Yesterday
‘Believable’ Gene Hackman was Hollywood’s consummate everyman
The actor never fit the mould of a Hollywood movie star but became one by playing seemingly ordinary characters with deceptive subtlety, intensity and charm.
‘I made smart decisions, I didn’t want to be poor’: Rachel Griffiths
The actor did her time in Hollywood and now calls her own shots, including producing a new series that looks at brothel life in a uniquely lighthearted way.
When ChatGPT becomes your romantic partner
More people are falling in “love” with AI boyfriends or girlfriends, with worrying consequences for their relationships in the real world.
February
Australia’s next Eurovision song is one long double entendre
“Come and take a sip from my special cup, I’ve heard that you could use a little pick-me-up” coos Go-Jo, in the song the former WA footy player will take to the song contest at Basel in May.
Lost opportunity that might have reshaped the Catholic Church
A little-remembered gathering in the 1960s could have stopped the problems which now batter the Church’s reputation, a new book argues.
This sensitive Aussie prison movie escapes the cliches
“Inside” stars Guy Pearce, who shows his inner mongrel in a tense, genre-defying local jail flick.
View to a killing: can Jeff Bezos be trusted with James Bond?
A scheming billionaire has once again put the British agent in peril. Fans are hoping Amazon won’t milk the living daylights from the 007 franchise.
Why Hollywood needs to stop churning out sequels – or die
The reliance on old ideas is an increasingly expensive, time-consuming and legally problematic business – not to mention the public growing sick of superhero films.
He won over Shane Warne with a musical. Could Gina Rinehart be next?
Eddie Perfect wrote a Broadway smash in Beetlejuice, a critical hit (but financial disaster) about the leg-spinning legend, and would love to give another prominent Australian the song-and-dance treatment.
The Bangkok teacher who saved the Lukin tuna empire
When pioneering fisherman Dinko Lukin died in 2011, nobody thought his wife – 31 years his junior – could save the business he had left drowning in debt.
Meet the rare male soprano shaking up concert halls
Samuel Marino is one of just a handful of professional male singers with the voice type, but his significance is more than musicological.
Lee Child retired, but Jack Reacher kept calling
On the eve of a third season for the streaming drama based on his sleuth hero, the author talks his coffee addiction and why he left America the day Trump won.
Is it OK for a billionaire to turn an iconic cinema into a hotel?
A threat from developer Asif Aziz to London’s famed Prince Charles Cinema has galvanised those fed up with the city’s disregard for its own culture.
Bridget Jones hits her 50s, and the franchise is back in form
The fourth movie about the serial singleton is easily the best, with Renee Zellweger now delightfully at ease with her character.
The doomsday cult taking over Fiji and building ‘paradise’
The story of how a fringe South Korean church convinced Fijians to embrace its business empire – and ignore its dark side – is one with security implications for Australia.
This vice chancellor stood on his head for students, literally
New boss of Western Sydney University, George Williams, is using his legal mind, and the odd stunt, to advocate for the battered tertiary education sector.
Sex still sells: Museum Of Desire extends Melbourne season
A Collingwood warehouse featuring an “orgasm harp”, a pubic hair display and a ball pit full of rubber breasts has defied the cost-of-living crisis.
White Lotus plus gay marriage equals Thai tourist boom
Between the new TV show and the new law legalising same-sex unions, the southeast Asian country is expecting 11 million extra visitors per year - here are the best places to go.
Another spy thriller, you say? This one is different
Featuring Keira Knightley in her long-awaited streaming debut, Black Doves turns the cloak-and-dagger genre on its head – and then blows it off.
Why this Archibald winner keeps painting pictures that won’t sell
Wendy Sharpe says Australian society’s disdain for all but young and beautiful naked bodies is as strong as ever, but “normal” nudes remain a muse for her nonetheless.