Why do we find murder mysteries so uniquely relaxing? This is one of the age-old questions about human nature, up there with ‘what is consciousness?’ and ‘why do we keep eating mouldy cheese and fish eggs like it’s a good thing?’ Because, despite the grief and blood and mountains of paperwork that a gruesome murder causes, we simply can’t get enough of curling up on the sofa with a mug of tea and a cosy crime drama to keep us blissfully entertained all the way through to bedtime.
This isn’t a new thing, either: while modern series like Death in Paradise and Shakespeare and Hathaway are the current champions of cosy crime TV, back in the eighties and nineties classics like Murder She Wrote and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates taught us how it’s done. So whether you’re after the latest in the cosy crime genre or some more nostalgic viewing,...
This isn’t a new thing, either: while modern series like Death in Paradise and Shakespeare and Hathaway are the current champions of cosy crime TV, back in the eighties and nineties classics like Murder She Wrote and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates taught us how it’s done. So whether you’re after the latest in the cosy crime genre or some more nostalgic viewing,...
- 7/29/2023
- by Lauravickersgreen
- Den of Geek
Production in Australia’s Victoria state has begun on “Savage River,” a six-part crime thriller being directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the U.S. distributor Dynamic Television.
The show, about a female ex-con who is accused of a fresh murder in her small-town home, stars Katherine Langford. As she attempts to prove her innocence she discovers long-buried secrets that cast doubt on everything she thought she knew.
Langford is joined by Jacqueline McKenzie, Cooper Van Grootel, Nadine Garner (“The Doctor Blake Mysteries”), James Mackay (“Dynasty”), Bernard Curry (“Wentworth”), Mark Coles Smith (“Mystery Road: Origin”), Virginia Gay, Daniel Henshall (“Snowtown”), Amesh Edireweera (“The Serpent”) and Osamah Sami (“Ali’s Wedding”). Additional cast, some undertaking their first major role, include Miranda Anwar, Maia Abbas, Haya Abbas, Bill Zeng and Hattie Hook.
The 6×57 minute series is co-created by writers Belinda Bradley, Franz Docherty and lead writer Giula Sandler. After...
The show, about a female ex-con who is accused of a fresh murder in her small-town home, stars Katherine Langford. As she attempts to prove her innocence she discovers long-buried secrets that cast doubt on everything she thought she knew.
Langford is joined by Jacqueline McKenzie, Cooper Van Grootel, Nadine Garner (“The Doctor Blake Mysteries”), James Mackay (“Dynasty”), Bernard Curry (“Wentworth”), Mark Coles Smith (“Mystery Road: Origin”), Virginia Gay, Daniel Henshall (“Snowtown”), Amesh Edireweera (“The Serpent”) and Osamah Sami (“Ali’s Wedding”). Additional cast, some undertaking their first major role, include Miranda Anwar, Maia Abbas, Haya Abbas, Bill Zeng and Hattie Hook.
The 6×57 minute series is co-created by writers Belinda Bradley, Franz Docherty and lead writer Giula Sandler. After...
- 2/7/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
For Robert Rabiah, Queensland’s Mission Beach is more than just the location where he is filming fish-out-of-water drama Irreverent – it’s also where he began his career.
The actor’s first professional job was appearing alongside Craig McLachlan, Nadine Garner, and Antonio Sabato Jr. in George Miller’s action/adventure mini-series Tribe, which was also based in the coastal town.
Speaking to If, Rabiah said his role in the Matchbox Pictures/NBCUniversal International Studios’ series more than two decades later was a case of his journey coming full circle.
“To come back after all these years feels nostalgic and satisfying,” he said.
In Irreverent, Rabiah plays Farah, a menacing hitman sent by the Chicago Mob to settle the ledger with a criminal mediator (Colin Donnell) who has taken refuge in Far North Queensland and assumed the identity of a church reverend.
Created by Paddy Macrae, the 10-part series also...
The actor’s first professional job was appearing alongside Craig McLachlan, Nadine Garner, and Antonio Sabato Jr. in George Miller’s action/adventure mini-series Tribe, which was also based in the coastal town.
Speaking to If, Rabiah said his role in the Matchbox Pictures/NBCUniversal International Studios’ series more than two decades later was a case of his journey coming full circle.
“To come back after all these years feels nostalgic and satisfying,” he said.
In Irreverent, Rabiah plays Farah, a menacing hitman sent by the Chicago Mob to settle the ledger with a criminal mediator (Colin Donnell) who has taken refuge in Far North Queensland and assumed the identity of a church reverend.
Created by Paddy Macrae, the 10-part series also...
- 12/2/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Huge in France and The Grinder creators Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul have been tapped to write Mr. Black, a single-camera half-hour comedy based on the praised Australian series, which is in the works at Fox. The project hails from original series’ creator Adam Zwar and producer Cjz, Gail Berman and Fox Entertainment-owned SideCar.
Created by Zwar and Cjz based on the Network Ten series, and written by Mogel and Paul, the comedy follows the acid-tongued Mr. Black, a man who has one dying wish: to break up his adult daughter and her boyfriend — whom he happens to live with.
Mogel and Paul executive produce alongside Berman, who executive produces via SideCar which co-produces with Fox Entertainment.
Mogel and Paul recently created and directed every episode of Netflix series Huge in France. The pair previously created and executive produced The Grinder for Fox. They also wrote and directed The D Train,...
Created by Zwar and Cjz based on the Network Ten series, and written by Mogel and Paul, the comedy follows the acid-tongued Mr. Black, a man who has one dying wish: to break up his adult daughter and her boyfriend — whom he happens to live with.
Mogel and Paul executive produce alongside Berman, who executive produces via SideCar which co-produces with Fox Entertainment.
Mogel and Paul recently created and directed every episode of Netflix series Huge in France. The pair previously created and executive produced The Grinder for Fox. They also wrote and directed The D Train,...
- 12/4/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has put in development Mr. Black, a single-camera half-hour comedy based on the praised Australian series, from original series’ creator Adam Zwar and producer Cjz, Gail Berman and Fox Entertainment-owned SideCar.
Created by Zwar and Cjz based on the Network Ten series, it follows the acid-tongued Mr. Black, a man who has one dying wish: to break up his adult daughter and her boyfriend — whom he happens to live with.
Berman executive produces via SideCar which co-produces with Fox Entertainment.
Mr. Black premiered on Australia’s Network Ten in May. Created by Zwar and written by Zwar and Amanda Brotchie, the series stars Stephen Curry, Nadine Garner, Sophie Wright, Angela Geraldine Black, Nick Russell and Paul Denny. You can watch a trailer below.
Zwar also co-created the Australian comedy series Squinters, Lowdown and Wilfred.
Fox Buys Period Western Drama ‘Go West’ From Bridget Carpenter With Penalty...
Created by Zwar and Cjz based on the Network Ten series, it follows the acid-tongued Mr. Black, a man who has one dying wish: to break up his adult daughter and her boyfriend — whom he happens to live with.
Berman executive produces via SideCar which co-produces with Fox Entertainment.
Mr. Black premiered on Australia’s Network Ten in May. Created by Zwar and written by Zwar and Amanda Brotchie, the series stars Stephen Curry, Nadine Garner, Sophie Wright, Angela Geraldine Black, Nick Russell and Paul Denny. You can watch a trailer below.
Zwar also co-created the Australian comedy series Squinters, Lowdown and Wilfred.
Fox Buys Period Western Drama ‘Go West’ From Bridget Carpenter With Penalty...
- 8/16/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
‘My Name Is Captain Thunderbolt (Sometimes)’.
Network 10 will launch an animated spin-off to Cjz’s My Life Is Murder tomorrow on 10 Play, My Name Is Captain Thunderbolt (Sometimes).
The six-episode series is based on a cat named Captain Thunderbolt, who wanders into the apartment of Alexa Crowe – the lead character in My Life Is Murder, played by Lucy Lawless – and takes up residence. Captain Thunderbolt appears in the television series. In the animated series, he has become a private detective, investigating Alexa’s life to decide if he should stay with her.
Written by Network 10’s digital editor Liz Galinovic and My Life Is Murder script editor Hannah Fitzpatrick, it is the first animated series made for Network 10’s digital platform.
Network 10 developed the series in partnership with the University of Newcastle’s animation school to enable a group of recent graduates to work on the project and bring Captain Thunderbolt to life.
Network 10 will launch an animated spin-off to Cjz’s My Life Is Murder tomorrow on 10 Play, My Name Is Captain Thunderbolt (Sometimes).
The six-episode series is based on a cat named Captain Thunderbolt, who wanders into the apartment of Alexa Crowe – the lead character in My Life Is Murder, played by Lucy Lawless – and takes up residence. Captain Thunderbolt appears in the television series. In the animated series, he has become a private detective, investigating Alexa’s life to decide if he should stay with her.
Written by Network 10’s digital editor Liz Galinovic and My Life Is Murder script editor Hannah Fitzpatrick, it is the first animated series made for Network 10’s digital platform.
Network 10 developed the series in partnership with the University of Newcastle’s animation school to enable a group of recent graduates to work on the project and bring Captain Thunderbolt to life.
- 7/23/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
(l-r) Ebony Vagulans, Lucy Lawless and Bernard Curry.
Cjz’s murder-mystery My Life is Murder, which stars Lucy Lawless, Bernard Curry and Ebony Vagulans, will premiere on Network 10 on Wednesday 17 July at 8.30 pm.
Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) plays private investigator Alexa Crowe, a former homicide detective whose insights into the darker quirks of human nature enable her to provoke and push felons’ right and wrong buttons as she unravels the truth behind baffling and bizarre crimes.
Very few people know the full truth about why or how she left the police, only that her husband, fellow cop Gary, died a few years ago.
Wentworth‘s Curry is her former colleague and long-time friend Detective Inspector Kieran Hussey, who enlists her help.
Nida graduate Vagulans is the bubbly, sarcastic, ambitious Madison, who works as a data analyst for the police.
The series regulars and guests include Danielle Cormack, Don Hany,...
Cjz’s murder-mystery My Life is Murder, which stars Lucy Lawless, Bernard Curry and Ebony Vagulans, will premiere on Network 10 on Wednesday 17 July at 8.30 pm.
Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) plays private investigator Alexa Crowe, a former homicide detective whose insights into the darker quirks of human nature enable her to provoke and push felons’ right and wrong buttons as she unravels the truth behind baffling and bizarre crimes.
Very few people know the full truth about why or how she left the police, only that her husband, fellow cop Gary, died a few years ago.
Wentworth‘s Curry is her former colleague and long-time friend Detective Inspector Kieran Hussey, who enlists her help.
Nida graduate Vagulans is the bubbly, sarcastic, ambitious Madison, who works as a data analyst for the police.
The series regulars and guests include Danielle Cormack, Don Hany,...
- 6/30/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Celeste’
Curious Films launched Ben Hackworth’s Celeste on six screens in the capital cities last weekend after screening at a dozen international film festivals.
The international sales agent, Tine Klint’s LevelK, has sold the romantic drama, which stars Radha Mitchell, Thomas Cocquerel, Nadine Garner and Odessa Young, to HBO Central Europe, 15 territories in Eastern Europe and China’s Dd Dream International, which plans a theatrical release.
Unicorn Films’ Lizzette Atkins, who produced with Raphael Cocks, tells If a North American deal is in negotiation.
Co-written by Hackworth and the late Bille Brown, Celeste grossed $6,000 and $22,000 including advance screenings.
The regional roll-out will begin on May 9 and Curious Films’ Stephen Fitzgibbon aims to expand to 15-20 screens in the regions through May/June. Fitzgibbon is finalising streaming and other ancillary deals which he hopes to soon announce.
Mitchell plays the title role, a retired opera star who plans one...
Curious Films launched Ben Hackworth’s Celeste on six screens in the capital cities last weekend after screening at a dozen international film festivals.
The international sales agent, Tine Klint’s LevelK, has sold the romantic drama, which stars Radha Mitchell, Thomas Cocquerel, Nadine Garner and Odessa Young, to HBO Central Europe, 15 territories in Eastern Europe and China’s Dd Dream International, which plans a theatrical release.
Unicorn Films’ Lizzette Atkins, who produced with Raphael Cocks, tells If a North American deal is in negotiation.
Co-written by Hackworth and the late Bille Brown, Celeste grossed $6,000 and $22,000 including advance screenings.
The regional roll-out will begin on May 9 and Curious Films’ Stephen Fitzgibbon aims to expand to 15-20 screens in the regions through May/June. Fitzgibbon is finalising streaming and other ancillary deals which he hopes to soon announce.
Mitchell plays the title role, a retired opera star who plans one...
- 4/28/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
(L-r): Nadine Garner, Sophie Wright, Nick Russell, Stephen Curry and Paul Denny in ‘Mr Black’.
Cjz MD Nick Murray and CEO Matt Campbell are grappling with three major issues facing the screen industry as the company ramps up its production and development slates.
They identify the challenges as the rising cost of drama budgets; a shortage of top-class writers given the talent drain to the Us and UK; and finding original concepts for factual and factual entertainment shows.
Murray questions why drama is more expensive to produce than comedy, observing: “I don’t know that the additional money that goes into drama is necessarily visible on screen to the audience.
“The costs of drama are going up and we need to be making it cheaper. There are work practices which make it impossible to make drama at the price it should be made at. We should be employing people differently or with more flexibility,...
Cjz MD Nick Murray and CEO Matt Campbell are grappling with three major issues facing the screen industry as the company ramps up its production and development slates.
They identify the challenges as the rising cost of drama budgets; a shortage of top-class writers given the talent drain to the Us and UK; and finding original concepts for factual and factual entertainment shows.
Murray questions why drama is more expensive to produce than comedy, observing: “I don’t know that the additional money that goes into drama is necessarily visible on screen to the audience.
“The costs of drama are going up and we need to be making it cheaper. There are work practices which make it impossible to make drama at the price it should be made at. We should be employing people differently or with more flexibility,...
- 2/27/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Lucy Lawless, star of Cjz’s ‘My Life Is Murder’.
The newly-rebranded Network 10 on Wednesday night unveiled 13 new Australian shows for 2019 including romantic comedy Five Bedrooms, thriller The Secrets She Keeps and four entertainment series spun-off from shows which screened during Pilot Week.
Created by Michael Lucas and Christine Bartlett and produced by Hoodlum Entertainment, Five Bedrooms will follow five very different people who meet on the singles’ table at a wedding and decide to buy a house together.
Lingo Pictures’ The Secrets She Keeps is a psychological thriller based on the novel by Australian author Michael Robotham, a dark tale of two women from different walks of life who have one thing in common – explosive secrets that could destroy their lives.
Jonathan Gavin and Sarah Walker will script the six-part series. The protagonists are Meg, who has a handsome husband, two gorgeous children and a third bundle of joy on the way,...
The newly-rebranded Network 10 on Wednesday night unveiled 13 new Australian shows for 2019 including romantic comedy Five Bedrooms, thriller The Secrets She Keeps and four entertainment series spun-off from shows which screened during Pilot Week.
Created by Michael Lucas and Christine Bartlett and produced by Hoodlum Entertainment, Five Bedrooms will follow five very different people who meet on the singles’ table at a wedding and decide to buy a house together.
Lingo Pictures’ The Secrets She Keeps is a psychological thriller based on the novel by Australian author Michael Robotham, a dark tale of two women from different walks of life who have one thing in common – explosive secrets that could destroy their lives.
Jonathan Gavin and Sarah Walker will script the six-part series. The protagonists are Meg, who has a handsome husband, two gorgeous children and a third bundle of joy on the way,...
- 10/31/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
The film is the second feature from ‘Corroboree’ director Ben Hackworth.
LevelK has boarded Australian filmmaker Ben Hackworth’s second feature Celeste, which has its world premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival this week.
Radha Mitchell (Melinda and Melinda), Odessa Young (Assassination Nation), Thomas Cocquerel (Table 19), and Nadine Garner (The Book of Revelation) star in a tale of desire and redemption.
Lizzette Atkins of Melbourne-based Unicorn Films (Looking for Grace) developed Celeste and is producing alongside Raphael Cocks. The screenplay is written by Ben Hackworth and the late renowned Australian actor Bille Brown.
The film is financed by Screen Queensland,...
LevelK has boarded Australian filmmaker Ben Hackworth’s second feature Celeste, which has its world premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival this week.
Radha Mitchell (Melinda and Melinda), Odessa Young (Assassination Nation), Thomas Cocquerel (Table 19), and Nadine Garner (The Book of Revelation) star in a tale of desire and redemption.
Lizzette Atkins of Melbourne-based Unicorn Films (Looking for Grace) developed Celeste and is producing alongside Raphael Cocks. The screenplay is written by Ben Hackworth and the late renowned Australian actor Bille Brown.
The film is financed by Screen Queensland,...
- 8/10/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Peter Weir on the set of his last feature 'The Way Back'.
Adg CEO Kingston Anderson told If earlier this year that he was angling for a high-profile director to present the Feature award at this year's Adg awards.
Now we know who it is: Peter Weir will present the Best Direction in a Feature Film award at the awards in Melbourne.
Weir will bestow the award on one of the five nominees; Garth Davis (Lion), Simon Stone (The Daughter), Ben Young (Hounds of Love), Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks) and Jonnie Leahy (Skin Deep).
.It is a great privilege to have one of Australia.s pre-eminent directors, Peter Weir, presenting the award for Best Direction in a Feature Film," said Adg CEO Kingston Anderson..
"We have a tradition at the awards to have our best feature directors presenting this award. Directors who have presented the award in the past include Fred Schepisi,...
Adg CEO Kingston Anderson told If earlier this year that he was angling for a high-profile director to present the Feature award at this year's Adg awards.
Now we know who it is: Peter Weir will present the Best Direction in a Feature Film award at the awards in Melbourne.
Weir will bestow the award on one of the five nominees; Garth Davis (Lion), Simon Stone (The Daughter), Ben Young (Hounds of Love), Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks) and Jonnie Leahy (Skin Deep).
.It is a great privilege to have one of Australia.s pre-eminent directors, Peter Weir, presenting the award for Best Direction in a Feature Film," said Adg CEO Kingston Anderson..
"We have a tradition at the awards to have our best feature directors presenting this award. Directors who have presented the award in the past include Fred Schepisi,...
- 4/20/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Mrs McCutcheon..
John Sheedy.s Mrs McCutcheon and Claire Randall.s Wolfe are headed to International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, where they will compete in the children and youth competition.
Wolfe won the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film in the Generation 14Plus program at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year..The documentary explores a young man.s journey through adolescence with undiagnosed schizophrenia. Randall, the director-producer, made the film with fellow Griffith Film School students Shannen Tunnicliffe, producer, and Lachlan Morton, cinematographer and animator.
Oberhausen marks Mrs McCutcheon.s world premiere. Directed and conceived by Sheedy, the film is the theatre veteran.s first foray into filmmaking, and was written by Ben Young, whose debut feature Hounds of Love won acclaim in Venice last year. .
Mrs McCutcheon follows 10-year-old Tom (Alec Golinger) on a journey of self-discovery. Having always felt he was born in the wrong body,...
John Sheedy.s Mrs McCutcheon and Claire Randall.s Wolfe are headed to International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, where they will compete in the children and youth competition.
Wolfe won the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film in the Generation 14Plus program at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year..The documentary explores a young man.s journey through adolescence with undiagnosed schizophrenia. Randall, the director-producer, made the film with fellow Griffith Film School students Shannen Tunnicliffe, producer, and Lachlan Morton, cinematographer and animator.
Oberhausen marks Mrs McCutcheon.s world premiere. Directed and conceived by Sheedy, the film is the theatre veteran.s first foray into filmmaking, and was written by Ben Young, whose debut feature Hounds of Love won acclaim in Venice last year. .
Mrs McCutcheon follows 10-year-old Tom (Alec Golinger) on a journey of self-discovery. Having always felt he was born in the wrong body,...
- 3/30/2017
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Craig McLachlan in 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries'.
The final installment of The Doctor Blake Mysteries will take the form of a telemovie, with the ABC and December Media closing the door on a show that debuted in 2012 and has consistently been the top rating local drama series on Aunty.
Starring Craig McLachlan and Nadine Garner, the show's fifth season will launch later in the year on ABC and iview and will conclude with a movie-length finale.
ABC Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley said the show had had a "sensational run on the ABC and we feel that the time is right to go out while we are still on top.".
"We have a fantastic final season still to come and we look forward to wrapping the series up with a satisfying movie-length finale, as we bid farewell to an Australian TV icon..
Series co-creator George Adams said:...
The final installment of The Doctor Blake Mysteries will take the form of a telemovie, with the ABC and December Media closing the door on a show that debuted in 2012 and has consistently been the top rating local drama series on Aunty.
Starring Craig McLachlan and Nadine Garner, the show's fifth season will launch later in the year on ABC and iview and will conclude with a movie-length finale.
ABC Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley said the show had had a "sensational run on the ABC and we feel that the time is right to go out while we are still on top.".
"We have a fantastic final season still to come and we look forward to wrapping the series up with a satisfying movie-length finale, as we bid farewell to an Australian TV icon..
Series co-creator George Adams said:...
- 3/6/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Craig McLachlan as Dr Lucien Blake.
.
The ABC has commissioned The Doctor Blake Mysteries.for a fifth series.
Starring Craig McLachlan as police surgeon, Dr Lucien Blake, and Nadine Garner as his devoted housekeeper Jean, The Doctor Blake Mysteries continues to attract a large audience.
ABC Director of Television Richard Finlayson said Series four had been the most successful to date with an average audience of 1.67 million viewers across TV broadcast and iview..
"Doctor Blake satisfies an appetite for engaging, home grown stories,. he said.
Series Co-creator and showrunner, George Adams, said December Media was elated to be returning to 1960s Ballarat, "once again to bring our loyal audience more tales of murder, mystery, mayhem and a wee bit of love with Blake, Jean and all our favourite characters..
Series five will see Doctor Blake facing mysteries on every front, from the boxing ring to the vineyards of Victoria, from...
.
The ABC has commissioned The Doctor Blake Mysteries.for a fifth series.
Starring Craig McLachlan as police surgeon, Dr Lucien Blake, and Nadine Garner as his devoted housekeeper Jean, The Doctor Blake Mysteries continues to attract a large audience.
ABC Director of Television Richard Finlayson said Series four had been the most successful to date with an average audience of 1.67 million viewers across TV broadcast and iview..
"Doctor Blake satisfies an appetite for engaging, home grown stories,. he said.
Series Co-creator and showrunner, George Adams, said December Media was elated to be returning to 1960s Ballarat, "once again to bring our loyal audience more tales of murder, mystery, mayhem and a wee bit of love with Blake, Jean and all our favourite characters..
Series five will see Doctor Blake facing mysteries on every front, from the boxing ring to the vineyards of Victoria, from...
- 5/4/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Newcomers Elias Anton and Ben Kindon are playing the leads in Barracuda, the 4-part Matchbox Pictures drama for ABC directed by Rob Connolly.
The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.
Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.
The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...
The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.
Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.
The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...
- 11/24/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
ABC TV has confirmed new series of. Janet King, Rake, Jack Irish, The Code and The Doctor Blake Mysteries.
Marta Dusseldorp will star in the second series of Janet King, Richard Roxburgh returns as Cleaver Greene in the fourth series of Rake and Guy Pearce stars in a six-part series based on the crime novels by Peter Temple in Jack Irish: The Series, a spin-off of the three telepics. Craig McLachlan returns as. Dr Lucien Blake in the fourth outing of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, together with Nadine Garner as his housekeeper Jean Beazley. Dan Spielman and Ashley Zuckerman are back for the second season of The Code. ABC Head of Fiction Carole Sklan said: .ABC TV is very happy to be able to bring back this collection of hugely entertaining, favourite dramas. They feature such a wonderful, eclectic mix of indelible characters.. Head of Programming Brendan Dahill said: .This...
Marta Dusseldorp will star in the second series of Janet King, Richard Roxburgh returns as Cleaver Greene in the fourth series of Rake and Guy Pearce stars in a six-part series based on the crime novels by Peter Temple in Jack Irish: The Series, a spin-off of the three telepics. Craig McLachlan returns as. Dr Lucien Blake in the fourth outing of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, together with Nadine Garner as his housekeeper Jean Beazley. Dan Spielman and Ashley Zuckerman are back for the second season of The Code. ABC Head of Fiction Carole Sklan said: .ABC TV is very happy to be able to bring back this collection of hugely entertaining, favourite dramas. They feature such a wonderful, eclectic mix of indelible characters.. Head of Programming Brendan Dahill said: .This...
- 6/30/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Meaa has criticised the Arts Minister for refusing to accept a petition urging the government not to axe the process of approving visas for imported actors and crew.
A delegation of Australian actors and crew went to Canberra on Tuesday to present the petition, #saveourstories, which features photos of more 1,000 campaign supporters.
Senator George Brandis declined to meet the delegation despite repeated requests, the Meaa tells members in its latest bulletin.
Instead, actors Geoff Morrell, Nadine Garner and Jay Laga.aia plus key grip Dave Nichols and costume supervisor Robyn Elliott met with Labor shadow ministers and crossbenchers.
Meaa Actors Equity director Zoe Angus said: .The petition shows the faces of our industry. It sends a clear message to the Abbott government: Don.t scrap vital job opportunities for Australia.s creative talent and the chance to tell uniquely Australian stories..
Morrell added: .Changing these laws would put us...
A delegation of Australian actors and crew went to Canberra on Tuesday to present the petition, #saveourstories, which features photos of more 1,000 campaign supporters.
Senator George Brandis declined to meet the delegation despite repeated requests, the Meaa tells members in its latest bulletin.
Instead, actors Geoff Morrell, Nadine Garner and Jay Laga.aia plus key grip Dave Nichols and costume supervisor Robyn Elliott met with Labor shadow ministers and crossbenchers.
Meaa Actors Equity director Zoe Angus said: .The petition shows the faces of our industry. It sends a clear message to the Abbott government: Don.t scrap vital job opportunities for Australia.s creative talent and the chance to tell uniquely Australian stories..
Morrell added: .Changing these laws would put us...
- 6/18/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Robert Connolly, Nadine Garner, Sigrid Thornton and Denise Roberts will be among the presenters at next week.s Australian Directors Guild Awards.
December Media's Stuart Menzies will present the Michael Carson Award to Chris Langman and Adg president Ray Argall will bestow the Adg/DGA Finders Award on Craig Monahan for his film Healing.
Celebrating the 30th year of Neighbours, there will be a salute to the 87 directors who have worked on the program.
Representing the soap.s longest-serving cast members, Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne will discuss their experiences.
Two newer members of the Neighbours cast, Ariel Kaplan and Harley Bonner, will also take part as presenters.
Hosted by The Chaser's Chris Taylor, the Adg Awards across 15 categories in film, television, multiplatform, music videos and advertising, will be announced on Friday May 8 at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins.
December Media's Stuart Menzies will present the Michael Carson Award to Chris Langman and Adg president Ray Argall will bestow the Adg/DGA Finders Award on Craig Monahan for his film Healing.
Celebrating the 30th year of Neighbours, there will be a salute to the 87 directors who have worked on the program.
Representing the soap.s longest-serving cast members, Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne will discuss their experiences.
Two newer members of the Neighbours cast, Ariel Kaplan and Harley Bonner, will also take part as presenters.
Hosted by The Chaser's Chris Taylor, the Adg Awards across 15 categories in film, television, multiplatform, music videos and advertising, will be announced on Friday May 8 at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins.
- 4/28/2015
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
Stage stalwart Chloe Dallimore has been elected federal president of the Meaa.s Equity branch.
The actress whose credits include Pippin, Annie, The Addams Family and Thoroughly Modern Millie, succeeds Geoff Morrell.
Morrell had been acting president since Simon Burke stepped down last October after 10 years in that role. Nadine Garner and Lorna Lesly were elected. federal vice presidents.
Members of the new National Performers Committee are:
Federal President (Equity) Chloe Dallimore Federal Vice-Presidents (Equity) Nadine Garner Lorna Lesly Victoria Branch Board Member Genevieve Picot Queensland Branch Board Member Jason Klarwein Nsw Branch President (Equity): Tina Bursill Vice-President (Equity): Jonathan Mill Victoria Branch President (Equity): Abbe Holmes Vice-President (Equity): Francis Greenslade Queensland Branch President (Equity): Carol Burns Federal Council Delegates (Equity) Robyn Arthur Kerith Atkinson Michala Banas Amanda Bishop Mitchell Butel Helen Dallimore Marta Dusseldorp Alan Fletcher Samuel Gaskin Elizabeth Hay Glenn Hazeldine Robert Jago...
The actress whose credits include Pippin, Annie, The Addams Family and Thoroughly Modern Millie, succeeds Geoff Morrell.
Morrell had been acting president since Simon Burke stepped down last October after 10 years in that role. Nadine Garner and Lorna Lesly were elected. federal vice presidents.
Members of the new National Performers Committee are:
Federal President (Equity) Chloe Dallimore Federal Vice-Presidents (Equity) Nadine Garner Lorna Lesly Victoria Branch Board Member Genevieve Picot Queensland Branch Board Member Jason Klarwein Nsw Branch President (Equity): Tina Bursill Vice-President (Equity): Jonathan Mill Victoria Branch President (Equity): Abbe Holmes Vice-President (Equity): Francis Greenslade Queensland Branch President (Equity): Carol Burns Federal Council Delegates (Equity) Robyn Arthur Kerith Atkinson Michala Banas Amanda Bishop Mitchell Butel Helen Dallimore Marta Dusseldorp Alan Fletcher Samuel Gaskin Elizabeth Hay Glenn Hazeldine Robert Jago...
- 4/27/2015
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
After making her directing debut on micro-budgeted, B&W suspense film Johnny Ghost, Donna McRae is writing and plans to direct one segment of a horror anthology set in Tasmania.
Also, McRae and her husband Michael Vale have written the script for Le Chien qui Fume - A Smokey Life, a bizarre tale about a dog that lived in Europe in the early 20th Century, wore men.s clothing and smoked cigarettes. McRae is balancing her role as a filmmaker with lecturing in film and television at Deakin University. The untitled horror film is being produced by Unicorn Films. Lizzette Atkins and will enlist five writers-directors, all female: McRae, Ursula Dabrowsky, Isabel Peppard, Briony Kidd and Rebecca Thomson.
.The stories are all set around a small haunted Tasmanian town and are intertwined with each other,. she tells If. The tagline says: .Apocalyptic visions, bloodthirsty curses, creatures gone mad, a voodoo granny,...
Also, McRae and her husband Michael Vale have written the script for Le Chien qui Fume - A Smokey Life, a bizarre tale about a dog that lived in Europe in the early 20th Century, wore men.s clothing and smoked cigarettes. McRae is balancing her role as a filmmaker with lecturing in film and television at Deakin University. The untitled horror film is being produced by Unicorn Films. Lizzette Atkins and will enlist five writers-directors, all female: McRae, Ursula Dabrowsky, Isabel Peppard, Briony Kidd and Rebecca Thomson.
.The stories are all set around a small haunted Tasmanian town and are intertwined with each other,. she tells If. The tagline says: .Apocalyptic visions, bloodthirsty curses, creatures gone mad, a voodoo granny,...
- 3/2/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The ABC is looking to commission a second series of It.s a Date, the narrative comedy created by Peter Helliar.
Brendan Dahill, Head of Programming for ABC1 and ABC2, rates It.s a Date and Upper Middle Bogan as the broadcaster.s stand-out comedy hits of last year. The shows aired back-to-back on Thursday nights.
Gristmill Productions. Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler are producing another eight episodes of Upper Middle Bogan.
Dahill says he is talking to the producers of It.s a Date, Princess Pictures, about a second series. The show explores the tension, expectation and complication of finding true love, with each episode following two self-contained dates as they head toward desire or disaster.
It had an all-star cast including Asher Keddie, Kate Ritchie, John Wood, Lisa McCune, Stephen Curry, Sibylla Budd, Shane Jacobson, Sophie Lowe, Nadine Garner, Pia Miranda and Helliar.
Helliar was lead writer with a team of Phil Lloyd,...
Brendan Dahill, Head of Programming for ABC1 and ABC2, rates It.s a Date and Upper Middle Bogan as the broadcaster.s stand-out comedy hits of last year. The shows aired back-to-back on Thursday nights.
Gristmill Productions. Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler are producing another eight episodes of Upper Middle Bogan.
Dahill says he is talking to the producers of It.s a Date, Princess Pictures, about a second series. The show explores the tension, expectation and complication of finding true love, with each episode following two self-contained dates as they head toward desire or disaster.
It had an all-star cast including Asher Keddie, Kate Ritchie, John Wood, Lisa McCune, Stephen Curry, Sibylla Budd, Shane Jacobson, Sophie Lowe, Nadine Garner, Pia Miranda and Helliar.
Helliar was lead writer with a team of Phil Lloyd,...
- 2/19/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Peter Helliar.s narrative comedy It.s a Date has won the award for best scripted format in an international competition at the Mipcom market in Cannes.
ABC Commercial represents the series internationally, which won one of the key categories in the International Format Awards staged by C21 Media and Frapa, the Format Recognition and Protection Association.
The candidates for the awards were initially selected by C21Media.net.s community of 35,000 international TV executives. A panel of buyers then voted on 10 selected formats in seven genre categories.
Produced by Laura Waters, each episode of It.s a Date followed the people involved in two self-contained dates as they headed toward success or failure. The casts included Asher Keddie, Kate Ritchie, John Wood, Lisa McCune, Stephen Curry, Sibylla Budd, Shane Jacobson, Sophie Lowe, Nadine Garner, Pia Miranda and Helliar.
Waters tells If a second series is in development and discussions...
ABC Commercial represents the series internationally, which won one of the key categories in the International Format Awards staged by C21 Media and Frapa, the Format Recognition and Protection Association.
The candidates for the awards were initially selected by C21Media.net.s community of 35,000 international TV executives. A panel of buyers then voted on 10 selected formats in seven genre categories.
Produced by Laura Waters, each episode of It.s a Date followed the people involved in two self-contained dates as they headed toward success or failure. The casts included Asher Keddie, Kate Ritchie, John Wood, Lisa McCune, Stephen Curry, Sibylla Budd, Shane Jacobson, Sophie Lowe, Nadine Garner, Pia Miranda and Helliar.
Waters tells If a second series is in development and discussions...
- 10/10/2013
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
No word on whether Adams Hills will host Spicks and Specks
Spciks and Specks, one of the ABC’s most popular shows is to make an unexpected return, the broadcaster has revealed.
But there is no word whether Adam Hills or regular team captains Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough will be a part of the music quiz.
Ther announcement of ABC’s plans for 2013 says somewhat mysteriously: “We welcome the return of Australia’s favourite music quiz show Spicks and Specks – but it will be no cover version.”
Update: The Spicks and Specks Facebook page says: “”Australia’s favourite music quiz show Spicks and Specks will be back in 2013 with a new host, new team captains and new games.”
The show had helped the ABC dominate Wednesday night viewing until it ended in late 2011.
Also on the agenda is another project from Summer Heights High creator Chris Lilley. Details were again sketchy,...
Spciks and Specks, one of the ABC’s most popular shows is to make an unexpected return, the broadcaster has revealed.
But there is no word whether Adam Hills or regular team captains Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough will be a part of the music quiz.
Ther announcement of ABC’s plans for 2013 says somewhat mysteriously: “We welcome the return of Australia’s favourite music quiz show Spicks and Specks – but it will be no cover version.”
Update: The Spicks and Specks Facebook page says: “”Australia’s favourite music quiz show Spicks and Specks will be back in 2013 with a new host, new team captains and new games.”
The show had helped the ABC dominate Wednesday night viewing until it ended in late 2011.
Also on the agenda is another project from Summer Heights High creator Chris Lilley. Details were again sketchy,...
- 11/29/2012
- by Brooke Hemphill
- Encore Magazine
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts has opened its call for entries for the most outstanding performers and practitioners from the TV and Film industry. The academy is also searching for Jurors and has announced a new category for 2013, the award for Best Reality Television Series.
The announcement:
The search is on for Australia’s most outstanding film and television performers, practitioners and productions, with the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts today calling for entries for the 2013 Aacta Awards.
Entries across all Aacta Awards categories – feature film, short animation, short fiction film, television and documentary – are now open. The Academy is also calling for Aacta Awards jurors.
New Award Category for 2013
In a move reflective of the reality television juggernaut, Aacta has announced a new Award for 2013 – the Aacta Award for Best Reality Television Series.
Whilst reality TV productions could previously enter the Aacta Awards under the light entertainment category,...
The announcement:
The search is on for Australia’s most outstanding film and television performers, practitioners and productions, with the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts today calling for entries for the 2013 Aacta Awards.
Entries across all Aacta Awards categories – feature film, short animation, short fiction film, television and documentary – are now open. The Academy is also calling for Aacta Awards jurors.
New Award Category for 2013
In a move reflective of the reality television juggernaut, Aacta has announced a new Award for 2013 – the Aacta Award for Best Reality Television Series.
Whilst reality TV productions could previously enter the Aacta Awards under the light entertainment category,...
- 5/10/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Craig McLachlan has been announced as the lead in a new ABC period crime series.
The ten-part series, The Dr Blake Mysteries will see McLachlan play Dr Lucien Blake, Gp and police surgeon to Ballarat in 1959.
The series is produced by Tony Wright and George Adams of December Media. Wright is executive producer alongside the ABC’s Christopher Gist.
Wright said: “George Adams and I are both lifelong aficionados of the murder mystery genre in all its forms. It’s beyond exciting to be producing our own for the ABC.”
Carole Sklan, ABC’s head of fiction said: “December Media have created the brilliant, irreverent Dr Blake, and assembled an outstanding cast and creative team. Through the eyes of the maverick doctor, the series captures 1959 Australia on the cusp of change.”
Set in Ballarat, in rural Victoria, Dr Blake finds himself investigating deaths both natural and unnatural, with housekeeper/receoptionist...
The ten-part series, The Dr Blake Mysteries will see McLachlan play Dr Lucien Blake, Gp and police surgeon to Ballarat in 1959.
The series is produced by Tony Wright and George Adams of December Media. Wright is executive producer alongside the ABC’s Christopher Gist.
Wright said: “George Adams and I are both lifelong aficionados of the murder mystery genre in all its forms. It’s beyond exciting to be producing our own for the ABC.”
Carole Sklan, ABC’s head of fiction said: “December Media have created the brilliant, irreverent Dr Blake, and assembled an outstanding cast and creative team. Through the eyes of the maverick doctor, the series captures 1959 Australia on the cusp of change.”
Set in Ballarat, in rural Victoria, Dr Blake finds himself investigating deaths both natural and unnatural, with housekeeper/receoptionist...
- 4/10/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The Hunter has lead the Aacta Awards with 14 nominations including best film.
The film, by Daniel Nettheim, is also up for best direction, adapted screenplay, cinematography, sound, production design, costume, original music score, and visual effects. Meanwhile, Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor, Sam Neill and Morgana Davies are all up for acting awards.
The film has currently made just over $1m at the local box office.
It’s the first year for the re-launched AACTAs, formerly the AFI awards.
The technical awards will be given out at a luncheon on 15 January at the Sydney Opera House, with an evening ceremony for the more ‘public-friendly’ awards held at the Opera House on 31 January.
Running against The Hunter for best film is Red Dog, Mad Bastards, The Eye of the Storm, Snowtown and Oranges and Sunshine.
The Eye of the Storm, was second in the nominations race with 12, of which six are...
The film, by Daniel Nettheim, is also up for best direction, adapted screenplay, cinematography, sound, production design, costume, original music score, and visual effects. Meanwhile, Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor, Sam Neill and Morgana Davies are all up for acting awards.
The film has currently made just over $1m at the local box office.
It’s the first year for the re-launched AACTAs, formerly the AFI awards.
The technical awards will be given out at a luncheon on 15 January at the Sydney Opera House, with an evening ceremony for the more ‘public-friendly’ awards held at the Opera House on 31 January.
Running against The Hunter for best film is Red Dog, Mad Bastards, The Eye of the Storm, Snowtown and Oranges and Sunshine.
The Eye of the Storm, was second in the nominations race with 12, of which six are...
- 11/30/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Actors Josh Lawson and Isabel Lucas have been named Best Hollywood Newcomers at the Beverly Hills Film, TV and New Media Festival for their roles in an Australian film which is yet to get distribution two years after being made.
Despite gaining recognition at a number of festivals including picking up the Melbourne International Film Festival audience award, it now looks like The Wedding Party will not get a release this year.
Directed by Amanda Jane and produced by Nicole Minchin, The Wedding Party opened Miff last year.
In late May, Minchin told Encore: “We are looking forward to a local release in the second half of this year with an announcement in the coming weeks.”
However, she today told Encore: “The thing is, we haven’t struggled to get distribution, it’s about finding the best distribution plan. It’s an audience film, as our Miff win shows, so...
Despite gaining recognition at a number of festivals including picking up the Melbourne International Film Festival audience award, it now looks like The Wedding Party will not get a release this year.
Directed by Amanda Jane and produced by Nicole Minchin, The Wedding Party opened Miff last year.
In late May, Minchin told Encore: “We are looking forward to a local release in the second half of this year with an announcement in the coming weeks.”
However, she today told Encore: “The thing is, we haven’t struggled to get distribution, it’s about finding the best distribution plan. It’s an audience film, as our Miff win shows, so...
- 11/2/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The Beverly Hills Film, TV & New Media Festival line-up of star-studded red carpet premieres, panels and honorary award recipients have been announced by Festival Director Donna Spangler. After an exceptional debut last year, this international event continues to be a true celebration of established and emerging talent and technologies in film, television and new media running from October 20-27, 2011.
The Opening Night Honorary Awards Ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Roosevelt Hotel (7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood) benefiting The Finaza Foundation. Celebrity honorees and attendees include Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Kristin Bauer (True Blood), Drew Powell (Straw Dogs), Aldis Hodge (Leverage), Isabel Lucas (Transformers), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), Josh Lawson (The Wedding Party), Missi Pyle, Maurice Benard, Michael Caulfield, Jon Lovitz, Morgan Fairchild, Tom Arnold, Janice Dickinson, Amber Benson, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Kelly Osborne and Ru Paul.
Red carpet arrivals will begin at 8 p.m. on a GoGreenSolar-litcarpet, with the Honorary Awards Ceremony at 9 p.
The Opening Night Honorary Awards Ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Roosevelt Hotel (7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood) benefiting The Finaza Foundation. Celebrity honorees and attendees include Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Kristin Bauer (True Blood), Drew Powell (Straw Dogs), Aldis Hodge (Leverage), Isabel Lucas (Transformers), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), Josh Lawson (The Wedding Party), Missi Pyle, Maurice Benard, Michael Caulfield, Jon Lovitz, Morgan Fairchild, Tom Arnold, Janice Dickinson, Amber Benson, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Kelly Osborne and Ru Paul.
Red carpet arrivals will begin at 8 p.m. on a GoGreenSolar-litcarpet, with the Honorary Awards Ceremony at 9 p.
- 10/10/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This year, Remembrance Day will be marked with a world-exclusive premiere on The History Channel.
Charles Bean's Great War will explore the life and times of famous war journalist and Oxford scholar Charles Bean.
The hour-long documentary will be narrated by Australian actress Nadine Garner (City Homicide, Blue Water High), who will guide viewers through the life and times of this legendary journo.
Bean took the role of official correspondent for Australia during the First... More >>...
Charles Bean's Great War will explore the life and times of famous war journalist and Oxford scholar Charles Bean.
The hour-long documentary will be narrated by Australian actress Nadine Garner (City Homicide, Blue Water High), who will guide viewers through the life and times of this legendary journo.
Bean took the role of official correspondent for Australia during the First... More >>...
- 10/13/2010
- by Peter Allott
- TV.com
SYDNEY -- The affection with which the breezy Australian mockumentary "Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance" tweaks the twinkle-toed denizens of the competitive dance scene makes it easy to like. Sure, there are exuberant bursts of "Mickey" and "Footloose" and plenty of jazz hands, which almost make fun of themselves. But mostly the humor is understated and wry, contrasting nicely with the exhibitionist antics of its Bedazzler-worshiping targets.
This gently mocking approach, which Christopher Guest applied so deftly to the folkie satire "A Mighty Wind", allows an often laugh-out-loud sendup to also function as a conventional let's-put-on-a-show crowd-pleaser.
Energetic dance routines choreographed by John O'Connell ("Strictly Ballroom", "Moulin Rouge") and performed by a cute cast of preteen hoofers up the feel-good factor. "Razzle Dazzle" should prove a hit with Australian families when it opens locally March 15. Overseas prospects also are good, with the runaway success of "The Office" in Britain and its offshoot in the U.S. proving that there's a large audience for this type of deadpan, slightly surreal humor. (Comic writer Robin Ince, a longtime collaborator of "The Office" creator Ricky Gervais, co-wrote the script.)
Originally a parody of pushy stage mothers, "Razzle Dazzle" evolved into a comic examination of the do-or-die intensity surrounding kids' dance competitions, with the spotlight firmly on the adults. They mostly behave appallingly -- bribing judges, foisting nose jobs on their offspring, kidnapping professional ring-ins -- while the poor kids, all gangly limbs and braces, aim simply and sensibly to do their best.
British actor Ben Miller has the best lines as the determinedly cheery Mr. Jonathon, head of Mr. Jonathon's Dance Academy, and his poker-faced delivery of crazy assertions will be familiar to fans of "The Office".
Winning the Sanosafe Troupe Spectacular, the pinnacle of dance contests, means a lot to Mr. Jonathon. Not only would it allow him to triumph over Miss Elizabeth (Jane Hall), a longtime rival whose ultra-conservative style is routinely rewarded by the judges, it also would validate his unorthodox approach to dance.
Mr. Jonathon is, in the words of his rival, a "cause slut," obsessed with using his routines to tackle social issues, such as global warming, skin cancer and dolphins in tuna nets. He feels he's onto a winner with his piece about the oppression of Afghan women under the Taliban, but parental interference will prove more of a challenge than the skill of his dancers.
With the exception of Justine (Kerry Armstrong), an alarmingly single-minded stage mom who tortures her poor daughter Tenille (Shayni Notelovitz) in a quest for vicarious glory, most of the daffy characters stop short of caricature.
But they're not short on quirks. Mr. Jonathon's officious offsider Barbara (Denise Roberts) will only play foster parent to children with rhythm. The troupe's costume designer Marianne (Tara Morice, "Strictly Ballroom") dresses dramatically in goth-inspired creations but never says a word.
The free-spirited and very pregnant Paulette (a wonderfully warm Nadine Garner), who drives daughter Grace (Clancy Ryan) nuts with her chronic tardiness, is the most "normal" of the stage moms. But she is struggling to remain serene about her TV-handyman husband running off with a male co-star. It's all absurd but vaguely plausible and Ashton knows exactly when to pull back.
Tucked in among the emotional pyrotechnics and onstage pizzazz is a scene such as the one in which the normally silent Marianne, sewing costumes with Mr. Jonathon and Paulette, spontaneously breaks into a lovely rendition of Spandau Ballet's "Gold". It's a showstopper.
Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance
Palace Films, Wild Eddie Prods.
Credits:
Director: Darren Ashton
Screenwriters: Carolyn Wilson, Robin Ince
Producers: Jodi Matterson, Andrena Finlay
Executive producer: Al Clark
Director of photography: Garry Phillips
Production designer: Karen Harborow
Music: Roger Mason
Costume designer: Ariane Weiss
Editors: Julieanne Deruvo, Philip Horn
Cast:
Justine: Kerry Armstrong
Mr. Jonathon: Ben Miller
Paulette: Nadine Garner
Barbara: Denise Roberts
Marianne: Tara Morice
Miss Elizabeth: Jane Hall
No MPAA rating, running time 92 minutes.
This gently mocking approach, which Christopher Guest applied so deftly to the folkie satire "A Mighty Wind", allows an often laugh-out-loud sendup to also function as a conventional let's-put-on-a-show crowd-pleaser.
Energetic dance routines choreographed by John O'Connell ("Strictly Ballroom", "Moulin Rouge") and performed by a cute cast of preteen hoofers up the feel-good factor. "Razzle Dazzle" should prove a hit with Australian families when it opens locally March 15. Overseas prospects also are good, with the runaway success of "The Office" in Britain and its offshoot in the U.S. proving that there's a large audience for this type of deadpan, slightly surreal humor. (Comic writer Robin Ince, a longtime collaborator of "The Office" creator Ricky Gervais, co-wrote the script.)
Originally a parody of pushy stage mothers, "Razzle Dazzle" evolved into a comic examination of the do-or-die intensity surrounding kids' dance competitions, with the spotlight firmly on the adults. They mostly behave appallingly -- bribing judges, foisting nose jobs on their offspring, kidnapping professional ring-ins -- while the poor kids, all gangly limbs and braces, aim simply and sensibly to do their best.
British actor Ben Miller has the best lines as the determinedly cheery Mr. Jonathon, head of Mr. Jonathon's Dance Academy, and his poker-faced delivery of crazy assertions will be familiar to fans of "The Office".
Winning the Sanosafe Troupe Spectacular, the pinnacle of dance contests, means a lot to Mr. Jonathon. Not only would it allow him to triumph over Miss Elizabeth (Jane Hall), a longtime rival whose ultra-conservative style is routinely rewarded by the judges, it also would validate his unorthodox approach to dance.
Mr. Jonathon is, in the words of his rival, a "cause slut," obsessed with using his routines to tackle social issues, such as global warming, skin cancer and dolphins in tuna nets. He feels he's onto a winner with his piece about the oppression of Afghan women under the Taliban, but parental interference will prove more of a challenge than the skill of his dancers.
With the exception of Justine (Kerry Armstrong), an alarmingly single-minded stage mom who tortures her poor daughter Tenille (Shayni Notelovitz) in a quest for vicarious glory, most of the daffy characters stop short of caricature.
But they're not short on quirks. Mr. Jonathon's officious offsider Barbara (Denise Roberts) will only play foster parent to children with rhythm. The troupe's costume designer Marianne (Tara Morice, "Strictly Ballroom") dresses dramatically in goth-inspired creations but never says a word.
The free-spirited and very pregnant Paulette (a wonderfully warm Nadine Garner), who drives daughter Grace (Clancy Ryan) nuts with her chronic tardiness, is the most "normal" of the stage moms. But she is struggling to remain serene about her TV-handyman husband running off with a male co-star. It's all absurd but vaguely plausible and Ashton knows exactly when to pull back.
Tucked in among the emotional pyrotechnics and onstage pizzazz is a scene such as the one in which the normally silent Marianne, sewing costumes with Mr. Jonathon and Paulette, spontaneously breaks into a lovely rendition of Spandau Ballet's "Gold". It's a showstopper.
Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance
Palace Films, Wild Eddie Prods.
Credits:
Director: Darren Ashton
Screenwriters: Carolyn Wilson, Robin Ince
Producers: Jodi Matterson, Andrena Finlay
Executive producer: Al Clark
Director of photography: Garry Phillips
Production designer: Karen Harborow
Music: Roger Mason
Costume designer: Ariane Weiss
Editors: Julieanne Deruvo, Philip Horn
Cast:
Justine: Kerry Armstrong
Mr. Jonathon: Ben Miller
Paulette: Nadine Garner
Barbara: Denise Roberts
Marianne: Tara Morice
Miss Elizabeth: Jane Hall
No MPAA rating, running time 92 minutes.
- 2/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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