Seasoned film critic. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa.
Though there is a high-concept present in the narrative forming of My Old Ass – shroom induced time travel could be the easiest elevator pitch summary (so, a high-concept if ever there was one) – Megan Park‘s deliriously sweet, always charming, oft-hilarious venture is, at its core, an uncomplicated affair that simply wants to make…
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There’s a sense of too many eggs in one basket present in Problemista, a loaded-with-ideas, absurdist comedy from comedian Julio Torres who treats his first-time feature as if he may not get the chance to do a second. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with the ideas that Torres – a former Saturday Night Live scribe,…
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As Yorgos Lanthimos built up his profile with more mainstream-inclined audiences over the years – blending his unique storytelling vision with noticeable, A-list talent – the filmmaker viscerally tells them to essentially f*ck off with Kinds of Kindness, a 164-minute blackly comic, absurdist, and boundary-pushing surrealist drama that makes his previous oddity, last year’s award-winning…
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Men 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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Though it leans into the action/thriller genre with a supreme wink, Thelma, Josh Margolin‘s frequently hilarious, always poignant ode to his own grandmother (and, clearly, a love of the action genre), is never spoofing the films it so evidently is earning its laughs from; and it’s that sweetness and keen sense of reinvention that helps…
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The controversial historical treatment of Australia’s native people by white settlers and the continuing generational trauma within the Indigenous communities weigh heavy on the narrative themes of Jon Bell‘s The Moogai. There’s a ripe premise to lean into horror genre sensibilities – “moogai” is the Bundjalung language for a malevolent child-stealing entity that is the…
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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