Interviews

Interview: Schuyler Weiss on producing Elvis and his collaborative relationship with Baz Luhrmann

Arriving in Australian cinemas this week (you can read our review here) hot off its history-making reception at the Cannes Film Festival, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis brings the life of the king of rock ‘n’ roll to the big screen in predictably lavish fashion. Talking with our own Peter Gray at the Australian premiere, the film’s…

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Film Review: Jurassic World Dominion further removes itself from the organic DNA of the original series

To paraphrase the Queen Bee of 2004, Mean Girls‘ Regina George, “Stop trying to make dinosaurs happen!” Though the love for legacy sequels is at an all-time high thanks to the recent 1-2 hit of Top Gun: Maverick and Scream, the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World continuation fails to continue the trend, further removing itself from the…

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Interview: Alex Liu on his documentary A Sexplanation; “Rather than living in that angst, I decided to talk about it”

As his topical documentary A Sexplanation arrives for digital download in Australia (you can read our review here), creator Alex Liu spoke with our own Peter Gray about exploring the hardships of addressing such a controversial subject as sex education, how his own coming out was the catalyst for the film, and the surprising reaction…

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Interview: Director Colin Trevorrow, Chris Pratt and the cast of Jurassic World: Dominion on ending the franchise

The end of two eras comes to a close this week as Jurassic World: Dominion roars into theatres, finalising both the original Jurassic Park and World trilogies that have seen dinosaurs roam the Earth for close to three decades. Ahead of the film’s release, Peter Gray was invited to the global press conference to speak…

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Interview: Sean Patrick Flanery and producer Allen Gilmer on directorial debuts and the unconventional writing of road thriller Frank & Penelope

As an actor, Sean Patrick Flanery has amassed more than 100 credits over a three decade-long career.  Best known for his work in such acclaimed titles as Powder, The Boondock Saints, and the upcoming season of Amazon’s The Boys, Flanery is now turning his attention behind the camera for Frank & Penelope, a road movie-cum-cult…

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Interview: Director Baltasar Kormákur on placing Idris Elba in danger for new action film, Beast

From the endangerment of Mark Wahlberg’s family in Contraband to the singular distress of Shailene Woodley’s nautical nightmare in Adrift, Baltasar Kormákur is a director no stranger to the utilisation of squeezing the most out of his genre films and placing his players in grave danger. For his latest effort, the Icelandic filmmaker is heading…

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Interview: Erik Thomson on enjoying the tone set by the female cast and crew of How to Please a Woman

A staple of the Australian cinema and televisual landscape for 30 years, Erik Thomson is an AFI and Silver Logie award winning actor known for his work in All Saints, Packed to the Rafters, and 800 Words. On May 19th, he will be seen romancing Sally Phillips in the comedy How to Please a Woman,…

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Interview: Firestarter director Keith Thomas on casting Zac Efron as a dad and the pressure of adapting Stephen King

Set to ignite Australian cinemas from May 12th (and, appropriately, Friday the 13th in the United States in both theatres and on Peacock), Firestarter, Stephen King‘s classic novel about a pyrokinetic young girl on the run from a government agency hoping to control her for their own benefit, will earn new life through director Keith…

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Interview: Director Renée Webster on How to Please a Woman and finding the comedy in truth and pain

Having played to sold out festival sessions across Australia, the female-focused dramedy How to Please a Woman is looking to continue its crowd-pleasing success when it opens nationally in Australian cinemas on May 19th. Ahead of its release, Peter Gray spoke with the film’s writer and director, Renée Webster, about its rapturous reception so far,…

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Interview: Steven Cree on the insular process of filming twisted horror film The Twin

Primarily known for his television work on such series as Outlander and A Discovery of Witches, Scottish actor Steven Cree is trading in the fantastical for the fearful, headlining the twisted horror film The Twin alongside Discovery… co-star Teresa Palmer. Cree stars as a husband who relocates with his wife to the other side of…

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Luke Hemsworth and Lincoln Lewis close the festivities of the 2022 Gold Coast Film Festival

Bringing to a close 12 days of cinema celebration, the 20th annual Gold Coast Film Festival went out in suitable style with festival ambassador Lincoln Lewis, and actors Luke Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Rasmus King and director Tyler Atkins, there to celebrate the premiere of Bosch & Rockit, a soaring true story based on Atkins’ own…

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Interview: The cast and crew of Downton Abbey: A New Era on their exciting return home

The Lords and Ladies of Downton have returned. Ushering in a new year and a new era on screen, Julian Fellowes‘ acclaimed drama series has graduated from six television series, to now two acclaimed filmic continuations. To coincide with the anticipated release of Downton Abbey: A New Era (you can read our review here), which…

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Interview: Director Fernando León de Aranoa on creating The Good Boss and trusting Javier Bardem enough to take risks.

With The Good Boss currently screening in Australian theatres (you can read our review here), Peter Gray spoke with the film’s writer and director, Fernando León de Aranoa, about creating such an interesting character, balancing the tone between humour and drama, and working with Javier Bardem, an actor he trusts enough to take risks with…

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Interview: Elisha Cuthbert on filming The Cellar, approaching the horror genre, and her love of Australia

Now streaming on Shudder, The Cellar (you can read our review here) is a haunted house-themed horror film starring Elisha Cuthbert as a mother whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of her family’s new house in the country.  She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling the home that she will have…

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Interview: Director Jay Cheel on Cursed Films II; “There’s weird energy around this production”

When people look at films that are super beloved and then hear stories about the difficulties or tragedies that happen on set, they then go onto describe that production as “cursed”.  After exploring such controversial productions as Twilight Zone: The Movie and Poltergeist during its first season, Cursed Films II explores a further quintet of…

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Interview: Eddie Redmayne, Mads Mikkelsen and the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

The magic of the Wizarding World is once again conjured with the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (you can read our review here).  As the film prepares for its global launch, Peter Gray was fortunate to speak with key cast members Eddie Redmayne, Jessica Williams, Mads Mikkelsen, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner and…

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Interview: David Yates on directing Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore; “These stories mean something to a lot of people”

To say director David Yates is synonymous with the Wizarding World would be putting it mildly.  Having directed half of the Harry Potter film series – Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 – and both Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes…

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Interview: Director Michael Bay on injecting a level of humanism into the action of Ambulance

Since breaking out with 1995’s Bad Boys, director Michael Bay has been synonymous with the action genre.  Defying the critics year after year, Bay’s films have collectively grossed over $7.8 billion, making him one of the most successful directors in cinematic history. After taking a break from the big screen – he helmed 2019’s Netflix…

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Interview: Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on forming a brotherly bond on Ambulance, the safety of filming, and “directing” action sequences

Speeding into cinemas this week (you can read our review here), Ambulance is the latest action extravaganza from Michael Bay.  Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as two brothers who hijack an ambulance following a bank heist gone wrong, Universal Studios put our own Peter Gray in touch with the acting duo to discuss…

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Interview: Night’s End director Jennifer Reeder on loving horror, making an isolated film, and casting Michael Shannon

The streaming service Shudder has cornered the market on the horror genre since its 2015 inception.  Known for housing horror classics, as well as distributing its own original films, Shudder has allowed genre enthusiasts and filmmakers to explore their macabre mentality.  One such director doing so is Jennifer Reeder, whose latest effort, the supernatural scarer…

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Interview: The Bad Guys author Aaron Blabey on making a kids film inspired by Tarantino; “That balance is something I’ve dedicated my life to finding”

With The Bad Guys officially out in Australian cinemas now (read our review here), Peter Gray spoke with Australia author Aaron Blabey (again), whose series of books the film is adapted from.  Talking at the Australian junket, Peter and Aaron, after the pleasantries of finally meeting in person, discussed where the idea originated from, the…

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Interview: Zazie Beetz and Lilly Singh on voicing The Bad Guys; “Animation makes everything you do 100 times better”

As The Bad Guys releases in Australian cinemas (you can read our review here), Peter Gray spoke with actresses Zazie Beetz and Lilly Singh about their voice work in the animated heist caper, how they reacted to first reading the “Tarantino for kids” script, and the “thrilling” experience of recording their roles in the same…

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Interview: Director Pierre Perifel and producer Damon Ross on bringing The Bad Guys to life; “It was very much in the spirit of the kind of movies we make at DreamWorks”

A New York Times #1 best-seller, The Bad Guys series from Australian author Aaron Blabey has solidified itself as one of the most successful collections of graphic novels aimed at younger audiences.  With such success comes the inevitable big screen adaptation, and arriving in Australian cinemas on March 31st from award-winning filmmaker Pierre Perifel, the…

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Interview: Director Nyla Innuksuk on her SXSW horror film Slash/Back and the importance of incorporating her indigenous culture

Having premiered at SXSW to rave reviews (including our own here) the horror/adventure film Slash/Back has more than announced filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk as a talent to take note of.  Talking with Peter Gray during her time at the festival, the two spoke about the origins of the film’s story, the importance of incorporating her indigenous…

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Interview: Director Maureen Bharoocha and actress Ramona Young on their SXSW revenge comedy The Prank

After missing out on the SXSW screening experience in 2020 with her feature The Golden Arm, director Maureen Bharoocha is even more grateful to be screening her latest film, The Prank, in person this year.  As the dark comedic thriller premiered (you can read our festival review here) our Peter Gray spoke to both Maureen…

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Interview: Director Bianca Poletti on her SXSW short film Radical Honesty; “I love stories that have subtle, dark, awkward humour”

Premiering at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, Radical Honesty is a new short feature from director/photographer Bianca Poletti.  In the lead-up to the film’s premiere, our own Peter Gray spoke with her about the inspiration behind its unconventional take on relationships, her own personal attachment to the idea of non-monogamy, and which filmmakers she personally…

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Interview: Umbrella Entertainment’s Ari Harrison on Australia’s revolutionary Feature30 filmmaking competition

Have you ever had an experience or an idea that would make a great movie?  A first of its kind film competition open to everybody is hoping to turn your creativity into reality. Never been done before in Australia, Feature30 is a competition with a difference.  Not only will it reward its winner with a…

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Interview: Radha Mitchell on new revenge thriller Asking For It, its controversial reception, and how she feels about the ending of Neighbours

One of Australia’s finest, and hardest working, exports, Radha Mitchell is a homegrown success story, having graduated from the local screens of the sitcom All Together Now and the institution that is Neighbours, to such international box office successes as Pitch Black, Phone Booth, and Silent Hill. As her latest film, the darkly comedic revenge…

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Interview: The Batman director Matt Reeves on navigating a darker take on the superhero; “I wanted a story that would break him to his core”

Arriving in cinemas this week (you can read our review here), The Batman is arguably one of the year’s most anticipated films.  Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and fronted by Robert Pattinson, the film is gearing up to deliver a version of the Dark Knight we have…

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Interview: Peter Dinklage on the fear and complexity of playing Cyrano; “With great risk comes great reward”

Arriving in cinemas today, Cyrano (you can read our review here) is the beautiful new drama from director Joe Wright, who has reinterpreted Edmond Rostand’s classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac as a sorrowful musical starring Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage (TV’s Game of Thrones) as the titular poet. To coincide with…

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