Rereaders

In this episode of a new season of The Rereaders, we speak to the writer and photographer Alan Weedon about the author Alexander Chee, and his essay 'Girl' from his 2018 essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel.

In the first episode in a new season of The Rereaders, we speak to Fiona Wright about the author Leslie Jamison.

Mel, Dion and Areej have some sad news, and some fun reminiscence of what they love most about their work at The Rereaders. Listen all the way to the end for a bonus surprise!

In this week’s podcast we watch a monster being born in Haifaa al-Mansour’s literary biopic Mary Shelley (2:02). Then we turn pages about monsters of a different kind in the memoir Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee (18:03). And finally, we analyse the cultural politics of a new clothing category: activewear (31:44).

In this week’s podcast we watch Sophie Hyde’s ABC dramedy miniseries, 'F*!#ing Adelaide' (3:10). Then we take the temperature of the romantic comedy film by watching 'Set It Up' on Netflix (18:02). And finally, we investigate reading hacks to increase our powers of knowledge (31:09).

In this week’s podcast we scare ourselves familial by watching Ari Aster’s supernatural horror film Hereditary (3:34). Then we read the essay anthology Balancing Acts: Women in Sport (19:11). And finally, we watch Rachel Perkins’ ABC TV adaptation of Ivan Sen’s neo-western, Mystery Road (37:07).

In this week’s podcast we watch Michele Lee’s intensely Melburnian lit-world satire 'Going Down' at the Malthouse Theatre (3:19). Then we peer through the looking glass of Alice’s onscreen adventures in ACMI’s exhibition 'Wonderland' (17:23). And finally, we rake over the ashes of colonialism at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (30:42).

In this week’s podcast we watch Steven Soderbergh’s mental-health thriller film 'Unsane' (4:56). Then we read 'Home Fire', Kamila Shamsie’s Women’s Prize for Fiction-shortlisted novel (18:29). And finally, we get lost in Showcase’s TV adaptation of an Australian gothic classic: 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' (32:51).

In this week’s podcast we take in 'Terror Nullius', the controversial Australiana art film by Soda Jerk (3:13). Then we watch SBS On Demand’s buddy dramedy series 'Homecoming Queens' (17:35). And finally, we gently pat ourselves with discursive serums and crèmes as we exfoliate the meanings of skincare (30:20).

In this week’s podcast we enter 'Wild Wild Country', the Netflix documentary about the notorious cult of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Then we listen to Kylie Minogue’s new album, 'Golden'. And finally, we totally harsh the emotional grammar of Generation X in Rebecca Schuman’s Longreads essay, ‘You’ve Reached the Winter of Our Discontent’.

In this week’s podcast we watch Alex Garland’s eldritch eco-horror film 'Annihilation' (2:13). Then we visit the Melbourne Museum to discover the Australian fashion figures who were told 'You Can’t Do That' (19:35). And finally, we do ’em a deal with ABC TV’s furniture-mogul comedy series 'Sando' (32:16).

In this week’s podcast we read the nonfiction book 'The Trauma Cleaner' by Sarah Krasnostein (2:20). Then we watch the Netflix revival of the beloved reality TV series 'Queer Eye' (16:37). And finally, we frolic in the campy world of celebrity excess with the documentary 'Mansfield 66/67' (33:33).

In this week’s podcast we watch Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age dramedy film Lady Bird (3:57). Then from teen girls to teen boys, we get Punchy as we read Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s novel The Lebs (22:18). And finally, we make it rain by listening to the ABC personal finance podcast The Pineapple Project (37:41).

In this week’s podcast we watch ice-skaters and unreliable narrators in Craig Gillespie’s film I, Tonya (2:10). Then we investigate the cultural obsession with creative people’s daily routines (16:30). And finally, we watch the black-humoured YA romcom series, The End of the F***ing World (32:04).

In this week’s podcast we watch Warwick Thornton’s period western film 'Sweet Country' (2:36). Then we read Claire G. Coleman’s speculative novel, 'Terra Nullius' (19:35). And finally, we watch Nakkiah Lui’s vadge-tastic buddy comedy series, 'Kiki and Kitty' (34.54).

In this week’s podcast we watch the Netflix series 'Alias Grace' (2:11), 2017’s second Margaret Atwood novel to hit the small screen. Then we watch the SBS series 'River Cottage Australia' (15:33)and investigate the intersection of food and gender. And finally, we chat to Meredith Forrester, the author of gently political writing guide 'Make Grammar Great Again' (30:29).

In this week’s podcast we watch Kriv Stenders’ documentary, The Go-Betweens: Right Here (2:08). Then we read Laurent Binet’s novel The 7th Function of Language (17:04) to ask, why did Roland Barthes cross the road? And finally, we laugh our red-and-yellow swimming caps off as we watch Comedy Central’s new webseries, Nippers of Dead Bird Bay. (32:33)

In this week’s podcast we watch the seminal new Channel Ten drama, Sisters (2:19). Then we spread our towels out on a nice sunny spot to check out NGV Australia’s architecture exhibition, The Pool (16:38). And finally, we celebrate the cultural renaissance of the original ’90s supermodels (31:09).

Critical Attention is produced by Areej Nur, and co-presented by The Rereaders and Kill Your Darlings. To find out more about The Rereaders head to www.therereaders.com and to read more and subscribe to Kill Your Darlings from as little as $14.95, head to www.killyourdarlings.com.au In episode six, we chat to freelance writer and food critic Sonia Nair.

In this week’s very spooky Halloween podcast we watch The Untamed (2:58), Amat Escalante’s uncanny film blending social realism and body horror. Then we take a stab at the Slender Man mythos and the ‘digital campfire’ of scary storytelling (19:33). And finally we examine the past and future of Australian horror on screen, with the DVD release of Oz-horror cult classic Dark Age (34:45).

In this week’s podcast we watch Tom of Finland (02:12), a film exploring the life of pioneering gay illustrator Touko Laaksonen. Then we get pissed and paranoid in the best little town on earth with the Channel Ten miniseries Wake in Fright (19:30). And finally we examine the line between online joy and misery in our smartphone dystopia (36:05).

In this week’s podcast we read You Play the Girl, Carina Chocano’s critical analysis of femininity in pop culture. Then we enter The House of Dior, the NGV’s sumptuous survey of the French fashion label’s 70 years. And finally we revisit the retro-futurist film noir of Ridley Scott’s replicants with Denis Villeneuve’s sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

Critical Attention is produced by Areej Nur, and co-presented by The Rereaders and Kill Your Darlings. To find out more about The Rereaders head to www.therereaders.com and to read more and subscribe to Kill Your Darlings from as little as $14.95, head to www.killyourdarlings.com.au In episode five, we chat to writer, researcher and editor Alex Griffin about internet criticism, defamiliarising the everyday and how to be a critic who is an academic.

Critical Attention is produced by Areej Nur, and co-presented by The Rereaders and Kill Your Darlings. To find out more about The Rereaders head to www.therereaders.com and to read more and subscribe to become a member of Kill Your Darlings from as little as $14.95, head to www.killyourdarlings.com.au In episode four, we chat to theatre-maker, cultural critic and e-newsletter queen Matilda Dixon-Smith.

Critical Attention is produced by Areej Nur, and co-presented by The Rereaders and Kill Your Darlings. To find out more about The Rereaders head to www.therereaders.com and to read more and subscribe to become a member of Kill Your Darlings from as little as $14.95, head to www.killyourdarlings.com.au In episode three, we chat to the film critics of tomorrow about their experiences inside Critics Campus, the Melbourne International Film Festival's week-long intensive critical incubator.

In this week’s podcast we head to the Melbourne International Film Festival, taking in three screenings across the festival’s three weeks and sharing all manner of festival gossip and banter. First, we watch swooning Festival Favourite, Americano-Italiano love story Call Me by Your Name, based on the novel by André Aciman. Then, we hit funky Venice beach of the 1970s and 80s in the Australian-directed documentary, Roller Dreams, which charts the history of the roller dance movement through the lives of some of its key protagonists. And finally, we remain in the landscape of American black civil rights with I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck’s Oscar-nominated documentary portrait of the radical queer and black activism of writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

In this week’s podcast we read artist Grayson Perry’s new book The Descent of Man, which critiques the awfulness of masculinity. Then it’s femininity’s turn under the microscope as we watch the ABC TV series Growing Up Gracefully. And finally, from gender studies to gendered studs, we play the dating simulation game Dream Daddy.

In this week’s podcast we read Angie Thomas’s politically powerful young adult novel, The Hate U Give. Then we listen to Lorde’s second album Melodrama. And finally, we hit the mat with GLOW, Netflix’s drama exploring the spandex-clad world of 1980s women’s wrestling.

In this week’s podcast we watch the ABC TV comedy series Ronny Chieng: International Student. Then we do some serious adulting with Briohny Doyle's book Adult Fantasy. And, as the NGV's winter blockbuster 'Van Gogh and the Seasons' draws to an end, we muse on what seasons really mean in Australian art and culture.

In this week’s podcast we read the Griffith Review issue 56, which is themed “Millennials Strike Back”. Then we deconstruct the trope of the gothic femme fatale in Roger Michell’s film My Cousin Rachel. And finally we watch Australia’s favourite radio lads re-enact ordinary people’s yarns in the TV series True Story with Hamish & Andy.

In this week’s podcast we investigate rumours of the death of the personal essay. Then we watch Hounds of Love, Ben Young’s cinematic portrait of a serial-killer marriage. And finally we explore the consolations and cultural complexities of identifying with a spirit animal.

In this week’s podcast we talk to our own Mel Campbell about her debut novel The Hot Guy, with her co-author Anthony Morris. Then we watch Jordan Peele’s debut film, the horror satire Get Out, chatting about the film with our producer Areej Nur. And finally, we watch Eurovision 2017 with a particular eye on Australian entrant Isaiah Firebrace.

In this week’s podcast we watch the documentary Whiteley, focused on the life of infamous Australian artist Brett Whitely. Then we head to the NGV to check out their exhibition Love: Art of Emotion 1400–1800 . And finally, we read Frank Moorhouse on the writing life in Meanjin.

In this week's special episode, we interview Peter Polites, the author of the debut novel, Down The Hume, published by Hachette Australia.

Hi and welcome to The Rereaders. In this week’s podcast we watch the HBO adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s bestselling Big Little Lies, bringing Nicole Kidman realness to our eyes once more. Then we pivot into Dance Academy: The Movie, the big screen adaptation of the much loved ABC series. And finally we round out our book club with Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone.

In this week's podcast we read The Girls by Emma Cline. Then we keep it countercultural by watching When We Rise, a four part miniseries chronicling American queer rights activism. And finally, we take a tour through Australian cinema history with David Stratton: A Cinematic Life.

Critical Attention is produced by Izzy Roberts-Orr, and co-presented by The Rereaders and Kill Your Darlings. To find out more about The Rereaders head to www.therereaders.com and to read more and subscribe to become a member of Kill Your Darlings from as little as $14.95, head to www.killyourdarlings.com.au In episode two, we chat to Leena van Deventer and Dan Golding, the authors of Game Changers: From Minecraft to Misogyny, The Fight For The Future of Videogames. Critical Attention is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

Mel Campbell reports in from the live screening of the 2017 Oscar Ceremony at Nova Cinemas.

In this week's podcast we discuss Trainspotting 2, the decades later sequel to the cult heroin hit. Then we chat tidiness and how it's invaded our culture as we try to clean up after ourselves. And finally, we talk our summer book club pick Future Sex by Emily Witt.

In this week's podcast we are joined by guest critics Leena van Deventer and Dan Golding. We talk about the Australians heading to the Oscars ceremony and their chances up against the seemingly unstoppable (and certainly inescapable) La La Land. Then we look at the ABC's recent axing of their video game program Good Game, and finally we listen to the music of Hans Zimmer ahead of his upcoming tour of Australia.

Critical Attention is produced by Izzy Roberts-Orr, and co-presented by The Rereaders and Kill Your Darlings. To find out more about The Rereaders head to www.therereaders.com and to read more and subscribe to become a member of Kill Your Darlings from as little as $14.95, head to www.killyourdarlings.com.au In episode one, we chat to Lauren Carroll Harris, who has recently been announced as an ongoing critic working with Kill Your Darlings to publish ‘Wake in Light: On Australian Film’ a collection of four essays exploring contemporary Australian cinema.  Critical Attention is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

In this week's podcast we head to the cinema to roll around in the dirt with Red Dog: True Blue. Then we attempt to go swimming at Melbourne's beaches with the hottest take of the summer in the Guardian. And finally, we round out 2016 by discussing our favourite books, films and more.

In this week's podcast, guest critic Nick Tapper steps in to replace the incomparable Dion Kagan. We are joined by David Carlin and Francesca Rendle-Short, the editors of 'The Near and the Far' - a new literary anthology that connects Asia and Australia. Then we walk through David Hockney's curious exhibition 'Current', whose various works are largely created and displayed on iPads at the National Gallery of Victoria. Finally, we tune in to 'Viceland', the Canadian and American takeover of SBS' secondary digital channel.

In this week’s podcast we stir awake to the nighttime rhythms of the Tom Ford directed, Amy Adams starring thriller Nocturnal Animals. Then we regally sit back and watch Netflix’s 10 part epic biopic of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd – The Crown. And finally, we inspect the contents of the latest Best Australian Essays, the annual qualitative anthology from Black Inc, and this year edited by Geordie Williamson.

In this week's podcast we head to the cinema to witness Paul Verhoeven's latest psychosexual thriller, 'Elle'. Then we ask whether Lit Theory is necessary to studying towards a Creative Writing degree. And finally, he's here, he's maybe queer, he's in his work gear and he definitely deserves a cold, hard beer - who is the tradiesexual?

In this week’s podcast we explore Deep Water, SBS’s audacious multimedia series about Sydney’s brutal history of gay hate crimes. Then we watch the Emily Blunt’s blurry-eyed thriller, The Girl on the Train. And finally, we head down to The Art of Banksy exhibition, opening wallets, if not minds, beside Federation Square.

In this week’s podcast we watch the Australian iteration of the reality TV staple Survivor. Then we listen to the new album from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Skeleton Tree. And finally, we look at the work of comic artist Sam Wallman as he explores the death of the Australian auto-industry.

In this week’s podcast we head to the cinemas to indulge Bridget Jones’s Baby. Then we drop in on the new Australian comedy web series, Little Acorns, set in a childcare facility. And finally, we revisit the homes of our past, while looking at the latest issue of the Stilts Journal.

In this week's All-Australian podcast, we watch 'The Get Down', Baz Luhrman's new Netflix series set at the dawn of Hip Hop. Then we fall under the sensuous spell of ACMI's exhibition 'Del Kathryn Barton: The Nightingale & The Rose'. Finally, we go for Bogan with Abe Forsyth's Cronulla comedy film 'Down Under'.

The ReReaders MIFF Special by Rereaders

In this week's podcast we watch Barracuda, ABC TV's 4-part adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas' novel of the same name. Then we watch the much talked about Ghostbusters remake. Finally, we play Pokémon Go, the ubiquitous new mobile game that has players hitting the streets.