Letterboxd • 31st October 2024

Paradise Found: Paul Williams on bringing the sounds and Swan to Phantom of the Paradise

For the 50th anniversary of Brian De Palma’s madcap rock musical Phantom of the Paradise, Aimee Knight speaks with Paul Williams, the man behind its sensational symphonies and sinister Swan.

Meanjin • 13th September 2024

Time to bleed ink, energy drink

A review of the creative nonfiction book Predator: A Memoir, a Movie, an Obsession by Ander Monson.

Little White Lies • 1st July 2022

Review: Pink Flamingos

John Waters’ canonical index of bodily transgressions and hyper-kitsch pranks has been much imitated but never bettered. So happy 50th birthday to a masterpiece of wanton degradation that’s also a charming document of good friends just having fun.

Letterboxd • 16th December 2022

Magic in the Air: The Muppet Christmas Carol at 30

As The Muppet Christmas Carol turns 30, the brains and hearts behind the festive Dickens adaptation—director Brian Henson, composer Paul Williams and Gonzo the Great’s personal assistant, Dave Goelz—share personal memories of their creation.

Little White Lies • 10th May 2021

Some Kind of Heaven review

This poignant documentary throws open the pearly gates of Florida’s largest retirement village.

Kill Your Darlings • 29th May 2022

The Long Goodnight of the Bedtime TV Mascot

Part public service announcement, part brand mascot, costumed critters have been wishing regional Australia goodnight for decades. What was the purpose of this cheap-and-cheerful phenomenon, and has this watershed moment in local kitsch passed?

Little White Lies • 18th November 2021

Petite Maman review

A time travel tale fuelled by grief’s blue flame.

Little White Lies • 28th January 2021

Jurassic Lark: The satirical genius of Jim Henson’s Dinosaurs

Animatronic puppets, searing social commentary, this short-lived early ’90s sitcom had it all.

Kill Your Darlings • 18th January 2021

Did The X-Files Prime Us for the QAnon Era?

The smash-hit 90s series featured deep state conspiracies, evil elites and microchips hidden in vaccines – did we take a show that told us to ‘trust no-one’ too seriously?

Little White Lies • 28th October 2020

Relic review

The spectre of dementia haunts Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote in this taut Australian Gothic.

Flicks.com.au • 25th August 2020

Hopepunk’s not dead: 7 relentlessly hopeful shows streaming right now

It’s been a dreadfully dark year, so the time is ripe for an embrace of hopepunk shows. Critic Aimee Knight presents seven of the best (and where to stream them).

Kill Your Darlings • 26th March 2020

Why Musicals Are TV's Problem Child

Are laptop and smartphone screens too small to honour the big feelings that thrive in musical theatre and films?

The Lifted Brow • 24th February 2020

Excerpt: 'Reap What You Sow: The Seed and The Harvest of Wholesome Games'

Every day I eat my breakfast, pat my 16-bit dog, and leave behind the pixels that look like a log cabin, ready for the great digital outdoors.

Little White Lies • 28th August 2019

Netflix’s The Dark Crystal series captures the essence of Henson’s original

Age of Resistance takes the song of Thra and transposes it for the Anthropocene.

Overland literary journal • 12th November 2019

Clap back: pop music’s love affair with the double clap

A deep dive into pop music's ultimate power move.

Little White Lies • 31st May 2019

The Muppet Movie at 40 – Jim Henson’s fuzzy testament to friendship

The birth of the Muppet Cinematic Universe remains a high water mark for family moviemaking.

The Lifted Brow • 18th March 2019

Excerpt: 'TheSerialEavesdropper Has Logged On: Toward An Aural Equivalent Of The Gaze'

There are sundry forms of seeing and being seen. Are there as many ways to hear and be heard?

Overland literary journal • 21st February 2019

Work Your Cares Away: Revisiting Fraggle Rock

Behind its hyper-colour façade, Fraggle Rock offers deep commentary on class, labour, environmentalism and Jim Henson’s quest for world peace.

Little White Lies • 17th July 2019

Review: Varda by Agnès

The late doyenne of French cinema offers a personal guide through her treasured oeuvre.

Little White Lies • 3rd May 2019

Review: Woman at War

An Icelandic choir teacher stakes a stand against big business in this compelling eco-thriller.