A beginner’s guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a single continuity of feature films and other media based on characters and stories from Marvel’s sprawling comic book history, released in ‘phases’. Though each film is self-contained, their thematic threads, recurring characters and subplots create a deep interconnectedness, which invites fans to identify hidden links and speculate feverishly on…

Film Noir rises from the ashes

Cynical and seductive, film noir was born in the ashes of the Great Depression and fuelled by disillusionment and the paranoia of the postwar era. Film noir is one of the most visually seductive and enduring cinematic styles, conjuring evocative images of hard-eyed femme fatales lounging in smoky dive bars, and the down-on-his-luck private eye…

Xiu Xiu plays the music of Twin Peaks

In 2015 the Gallery’s Australian Cinémathèque commissioned Xiu Xiu to reinterpret the music of TV series Twin Peaks for the exhibition ‘David Lynch: Between Two Worlds’. Compositions and songs by composer Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch were given a startling makeover and presented in two sell-out performances. The music has since been presented throughout Europe, Russia and…

Through a Glass, Darkly: The Films of Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman is one of the true luminaries of post-war European cinema. In a career lasting more than half a century, he crafted films with a passion and potency matched by few other directors. His films are known for their explication of deep religious concerns, their heartfelt understanding of the intricacies of human relationships, and…

Smells like music cinema

Here is a selection of documentary and fiction films concerned with different genres of music, from country, disco, folk and hip hop to house, punk, metal, reggae and soul. It offers a unique platform from which to appraise the creative and social dynamics operating across these different musical subcultures, as well as acknowledging the exchange…