Mar 06

FRINGE – The Axis of Awesome World Tour 2006 – 4K

If you are thinking ‘it’s the second half of the Fringe calendar, so that must mean the Axis of Awesome are back in town’ then you would be right.

The trio of Lee (in hip guitar player frizz (which is a wig), Jordan of the hairy chest and misplaced sense of sexual attractiveness and wee Benny as the butt of all small man jokes are at the Vagabond til the raucous end of the season and the show is as good as ever.

Mixing the usual great banter with much loved favourites (the Boy band, KFC and Four Chord (remixed) songs) and some new (re James Blount and Jesus), the Axis of Awesome offer safe and enjoyable fare for those who have seen them before and a treat for first timers.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

Mar 06

FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL – 20 March – 8 April – Palace

The Festival with that certain‘je ne sais quoi’ returns for 2012

From modest beginnings in 1989, the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL has emerged as one of the pre-eminent events on Australia’s cultural calendar.

This beloved celebration of French cinema, which will take place nationally from early March through to April, welcomed a record-breaking 130,000 attendees during its 2011 season and for its 23rd outing will feature over 1,300 sessions at 17 locations across the country.  Proudly presented by the Alliance Française in association with the French Embassy in Australia and the gracious support of Gold Sponsor Peugeot, the 2012 programme incorporates 9 eclectic sections dedicated to a host of universal themes, certain to entice the ‘bon vivant’ in us all!

Launching the 2012 Festival will be Declaration of War (La Guerre est déclarée) a powerful tale selected as France’s official submission for the 2012 Academy Awards.  Based on real-life events, Declaration of War, will screen courtesy of Palace Films, and is the compelling tale of a young Parisian couple whose carefree existence is suddenly shattered by an unexpected twist of fate.  A massive box office success in its native France, Declaration of War is just one of the fantastic 45 films and documentaries on offer in this year’s line-up, which will also include a closing night presentation of François Truffault’s 1980 classic, The Last Metro starring Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu and Jean Poiret.  Winner of 10 César Awards, The Last Metro embodies all that is great about French cinema and, like the Festival, has stood the test of time.

As in previous years, the 2012 line-up will showcase a dazzling array of Gallic and international talent including Anouk Aimée, Woody Allen, Niels Arestrup, Daniel Auteuil, Josiane Balasko, Jean-Marc Barr, Juliette Binoche, Michel Blanc, Dany Boon, Daniel Brühl, Isabelle Carré, Geraldine Chaplin, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Julie Delpy, Gérard Depardieu, Jane Fonda, Miloš Forman, Cécile de France, Valeria Golino, Mélanie Laurent, Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Vanessa Paradis, Vincent Perez, Denis Podalydès, Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathilde Seigner, Audrey Tautou and Roschdy Zem, who will appear in films by directors such as Rémi Bezançon, Philippe Claudel, Jennifer Devoldère, Robert Guédiguian, Christophe Honoré, Cédric Klapisch, Gilles Legrand, Philippe Lioret, Mia Hansen-Løve, Emmanuel Mouret, Michel Ocelot and many more.

2012 Festival highlights include:

A HAPPY EVENT (Un heureux événement)

Director: Rémi Bezançon  (Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Pio Marmaï & Josiane Balasko)

This stylish, contemporary drama with a comedic tone, takes an intimate look at a woman’s most joyful, painful, terrifying and life-changing experience: first-time motherhood.

ALL OUR DESIRES (Toutes nos envies)

Director:  Philippe Lioret  (Cast: Vincent Lindon & Marie Gillain)

Claire, a 30-year-old judge at Lyon magistrates’ court, becomes locked in a fight for justice, on behalf of citizens impacted by the unscrupulous practices of the financial services industry. Her plight piques the interest of disenchanted colleague Stéphane, who becomes drawn into the case. Something emerges between them: a mixture of rebellion, outrage, and above all an urgent need to live life to the fullest.

AND IF WE ALL LIVED TOGETHER (Et si on vivait tous ensemble)

Director:  Stéphane Robelin  (Cast: Guy Bedos, Daniel Brühl, Geraldine Chaplin & Jane Fonda)

Annie, Jean, Claude, and Jeanne have been friends for more than 40 years. So when the possibility of being consigned to an old-age home rears its ugly head, they rebel and decide to cohabit.

BELOVED (Les bien-aimés)

Director:  Christophe Honoré  (Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni & Ludivine Sagnier)

Starring Catherine Deneuve and her real-life daughter Chiara Mastroianni, this sly and exquisitely romantic musical-drama spans four decades as it follows a mother and daughter’s twin misadventures in love.

POINT BLANK (A bout portant)

Director: Fred Cayavé  (Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin & Elena Anaya)

In this classic wrong-man scenario, an innocent nurse-in-training whose career is on the rise, finds himself entangled in a web of violent chaos when his wife is kidnapped, before his very eyes, from their apartment one evening.

PRESUMED GUILTY (Présumé coupable)

Director:  Vincent Garenq  (Cast: Philippe Torreton, Noémie Lvosky & Wladimir Yordanoff)

This chillingly raw account of one of France’s most famous miscarriages of justice, tells the true story of Alain Marécaux, an average family man from a small village in the north of France who, along with 17 other people, was wrongly accused and jailed for paedophilia in 2001.

OMAR KILLED ME (Omar m’a tuer)

Director:  Roschdy Zem  (Cast: Sami Bouajila, Denis Podalydès & Maurice Bénichou)

Based on a true story, this compelling drama revists a famous murder case in which a poorly educated Moroccan immigrant was imprisoned for a crime that he may not have committed.

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (Les émotifs anonymes)

Director: Jean-Pierre Améris  (Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde & Isabelle Carré)

Two shy chocolate makers find the perfect recipe for love in this moving comedy.

THE ART OF LOVE (L’art d’aimer)

Director: Emmanuel Mouret  (Cast: Emmanuel Mouret, Pascale Arbillot, Ariane Ascaride, François Cluzet, Julie Depardieu & Gaspard Ulliel)

In this charming comedy, we follow the romantic and sexual misadventures of four Parisian couples.

THE CONQUEST (La conquête)

Director: Xavier Durringer  (Cast: Denis Podalydès, Florence Pernel & Bernard Le Coq)

This part fictional, part factual biopic gives an account of the rise of President Nicolas Sarkozy to power. The film opens on the night of Mr Sarkozy’s election victory, 6 May 2007.

THE WELL-DIGGER’S DAUGHTER (La fille du puisatier)

Director: Daniel Auteuil  (Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Kad Merad, & Jean-Pierre Darroussin)

At the onset of WWII, a young and beautiful country girl has a chance encounter with a seductive and handsome pilot from a bourgeois family that leads to a fleeting romance and future heartbreak.

National dates and venues for the 2012 ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL are:

ADELAIDE:         20 March – 8 April Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas

For booking and session details, visit the Festival’s official website at:

http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/

Mar 05

FRINGE – Legacy of the Tiger Mother – Adelaide Town Hall, David Spence Room – 5K

Get Ready for Tough Love, Asian style! and be prepared for some reverse racism.

“Few musical theatre works engage the modern Asian immigrant experience,” notes co- creator Angela Chan, a third generation Chinese American and professional pianist.  “I wanted to create a piece that was inspired by my own childhood and spoke directly to Asians, since we’ve been under-represented in musical theatre, except for period works such as ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Miss Saigon.’

Created by long time friends and colleagues Angela Chan and co-author Michael Manley, Legacy of the Tiger Mother is the musical journey of Lily, a first generation Chinese immigrant, and her daughter Mei. Like many Chinese, Mei and Lily consider the piano the gateway to success, with perfection and ‘First Prize’ being the ultimate goals. But at Mei’s daughter Kim’s piano recital, Mei clashes with Lily over how much is too much when it comes to parenting. Mei must decide for herself what is the perfect balance of mixing the old with the new and still meet her mother’s approval. East meets west in this funny, irreverent and moving story about a mother, a daughter, a piano, and tough love, Asian style.

This musical theatre is extremely well presented by two young Australian educated performers, Chiew-Jin Khut as Lily and Yen Yen Stender as Mei, both with amazing voices.

A highly recommended, entertaining piece of musical theatre of a moving story, politically incorrect, filled with great humour and tough love told with great lyrics.

“Lazy White Children” Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk58L-lv2rU

http://www.tigermotherthemusical.com/
www.facebook.com/legacyofthetigermother

Kryztoff Rating   5K

Mar 05

SOUNDWAVE ADELAIDE 2012 – IMAGES

Images from Saturday’s Soundwave in Adelaide can be found at the following:

Soundwave Fan Images by Kryztoff

Soundwave Band Images By Kryztoff – Pt 1

Soundwave Band Images By Kryztoff – Pt 2

Bands include:

Slipknot

Marilyn Manson

Bad Religion

Bush

Coal Chamber

You Me At Six

A Day To Remember

Enjoy

Mar 05

FRINGE: Somewhere Under the Rainbow – Cabaret – The Big Slapple – 4K

The Jane Austen Argument (Tom Dickins and Jen Kingwell) has become a regular presence at the Adelaide Fringe, having taken out the Best Cabaret award in 2010 for their debut show, Where Was I?, and following that up last year with the hauntingly beautiful The Spaces Between. Their love of the Fringe has led them to choose it as the place to launch their first album, Somewhere Under the Rainbow.

This show is thus more of a concert than their previous offerings, with less banter between numbers, but provides a great opportunity to get to know a cross-section of their music. Naturally, a large number of tracks from the CD feature in the show, a few of which returning audience members may recognise from last year. There are also some older songs included, such as the ever-popular Bad Wine and Lemon Cake, and a divine cover of Samson by Regina Spektor.

This year, Dickins and Kingwell are joined on stage by a three piece band for several songs, providing the fuller sound present on the album. This is a great addition for some numbers, such as Maintain the Madness in which Dickins’ vocals soar over the rich sound of the band. However, it is less effective in others, with the singing somewhat drowned out and the emotion of the songs diminished. When this happens it is disappointing, as the beautiful harmonies created by the two singers are one of the most magical aspects of their music. Consequently, it is the songs which they perform sans-band which are the highlights of the show, particularly when accompanied by Kingwell on a baby grand piano.

It is the venue that is the major stumbling block however, with a lecture theatre at the conference centre not promoting the desired atmosphere. Despite valiant attempts to combat this through the liberal application of flowers and candles, it still lacks the intimacy and beauty the music deserves.

While not quite capturing the feeling of their last two Fringe appearances, the Jane Austen Argument provide a night of quality, funny and moving original music. New comers are sure to be drawn in by their charisma and their album is a great addition to the collection.

Kryztoff rating: 4K

Mar 05

FRINGE – The Ballad of the Unbeatable Hearts – CIT – Higher Ground – 4.5K

It is nice to know that away from the glitz, the booze and the routine stand up acts of the Garden, at the other end of the Rundle / Hindley Street divide, quality theatre can be found, and in abundance.

The Ballad of the Unbeatable Hearts, written and performed by the Englishman, Richard Fry, will provide you with more reflection than just the show’s one hour length.

Young gay angst is the topic, the fear of being exposed, rejected and ridiculed by a world that we get repeatedly told is liberal in its views to such things. The consequences of ‘the one thing you know you can never admit’ are exposed by Fry, such as living a lie, withdrawal and, at its worst, suicide. He quotes that in Britain it is estimated that one young gay guy kills himself every day.

Fry’s mastery of his work is worth the price of admission, reeling off poetry to explain the malaise but presenting the nasties for a while with a sugar coating – the coming together of people to fight the plague and to make the world generally a better place – something to do, Fry suggests, as part of our journey to inevitable death.

This is compelling and moving theatre, staying within the bounds of melodrama and ‘made for Hollywood’ Fry makes us laugh, feel ashamed and evokes sympathy for lost souls and those who suffer around them when the worst happens. It is theatre about them, but mostly about us.

Whilst this revewer generally eschews the use of the word ‘important’ when attached to theatre or movies, the Ballad of the Unbeatable Hearts is one exception worth making.

Kryztoff Rating  4.5K

In furtherance of the cause, Fry has started an Australian Facebook page at www.facebook.com/unbeatablehearts for those who wish to be enjoined in the cause. Any sufferer, or friend, relative or parent of someone caught up in the maelstrom of societal norms when you are not ought to consider joining.

Mar 05

FRINGE – Dr Brown Brown Brown – The Kid’s Show – The Garden – 4K

A singing tiger greets patrons, young and old, as they arrive to see what this Dr Brown Brown Brown character is all about. As they settle, the said doctor arrives in a big bag and proceeds to bumble his way through an hour of daily duties, from breakfast to sport to going home.

As examples, he spills hot tea all over himself, consumes a banana without peeling it and eats the contents of a pooey nappy. You get the picture.

After 10 minutes or so, the kids realise they have the good doctor’s permission the scream and shout and squeal and then invade the stage which they do with gusto. One poor father ought to have demanded a cut of the door take given how much time he spent on stage helping to make the show happen.

Desirable for children three to seven or eight years of age, this physical comedy will delight, with plenty for parents to smile about as well.

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Mar 05

FRINGE – A Doll’s House – Nexus – 1.5K

By Fiona Gardner

Nexus Theatre has some technician labor that is clearly not up to a professional standard, which left this quirky cabaret with the presenter stripping down with one breast and with a red star left hanging out.

Apart from the technical problems that this show faced, with a few trips that were made, plus the confusion between what cabaret is and a strip show, there were some highlights. One was when the main burlesque dancer who dances with a python, making an impressive feature as the snake wraps around her tiny body.

The last act is pure creativity, with lots of bears sewn together that make one big human size bear. A must see for your own real understanding of what this animal is trying to portray, his mother defiantly proud of his son.

Not to forget the impersonation of Julia Gillard who climbs on top of Kevin Rudd, with a strip show and some knickers that you can cast your vote in. I enjoyed the song about a red headed who can get it done. Other than those few numbers, I found the rest to be a bit of a dull cat walk and false strip show.

Kryztoff Rating  1.5K

Mar 05

FRINGE – Ladies In Waiting – Higher Ground – 4.5K

By Fiona Gardner

Higher ground is the hottest venue in Adelaide, Ladies in Waiting is in the Basement, which is directed by the resident company of Charles Sanders.

Ladies in Waiting, performed by three ladies, Hannah Bennett, Elizabeth Hay and Amy Victoria Brooks, presents you with several monologues outlining women anxieties in different situations; as the title states ‘Ladies in Waiting.’

The show starts with a high angst from all the characters, Charles Sanders paints the bigger picture, showing the comparison with what someone might experience in their everyday lives, compared to what a women in a burka may face. As the thoughts and scenarios are played out in the women’s minds, the scenes are formed creating an intelligent dialogue between audience and performer.

Overall this piece is definitely a hit, with anyone who has a mother, sister, friend or lover able to very much relate to many of these thoughts that run through these ladies’ minds.

Kryztoff Rating   4.5

Mar 05

FRINGE – The Disney Project – 3K

By Ben Nielsen

The Disney Project offers an excuse to continue listening to the catchy tunes from the musicals you watched as a kid. Local singer/songwriter Max Garcia-Underwood, with a four piece band, puts a new spin on the most well known songs from a variety of Disney movies.

Heralding the opening of the show was the fanfare like African chant of The Circle of Life, followed by a selection of songs from Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan and an assortment of other movie musicals and television shows.

The musical arrangements were diverse and effective; the alteration of style, harmony and rhythmic feel at the heart of the reworked version. While all songs were as equally outstanding, the entertaining deconstruction of Cruella De Vil was a standout performance. The band feigned an attempt to find the most appropriate style for the new version, traversing various genres including reggae, hip-hop, and pop. The short skit was a showcase of the band’s versatility and fine musicianship, as well as Garcia-Underwood’s arranging and writing finesse.

Whether they played as the complete quartet or sometimes just a duo; the band exhibited a strong sense of ensemble and togetherness, producing a raw rock/pop sound. Lead singer, Max Garcia-Underwood easily impressed the audience with his vocal versatility, achieving different tone colours throughout a wide vocal range, as well as realising the appropriate characterisation of the song. It was unfortunate that the other musicians’ vocals were not as adequately showcased; partly due to balance issues.

Particularly during the beginning of the performance, various intonation and mispitching issues were apparent, but it was obvious that as the show progressed, the band members became more comfortable and at ease on the stage, and the quality of the performance improved.

Feedback and sound problems became more evident towards the end of the performance, and in what was perhaps a remedial effort, microphone volume was minimised. This was detrimental to the ensemble balance and most significantly, the audibility of the main vocals.

Despite these issues, The Disney Project is a must-see performance at the 2012 Fringe, showcasing the talents of an up-and-coming artist. If you are going to see the show, arrive early as seating is limited, and be prepared for a whole new world of Disney!

Kryztoff Rating  3K