Darth Vader holding flowers for post on how to be a critic.

How to be a critic without being a racist, sexist neckbeard

Everyone’s a critic nowadays. Or a troll. Actress Kelly Marie Tran has deleted her Instagram posts following months of abuse. Tran has been the subject of online abuse since she appeared as Rose Tico, the scrappy Resistance hero in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The film was a critical and box office success. Critics and …

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Two studio lights.

Six films, two books, and many essays

I love January. I love new-year-new-you energy. I love the quiet of Melbourne as many of its residents are away for the summer holidays. I love movie-award season. And I love reading new books and essays. Here are six films, two books, and the many essays that filled my January. Six films Coco Coco is …

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Maleficent.

Review: Maleficent

Tl:dr review of Maleficent: I loved it! Warning: The following may contain spoilers. Once upon a time, humans led an egalitarian, feminist, peaceful, earth-based way of life. Warrior men came down from a mountain and brought violence and patriarchy. This myth is at the heart of many stories. We’ve seen it in the 2001 TV …

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Woman with a fire behind her. A promo still from The Wicker Tree.

Review: The Wicker Tree

Robin Hardy returns to the silver screen with neither a remake nor a sequel to his 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man. Intended as a companion piece, The Wicker Tree explores the same themes, but with far less intrigue, shock, horror, or reason. The film opens in Texas where born-again country pop star Beth Boothby and …

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