Like many a millennial, the original Mean Girls from 2004 holds a special place in the depths of my queer, quote-filled heart. It’s why there was sense of trepidation in coming into the new iteration of Tina Fey and Mark Waters’ high-school comedy. Now, I was actually fully aware that this particular version was a…
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There comes a point in Boy Swallows Universe – Netflix’s splashy adaptation of Trent Dalton‘s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name – where you beg for the creators to let the show’s lead feature, 13-year-old Eli Bell (a standout Felix Cameron), earn a moment to catch his breath. Sure, it’d let us as viewers do…
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In the same week that Ferrari arrives in Australian theatres, Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia hits American multiplexes, digital and On Demand (an Australian release is yet to be determined), showcasing a more accessible racing story and the men driving such to fruition. Creative licence and enhanced melodrama are unavoidable in telling this particular…
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There’s nothing wrong with a movie being nice, but George Clooney‘s old-fashioned drama The Boys in the Boat is a little too sweet and tropey for its own good. Based on Daniel James Brown‘s best-selling nonfiction novel of the same name, the 1930s set tale feels as if it’s been made in that era through…
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Given the calibre of horror talent on board with Night Swim (between them, producers Jason Blum and James Wan have such genre treats as the Halloween series, The Conjuring films, M3GAN and Malignant), as well as the fact that the short film it’s based on earned critical acclaim upon its release a decade ago, one…
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Compared to the other “exceptional man” biopics of the last year (Oppenheimer, Maestro, Napoleon), Michael Mann‘s Ferrari is, sadly, the least interesting. Whilst it doesn’t take an entirely traditional narrative – the film only shows us a certain chunk of the man’s life – and Adam Driver does his best with his showy role, to…
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If you browse long enough on Twitter, sorry, X, you’ll note that there’s still chatter and self-diagnosed “hot takes” regarding Taika Waititi‘s 2019 outing Jojo Rabbit. The film already had its share of detractors in the immediate aftermath of its release, but an Oscar win for Best Screenplay and the general good word for its…
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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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There’s been a lot of chatter around Wish and the fact that its release celebrates Disney’s centennial, where the major theme across a heft of the studio’s films – that of wishes being granted – would be tied together. It’s a sweet notion, without question, but it would appear that the creatives behind the film…
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Like his previous works that celebrate their fantastical, absurdist nature with a certain gravitas, Yorgos Lanthimos grounds Poor Things, an undeniably wild, oft-offensive, sexually liberated black comedy, with a stirring sense of emotion and topical commentary. In 19th century London – or what such a time period looks like within Lanthimos’ vivid imagination – the eccentric…
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Even if Anyone But You isn’t the type of film that would ordinarily interest you, it’s difficult to not know about Will Gluck‘s frisky romcom due to the “Are they/aren’t they” chemistry of stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, two impossibly gorgeous actors who leaned into their own sex appeal during the filming in Sydney…
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Given how implicitly we (mostly) trust those in the medical profession it makes sense that such praise could give way to their intentional negligence. And such is the case with the stories behind Dr. Death, a (now) anthology series that takes its inspiration from the Wonderey podcast that detailed egregious cases of medial malpractice. The…
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Given that Migration, the latest animated offering from the Illumination collective (the production company behind such successes as Despicable Me and the inexplicable Minions), is penned by White Lotus creator Mike White, it makes sense that the film manages to make us care about its characters, rather than just be mildly amused at their comedic…
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Power banks are becoming increasingly important not only when out and about, but when using multiple devices too. While my phone is inevitably with me wherever I go, I might decide to bring along a secondary device. But even when those devices are fully charged, longer trips away call for a larger battery, with a…
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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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Power banks feel somewhat essential these days, with the ever-growing list of portable devices along for the ride when we’re on the go. While it’s always handy to leave the house with a full battery, sometimes it’s just nice to have that reassurance there, in that something as important as your phone, for example, doesn’t…
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Whilst it made sense for a character such as Jack Reacher to be opted for big screen treatment, it wasn’t quite as clear as to why he was realised through Tom Cruise. From an action capability view it worked, and no one could ever question Cruise’s ability to get butts on seats, but the character…
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SteelSeries has spent the better part of the past two years redesigning and reinvigorating its entire range, along with the introduction of the Alias; a new pro-grade PC microphone aimed at not only gamers but those interested in all types of content creation and streaming. While its price is admittedly a little steep at A$399,…
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Given how important a person’s online presence (or persona, even) is in this age of social media, and that “influencer” is now apparently so prime that it can be considered a career, it’s not surprising that such a topic is readily explored in other forms of media. In the case of Alex Haughey‘s Under the…
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I use my Nintendo Switch quite often, and usually in handheld mode when I’m on the couch or out and about. And while I’ve put up with the standard joycons for several years now, there’s no denying that they’re not really the comfiest things to hold during longer play sessions. Enter the CRKD Nitro Deck….
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There’s something rather ironic in Paul King‘s Wonka being deliciously, inoffensively sweet, given that the character at its core has done plenty to unnerve (however slightly) young audiences across the near six decades of his existence. As written by Roald Dahl in 1964’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and then brought to life by the…
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Making his feature-length debut, director Simon Ross proves a capable genre helmer with The Portrait, which, initially, expresses its terror through the artwork that sits in the attic (where else?) of the expansive mansion that serves as the film’s lead location. Why it proves unsettling to the film’s tortured heroine, Sofia (Natalia Córdova-Buckley, committed to…
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Whilst the breakdown of a marriage and the impending custody battle that will take place as to whose time favours the child in question has been a reliable staple for cinematic drama over the years – most recently displayed in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and perhaps most famously in 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer – queer cinema has taken a…
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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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Whilst films set around Christmas more often than not romanticise the holiday, there are still the occasional offerings that bathe in a downtrodden light that, for many, hits a far more realistic note. In the case of Christmess, writer/director Heath Davis perhaps leans a little too heavily into the downward spiral of his main character,…
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There was something darkly, deliciously special about the way writer/director Emma Seligman and actress Rachel Sennott announced themselves with 2020’s Shiva Baby. A claustrophobic black comedy that indulged in a spiralling, horrific temperament, their collaboration set a certain precedent for the boundary-pushing, topical humour that’s furthered in Bottoms, a wild, oft-violent, sexually liberated high-school comedy that honours John Hughes as much…
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Outside of New Zealand it’s highly likely that the political clash at the centre of Hamish Bennett and Paul Middleditch‘s Uproar is one that’s never been heard of. Set in 1981, the ultimately uplifting, oft-powerful coming-of-age dramedy centres around the controversy that arose from the South African rugby team touring New Zealand at the time. A cultural reckoning was born…
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Aiming to exist on the same surface as Death Wish, with a little Robert Rodriguez-like gore on hand to really enhance its nasty spirit, The Retaliators is a bloody revenge flick that doesn’t quite land on even footing, but proves for fine genre escapism for those that have the stomach and appreciation. After a violent,…
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For what it’s worth, I tend to enjoy the yearly Call of Duty, even if it’s just for a few months. The breakneck pace and punchy gameplay are generally enough, while some of the recent Modern Warfare entries have pretty much kept me around throughout the entire year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 looks…
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Despite the grandeur of some of its large scale battle sequences and reliable talent across the board, there’s a disjointedness to Ridley Scott‘s Napoleon that renders it shockingly inept at times and, overall, rather underwhelming. Hailed as one of the greatest military leaders and strategists in history, the Napoleon depicted here (as portrayed by Joaquin…
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