The Black Dahlia

As a huge Brian DePalma fan it with trepidation that I approached reviewing The Black Dahlia. His extraodinary output in the 70s and early 80s including Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface and The Phatom of the Paradise was always going to be hard to live up. Unfortunately The Black Dhalia, despite being based on an James Elroy novel and starring the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson, is terrible, falling in line with DePalma's recent disasters like Mission to Mars. To hear the rest of my thoughts on the film please tune in to Cinemascape this Friday at 17:30 on Eastside 89.7 FM.

In Print

Its about time I gave you an update of where I've been in print; the latest issue of Smoke & Mirrors features my interview with Cinesite's Matt Johnson discussing his work on Omen 666 and V for Vendetta.

The last couple of issues of Shivers have featured my work; Issue #129 concluded my set report from Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes and Issue #130 includes my interview with producers Matt Metcalf and Alan Davies discussing the making of The Ferryman.

Finally the December issue of Film Review includes my vox pop report on what Sydneysiders thought of the wonderful Little Miss Sunshine.

I also recently interviewed director Gregory Read about his recent Australian thriller Like Minds starring Toni Collette and Richard Roxburgh.

Shortbus on the radio

I'll be reviewing John Cameron Mitchell's controversial Shortbus this Friday on Eastside 89.7 FM's Cinemascape show this Friday at 17:30 for those in the Sydney area. As a huge fan of Hedwig and the Angry Inch I was intrigued what Mitchell would do next but I don't think anyone could have been prepared for Shortbus. An ensemble cast play a group of New Yorkers who converge on an underground club called Shortbus; a place where there are no boundaries and sex, drugs and art is for everybody. Among those we meet are Sofia, a sex therapist who has never had an orgasm, James and Jamie, a gay couple who bring in an additional partner to save their relationship and Severin, a deeply confused dominatrix. The depiction of sex is incredibly graphic. In the first five minute almost every taboo known to mainstream cinema has been broken in explicit detail. What separates Shortbus from a regular porn film, however, is the human spirit on display. You grow to love the characters; the sex becomes secondary to the relationships between the characters and NYC. Shortbus is a brave, post 9/11, look at the sexual morays of a city that is only just beginning to recover from such a traumatic event. Highly recommended for the open minded, a word of caution for the easily offended....you will be!.