Margaret Pomeranz
Encyclopedia
Margaret Pomeranz AM (born 14 July 1944) is an Australia
n film critic and television
personality.
, a suburb of Sydney
, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
in Croydon
, the then newly opened Macquarie University
, and the Playwright's Studio at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
(NIDA).
, she hosted the long-running SBS
TV program, The Movie Show
from 1986 until 2004. She now appears on the ABC
version of the program, At the Movies. where she has stayed since the show started in 2005.
She also had an uncredited role in the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
.
In addition to being a critic, Pomeranz is also an anti-censorship
campaigner. She was a prominent attendee and was briefly detained by police at an attempted 2003 protest screening of the controversial film Ken Park
, banned in Australia. She has been critical of the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, the Australian censorship body, on a number of occasions, and has actively spoken out against production companies refusing to give preview screenings for critics.
Pomeranz has often said that her favourite film is Robert Altman's Nashville.
She is prominently noted for her large earrings she wears on the show, apparently designed by her friend.
Pomeranz was made a Member of the Order of Australia
in the 2005 Australia Day
Honours.
In 2009's Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure
she and David Stratton
review Lawrence Leung
's attempt to set a world record for solving the Rubik's Cube
whilst sky diving, as they sit on the landing site in their trademark armchairs.
In a 2010 video promoting the new Triple J
breakfast team of Tom Ballard
and Alex Dyson
, she joins the two men to "satisfy the female demographic".
Pomeranz also appeared as herself in:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n film critic and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality.
Early life
Pomeranz (née Owen) was born in 1944 in WaverleyWaverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
, a suburb of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
in Croydon
Croydon, New South Wales
Croydon is an affluent suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon is located 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Burwood Council and the Municipality of Ashfield.The...
, the then newly opened Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
, and the Playwright's Studio at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
(NIDA).
Career
Together with David StrattonDavid Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
, she hosted the long-running SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
TV program, The Movie Show
The Movie Show
The Movie Show is an Australian film review program that airs on SBS TV. Its history falls into three parts.-Original format:The original format, which ran from 30 October 1986 to 12 May 2004, had two presenters, David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz. Stratton and Pomeranz left for the ABC in early...
from 1986 until 2004. She now appears on the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
version of the program, At the Movies. where she has stayed since the show started in 2005.
She also had an uncredited role in the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
.
In addition to being a critic, Pomeranz is also an anti-censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
campaigner. She was a prominent attendee and was briefly detained by police at an attempted 2003 protest screening of the controversial film Ken Park
Ken Park
Ken Park is a 2002 drama film. The screenplay was written by Harmony Korine, who based it on Larry Clark's journals and stories. The film was directed by Larry Clark and Ed Lachman....
, banned in Australia. She has been critical of the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, the Australian censorship body, on a number of occasions, and has actively spoken out against production companies refusing to give preview screenings for critics.
Pomeranz has often said that her favourite film is Robert Altman's Nashville.
She is prominently noted for her large earrings she wears on the show, apparently designed by her friend.
Pomeranz was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in the 2005 Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
Honours.
Cameos
Pomeranz has recently appeared as herself in several Australian comedy programs.In 2009's Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure
Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure
Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure is a six-part Australian television comedy series, starring and primarily written by Melbourne comedian Lawrence Leung and produced by Chaser Broadcasting...
she and David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
review Lawrence Leung
Lawrence Leung
Lawrence Leung is an Australian comedian, writer and director from Melbourne, Victoria. He is best known for his television series Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure based on his one man shows that tell stories around his obsessions such as breakdancing, ghosts, the Rubik's Cube and his...
's attempt to set a world record for solving the Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
whilst sky diving, as they sit on the landing site in their trademark armchairs.
In a 2010 video promoting the new Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
breakfast team of Tom Ballard
Tom Ballard
Tom Ballard is a tall, blond, fast-talking, openly gay, Australian radio presenter and comedian.-Early life:Thomas Colin Ballard grew up in Warrnambool, Victoria and attended Brauer College Warrnambool, graduating in 2007 where he was dux with an ENTER of 99.80, and was consequently named as the...
and Alex Dyson
Alex Dyson
Alex Dyson is an Australian radio presenter who, along with co-host Tom Ballard presents the breakfast show on Australian youth radio station Triple J....
, she joins the two men to "satisfy the female demographic".
Pomeranz also appeared as herself in:
- a 2000 episode of Australian comedy show PizzaPizza (TV series)Pizza is an Australian black comedy television series on the Australian television network, SBS. It has also spun off a feature length movie in 2003, and in 2004 released a highlights video/DVD which also included previously unshown footage and a schoolies exposé theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza"...
, a show known for celebrity cameos - Australian sketch comedy show Full FrontalFull Frontal (TV series)Full Frontal was an Australian sketch comedy series which debuted in 1993. The show first aired on the Seven Network on 13 May 1993, and finished on 18 September 1997....
in a 1995 episode - 1993 Australian comedy film Hercules ReturnsHercules ReturnsHercules Returns is a 1993 Australian comedy film directed by David Parker, starring David Argue, Michael Carman, Bruce Spence and Mary Coustas. The film has a cult following in Australia and other countries...
See also
- Censorship in AustraliaCensorship in AustraliaAustralia is a federation, and responsibility for censorship is divided between the states and the federal government. Censorship of video games and Internet sites hosted in Australia are considered to be the strictest in the western world....
- 2004 in Australian television2004 in Australian television-Events:*1 January – Australia's first Digital commercial free-to-air channel, Tasmanian Digital Television begins broadcasting in Hobart as a supplementary broadcaster to existing broadcasters Southern Cross Tasmania & WIN Television...
- List of Australian Presbyterians
- List of Old Girls of PLC Sydney
- List of Macquarie University people