Carmenta’lia The frass on the mimosa indicate larvae have tunneled […]

The English critic Frank Howes once observed that Edward Elgar reflected 'the last blaze of opulence, expansiveness and full-blooded life before World War I swept so much away'. Director Paul Yule's Elgar’s Tenth Muse is an account of the composer's quest to reignite the fires of inspiration after his wife's death. Underpinned by his gorgeous music, it is a film to be watched many times

Anemone for the counter-tenor, Max Riebl (1991–2022). Too beautiful for […]

Asked to be a part of a documentary exploring their working relationship and its much-lauded fruits, celebrated biographer Robert Caro and his editor of 50 years, Robert Gottlieb, both initially said no, believing 'the work between a writer and an editor is too private for anyone else to see'. That each eventually relented is something to be celebrated, as the resulting film is a fascinating delight

The BBC six-part thriller focuses on the abuse and manipulation of cutting-edge deep-fake CCTV footage for personal and political ends. Yes, it's fiction, but only just. During the recent lockdowns, New South Wales and Victoria trialled facial recognition software to help enforce movement-restriction laws, while in Western Australia monitored almost 100,000 people to assure compliance with COVID edicts

The Ballad of True and False Singing (anonymous—translated from the […]

Narcissus Shaving in the River While it’s true, he was […]

Michael Bay is one of the most commercially successful directors in Hollywood but his films haven’t been well received by 'serious' film critics. The disdain evinced for his engrossing account of 2012's murderous attacks by Islamicist militants on the US compound is further proof that his naysayers should not be taken too seriously

Director Francois Girard's The Red Violin features an evocative Academy Award-winning soundtrack by John Corigliano, with violin solos performed by Joshua Bell. It is one of the most beautiful movies about music I have ever seen -- apart, that is, from its unlikely and unfortunate demonstration of how one might go about playing a glorious instrument while engaging sexual intercourse