Seasoned film critic. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa.
Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke‘s comedy caper Drive-Away Dolls, starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon. Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet…
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“Have you ever heard the story of Alida and Taroo?…” So begins Jennifer Lopez‘s semi autobiographical musical experience This Is Me…Now: A Love Story, a narrative accompaniment to her latest album, This Is Me…Now, an urban pop record that celebrates her reunion with now husband Ben Affleck, following their original romance some two decades prior….
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An album twenty years in the making, This Is Me…Now is the sequel to Jennifer Lopez‘s 2002 romantic opus This Is Me…Then, a largely mid-tempo, old-school R&B-inspired record that musically defined her relationship with Ben Affleck. This Is Me…Now is similarly a record reflecting on her relationship with the actor, only this time she’s Mrs….
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With all that Bob Marley achieved before his passing at only the age of 36, it makes sense that his life be served the biopic treatment, and with King Richard helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green as a director, there’s perhaps even more of a sense of how emotionally impactful such a tale could be. But seemingly…
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Benny works for old school crime boss Abe, Abe has multiple personalities and is in a gang war with the notorious Frankie. Kane is the deadliest of Abe”s personalities, the next 24 hours will be a killer. Today is a good day to die. Such is the logline for Blair Moore’s ambitious debut feature Kane,…
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Leading up to the release of Madame Web it’s safe to say that the word hasn’t exactly been overtly positive. The usage of a certain line of dialogue regarding Dakota Johnson‘s character’s mother’s profession of working with spiders in the Amazon cemented the film’s meme status from the get-go – for the record, the line…
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This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing. Dropping in tandem with her first studio album in a decade, this genre-bending Amazon original showcases her journey to love through her own…
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After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young…
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This summer, the epic studio disaster movie returns with an adrenaline-pumping, seat- gripping, big-screen thrill ride that puts you in direct contact with one of nature’s most wondrous – and destructive – forces. From the producers of the Jurassic, Bourne and Indiana Jones series comes Twisters, a current-day chapter of the 1996 blockbuster, Twister. Directed…
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The “Merc with the Mouth” is back and more self-aware than ever in the first-look trailer for Marvel’s dip into the R rated territory of Deadpool with Deadpool & Wolverine. Not much is known about the plot specifics, though we do know Matthew Macfadyen‘s as-yet-to-be-named character works for the Time Variance Authority, the multiversal organization…
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There’s a lot of blunt symbolism and are-they-too-clever-for-their-own-good?-plot twists abound in Marmalade, the feature debut from actor-turned-writer/director Keir O’Donnell (the Australian-American talent known for his roles in Wedding Crashers, American Sniper, and The Dry). It’s an ultimately zippy, enthusiastic caper that probably puts a few too many of its eggs in its culminating basket, but…
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Whilst much can be said about how so much of The Dry‘s success was in large part to it opening at a time when cinemas were still battling the pandemic-stricken productions that were halted, it can’t be denied that Robert Connolly‘s tight thriller was a fine genre film in its own right. The fact that…
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There couldn’t have been a more contrasting set of circumstances for the premiere of Force of Nature: The Dry 2 when compared to its predecessor. The Dry, one of 2021’s most lucrative Australian box office successes, a desolate, drought-stricken set thriller previewed to a downpour of rain in late 2020 ahead of its release. For…
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“I was ready!” Actress Sisi Stringer knew what she was getting herself into when taking on Force of Nature: The Dry 2. So much so that she became an unofficial expert on filming in the harsh realty of the Australian rainforest. Whether or not that advice was taken on by her co-stars is another story…
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As Force of Nature: The Dry 2 treks its way towards Australian theatres, The AU Review’s coverage of the anticipated thriller continues. Following on from his interviews with both director Robert Connolly and star/producer Eric Bana, and producer Jodi Matterson and author Jane Harper, Peter Gray spoke with actresses (and Aussie screen royalty, at this…
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Her web connects them all. Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Dakota Johnson as Marvel’s latest superheroine Madame Web, exclusively set for release in cinemas from Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2024. In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of…
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Following on from his interview with Eric Bana and director Robert Connolly Peter Gray spoke with Force of Nature: The Dry 2 producer Jodi Matterson and author Jane Harper about the dense reality of filming and what they thought of Bana’s embodiment of his character. The film, set for a national release on February 8th,…
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In Force of Nature: The Dry 2, when five women take part in a corporate hiking retreat and only four come out on the other side, Federal Agents Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) and Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie) head deep into the Victorian mountain ranges to investigate in the hopes of finding their whistle-blowing informant, Alice…
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The promise of a trilogy based off a series of books that have yet to be released. A planned spy-centred universe of films that is set to crossover with the similarly themed Kingsman and a yet-to-be-named franchise. Taylor Swift theorists believing she’s the real mastermind behind it all. And don’t forget the heavily marketed feline…
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Whether it’s a gangster movie, a fairytale, a comic book adaptation, or a spy series, writer/director Matthew Vaughn always makes sure to bend the rules wherever he can. And after his trio of Kingsman films, the filmmaker is taking on quite possibly his biggest, and most intricate, task yet with Argylle. Based on a series…
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Thanks predominantly to RuPaul, and, more specifically RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag culture has firmly wedged itself in the mainstream. It’s always been there, it’s just more readily acceptable, or at least visible, and Amrou Al-Kadhi’s assured debut feature as both a writer and director, Layla, furthers such with its playful, authentic personality that drives home…
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Since first revealing in April of 2022 that she was forging ahead with a long-teased venture into music – she captioned a photo of her on Instagram in front of a microphone “Finally realized it’s time to say f#%! it and saaaannngg!!!!!” – Academy Award-nominated actress Kate Hudson has made good on her word, announcing…
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Though there’s an initial graphicness to the manner in which sex is depicted in the opening minutes of Sebastian, Mikko Mäkelä‘s explorative drama shouldn’t be dismissed as just another recent example of queer cinema that leans into sexual explicitness for the sake of shock or organic representation. Yes, the sex on hand is a realistic…
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There’s universally strong performances across the board and lush cinematography throughout, but one can’t help but wish there was more plotting to Good One for the understated drama to truly land the emotional impact it aims for. The set-up in India Donaldson‘s film is simple, with 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias, an absolute breakout) gearing up…
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There’s a uniqueness to Desire Lines that writer/director Jules Rosskam (and co-writer Nate Gualtieri) implements to set the film as an open line of communication regarding the LGBTQIA+ community and their placement within their own culture. A narrative-driven drama that combines documentary pieces and talking head confessionals, the film’s hybrid mentality may not always work,…
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Diving both into the cutthroat world of journalism and the medium’s potential to garner fame off the back of manipulation and obsession, Roxine Helberg‘s Cold Copy, whilst not necessarily reinventing the wheel, still manages an air of tension throughout as it details the power dynamic between a journalism student and the media professional she aspires…
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Following its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, Cold Copy is gearing up for its international roll-out, with the tension-filled dramatic thriller first arriving in North American theatres and On Demand this week. Marking Roxine Helberg’s feature film directorial debut, Cold Copy tells the story of two driven women pushing the boundaries of…
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The complexities of forgiveness and accountability against a familial backdrop laced with tension, regret and one’s own personal demons, Exhibiting Forgiveness is a thought-provoking drama, and one that bides its time in surrendering to its emotional explosiveness. Written and directed by Titus Kaphar, marking his feature debut, Exhibiting Forgiveness focuses on Tarell Rodin (André Holland),…
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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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Following on from yesterday’s poster debut, Amazon MGM Studios have released the first full-length trailer for Doug Liman and Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Road House, an adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the 80s cult classic, about an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not…
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