The Northern Rivers Times Newspaper Edition 218

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September new films

With September here, let’s look at a few new films being released!

Bettlejuice Bettlejuice:

Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Speak No Evil:

When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare. From Blumhouse, the producer of The Black Phone, Get Out and The Invisible Man, comes an intense suspense thriller for our modern age, starring BAFTA award-winner James McAvoy (Split, Glass) in a riveting performance as the charismatic, alpha-male estate owner whose untrammeled hospitality masks an unspeakable darkness.

TRANSFORMERS ONE:

TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. In the first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, TRANSFORMERS ONE features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, with Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm.

SLINGSHOT:

A psychological thriller starring Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne, SLINGSHOT follows an elite trio of astronauts aboard a years-long, possibly compromised mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. As the team gears up for a highly dangerous slingshot maneuver that will either catapult them to Titan or into deep space, it becomes increasingly difficult for one astronaut to maintain his grip on reality.

Harold and the Purple Crayon:

Inside of his book, adventurous Harold (Zachary Levi) can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life—and that his trusty purple crayon may set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible. When the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends’ creativity to save both the real world and his own. Harold and the Purple Crayon is the first film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic that has captivated young readers for decades.

The Wild Robot:

From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot. The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.

Check with your local cinema for release dates and session times.

For more entertainment news, click here.

Life is no drag for this vintage queen

By Samantha Elley

Kyogle’s Stan Munro has led a very full life as an entertainer, which started at a very young age.

As a tribute to his life, his show Vintage Drag in Mint Condition will be playing at the Lismore Heights Sports Club on Saturday, September 7 with doors open at 6pm.

“It’s completely different to the show I usually do,” said Stan.

“This show is a history of my life starting from when I was born in 1941.

“I got into showbiz when I was about 13 in the UK, as I was in a boys’ choir and we made a movie.

“I have been tap-dancing and doing acrobatics since about eight (years old).”

One of Stan’s first big shows was with the original Andrew Sisters and he has also worked with Petulia Clarke, Max Bygraves and Anthony Newley, to name a few.

“I also became very friendly with John Inman (Mr Humpries on Are You Being Served?),” said Stan.

“We became lifelong friends and whenever he came to Australia with his stage show, we caught up.”

When Stan came to Australia, he discovered the drag scene in 1963 at Les Girls in Kings Cross, Sydney.

“Then I headlined Les Girls in Melbourne, opening it in 1970,” said Stan.

“I starred and compered that until 1978, six days a week for eight years.

“That was a good gig.”

Stan has appeared on the Graham Kennedy Show and even appeared in movies, such as Alvin Purple which came out in 1973.

Now his life will be presented on stage in conversation with Kevin Markwell, discussing his six-decade long career.

“The show contains lots of gags and songs and we also have the copyright to the scene from Alvin Purple, that I was in, to be able to show it on the night,” said Stan.

“There is also a serious side to the show from my life.”

Vintage Drag in Mint Condition, an evening with Dame Stan Munro, has been running for 14 months, which included Castlemaine, Victoria as part of Pride Week 2023 and even in Katherine in the Northern Territory.

Despite owning property in Kyogle, Stan still travels around and will be heading to Sydney soon as a finalist in the ACON Awards for Arts & Entertainment.

His biography has recently been written and is entitled “Queen of the Valleys” and Stan is looking for the right publisher to take it on.

“It’s a 20-chapter book that is waiting to be published,” said Stan.

“I don’t want to self-publish but the book needs a publisher.”

For bookings to Vintage Drag in Mint Condition, call the Lismore Heights Sports Club on 6624 3040.

Tickets are $50 each and bookings are essential.

For more local Lismore news, click here.