Seasoned film critic. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa.
Religious principles and the notion of intolerance run thematically rampant in The Last Thing Mary Saw, a horror-leaning drama film that announces first time filmmaker Edoardo Vitaletti as an intriguing mind to keep our radar on. Opting for tension and unease rather than overt gore, Mary… is an 1843 set period chiller that opens on…
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A capable cast, led by a worthy Jennifer Hudson, and a plethora of recognisable hit records may be enough to satisfy a surface level bassline when it comes to the story of soul legend Aretha Franklin, but Respect, for all its good intentions, doesn’t quite feel like the story such an icon deserves. At around…
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Thanks to Sony Pictures we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of Don’t Breathe 2, the chilling sequel to 2016’s Don’t Breathe, in Australian cinemas from August 26th, 2021. The sequel is set in the years following the initial deadly home invasion, where Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) lives in quiet…
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Having earned his prolific status in the gaming world through his commentary videos and comedic riffs, Australian YouTuber Lannan Eacott, aka LazarBeam, is upgrading his screen configuration to those of the theatres. Earning his own credit among the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Taika Waititi in the new virtual comedy Free Guy, LazarBeam…
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Seemingly defined at this point in his career by the grizzly, no-nonsense avenger-types he encapsulates – first realised in the 2008 actioner Taken – The Ice Road eases up on Liam Neeson‘s menacing persona and gives his somewhat-everyman a blue collar temperament. He’s still out there risking his life, mind you, but it’s comparatively slightly…
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Though his name might not be instantly recognisable, it’s supremely unlikely that you haven’t at least heard his dialogue. As a screenwriter for such successes as Die Hard With A Vengeance, Jumanji, The Rock, Con-Air, and Gone In 60 Seconds, Jonathan Hensleigh has more than placed his stamp on the action genre for close to…
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A simple thriller that adheres to the mindset that not all genre efforts have to hone complicated narratives, Baby Money adjusts the home invasion subgenre enough for its familiarities to not feel habitual. The “baby money” of the title is the currency Minny (Danay Garcia) and her boyfriend, Gil (Michael Drayer), are in need of…
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Marvel have really leaned into their Disney+ products, haven’t they? Following on from the fan-embraced success of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, the fresh-but-familiar mentality continues with the animated ambition that is What If…? The notion of a multiverse is something that the MCU have teased and ultimately confirmed throughout their…
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In light of the current COVID situation in Melbourne, and with the safety of audiences and staff at the forefront of their thinking, the board and management of Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) have taken the very difficult decision to cancel the in-cinema component of this year’s festival, planned to be delivered from Thursday 12th…
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Disney’s Cruella follows the early days of one of cinema’s most notorious –and notoriously fashionable –villains. The film releases on Blu-Ray and digital August 18th and we have 5 copies up for grabs! Set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, Cruella follows a young grifter named Estella (Oscar® winner Emma Stone), a clever and creative girl…
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Whilst movies based on video games continue to mostly earn a reaction that’s far less enthused than their source material, the video game inspired flick is another story entirely. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, the latest Jumanji films (Welcome to the Jungle and The Next Level), the vast amount of time-loop movies, Sucker Punch (y’all know…
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To coincide with the anticipated release of Free Guy, 20th Century Studios invited our own Peter Gray to chat with the film’s creative team during a roundtable dialogue. Discussing with director Shawn Levy, production designer Ethan Tobman, SFX supervisor Swen Gillberg, cinematographer George Richmond, and stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara were, among Ryan Reynolds praise, the intricacies of…
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Though it boasts a lush Byron Bay setting, is filled to the brim with aesthetically pleasing cast members, and is based around the notion of healing one’s self, Nine Perfect Strangers is decidedly unnerving. Set in a secluded health and wellness resort named Tranquillum House, the nine perfect strangers of the title are the latest…
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With a title like Freshman Year, known originally as Shithouse, you’d be forgiven for thinking Cooper Raiff‘s debut is more akin with the juvenile comedies so many cinematic colleges have been the setting for. Nothing could be further from the reality though, with Raiff injecting a sweetness and raw emotion into his script as it…
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The tried and tested time loop narrative gets another incarnation of sorts in Matthew Butler-Hart‘s impressively made Infinitum: Subject Unknown. Filmed during the UK’s first lockdown entirely on an iPhone, the evident budget issues that may cause ire from some eyes are all the more forgiven when looking at its scope as a whole. The…
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A group of men looking to escape their everyday lives, a couple of inept gangsters, and a one-eyed killer who thirsts for his kills cross paths in Ernar Nurgaliev‘s wild horror comedy Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It. Slapstick comedy and irreverent bloodshed work hand-in-hand throughout the film’s crisp 85 minute running time, centring initially on…
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It doesn’t take much for director James Ashcroft to create the most horrific of situations from the simplest of ingredients laid bare in the early stages of the eerie Coming Home in the Dark. A loving family, an idyllic New Zealand locale, and a duo of passing strangers provide all that is needed for Ashcroft’s…
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It’s never easy to say goodbye, and Australian comedians Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor are making sure the sentiment is felt even more so as they debut the final season of Rosehaven. The number one comedy show across all ABC for 2020, the fifth and final season of Rosehaven premiered last night on the ABC…
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Whenever an evidently low-budgeted project gets itself off the ground and revels in the possibilities of creativity, rather than monetary reliance, whatever the result it’s difficult to not be somehow impressed. Such is the case with Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, a high-concept time-loop effort filmed on iPhones and born from an acting workshop. It…
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Thanks to Rialto Distribution we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the action film The Ice Road, starring Liam Neeson and Laurence Fishburne, in Australian cinemas from August 12th, 2021. After a remote diamond mine collapses in the far northern regions of Canada, an ice driver leads an impossible rescue mission…
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As The Suicide Squad gear up to take on the big screen here in Australia, where cinemas are open, of course, (you can read our review here), director James Gunn and his cast, including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Jai Courtney, Sylvester Stallone, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion and Joel Kinnaman, were on hand at…
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A film that perhaps tries a little too hard to embellish the emotionally manipulative story its true-to-life basis can conjure on its own accord, 12 Mighty Orphans’ “classic underdog” mentality is both a help and a hindrance to its overall delivery. Set during the Great Depression, Ty Roberts’ syrupy drama lays focus on the saintly…
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In light of the Sydney lockdown extension announced by the NSW Government on 28 July, Sydney Film Festival will postpone the 68th edition of the Festival until 3rd-14th November, 2021. “Sydney Film Festival looks forward to returning to cinemas for a COVID-safe event in November, when we’ll come together to celebrate the films we love,…
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Amazon Studios have revealed the very first look at the anticipated Amazon Original Lord of the Rings series in concurrence with the news that the as-yet-untitled project will debut across 240 countries and territories worldwide from Friday, September 22nd, 2022. As filming for season one ends today in New Zealand, this new epic drama brings to…
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Arguably one of the best marketing campaigns ever afforded for a blockbuster title, 2016’s Suicide Squad was ultimately a victim of its own hype. After the DC brand suffered disappointment with the reaction to Batman v Superman, David Ayer’s impressively stacked line-up of second-tier characters and their super villainous mentalities seemed poised to right the…
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As much as Jungle Cruise owes its filmic inception to the success of fellow Disney-theme-park-attraction-turned-blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, this light-hearted, gloriously old-fashioned adventure is just as much in debt to such titles as The Mummy and The African Queen. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with honouring the spirit of those films in such a…
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Given that Snake Eyes is releasing with the subtitle G.I. Joe Origins, it would appear that Paramount have faith that the G.I. Joe brand could possibly be retooled after the 2009 and 2013 efforts (The Rise of Cobra and Retaliation, respectively) failed to truly ignite as intended. It’s a bold strategy, especially as Robert Schwentke‘s…
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There’s really no other way to say it – M. Night Shyamalan‘s Old is bad. It’s very bad. In fact, in some instances it’s downright awful! Mirroring the same career slump he experienced after the 1-3 punch of The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000) and Signs (2002) with such misfires as The Lady in the Water…
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As Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins prepares for battle in Australian cinemas this week, the cast were in promotion mode to discuss the choreography and camaraderie on set. Talking to our own Peter Gray, Andrew Koji (who plays Storm Shadow), Haruka Abe (Akiko) and Úrsula Corberó (Baroness) discussed their history with the G.I. Joe brand,…
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Knowing that one simply can’t just replace Tom Hanks – in whatever capacity – Disney+’s Turner & Hooch reboot tries the next best thing by honouring his character’s legacy, even if it is essentially a veiled attempt at replacement. For the uninitiated, Turner & Hooch was a sizeable success for Hanks in his more comedy-driven…
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