No matter how hard you try, you can’t break up with your past. This Valentine’s Day, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan rockets into his first major leading man role as an unlikely hero, a seemingly mild-mannered realtor with a dark secret that he is desperate to leave behind. Spoiler alert: He won’t. From 87North producers…
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Cygni: All Guns Blazing admittedly caught me by surprise when I saw its first trailers. But upon playing it, I couldn’t have felt more at home. They might have been released before my time, but I still grew up playing arcade classics like Gradius, Galaga, R-Type and even Space Invaders, soaking up the addictive moment-to-moment…
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The 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…
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If there’s one thing we can rely on Jason Statham for, it’s B-movie cheap thrills that epitomise the term “guilty pleasure”. Escapism in its purest, bloodiest form, The Beekeeper (Statham took the B-movie memo a little too literally, it would seem) is a ridiculous actioner from proven genre director David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury,…
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Whilst Dermot Mulroney won’t exactly see a career shift in the same manner as Liam Neeson did as an action-heavy persona in the wake of Taken, his rough and ready stature as a vigilante wrestling coach in Ruthless certainly works in his favour, and proves the film’s only true saving grace. Directed by Art Camacho…
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Though prolific action director John Woo has maintained a steady hand behind the camera for decades now, it’s been 20 years since he helmed an American production; the last standing as the largely-forgotten Ben Affleck sci-fi leaning Paycheck. Returning stateside with a mentality that feels far removed from the oft-outlandish, budget-aplenty genre films he was…
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From acclaimed Hong Kong-based action director, John Woo (Face/Off, Broken Arrow, Mission: Impossible II) comes Silent Night – his first American film in 20 years. Starring Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad, Robocop, Hanna), Silent Night tells the story of a man who witnesses the death of his young son on Christmas Eve, when the boy gets caught in…
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Returning to the American filmic scene for the first time in 20 years, John Woo’s Silent Night is a bold, visceral tale of revenge told in the most unique of ways. Foregoing traditional dialogue, Woo’s violent, emotional action film emphasises the beating heart and the bloody pulp behind the slick choreography, with Joel Kinnaman leading…
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23 years after Hollywood first attempted to adapt the Dungeons & Dragons phenomenon with an entirely forgettable fantasy that starred Jimmy Olsen from TV’s Lois & Clark, and had Marlon Wayans setting back racial stereotypes by a good few decades, the (studio) powers that be have opted to re-polish the IP, rolling the dice on…
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My first few hours with High On Life were something different, with the final product proving to be one of the most polarizing and subjective games I’ve played in recent memory. But it’s not for the reasons you might think. High On Life ticks many of the boxes associated with the first-person shooter genre; it’s…
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The Hitman Vs. Assassin subsect of the action genre is one that rarely deviates from its rather tried and true formula; aside from a hefty injection of cash and a star-studded cast, something as recent as Netflix’s throwaway actioner The Gray Man is proof that the genre, even in 2022, seems comfortable resting on its…
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I’ve always admired musou style games for their sheer intensity. Repeatedly hacking and slashing waves of villains never seems to get old, from the Dynasty Warriors franchise, to the more recent Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. As a result, the Fire Emblem franchise has decided to try its hand at the genre for the second…
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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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Sporadically seen but frequently heard throughout via storytelling-like narration that speaks to the throwback era of filmmaking Panama adheres to, Mel Gibson waltzes in and out of Mark Neveldine‘s action effort with little care as to how his scene chewing is going to disrupt the heavy lifting supplied by co-star (and actual lead) Cole Hauser….
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Ever since 2008’s Taken reorganised Liam Neeson‘s career, the actor has embraced his action persona and, almost annually, kept his fans satiated with each subsequent outing. His latest release is Blacklight, a slightly more grounded action film where he stars as FBI operative Travis Block who uncovers a conspiracy within his own agency. To coincide…
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It’s almost hard to believe there was a time before Liam Neeson took an almost exclusive stance on the midrange-budgeted actioner where his character, usually an operative in some form or another, possessed enough of a skillset to inflict pain on an interchangeable villain. It’s been the actor’s go-to for almost 15 years, and whilst…
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Whilst I completely understand wanting to re-visit a fruitful series such as Resident Evil, one that pulled in significant coin despite being critically slaughtered, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hardly makes such a trip worthwhile. For starters, Milla Jovovich, patron saint of these entirely disposable films, hasn’t been brought back. Yes, it being a…
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Although it leans into the tropes of what we come to expect from the institution that is a James Bond film, and in some ways this 25th entrant is possibly the most self-aware of the pack, No Time To Die keeps largely in tune with the mentality of the wave of Daniel Craig-led films; the…
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Familiar with a little father-son friction thanks to his role on TV’s Kim’s Convenience, Simu Liu experiences similar, though considerably higher emotional stakes, but no less dramatic, as the titular warrior-to-be Shang-Chi in Marvel’s latest extravagant offering, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. There’s the typical end-of-the-world dilemma to contend with, but Destin…
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Seemingly defined at this point in his career by the grizzly, no-nonsense avenger-types he encapsulates – first realised in the 2008 actioner Taken – The Ice Road eases up on Liam Neeson‘s menacing persona and gives his somewhat-everyman a blue collar temperament. He’s still out there risking his life, mind you, but it’s comparatively slightly…
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Thanks to Rialto Distribution we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the action film The Ice Road, starring Liam Neeson and Laurence Fishburne, in Australian cinemas from August 12th, 2021. After a remote diamond mine collapses in the far northern regions of Canada, an ice driver leads an impossible rescue mission…
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Given how well she’s utilised her heart and her humour when leaning into the action heroine outfit – see the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jumanji franchises for reference – it makes sense that both additives be applied to Karen Gillan‘s latest genre effort, the delightfully named Gunpowder Milkshake. Initially she’s a little too cold-hearted…
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Thanks to StudioCanal we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the action film Gunpowder Milkshake, starring Karen Gillan, Michelle Yeoh, Lena Headey, Angela Bassett and Carla Gugino, in Australian cinemas from July 15th, 2021. Sam (Karen Gillan) was only 12 years old when her mother Scarlet (Lena Headey), an elite…
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Thanks to Rialto Distribution we have ten double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the action thriller The Misfits, in Australian cinemas from July 1st, 2021. After being recruited by a group of unconventional thieves, renowned criminal Richard Pace (Pierce Brosnan) finds himself caught up in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have…
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Despite supposedly meeting his maker at the end of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Sung Kang‘s fan favourite character Han Lue is back in action for Fast & Furious 9. Reuniting with director Justin Lin and Fast family patriarch Vin Diesel, Kang’s return to the franchise has been shrouded in mystery. As the…
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Set for an exclusive theatrical release in July this year, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Crazy Rich Asians breakout Henry Golding as the titular ninja commando made famous from his appearance in the G.I. Joe line of action figures, comic books and animated series. Known for his concealed appearance behind all-black attire and lack of vocals,…
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After making a name for himself in the late 90’s/early 2000’s with his distinct brand of British gangster villainy, writer/director Guy Ritchie seemed to trade in authenticity for capital. The success of such studio projects as Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin seemed to gradually distance Ritchie from his more unkempt beginnings, before 2019’s The Gentlemen seemingly…
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Ascendant is one of those films that’s equally as difficult to write about it as it is deceptively simple. A film that banks entirely on the fact that it unravels and reveals its narrative in an unexpected manner, Antaine Furlong‘s ambitious sci-fi-leaning action/thriller is a testament to the first time Australian filmmaker’s bold vision and…
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Following its box office success in the US – the film topped the North American chart as one of the few films to maintain a cinema-only rollout – Nobody is planning its Australian unleashing on April 1st (no joke!). In relation to the film’s release (you can read our review here), Peter Gray chatted with…
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You would think by now that the proprietors of the particular cinematic universe that encompasses films surrounding a giant ape and a radioactive lizard would gather that we really don’t care about the human characters involved. Sure, it’s great for there to be suitably formed players, and in the case of these films they’re often…
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