Author: Peter Gray

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

Interview: Joshua John Miller on writing and directing The Exorcism; “I was not prepared for this experience.”

Russell Crowe stars as troubled actor Anthony Miller, who begins to unravel while working on a supernatural film. His estranged daughter wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. Such is the logline for The Exorcism, a new dramatic horror film from writer/director Joshua John Miller,…

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Film Review: Hit Man; Netflix’s sexy actioner is a much deeper, more philosophical outing than expected

The blending of genres isn’t as easy as Richard Linklater makes it look in the deliciously fun Hit Man, a-sexy-romantic-comedy-cum-philosophical-action-film that the School of Rock helmer and lead charmer Glen Powell have co-scribed together in a seamless fashion. Given that Linklater has so often deviated from the expectation put forward in some of his films…

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Film Review: Am I OK? is a delicate journey navigated through the grace that is Dakota Johnson

There’s something of a full circle moment experienced with Am I OK?, Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne‘s co-directorial feature debut.  The real-life couple, who met on the set of a Sundance selection title (2013’s In A World…), returned to the festival as married women detailing their own journey of self-discovery and acceptance with a film…

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Film Review: The Watchers is a tense, though questionably executed chiller

Given M. Night Shyamalan‘s penchant for banking the majority of his theatrical narratives on “the twist ending”, it’s understandable to walk into his daughter’s feature directorial debut with the same type of expectation. Whilst I can’t personally speak to whether or not the A.M. Shine novel Ishana Night Shyamalan has adapted is faithfully recreated here…

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Film Review: I Used To Be Funny offsets its humorously-adjacent title with a dark, heartbreaking temperament.

After showcasing her stellar comedic delivery across 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies and last year’s Bottoms, Rachel Sennott continues her dominance as one of the industry’s most exciting talents with a more dramatic flex in Ally Pankiw‘s I Used To Be Funny, which offsets its lead’s comedic capabilities and humorously-adjacent title with a dark, heartbreaking temperament….

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Sabrina Carpenter announces release of new album Short n’ Sweet

Riding high off the success of single “Espresso’”(which, among other things, has at least corrected people who referred to the beverage as an “Expresso”) Sabrina Carpenter has announced the release of her new LP, Short n’ Sweet, with an August 23rd street date. The pint-sized popstar has put all her nights of working late (‘Cause…

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Film Review: Bad Boys: Ride or Die honours series nostalgia as much as it creatively projects forward

Whilst this is a franchise that has indulged in its fair share of overtly-violent set-pieces for close to three decades now, there’s something to be said for the fact that Bad Boys: Ride or Die – the fourth in this surprisingly resilient series – is determined to keep the action on hand ageing gracefully. Yes,…

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Interview: Ishana Night Shyamalan on her new horror film The Watchers; “It was always my intention from the very beginning to play with restraint as much as possible”

From producer M. Night Shyamalan comes The Watchers, written for the screen and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan and based on the novel by A.M. Shine. The film follows Mina (Dakota Fanning), a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside…

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HOYTS announce $10 Sunday movie tickets for June

Embrace the winter chill with a cinematic treat that won’t freeze your budget. From June 2 to June 30 at HOYTS, movie-goers around Australia can grab $10* movie tickets for sessions commencing before noon on Sunday mornings. The Sunday Sessions $10* ticket offer will apply to all guests, not just HOYTS Rewards Members, and will…

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Amy Poehler lights up Vivid Sydney with exclusive Inside Out 2 first-look

In a Vivid Sydney exclusive, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actress and comedian, Amy Poehler has taken part in a special Vivid Ideas event at the Sydney Opera House this past Monday, the 27th May. Poehler, who is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after talents, with credits including actress, writer, director, producer, and…

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Win tickets to see Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Whatcha gonna do? Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the return of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth instalment in the Bad Boys series, in Australian cinemas from June 6th, 2024. This year, the world’s favourite Bad Boys are…

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Film Review: The Garfield Movie hates its audience as much as its lead feline hates Mondays

Similar to the disdain many had when it was announced that Chris Pratt would be voicing Mario for last year’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the actor’s involvement as Garfield hasn’t assisted in warming him to the masses that have seriously turned on him in a manner many never saw coming after his winning work…

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Film Review: Night Shift; Singular location chiller proves a serviceable genre entry

Perhaps because we’re simply used to his New Girl persona, or that even in the realms of a horror setting he’s playing with a little uncertain levity, Lamorne Morris‘ presence in the opening moments of Night Shift suggest that The China Brothers (filmmaking duo Benjamin and Paul China) may be preparing their audience for a more…

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Interview: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Zac Manuel on what truly surprised him when working on the Lil Nas X documentary, Long Live Montero

Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Carlos López Estrada and Academy Award nominated director and cinematographer Zac Manuel, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero follows the Grammy-winning and trailblazing, rapper, singer, songwriter, Lil Nas X, over 60 days as he embarks on his first ever tour across North America on his debut album tour Long Live…

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Interview: Director Mike Mitchell on the success and endurance of Kung Fu Panda 4; “We know that we made a film that we love.”

After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to…give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po…

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Interview: Director George Miller on the furious road to making Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 40 years ago with the seminal Mad Max films. Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the…

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The 2024 HSBC Spanish Film Festival announces full program and national locations

It’s fiesta time as the 2024 HSBC Spanish Film Festival, presented by Palace, prepares to set screens alight with a superb selection of the finest new and classic films from Spain and Latin America. The festival’s largest line up to date opens nationally will take place nationally from 11th June to 17th July (dates vary…

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Film Review: IF; John Krasinski’s family outing is wholesome but hollow

John Krasinski has primarily set himself up in the horror space across his directorial career.  And though his latest could give way to genre tendencies – imaginary friends can indeed be a terrifying notion – he’s decidedly opted for a more wholesome, family-friendly mentality with the release of IF. IF (which stands for Imaginary Friend)…

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Album Review: Kate Hudson proves herself a pop poet on Glorious debut LP

It isn’t an uncommon road travelled for actors to further express their creativity through the release of music.  Whilst some commit to both with a certain vigour (Jennifer Lopez, Cher, etc) and others dabble with more consistent subtlety (Keanu Reeves, Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe), it does feel a little out of the ordinary to switch…

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Film Review: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is an exhilarating actioner from one of the greatest blockbuster filmmakers of our time

Mad Max: Fury Road felt like a truly once-in-a-lifetime type event upon its release in 2015.  It was continuing a series that had laid dormant for 30 years at that point and, despite still relative success both critically and commercially, the third film – 1985’s Beyond Thunderdome – was so often cited as the series’…

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Full-length trailer for Wicked highlights music and magic

After teasing us back in February with a gravity-defying first look, Universal Pictures has unveiled the magical first look at the big screen adaptation of Wicked, one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, now a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event coming this holiday season. Telling the untold story of the witches of…

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Interview: Bill Bennett on the emotional exhaustion of making The Way, My Way; “It was important that I view myself as a certain character.”

The Way, My Way is the charming and captivating true story of a stubborn, self-centered Australian man who decides to walk the famed 800-kilometre-long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through Spain. He doesn’t know why he’s doing it… but one step at a time, it changes him and his outlook on life forever. Based on…

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Camila Cabello releases Miami-soaked trailer for her anticipated fourth LP, C, XOXO

Rebranding herself as a hyper-pop princess, Camila Cabello has launched a VHS-inspired trailer to celebrate the impending release of her fourth record, C, XOXO, set for release on June 28th this year. After gifting fans with the album’s cover artwork, the former Fifth Harmony starlet’s self-narrated trailer leans into the carefree, Miami-inspired vibe the album…

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Film Review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes impresses with its technical marvel and emotional resonance

Although Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a continuation of the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy that Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes kicked off in 2011, with Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) following through,…

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Sydney Film Festival announces full program for its 71st year

“The 71st Sydney Film Festival unfurls a canvas of bold narratives and remarkable visions, mirroring the evolving dynamics of our world,” said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. “This year, we are proud to present films that challenge, entertain, and provoke dialogue, from the sweeping landscapes of Australian dramas to the complex human stories from global cinema.” “The 2024 selection reinforces our commitment to…

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Film Review: The Idea of You; The luminousness of Anne Hathaway elevates serviceable rom-com

If the premise of The Idea of You sounds like romanticised mentality of fanfiction – that being a romance centred around a 40-year-old single divorcee and the global boyband heartthrob who meet-cutes her and proceeds to pursue her to her bewilderment – it’s because it essentially is. Based on Robinne Lee‘s novel of the same…

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Interview: Guy Nattiv on his biopic Golda, detailing history, and the humour and humanity of Helen Mirren

One of only two Israeli filmmakers to have won an Academy Award, Guy Nattiv is amplifying his voice as an Israeli director and screenwriter with the release of Golda, a ticking-clock thriller sharing the intensely dramatic events, high-stake responsibilities, and controversial decisions that Golda Meir, the first and only head of government in the Middle…

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Interview: Boy Kills World director Moritz Mohr on choreography, creativity and French cookies; “The heck if I could tell you how it came to be.”

In his directorial feature film debut, Moritz Mohr aimed for the jugular, and bloodied it out with gusto.  Boy Kills World (you can read our review here) is a balls-to-the-wall action flick about a deaf and mute orphan who is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of…

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Amy Poehler to join this year’s Vivid Sydney celebration for first Inside Out 2 preview

Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian, Amy Poehler will join this year’s Vivid Sydney line-up for a special Vivid Ideas event at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 27 May. Poehler, who is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after talents, with credits including actress, writer, director, producer, and bestselling author, will front Vivid Sydney Presents…

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Film Review: Boy Kills World is a bonkers live-action cartoon that delights in its brutal creativty

Childlike yet ultra violent, there’s a lot of style over substance when it comes to Mortiz Mohr‘s Boy Kills World, an exaggerated, audacious, attention-seeking actioner that doesn’t have much to say, but succeeds at being a delirious slice of escapism that deserves points for the fact that it’s a bonkers, live-action (R-rated) cartoon that speaks…

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