Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in concert: a music/film review by Hila Tsor

I have to admit that I’m a bit of a Harry Potter nerd. At the beginning of the year I reread all the books and got sucked into a world of wonder, friendship and adventure again. Read more

Gloria Bell – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Having reviewed the original version of this film, Gloria, over five years ago, I wondered why director Sebastian Lelio shot it again. He says because Julianne Moore wanted to do it and that for him, it is a film about feelings – Gloria’s and our own.

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All On A Thursday Morning: a book review by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen

The subtitle for this book is appropriate being an ‘easy to use’ collection of Rabbi Gourarie’s weekly articles on personal growth. Read more

‘Invented Lives’ by Andrea Goldsmith: a book review by Geoffrey Zygier

The Western world today is a place where victimhood is a badge of honour, one where people compete in public arenas to be among the elite of those who suffer. Read more

Ludwig and Pyotr step up again: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

An SSO Masters Series concert with two sure-fire blockbuster works would usually leave room for something quirky from artistic director, David Robertson’s black book of offbeat music he likes to share, but it didn’t happen last night. We got the Beethoven violin concerto and Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony neatly divided by interval. Both these works are favoured with plenty of playtime around Australian orchestras because they are so popular. Read more

Bright Swallow by Vivian Bi: a book review by Geoffrey Zygier

Among the major threats to our planet’s wellbeing is tribalism. Read more

An exciting piano package from Alessio Bax: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

Italian pianist, Alessio Bax, ticked all the right pre-concert boxes for his Sydney Recital Hall performance last night. Read more

Five Feet Apart – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

It’s hard being a teenager and even more so for one has a serious illness.  There have been a few American films in recent years on this theme – Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, which was sweet and funny and The Fault in Our Stars, also charming and both just a little schmaltzy.

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Salome: an opera review by Victor Grynberg

Once banned. Still shocking. But Salome is bloody and fantastic. Read more

Sometimes Always Never – a film review by Roz Tarszisz

It’s always good to learn something new, however obscure, and it’s not giving anything away to say that the film’s title refers to which buttons a man should do up on a three-piece suit – starting from the top.

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Werther: an opera review by Victor Grynberg

Suicide is painless when Massenet pulls the strings. Read more

Peter Pan Goes Wrong: a theatre review by Hila Tsor

The title of the play ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ is quite self-explanatory, revealing the main premise of the play. ‘Gone Wrong’ theatre productions are not uncommon but are always full of mischief and mayhem, this being no exception. Read more

A riddle in the middle: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

The first concert in the SSO Masters Series for 2019 (now sponsored by upmarket travel company Abercrombie & Kent) presented significant works by Janacek and Bartok, book-ending the Australian premiere of a piece by Steve Reich that had been co-commissioned by several orchestras, including the SSO. Read more

Eavesdropping on heaven: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

When a concert series combining the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir was announced, I had to be there – and so did a lot of other music lovers, judging by its sell-out. Read more

On the Basis of Sex – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

One could be forgiven for thinking that the use of sex in a title meant a movie was about sex.

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Wozzeck: an opera review by Victor Grynberg

After the glorious melodies of LA BOHEME and TURANDOT Opera Australia’s latest production is Alban Berg’s atonal opera, considered today a modern opera but written almost 100 years ago in 1925. Read more

L-E-V: an experience in dance

L-E-V Dance Company, renowned as an innovative leader in the thriving Israeli contemporary dance scene, will appear at Sydney’s Opera House between Jan-31 and Feb-03. Read more

Turandot: re-working lifts opera to new heights

Giacomo Puccini is rightly acclaimed for so many brilliant operas, and for many of the arias and duets in his less successful works. Read more

Green Book – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

There’s invariably a good soundtrack to an American road trip movie and this one – inspired by a true story – is no exception.

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The Kid Who Would Be King – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

As a child, I loved T.H. White’s The Once and Future King even though I was confused by the concept of Merlin the Wizard travelling backwards through time and getting younger as he went forward. Read more

New stars create another success for the world’s favourite opera

There will always be carping critics complaining about Opera Australia repeating once more the world’s most played 0pera, Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece “La Boheme”…writes Victor Grynberg. Read more

Sydney Festival: One Infinity

One Infinity is a hypnotic, cross-cultural music and dance collaboration, in which the audience is also performers. Read more

CAPHARNAÜM: a movie review by Hila Tsor

CAPHARNAÜM was a genuine masterpiece, a story that will stick with you months later.  Read more

The New RCA Siddur [Ashkenazi tradition]: a siddur review by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen

Traditionally J-Wire does not review obvious religious publications such as prayer books and bibles. Read more

Sobibor: a movie review by Toni Susskind

A highlight of the 2018 Jewish International Film Festival, Sobibor was a box office hit in Russia, taking in over $2 million in ticket sales. Read more

Instant Families: a movie review by Toni Susskind

When I first heard about Instant Families staring Mark Wahlberg as Pete and Australian Rose Byrne as Ellie, I thought, here we go again, another formulaic Rom-Com about a gorgeous couple adopting three very cute children. I was pleasantly surprised to see how wrong I was. Read more

Tognetti and the ACO+  blew us away: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

As if the announcement that local hero Richard Tognetti was going to perform Beethoven’s violin concerto was not enough to stir the interest of Sydney music lovers, the announcement that he’d beef up the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 19 regular players with another 30 borrowed from various other orchestras, set their pulses racing. And to top it off, when Tongetti revealed that his hybrid team would throw in Beethoven’s 5th Symphony they came scampering to the box offices. Read more

Widows – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

There are certain conventions we can expect from a heist movie. The assembling of disparate characters, the difficulties of setting up the robbery, the preparations and a twist at the end. A touch of humour to leaven the tension goes down well too.

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Beethoven didn’t have it all his own way: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing

As well as playing some fine music, the SSO played a noteworthy tactical game this week and next by staging three different concerts with somewhat challenging musical cakes, but each laced with the delicious icing of Beethoven’s 7^thSymphony. Moreover, Beethoven appeared in the second half of each concert to prevent the unconvinced from scuttling away after interval. Read more

Spitfire: a movie review by Elana Bowman

Spitfire the documentary is simply beautiful. Read more

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