Seasoned film critic. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa.
Based on real life war diaries, Before Dawn is an epic retelling of one of Australia’s biggest victories during WWI. Jim Collins, a young man from the outback, leaves his family-run sheep station to join the ANZAC and fight on the western front with hopes of making a difference. Soon, the realities of the muddy, ruthless,…
Read MoreInspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Dev Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meagre living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of…
Read MoreFor the majority of his career, Dev Patel has played – for lack of a better word – the “nice guy”. Or at least a variation of that archetype. In Monkey Man, the actor is gleefully – and, occasionally, gorily – taking no prisoners and reclaiming his image as an all-rounded creative, announcing himself as…
Read MoreCelebrating its 22nd year, Queensland’s most exciting celebration of cinema is back, from April 17th to 28th 2024, with the Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) at its Gold Coast home, HOTA (Home of the Arts). As guests prepare to immerse themselves in the glamour and discover the new stories the festival has to offer, the…
Read MoreThough it’s less of a shock practice now, the idea of a classic literary figure that became a household name under the umbrella of Disney being transformed into something adult and horrific rightfully broke – and angered – the internet when it was announced that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey would be made off the back…
Read MoreA film like Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is what one might call “critic proof”. I mean, it’s ultimately a near-2 hour over-indulged CGI fest based around two giant creatures and their evident animosity towards each other. But, rather ironically, these two titans are battling each other at the tail-end of a cinematic universe…
Read MoreDirector Matteo Garrone has often flirted between reality and fantasy when telling his stories on screen. His 2008 mafia drama Gomorrah and the crime-infused Dogman (2018) were steeped in a violent truth. His English-language fantasy Tales of Tales (2015) and a live-action adaptation of Pinocchio (2019) allowed him to delight in the whimsical. For Io…
Read MoreLonging for a brighter future, two Senegalese teenagers embark on a journey from West Africa to Italy. However, between their dreams and reality lies a labyrinth of checkpoints, the Sahara Desert, and the vast waters of the Mediterranean. And much like the characters at the centre of Io Capitano, director Matteo Garrone experienced a case…
Read MoreKaylee Hottle made sure she announced herself in the grandest way possible when she made her feature debut as Jia in 2021’s monstrous success Godzilla Vs. Kong. Returning to the series for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, the actress reunites with her on-screen bestie (that would be one, mighty Kong) as they face a…
Read MoreHaving survived the spectacle of Godzilla Vs Kong, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry were no strangers to the atmosphere of Adam Wingard‘s wrangling of the titanic cinematic beasts that are Godzilla and King Kong. But what about Dan Stevens? As Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire storms into theatres, Peter Gray spoke with the…
Read MoreThe epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delves further…
Read MoreWhilst it was a film that saw a critical slaughtering at the time of its release – it currently holds a 3% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is oft-considered now one of the worst films ever made – there’s no denying that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, a low budget horror recount of A.A. Milne’s classic…
Read MoreThanks to Warner Bros. Pictures Australia we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the epic monsterverse battle continue in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence –…
Read MoreBeetlejuice is back! Oscar-nominated, singular creative visionary Tim Burton and Oscar nominee and star Michael Keaton reunite for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to Burton’s award-winning Beetlejuice. After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her…
Read MoreAustralian rising pop sensation Behani has signed to ADA/Warner Music Australia, and to mark the occasion has debuted her new single, the first under the label, the sizzling “Again & Again”. With a unique blend of pop, afro sounds, and global groove, Behani has crafted a sound entirely her own, establishing herself as one of…
Read MoreThe Gold Coast Film Festival is set to bring films to life for another year. Running April 17th to the 28th, the GCFF will showcase amazing films, inspirational panels, outdoor screenings, free-to-attend industry education events, and special events at Home of the Arts (HOTA), as it celebrates its 22nd year. Kicking off an unforgettable celebration…
Read MoreThis autumn, for the first time in almost a decade, comedy icon Jack Black returns to his role as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, with a hilarious, butt-kicking new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise, Kung Fu Panda 4. After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and…
Read MoreBefore the internet gave way to the keyboard warriors of the world, if there was a bystander of sorts that you wished to give a piece of your mind to (however warranted or not), one had to put pen to paper and post such. In the early 20th century these were the days of the…
Read MoreNostalgia undoubtedly has its place within the realms of IP revisitation, but there are certain ways to utilise such a notion without completely falling back on them. 2021’s Afterlife, the 3rd Ghostbusters , chronologically, following 1984’s debut and its 1989 sequel – or the 4th iteration if counting Paul Feig’s much maligned, but vastly underrated…
Read MoreGiven Sydney Sweeney‘s dedication to Immaculate as a production, it makes sense that the actress gives her all across the 89 minutes of Michael Mohan‘s disturbing, occasionally blackly comic, religious horror film. A decade-or-so ago, Sweeney, who was still mainly working in C-grade film fare at the time, read the Andrew Lobel-penned script and knew…
Read MoreRenowned stand-up comedian and award-winning actress, Ali Wong, is excited to announce Australian dates for her “Ali Wong: Live” comedy tour, taking in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane this July. Produced by Live Nation, the tour has been a massive success, playing to full houses right across North America, Paris and London! Having captivated audiences worldwide with her…
Read MoreRoad House stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by the owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her…
Read MoreWhilst some of the beats are the same between Doug Liman‘s surprising take on Rowdy Herrington’s resilient 1989 trashy actioner of the same name, Road House 2024 proves removed enough to justify its existence as a similarly-themed junky piece of escapism that revels in its own dirty masculinity. Jake Gyllenhaal shares the same name as…
Read MoreWhilst the phenomenon of Barbenheimer brought many people back to the theatres, there are still certain audiences who aren’t venturing out beyond their living rooms to see the latest films. And if you, like so many others, are curious as to just why this year’s Academy Award nominated Best Picture options were the 10 titles…
Read MoreIf her prominent post-Twilight work hasn’t convinced you to join the Kristen Stewart appreciation club, then may I suggest signing up in the wake of Love Lies Bleeding, a deliciously wild, brutal noir crime comedy that gleefully breaks your jaw in the process. And there’s a reason I specified a breaking jaw in that analogy,…
Read MoreWhilst The Nut Farm undeniably goes for simple, perhaps obvious humour over the course of its brisk 80-ish minutes, audiences looking for clean(ish) humour and a sense of family fun should have an easy time digesting Arj Barker‘s absurd, well-intentioned comedy. Barker, an American comedian whose very much made Australia his second home over the…
Read MoreThe new Australian comedy The Nut Job details A failed US crypto trader who inherits a macadamia nut farm in Australia that’s under threat from some evil New Zealand frackers…so, you know, your average, relatable, Aussie battler story. Right? Believe it or not, amongst the heightened comedy of the script, there’s a semi-autobiographical narrative in…
Read MoreA psycho-thriller about a woman’s search for a missing monster hunter and her growing realisation that she is inescapably linked to the creature being pursued, Kryptic is sure to be one of SXSW’s most talked about projects. And it’s why Peter Gray had to speak to the film’s director, Kourtney Roy, and lead actress, Chloe…
Read MoreTowards the beginning of the creepy and ambiguous Kryptic, a tour guide overseeing the Cedar Springs Women’s Walking Club explains what cryptozoology is. “It means the study of the hidden,” he states as he details Barb Valentine, a cryptozoologist who went missing in the very same British Columbia hinterland the group is currently hiking through….
Read MoreMen behaving badly is at the core of Annick Blanc‘s Hunting Daze, a surreal visualisation of toxic masculinity that refuses to ever pigeonhole itself into one category. It’s horrific without ever devoting itself entirely to that genre. It’s blackly funny, though never satirical. And it’s always engaging, even if the extreme manner in which Blanc…
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