Author: Carina Nilma

Office lackey day-job. Journalist for The AU Review night-job. Emotionally invested fangirl.

First Impressions: Preacher Season Two looks set to be twisted, hilarious and action packed

Last year, we named Preacher one of our favourite shows for 2016, the show, an adaptation of the Preacher comics written by Garth Ennis and the late Steve Dillon whilst the tv version has been adapted by Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. The show sees a small town preacher with a criminal past…

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Oz Comic-Con delivers guests from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and Highlander to Melbourne

There can be only one Oz Comic-Con, and this year on the 1st and 2nd of July the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will play host to a huge variety of guests from teleivision and film fantasy, sci-fi, and drama genres. As well as being one of the go-to events for cosplay, comics, books, gaming demonstrations…

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TV Review: The first season of American Gods revels in its weirdness

In our first impressions piece of American Gods we examined why this show even in its first episode had the makings of being one of the hot new television series for 2017. Adapted from the Neil Gaiman book of the same name, helmed by showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green and starring a ridiculously talented…

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Interview: Ricky Whittle on American Gods, why it’s groundbreaking television and Season 2 predictions ahead of his Supanova visit

When we last spoke with Ricky Whittle he was on his way to Australia for the very first time as part of the Supanova Brisbane and Adelaide tour in November of 2016. Not only that but he had just wrapped from filming the hotly anticipated show of 2017, American Gods, based on the cult Neil…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: Roller Dreams (USA/AUS 2017) tells the story of the roller skating dancers you’ve never heard of

It’s the late 1970’s Venice California is the birthplace of a new go-to trend, roller-dancing, and a group of young roller skaters, almost all exclusively African-American, are about to bring it to the people. Documentary film Roller Dreams takes a look at this iconic but short-lived group of skaters, the Venice scene in the 80’s…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: Ellipsis (AUS, 2017) is an intimate and beautifully real film

There’s a lot that can happen in 24 hours, and unless you stop and take a moment to let it sink in, you might just miss something magical. From acclaimed actor David Wenham comes his feature film directorial debut with Ellipsis, a film that came together under unusual circumstances but the end result is something…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: Whitney Can I Be Me (UK, USA 2017) is a comprehensive look at the rise and fall of Whitney Houston

In 2015 there was the outstanding film Amy by Asif Kapadia and following on from that comes yet another biopic that examines the life and all too tragically early death of a different powerhouse musical performer. In Whitney ‘Can I Be Me’ we go from the beginning right through to the end of Whitney Houston’s…

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Film Review: Wonder Woman (USA, 2017) is the heroine we need and deserve

After what can only be said as the frustrating and disappointing efforts of Man Of Steel and Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad in the DC Comics movie universe. The hopes of the DCEU and an opportunity for it to be redeemed appeared to rest on the shoulders of Wonder Woman. The…

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Film Review: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (USA, 2017) flies with half sails

In the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales, we return to the seas on another adventure with our ridiculous Captain Jack Sparrow. This time pairing up with a new bickering couple of non-pirates, and being chased down by his old frenemy Captain Barbossa and his even older…

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Film Review: King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (USA, 2017) is a fun but overcooked take on the myth

Just when you think you’ve seen and heard every iteration of the legend of King Arthur and Excalibur, comes a new take and telling of the myth, one that prefers its heroes dirty, its villains seething and its action ridiculously over the top. There are elements in King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword that really…

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Netflix drops first official full length trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders

In typical late night (well for Australia anyway) fashion, Netflix has dropped the first official full length trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders as well as a release date. Now that Netflix audiences have been formally introduced to all the members of the team, The Defenders is where our street-level heroes of New York finally get…

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First Impressions: Bryan Fuller’s American Gods is a mind-bending road trip down Mythology Lane

Now available on Amazon Prime Video, the very first episode of Bryan Fuller’s new show American Gods an adaptation of the critically acclaimed Neil Gaiman novel. Both Fuller and Gaiman come with their own pedigrees to justify the hype that has been circling this show. The former, cutting his teeth on Star Trek: Voyager and…

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Event Review: Supanova Comic Con & Gaming – Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre – 21st-23rd April 2017

Supanova has had a little bit of a makeover, now rebranding themselves as Supanova Comic Con & Gaming. And their first convention of the year hit the sunny Gold Coast on the weekend of Friday 21st through to Sunday 23rd April 2017. The convention brings with it guests from film and television, comic artists, book…

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Dave Bautista on learning as an actor, working on independent films and what he hopes fans will take away from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2

With the forthcoming release of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 in cinemas, the hotly anticipated sequel sees a bunch of mischievous criminals saving the galaxy, yet again. One of those criminals happens to be Drax The Destroyer, played by Dave Bautista. In the next installment of our interview we discuss what he’s been learning…

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Elizabeth Debicki on growing up in Australia & becoming part of the MCU in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2

In the last several years Paris-born Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki has had a near overnight rise to success in her acting career. A lucky break thanks to Baz Luhrmann and being cast in The Great Gatsby has resulted in a number of other large scale Hollywood productions to cast her also. However her latest project…

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Dave Bautista on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, family units, unintentional comedy, improvising and getting into shape

When Guardians Of The Galaxy was released in 2014 it was considered a gamble, a bunch of rag-tag characters including a talking raccoon and a tree that says only three words. They were barely known outside of the comics so Marvel was taking a huge risk, but it paid off and the film was yet…

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Legion‘s first season was wildly stylised; examining reality, fantasy, mental illness and mutants

Sometimes a new show comes along and it feels like a breath of fresh air in amongst a genre that has been feeling a little formulaic and stale. Legion created and developed by Noah Hawley (Fargo) takes a deeply dramatic dive into the world of mutants and superpowers. We meet David Haller (Dan Stevens) and…

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Film Review: The Lego Batman Movie (USA/AUS 2017) is hilariously self-aware of the superhero genre

Three years after we were wowed and bamboozled by The Lego Movie and that damn “Everything Is Awesome” song has now finally gotten out of our heads, it’s time to revisit one of its popular characters in his own standalone film. The Lego Batman Movie takes our dark, broody and narcissistic Dark Knight and puts…

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Film Review: Life (USA, 2017) hits all the beats we’re used to but in a more polished container

One day Hollywood might be able to come up with a new science fiction movie that has us discovering a fluffy cute adorable friendly alien. One day Hollywood might be able to come up with a group of characters who actually have character development, prior to being ruthlessly dispatched. One day Hollywood might be able…

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Film Review: Beauty And The Beast (USA, 2017) has breathtaking moments of grandiose cinematic bliss

A story that originated in 1740 now considered one of the most beloved and beautiful of fairytales that has been remade/rebooted/retold a countless number of times, Beauty And The Beast is considered a tale as old as time. Of late Disney has been having a bit of a renaissance if you will, remaking number of…

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Josh Gad on playing LeFou with a conscience, Beauty And The Beast and musical theatre (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s not often that a TV star gets to bounce from the small screen to the Broadway theatre stage and then leap from there over to the silver screen, but so has been the career of Josh Gad. From stints on New Girl and Gigi: Almost American on television. To then landing a part in…

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FX renews the mind-bending Legion for a Second Season

It’s been garnering rave reviews from critics and fans alike for its mind bendingly psychological twists and turns, so it’s no surprise that FX has announced that Legion will return for a second season in 2018. The show helmed by Emmy and Golden Globe winning creator and executive producer Noah Hawley, delves into the life…

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First Impressions: Marvel’s Iron Fist has a shaky first half but potential to improve

It all began with Marvel’s Daredevil in 2015, then we had Jessica Jones, shortly after that came Luke Cage. Now Netflix are about to roll out the last of their street level superheroes, this time it’s Marvel’s Iron Fist and the show takes an interesting turn in mashing the sensibilities of Eastern and Western culture….

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Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour are coming to Sydney and Perth

Grab a box of eggos (or your nearest waffle substitute) and crack out the Dungeons And Dragons kids, coz Supanova Pop Culture Expo has us going to the Upside Down! In massive guest announcement news for their Sydney and Perth tour in June this year, Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour, stars from the hugely…

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David Morrissey on The Governor vs Negan, The Walking Dead and playing polarising characters (EXCLUSIVE)

We had the opportunity to meet and chat with actor David Morrissey, the first part of our interview discussing his new series The Missing. However most Australian and American audiences would be more familiar with Morrissey as The Governor in The Walking Dead or going back even earlier in the musical comedy Blackpool. We couldn’t…

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David Morrissey talks The Missing Series 2; guarantees you’ll be shocked and surprised by the British crime thriller

The British are known for their high concept dramas and over the years we’ve had some great series such as Life On Mars, Whitechapel, Broadchurch and The Missing on our screens. The latter, The Missing, will be returning to BBC First Australia on Foxtel commencing Sunday 5 March for its second series. We sat down…

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Five reasons why British crime drama The Missing is the hot new mini-series to watch

The British are known for their heavy suspense filled drama series and Foxtel’s BBC First Australia are delivering us quite a few. One of these, Series 2 of The Missing, returns with a brand new case and an almost entirely new cast. For more about this series you can read our interview with lead actor David Morrissey. We were…

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Film Review: Logan (USA, 2017) will be heralded as one of Hugh Jackman’s finest performances

“…There’s no living with a killing. There’s no going back from one. Right or wrong. It’s a brand. A brand sticks” 17 years ago, the world was introduced to Bryan Singer’s X-Men Universe and with it came the arrival of Wolverine portrayed by Australia’s own Hugh Jackman. It was his breakout Hollywood role and his…

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Marvel’s Iron Fist full length trailer lands a sucker punch

Released a little earlier today and in case you may have missed it, Netflix have officially dropped the full length trailer for its next big series Marvel’s Iron Fist. Marvel’s Iron Fist follows the story of Danny Rand (Finn Jones, ex Game of Thrones), a young man who returns to New York after being gone…

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Film Review: Gold (USA, 2017) roots for the underdog but takes itself too seriously

When you take an idea like the story of a dreamer, and mash it together with a cautionary tale about the wolves of Wall Street and big business. With your lead character as that grizzled underdog type, and have it all based loosely on a true story the result you get is Gold. Set in…

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