Arts In 30

• Weekender: Wake up Dead Man wraps demagoguery, faith, grace, and power in a fun mystery & Evelyn Araluen returns with The Rot

  Three films in, at a point where most franchises have run out of ideas and started phoning it in, Knives Out has returned with its best episode yet in Wake Up Dead Man. With a star turn by Josh O'Connor and an exceptional ensemble, it's an examination of faith and belief, of the potential for good will and redemption, and of the negative power of anger, corruption, and hatred, all wrapped up in a fun and funny mystery.And speaking of examinations of corruption, power, and hatred: Disney’s Zootopia 2 is also out this week. Sky claims that its a delightful buddy comedy that continues the excellent world-building of the original and has more sight-gags and Easter eggs than you could possible notice in one sitting. Plus it manages to present a pro-community, pro-diversity, anti-racism, anti-corruption message without overdoing it.Evelyn Araluen, who won the Stella Prize for her poetry collection Dropbear, returns with her latest collection The Rot. The team are big fans with rave reviews, plus a reading of Change Agent by Evelyn.In music, Ce recommends the new single by Pulp, a cover of Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around; and Sky looks back to Super Realm Park by Sleepmakeswaves ahead of the 15th birthday celebrations for Birds Robe.And two excellent Australian exhibitions at Heide Museum.

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• What constitutes success (or failure) in Hollywood? And Peyton Reed on the 25th anniversary of Bring It On.

  Wicked: For Good has launched to a big opening weekend, taking in $226 million US in worldwide box office revenue, a substantial improvement on the already successful first film. But that makes it something of an outlier for Hollywood this year. Industry experts have pointed out that - accounting for inflation - the Summer tentpole season in the US had lower numbers than we’ve seen in decades.Is this just an off year? Or the sign of a bigger problem for an industry already grappling with the rise of streaming and the after-effects of Covid? Scott Mendelson from The Outside Scoop explains what it all means.And Peyton Reed, who has been part of the Marvel cinematic universe in recent years, is in Australia for the Brisbane International Film Festival, where he’ll be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bring It On.Our track of the week is Obscure Things by Will Hearn

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• Weekender: Breaking consensus on Pluribus and Wicked For Good manages to land the broomstick

  Everyone in the world has come together in a single voice: shared perspective, shared understanding, shared goals - harmony. That's both the plot of Pluribus and a rough summary of how critics have reacted to the show. But Ce and Sky aren't entirely won over and share their concerns about the hive mind.Wicked: For Good looks set to be one of the biggest releases of the year and, despite some structural challenges inherent to the musical, manages to stay propulsively fun, with some of the best costume and set design of the year and remarkable performances from the two leads and the full ensemble.Ce's excited about Undead, a new album by Jessica O’Donoghue and Jack Symonds, which embraces contemporary Australian opera. And Sky shouts out Sharon Van Etten's 2025 album with The Attachment Theory, ahead of her Australian tour dates.Plus: thoughts about the ARIAs, Last Samurai Standing, Sisu 2, and the latest exhibition at Buxton Contemporary.

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• The fraying relationship between universities and the arts

  Arts degrees are expected to cost $55,000 next year, but despite the rising cost to students, we’re seeing restructures, closures, and redundancies at one university after another. And the strain between the tertiary sector and the arts has been a consistent theme throughout 2025, with Meanjin, the Bendigo Writers Festival and MUMA all making headlines.What’s gone wrong? What’s the impact for both universities and the arts? And is there a path back to better news? Distinguished Professor George Williams, vice-chancellor and president, Western Sydney University, and Professor Clare Wright, historian, author, and academic at La Trobe University share their perspectives.Our track of the week is Watch Over Me by Bernard Fanning (feat Kasey Chambers & Clare Bowditch).

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• The fraying relationship between universities and the arts

  Arts degrees are expected to cost $55,000 next year, but despite the rising cost to students, we’re seeing restructures, closures, and redundancies at one university after another. And the strain between the tertiary sector and the arts has been a consistent theme throughout 2025, with Meanjin, the Bendigo Writers Festival and MUMA all making headlines.What’s gone wrong? What’s the impact for both universities and the arts? And is there a path back to better news? Distinguished Professor George Williams, vice-chancellor and president, Western Sydney University, and Professor Clare Wright, historian, author, and academic at La Trobe University share their perspectives.Our track of the week is Watch Over Me by Bernard Fanning (feat Kasey Chambers & Clare Bowditch).

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