In the post 9-11 world that we live in, nothing is quite the same for those of us in Western civilisation. But we tend to forget that nothing is the same for the rest of the world either.
Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, now showing at Luna Leederville and Luna SX in Fremantle, takes a look at the aftermath of 9-11 from the point of view of Changez, a poor Pakistani Muslim who has come to the USA to pursue the American Dream.
Whereas this film could have simply been another formulaic East is Good vs West is Bad movie, Mira Nair has managed to make her vision of Mohsin Hamid's novel much more than a B grade thriller.
A Place for Me, now showing at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge, tells the story of a family of writers and the changes that occur in their lives over the course of a year.
The movie begins on Thanksgiving day, where acclaimed author William Borgens (Greg Kinnear) is busy preparing Thanksgiving dinner with his son Rusty (Nat Wolff), and waiting for daughter Samantha (Lily Collins) to arrive home for the holidays.
Despite being separated from his wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) for over three years, William still sets a place at the table for her, an action which is the first hint of William's refusal to let go of his relationship.
On this Wednesday evening, my partner and I ventured to the State Theatre Centre of WA to watch the opening night performance of Goodbye Jamie Boyd, a collaboration between Buzz Dance Theatre and Monkey Baa Theatre Company.
The key character in the play is Anna, who lives with her family on a farm in a little country town. She is best friends with her brother Jamie - so close that they do everything together. Then her brother Jamie starts to turn on her, becoming threatening and a menace to her life, forcing Anna to perform dangerous acts.
Rufus Norris's movie Broken, now showing at Luna Leederville, is a coming of age tale which follows the lives of a neighbourhood of families seen from the perspective of Skunk, an 11 year old girl.
The movie won the best British Film at the British Independent Film Awards and stars the likes of Tim Roth (of Pulp Fiction), Cillian Murphy (of Inception) and features an amazing screen debut by Eloise Laurence as Skunk.
Through Skunk’s eyes, we witnesses one violent encounter after another that occur to the people around her that she loves or knows. These encounters leave a lasting imprint on her young mind as she prepares to enter adolescence.
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is considered to be one of the classic plays of the twentieth century, and with good reason.
Black Swan State Theatre Company's take on this milestone of theatre is stripped back right to the essence of things - the characters and their struggles to achieve the American dream - and the fallout that occurs when the dream goes sour.
And while the term "powerful" is thrown around often when describing a play - for this production the phrase is spot on.
On a weekday night in Perth, the business community gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Perth for a special function, with Alan Jones Formula 1 racing driver making a guest appearance to launch the book Formula 1 for Business. The book is co-authored by entrepreneurs Simon Frayne and Daniel O’Connor, both of whom are well known to the Perth business community.
You may ask what does Formula 1 driving have in common with business success? Quite a lot it turns out, as we heard Alan share his stories about his start in the racing driving community. Armed with only 50 quid in his pocket, and a burning ambition to make his mark, he headed off to the UK to pursue his dream of becoming the best Formula 1 driver. And that he did, with a momentous string of wins in the Formula 1 World Championships that we all know and admire him for.
Alan Jones’ busy schedule in Perth also included a star appearance at a charity lunch to raise funds for the Kalparrin – A Centre for Families of Children with Special Needs, located at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Page 64 of 97