Nicole Kidman

Babygirl; An emotionally vulnerable Nicole Kidman dominates erotic, tragic power-play drama: TIFF 2024 Review

As much as Halina Reijn‘s Babygirl is an erotic thriller about the power play dynamic of a high-strung female CEO and the young, confident intern who infiltrates her deepest sexual desires, the Bodies, Bodies, Bodies filmmaker ultimately has created a film about the power of communication. Communication in its most carnal form is what draws…

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Film Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom brings the DCEU to an end with a droplet rather than a splash

And just like that, the DCEU comes to a close with a droplet rather than the splash we were expecting a decade ago. In 2013, when Man of Steel premiered, there was the promise of an exciting future of storytelling to be told for the variety of characters within the DC lore.  There was rousing,…

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Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs to world premiere at SXSW Sydney

The world premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs, an inspiring epic adventure and reimagined extended version of his 2008 film Australia, will be presented by the celebrated filmmaker in person, on closing night of the inaugural SXSW Sydney Screen Festival on October 21st, 2023. The film, told in six chapters, will premiere all at once…

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SXSW announce two new screen conferences not to miss

Australians in Film (AiF), the Los Angeles based artist development organization, and their new presenting partner, Screen Australia, have just announced that they are adding two stand out conference sessions to the Festival line-up for SXSW Sydney 2023. Thursday 19th October: “A Spotlight on Blossom Films” Go inside the workings of Blossom Films with Australian screen…

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The king of Atlantis returns in first Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer

Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, alongside Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman, return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s…

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National Film and Sound Archive’s groundbreaking Australians & Hollywood exhibit to continue throughout 2023

Following its successful launch in Canberra earlier this year, the groundbreaking National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) Australians & Hollywood exhibition will remain on show throughout 2023. The blockbuster exhibition, which celebrates Australia’s contemporary cinematic, acting and filmmaking success, opened in January and now its extended run will give Canberra and national audiences an expanded…

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Film Review: The Northman is an ugly, brutal, Shakespearean drama indulging in its unconventionality

“I will avenge you, Father; I will save you, Mother; I will kill you, Fjölnir.” These muttered, repeated words by Viking prince Amleth (played by Oscar Novak as a young boy, and a hulking, angry Alexander Skarsgård as an adult) are essentially summarising Robert Eggers‘ narrative intentions in The Northman, an ugly, brutal, at-times Shakespearean drama….

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Win a double in-season pass to see The Northman starring Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman

Thanks to Universal Pictures we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to give away for the upcoming release of The Northman, starring Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman, set for release in cinemas from April 21st, 2022. From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his…

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Film Review: Being the Ricardos is a narratively disjointed, though enjoyably acted biopic about the unmatched Lucille Ball

Much was said about Being the Ricardos before it even screened for critics, with the fact that stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem were somewhat controversial casting choices to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  Neither looks considerably like the legendary comedic performers, which left a certain sour taste in the mouths of those wondering…

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First Impressions: Nine Perfect Strangers revels in the slow burn of threat

Though it boasts a lush Byron Bay setting, is filled to the brim with aesthetically pleasing cast members, and is based around the notion of healing one’s self, Nine Perfect Strangers is decidedly unnerving. Set in a secluded health and wellness resort named Tranquillum House, the nine perfect strangers of the title are the latest…

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Nicole Kidman to star and executive produce adaptation of award-winning play Things I Know To Be True for Amazon

Australian playwright Andrew Bovell‘s award-winning theatre production Things I Know To Be True has been acquired by Amazon Studios and Nicole Kidman‘s production banner Blossom Films. Set to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video across 240 countries and territories worldwide, Kidman will topline the series set around the the resilience of an enduring marriage and…

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Film Review: Bombshell lacks the power of its namesake as it pulls its punches

Ever since the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the world had drastically changed and stories of sexual violence have gone through the roof; exposing all the reprehensible actions that have been swept under the rug for decades in the entertainment industry. Since then, the boom has reached worldwide, exposing other horrific stories in the process. What is…

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Film Review: Nicole Kidman is unrecognisable as a broken cop in Destroyer (USA, 2018)

Cops are tops. But if you’re Erin Bell in Destroyer you’re less tops and more likely to be drinking hops. Nicole Kidman plays a bedraggled and unrecognisable detective in this noir. While there are some moments where it is thrilling, most of it is far too slow-burning and perfunctory to really cut through. This film…

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Film Review: Aquaman (USA, 2018) proves utterly unapologetic in its decision to play everything as riotous

After what has felt to be an endless journey for Jason Momoa‘s portrayal of the King of Atlantis to grace the screens, Aquaman finally arrives in the hopes of both serving the character justice and steering the DC ship back on course after the underwhelming Justice League. Traditionally a blonde-haired/blue-eyed creation that was often the…

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Joel Edgerton directed film Boy Erased gets Iits first official trailer; boasts massive Aussie cast

Famous Australian actor Joel Edgerton (Warrior), takes his talents to the directing chair, as the first trailer for his film Boy Erased is released. Edgerton will also write, produce and co-star. The film will focus on the trails and tribulations of homosexuality, as Jared, the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, comes…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (USA/UK, 2017) is the product of skilful filmmaking

It’s not often that an art-house thriller comes together so perfectly to create an unsettling horror capable of antagonising your thoughts even after you’ve walked out the cinema doors. But that is exactly what The Killing of a Sacred Deer does, the fifth feature film of Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos. As a darkly comic rendition…

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What we learned from the first two episodes of Top of the Lake: China Girl

Tonight sees the first episode of Top of the Lake: China Girl premiere on Foxtel’s BBC First. It is the follow up to Jane Campion’s 2013 series Top of the Lake and we were lucky enough to attend the world premiere earlier this month in Sydney to watch episodes 1 and 2. The new season sees Elisabeth Moss…

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Nicole Kidman and Jane Campion walk the red carpet for Top of the Lake: China Girl in Sydney

Tuesday night saw the Australian premiere of Jane Campion’s new BBC Worldwide crime thriller series Top of the Lake: China Girl at the Sydney Opera House. Amongst the cast and crew present were Nicole Kidman, creator, writer and director Jane Campion, co-writer Gerard Lee, director Ariel Kleiman as well as cast members Alice Englert, Lincoln…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: The Beguiled (USA, 2017) is a worthy remake with an excellent cast and crew

Apart from Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, I haven’t seen much of director Sofia Coppola‘s work. Known for her filmmaking approach to humanize her subjects with unorthodox methods like gentle pathos, looking through different character points-of-views outside the norm and the use of anachronisms, Coppola has achieved a reputation of being a director that is…

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First Impressions: HBO’s Big Little Lies is rich, addictive television

Never forgive.  Never forget. If there’s one mantra the characters of Big Little Lies live by, it’s that.  Shrewdly written by TV veteran David E. Kelly, HBO’s new seven-arc mini-series is a deliciously wicked slice of suburban slaughter where it’s what’s on the outside that matters most. Based on Australian novelist Liane Moriarty’s best-selling prose,…

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Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and David Wenham attend the Australian premiere of Lion

The star-studded cast of the acclaimed new film Lion hit the red carpet in Sydney earlier this week, a month out from its cinematic release here in Australia. Aussies Nicole Kidman and David Wenham were joined at the State Theatre in Sydney by follow actor at star Dev Patel, the film’s director Garth Davis as…

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Sofia Coppola set to write and direct a remaking of Clint Eastwood’s Beguiled

After stepping down from Universal’s live-action retelling of The Little Mermaid, Sofia Copolla will instead write and direct a remake of Clint Eastwood‘s 1970’s period drama The Beguiled. Originally starring Eastwood, directed by Don Siegel, and adapted from Thomas P. Cullinan‘s novel by the same name, The Beguiled follows a wounded American soldier rescued and nursed back to…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: Strangerland (Australia/Ireland, 2014)

Kim Farrant’s Strangerland has a magical and mythical quality to it, making full use of the Australian outback with rich, rocky-red landscape shots that swallow the film’s characters in expansive, ambitious cinematography. But while visually impressive, Strangerland’s flaws lie in a commitment to ambiguity, presenting itself as one thing and then veering off into another…

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