CHILDREN OF HOPE: The Odyssey of the Oromo Slaves from Ethiopia to South Africa By Sandra Rowoldt Shell While this book is the result of a meticulous study of a collection of slave narratives and attendant literature, it is a surprisingly absorbing read. It contains reams of detail and analysis, but it is written clearly […]

Despite rich source material The Dark Tower film feels rather lifeless. Nowhere near as bad as the online reviews trying to out vie the next one’s delicious use of adjectives suggests, the urban fantasy is more megh than truly bad. More a boring let-down than a truly craptastic cheesefest that at least creates a drinking […]

INSPIRED by real people, historical drama Krotoa slinks onto our local film circuit with very little media fanfare. This story of Krotoa, the niece of Autshumao (Herrie die Strandloper to anyone who read the Standard 2 history texbook pre-1994) has garnered awards on the international film festival circuit, but local social media has not been […]

  Two dimensional acting mars a beautifully realised multi-dimensional concept of a huge city filled with aliens from all over the galaxy. A market scene which starts off the film is jaw dropping, creating a place that feels real even though it is shown in the film to exist only virtually. Art design is mind-blowing, […]

NO CHEMISTRY between the leads, no texture or depth and plenty of plot-holes make up Universal’s latest would-be moneyspinner, The Mummy. Tom Cruise plays thieving soldier Nick Morton, a character more intent on finding precious loot than helping his fellow soldiers survive the Persian Gulf. He unwittingly sets loose an ancient evil in the form of […]

COME FOR THE SCARES, STAY FOR THE EXISTENTIAL HORROR SPLENDID visual effects and plenty of nostalgia makes this latest Alien prequel an action filled space horror which is sharper than its immediate predecessor. That just means it is better than Prometheus, but in Alien canon, this one falls behind Alien and its immediate sequel when […]

Like its predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 emphasises the concept of family, with Peter Quill/Starlord (Pratt) making contact with his father. Anyone with a passing knowledge of the Guardian of the Galaxy comic books knows the Starlord’s dad is actually a planet and Kurt Russell plays the Ego character with just the right amount of swagger and disdain […]

  JUST WHO goes up against a blockbuster to be from Disney/Marvel at the movies? Well. On our local circuit, if you are not into superhero movies, then this Afrikaans movie might just be the ticket for you. Like Guardians of the Galaxy 2 it emphasises its soundtrack greatly, but where it was a gimmick […]

IF EVER THERE WAS a murder case that has gone cold, it is that of Dulcie September, the ANC activist who was assassinated in Paris in 1988. Almost 3 decades later no one has any definitive answers and this play does not try to steer you in any particular direction. Instead it tries to humanise […]