Lindsay gave the Weekender a sneak peek at the exhibition prior to the opening on June 14 and were excited to set everything up.

Photos in the Voice Treaty Truth exhibition include images from Ms Dean’s childhood alongside photos taken by Australian anthropologist Norman Tindale, who in 1939 documented various Indigenous families in the region, their cultural habits and tribal groupings.

Dr Tindale’s image collection includes photos of Ms Dean’s grandparents, Lily Toorlijan Williams and Eddie Womber Williams.

“I think this exhibition has been a long time coming,” Ms Dean said.

“It tells the real story from our point of view, and how we saw what was happening.”

“It’s interesting; people want to know the truth now about this somewhat dark history,” Mr Dean added.

There are nearly 30 images in the exhibition that capture snapshots of Indigenous history, including Indigenous experiences in missions and the effects of the Stolen Generation.

“This is our history, of all the Aboriginal families in this area,” Mr Dean said.

“It tells the real story.”

Local history coordinator for the City of Albany Sue LeFroy added that the pictorial records were “powerful representations of the past”.

“They give families a voice,” she said.

“Seeing the Tindale images alongside and incorporated with family photographs of past generations tackles dark history head on; it is an exhibition of parallel histories, encapsulating the resilience of a family, a people and a culture – a story of survival which is meaningful to us all.”

Voice Treaty Truth will be on display at Vancouver Arts Centre from June 14 to July 18.

This year, NAIDOC Week will be celebrated from July 7 to 14.