Author: Peter Gray

Seasoned film critic. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa.

Film Review: Cocaine Bear is wild, high, very bloody, darkly funny, and doesn’t play well with others

They often say that truth can be stranger than fiction, and in the case of Cocaine Bear, the truth is wild, high, very bloody, darkly funny, and doesn’t play well with others.  Of course, this is only an “inspired by” truth, the type of truth that gets gloriously twisted for the sake of bombastic entertainment. …

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Interview: Producer Christopher Miller on navigating the extreme tone of Cocaine Bear; “It would be only amazing if this spawned a series of drug-fuelled animal films”

No stranger to adapting original-skewered material for the big screen, directing/producing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have seen their bold visions for tiny toys, 80’s television, and animated superheroes through to critical and commercial acclaim. Now, perhaps they’re taking on their biggest challenge yet: the true story! Sort of. Kind of. Inspired by the 1985…

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Interview: O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich on Cocaine Bear; “The bear did cocaine, right? Get in there!”

“The bear does cocaine.  Big, bang, boom, that’s your movie!” And just like that, Alden Ehrenreich and O’Shea Jackson Jr. perfectly sum up the entirety of Cocaine Bear‘s narrative and reason for being during a sometimes emotional, always entertaining conversation with our Peter Gray ahead of the film’s release.  Inspired by the 1985 true story of…

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Interview: Keri Russell on the “outlandish ridiculousness” of Cocaine Bear and why she had to say “Yes!”

Cocaine Bear, inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, is a wild dark comedy that finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest, where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount…

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Interview: Elizabeth Banks on taming the chaos and relinquishing control of Cocaine Bear

Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, Cocaine Bear is a wild dark comedy that finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest, where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount…

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Win a double in-season pass to Elizabeth Banks’s Cocaine Bear

Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia we have 5 digital double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the wild new comedy Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks, in cinemas from February 23rd, 2023. Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild…

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Film Review: Lonesome revels in the filthy reality of queer eroticism

You’ve really got to hand it to writer/director Craig Boreham for embracing queer eroticism and all that entails in Lonesome, a movie that revels in filth but is at its most uncomfortable when it simply lets its lead characters exist. Casey (Josh Lavery) is the embodiment of the titular state, a cowboy who has escaped…

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Interview: Paul Rudd, Jonathan Majors and director Peyton Reed on the red carpet for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Celebrating its 15th year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has (Hulk) smashed its way to over $26 billion dollars at the global box office, introducing an array of colourful characters along the way and changing the blueprint of what it is to be a cinematic event. Kicking off Phase Five in the biggest way possible is…

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Film Review: Sarah Polley’s Women Talking projects confronting but necessary conversations around abuse and religion

Based on Miriam Toews‘s 2018 novel of the same name, Women Talking is a complicated, multi-faceted look at religion and the complexity of abuse response. The easiest thing to ask someone – specifically a woman – when they mention abuse within a relationship is why they haven’t left.  It’s an outside perspective that is never…

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P!NK announces new dates for “Summer Carnival” 2024 tour due to phenomenal demand

Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, international pop icon, and honorary Australian P!NK has added 3 new stadium shows on her massive Australian tour in February and March, 2024. P!NK’s “Summer Carnival” will commence in Sydney at Allianz Stadium on February 9 and 10, followed by Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on February 13, Suncorp Stadium Brisbane on February 16 and…

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Win a double in-season pass to see Paul Mescal’s Oscar-nominated performance in Aftersun

Thanks to Kismet Movies we have 5 digital double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the new drama Aftersun, starring Paul Mescal in his Academy Award-nominated role, exclusive to cinemas from February 23rd, 2023. Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories…

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Film Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an incoherent start to the MCU’s Phase Five

After an incredibly disjointed Phase Four, all eyes are indeed on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (or Quantumania, as we will be noting for short throughout this review) to see how this particular threequel will set a precedent for the forthcoming Phase Five of the continued Marvel Cinematic Universe. If this is anything to go…

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Ibiza Blue is a beautiful, aching drama that bathes in poetic subtlety: SBIFF Review

Given the shared enormity that was living through the pandemic at its seeming peak throughout 2020 and 2021, it’s a surprise that few films have actually addressed it in a manner that’s relatable for audiences.  Whilst films are an escape, it’s a reality that can’t forever be ignored, and co-writer/director/star Jesús Lloveras manages to infuse…

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Film Review: She Is Love lacks a certain motivation that highlights its experimental nature

Despite its enchanting title, there’s not a lot to love about She Is Love, an experimental drama from writer/director Jamie Adams. Adhering to a spontaneity that Adams bestowed upon her cast, She Is Love has potential in its premise and lead trio – Haley Bennett, Sam Riley and Marisa Abela – but there’s ultimately only…

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A Bit of Light‘s narrative authenticity is overpowered by unfortunate artificiality: SBIFF Review

Authenticity and artificiality battle with equal gusto throughout A Bit of Light, a filmic adaptation of Rebecca Callard‘s award-winning stage production.  The theatrical origins are difficult to entirely dismiss throughout Stephen Moyer‘s drama though, with the True Blood alum not always proving steady in his narrative navigation. Anna Paquin – coincidentally Moyer’s wife in real-life…

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Live Review: Darren Hayes celebrates his authentic self on “Do You Remember?” tour – Brisbane Entertainment Centre (11.02.23)

Living his authentic self suits Darren Hayes, if his energy on the Brisbane stop of his “Do You Remember?” tour was anything to go by. Perhaps energised by being in his home city, or that it’s the final stop on his Australian leg – his planned Gold Coast show was cancelled due to lower-than-expected ticket…

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It’s ride or die for Vin Diesel and his family in furious Fast X trailer

It’s time to fasTEN your seatbelts (see what we did there?) as the end of the road begins. Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious Saga, launches the final chapters of one of cinema’s most storied and popular global franchises, now in its third decade and still going strong with the same core cast and…

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Film Review: Irreversible: Straight Cut corrects narrative cohesion but maintains Gaspar Noé’s psychological devastation

Few films have shocked me in the manner of Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible. Released in cinemas some 20 years ago, it arrived off the back of its storming Cannes controversy, thrusting the relatively unknown (at least to anyone who didn’t consider themselves a “cinephile”) Noé into somewhat-mainstream relevance.  The film’s storyline, or more correctly its treatment…

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Abigail Breslin’s tender performance amplifies the important voice of Miranda’s Victim: SBIFF Review

Boasting a truly spectacular ensemble cast and detailing both the American legal system and the “blind eye” mentality that often accompanies accusations of sexual assault, Miranda’s Victim is an occasionally shaky, but always captivating true story drama. Despite its 1960’s setting, Michelle Danner‘s film feels all too relevant in this current climate; no doubt in…

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Interview: Alison Brie on comedic inspiration, the changing landscape of television and new comedy Somebody I Used To Know

If you want to know why when Peter Gray spoke to Alison Brie about her latest film, Somebody I Used To Know, they started suggesting television shows where Jason Biggs would fornicate with various types of dessert pies, you’ll just have to watch it and find out. To be fair, Brie’s character Ally and her…

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Film Review: Somebody I Used To Know defies genre conventionality with a welcome authenticity

That classic romantic comedy genre trope of big-city-girl-returns-to-small-home-town is one that, initially, writer/director Dave Franco and writer/star Alison Brie utilise to almost expected potential in Somebody I Used To Know, a more human dramedy than romcom romp that cements the notion that you can never truly go home again. People and places change, and no…

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Interview: Kiersey Clemons on Somebody I Used To Know, normalising bi-sexuality and favourite rom-coms

Do you ever wonder what happened to the one that got away? If you’re Alison Brie in Somebody I Used To Know, you might have lost them to Kiersey Clemons. In the new romantic comedy, co-written by Brie and her husband (and director) Dave Franco, workaholic TV producer Ally (Brie) faces a major professional setback,…

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Interview: Josh Greenbaum on navigating live-action and animation for Strays and improvising with Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx

They say a dog is a man’s best friend, but what if the man is a total dirtbag? In that case, it might be time for some sweet revenge, doggy style. From Josh Greenbaum, the director of Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar, comes Strays, a wild, foul-mouthed comedy inspired by the likes…

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Film Review: Mean Spirited furthers filmmaker Jeff Ryan’s hold as an artist unafraid to sacrifice ego for the sake of entertainment

When watching Mean Spirited I couldn’t help but wonder why Jeff Ryan isn’t a household name.  As a director he has worked within a duo of spaces that have well been tested – the mockumentary comedy and the found footage subsect of horror – but both this and his previous effort (YouthMin) prove he has…

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Film Review: The Son fails to interrogate its worthy subject matter in an honest fashion

The claustrophobic and emotional resonance Florian Zeller created with 2020’s The Father is unfortunately nowhere to be found in The Son, a prequel of sorts based off another of Zeller’s stage plays. A chamber piece on the subject of dementia that rightfully won Anthony Hopkins his second Best Actor Academy Award, The Father expressed subtlety…

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Film Review: Channing Tatum is given a carnally romantic, welcomingly sensual send-off in Magic Mike’s Last Dance

In 2012’s Magic Mike, Channing Tatum‘s titular performer lamented that he didn’t want to be a “40 year old stripper”.  The irony isn’t lost some decade on where Tatum’s Mike, having seemingly failed at his planned custom furniture business, has to fall back on his expert set of skills.  And, as we would expect, the…

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Interview: Jim Parsons on Spoiler Alert and finding the authenticity in queer storytelling

After talking to both director Michael Showalter and his (other) leading man, Ben Aldridge, it came time for Peter Gray to converse with Spoiler Alert’s Jim Parsons, where the two touched on the ease of queer stories now being told, his relationship with the inspirational figure behind the film, Michael Ausiello, and what it was…

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Interview: Director Michael Showalter on queer drama Spoiler Alert; “I definitely think there’s a desire to move past stories that are about people coming out”

Based on Michael Ausiello’s best-selling memoir “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies,” Spoiler Alert is a heartwarming, funny and life-affirming story of how Michael’s relationship with his partner Kit is transformed and deepened when one of them falls ill. Bringing Michael’s story to life is director Michael Showalter, an alt-comedy auteur whose eclectic resume ranges from…

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Interview: Ben Aldridge on Spoiler Alert; “It was a really holistic experience.”

Spoiler alert: Ben Aldridge is having a moment! After coming out only three years ago via an Instagram post, and steadily working in television with memorable roles in Fleabag and Pennyworth, Aldridge seems like he’s no longer just on the cusp of fame, but fully fledged within it. After fending off Dave Bautista in M….

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Film Review: Spoiler Alert; this will make you cry!

Telegraphed in both its title and opening sequence, Spoiler Alert braces its audience for an unhappy ending from the get-go.  But, as much as Michael Showalter‘s handkerchief-ready drama adheres to a familiar structure within the “terminal illness romance” genre – ala The Fault in Our Stars or Holding the Man – the film thankfully isn’t…

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