Culture

Josh Jones plays the marimba at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago.

Performing arts

A rising black musician lost his elite orchestra job. He won’t go quietly

Josh Jones wasn’t expecting to lose his dream job. He has shared the performance reviews and messages that shed light on a typically confidential process.

by Geoff Edgers

Sydney Writers' Festival

‘Misogynistic massacre’: Sydney Writers’ Festival’s closing address

by Helen Pitt

From left, Sam Cope, Liam Gough and Selene Messinis are among a new wave of prog rockers.

Pop music

How a new generation embraced the complex sounds of the ’70s

by Michael Dwyer

Review

This Australian psychological thriller examines death penalty with a horrific twist

by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll

Kaveh Akbr’s first novel, Martyr!, inhabits and skewers the tropes of the diaspora writer.

Review

A clever novel that isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself

by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen

Movies

John C. Reilly stars as Dewey Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

The Verdict

In a sea of mediocre musical biopics, this one is underrated

For as long as they keep churning out movies chronicling the lives of influential musicians, one will remain the most influential of all.

by Tom W. Clarke

Cannes

The biggest, weirdest and best Cannes films to keep an eye on this year

This year’s Cannes festival was largely defined by bold, daring and outright strange films. Here are six titles you should be across.

by Nell Geraets

Mel Gibson and Steve Bisley starred in the original Mad Max film in 1979.

Cinema

‘Brilliant’ but ‘basically repugnant’: How we reviewed the original Mad Max

by Kate Lahey

The original Mad Max film polarised audiences in 1979, but it grew to become one of Australia’s greatest cultural exports.

Australian film

A lover, a one-time hater and a newcomer debate the original Mad Max

by Nell Geraets, Garry Maddox and Sandra Hall

Chris Hemsworth almost steals the show as warlord Dementis in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

★★★★

Review

Chris Hemsworth steals the show in this ambitious addition to Mad Max saga

by Jake Wilson

TV & radio

TV Guide

Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent of the ABC’s 7.30 current affairs television program

Sydney Writers' Festival

ABC’s Laura Tingle under fire after ‘racist country’ comments

ABC’s 7.30 chief political correspondent Laura Tingle has come under fire for comments she made criticising Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

by Helen Pitt

Morgan Spurlock has died at the age of 53.

Illness

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, known for Super Size Me, dies at 53

Spurlock was known for his groundbreaking film Super Size Me, which chronicled the detrimental physical and psychological effects of him eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.