This is a warm and revelatory piece of filmmaking.

Is it madness? Is it purgatory? Or is it just male mid-life crisis? Whatever it is it is a musical descent into perdition.

A small town with very dark secrets where racism and mistrust are the order of the day.

Abner Bradley, Alirio Zavarce, Ben Wishart, Damien Turbin, Duncan Luke, Kym Mackenzie, Ryan Rowland, Richard Samai

Ridley Scott + celebrated writer + talented (and sexy) cast = bad movie

'Brief Encounter' serves as a poignant little reminder of the volcano ready to erupt beneath the cover of a mediocre suburban life.

I really love the small wooden halls that dot each village in our north coast region. The halls have been social hubs for our rural communities for decades. They have seen bush dances, card nights, trivia fundraisers, 21st birthday parties, garage sales, weekly yoga classes and many other social events.

Jason Reitman's uneven romantic drama about a depressed woman and an escaped prisoner stretches credibility and feels less than genuine.

Allan Girod's is a small and entirely winning one-man show at this year's Fringe World.

Last Friday, NORPA unveiled its 2014 season to a packed house at Lismore City Hall. The company's Artistic Director Julian Louis has stuck to a programming formula he's had success with over the years. The mix is one NORPA hopes will represent another year of strong houses. There are a couple of reinvented classics, some edgy new material, some drama, comedy, dance, circus, Indigenous and kid-friendly productions along with something homemade. Several shows use video technology extensively, while others ask you to just bring your imagination. In essence, there's something for everyone.

Audiences in the Northern Rivers don't mind a bit of water. So, the idea of seeing the stage of the Lismore City Hall in flood mode was something of a drawcard for NORPA's punters who came to see dance production, Lake.

Lismore's big chill last weekend did not stop Jeanti St Clair from catching NORPA's Food and Lloyd Cole, a most unassuming eighties pop star on a freezing Saturday night.Food is good for the soul

Funny and disturbing, this play is a must see.

'The Importance of Being Earnest' rightfully sits in the list of classic plays, and a near full-house at Wollongong's Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on opening night of this touring production shows it's still one of our most loved.

The equine-inspired group of exhibitions are on display at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery until October 5.

Bell Shakespeare's Henry V continues its regional tour through NSW and Queensland before it opens for a four-week season at the Sydney Opera House on October 21.

TaikOz

When is the last time you spent two hours laughing until your sides were sore? Do yourself a favour -get along to La Soiree at Fringe because it is one of the best nights you will have out in ages says 720 ABC Perth reviewer Sinead Mangan.

NORPA's 2015 season was announced earlier this month with the aim of drawing a broader audience to the performing arts.

The devastating effect of mental illness on family life is not the most likely material for a rock musical (or a great night out), but Next to Normal is one of the best productions all year.

An 11-bed regional aged care facility is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary as a community-owned organisation, which has kept jobs and residents in town while proving the viability of an innovative new model for aged care.

The gruesome remains of a shark caught on the NSW South Coast have sparked a debate about how the animal met its fate and highlighted the 'amazing healing powers' of the predators.

The water watchdog says it is investigating claims that irrigators in the Namoi Valley pumped water out of the river system during a recent embargo.

A self-described experienced horse breaker has been fined and sentenced to a community correction order for a "silly decision" to use a lasso to strangle a brumby.

The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has cleared New South Wales irrigators who were accused of illegal pumping during an embargo that was put in place after recent rain.

Meet Payden, who is two weeks old and one of 21,000 babies born into regional NSW towns every year who, on average, have a lower life-expectancy than their counterparts in the city.

Australia's first liquid natural gas import terminal will be built at Port Kembla, south of Sydney, with hopes it will secure thousands of jobs and meet the bulk of the state's gas needs.

A Chinese mining giant is being accused of underestimating the impact a proposed open cut mine will have on groundwater on the New South Wales Liverpool Plains.

Swimming in icy water is not something everyone aspires to do but it should be, according to an outdoor swimming enthusiast.

Near a small town in northern New South Wales horse blood is being harvested to aid researchers and diagnostics.

Matt Clifton grew up with a passion for music, but his small-town upbringing meant live music events were few and far between, so he brought one home.

A Tamworth teacher has developed the first Australian curriculum exploring regenerative agriculture.

The Game of Thrones drama ends today for millions of fans, but in one Aussie household it will live on for this pampered pooch which has its own GoT-inspired iron throne.

A report into hazing at the University of New England finds female students were pressured into sexual acts, "slapped on the arse" by a line of men before entering a party and told to lock their doors at night.

Smoking rates have dropped massively since the 70s down from 40 per cent to only 14 per cent but some areas of the country are not getting the message.

About a year ago, my partner and I learned of a revolution in Australia's paddocks. We want to farm in a more natural way, but the stakes are high making the shift could send us broke.

Indigenous skydiver Marley Nolan-Duncan makes history by jumping out of a plane and into Gamilaraay country, the home of his ancestors.

Communities in the grip of drought are doing everything they can to keep their local kindergartens from shutting down, but they fear they're running out of options.

Russ French's highly detailed military models have helped secure billion-dollar contracts, with one even landing at the Pentagon. These are no toys.

Australia's largest agricultural field day may not exactly be a spending spree this year, but it does provide farmers with a reprieve from drought.

A decision to prioritise a controversial coal project over the protection of Indigenous sacred sites has landed the Federal Environment Minister at the centre of a fierce legal battle.

The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses has collated data from official stewards' documents and found 122 horses died in the past year.