After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to…give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po…
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Though there was a certain sense of the story coming to a natural close in 2016’s Kung Fu Panda 3, the powers that be at DreamWorks deemed another go-around with the loveable Po (once again voiced with vigour by Jack Black) necessary, and so families are gifted with the effortless joy that is Kung Fu…
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In a year that was ruled by Barbenheimer and mortally wounded the once-unstoppable superhero genre, 2023 definitely saw audiences shift their minds (and money) towards more original content. Perhaps an indication as to where the industry should place its focus, The AU’s best of list similarly echoes the sentiment that bigger doesn’t always mean better,…
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This autumn, for the first time in almost a decade, comedy icon Jack Black returns to his role as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, with a hilarious, butt-kicking new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise: Kung Fu Panda 4. After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and…
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If you’ve read any (or all) of the Hunger Games novels or seen the films then you’re likely to have a specific view on one Coriolanus Snow. But the presidential position (and villainous temperament) the character held in the original trilogy of novels, and later quartet of films as played by Donald Sutherland, is far…
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64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes tells us of the legendary game’s beginning and how one legend changed everything we know. The odds may not necessarily be everyone’s favour here, but long-running franchise…
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From award-winning director Ben Affleck, Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of…
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Telling a story with an ending we’re already aware of and centred around a subject that could be considered mundane to many, Ben Affleck‘s strength as a director – and enthusiastic support player – is on full display in Air, an immensely humorous, consistently riveting and passionate drama about the basketball league’s greatest ever player…
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As The Woman King continues to dazzle Australian audiences, Peter Gray spoke with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and cast members Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atin and John Boyega ahead of its premiere at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Following on from his chat with Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu, Peter discussed working together on location, the importance…
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The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, the film follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she…
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Black is beautiful, and never has it felt more apt a saying than when viewing Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s stunning historical actioner The Woman King. Inspired by true events, The Woman King centres itself around an all-female unit of warriors known as Agojie, who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries; the…
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Thanks to Sony Pictures Releasing Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the acclaimed action/drama The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, John Boyega, Thuso Mbedu and Lashana Lynch. The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with…
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As Gillian Anderson states – under a set of prominent teeth that appear almost caricaturish in their imagery as Eleanor Roosevelt – being a first lady isn’t a job, it’s a “circumstance”. Such a circumstance, it would seem, that Showtime thought it only fair to showcase the women behind some of the most powerful Presidential…
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The year in cinema has already yielded one female-led heist film. However, the stylish ladies of Ocean’s 8 are about to be blown out of the water by the sensational ensemble cast (headed by three terrific actresses) of Widows. The latest film from Steve McQueen, slyly presents itself as your everyday popcorn thriller, but ultimately flips the…
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It’s almost set in Stone (pun not intended) of who will be raking in the Golden Men at the Oscars later this month, as La La Land continued to dominate internationally at the BAFTAs last night, taking home five films including the top award of the night, Best Film, Leading Actress for Emma Stone, Best…
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Films adapted from a stageplay have always offered mixed results. While we have classics like Chicago, Glengarry Glen Ross and Sweeney Todd, we often have disasters like Rent and Mamma Mia! The reason for this is either because the stories of these plays or musicals do not have enough cinematic potential to succeed as a film-viewing experience or…
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Denzel Washington‘s film adaptation of the critically acclaimed play Fences, in which he directed, produced and stars, alongside Viola Davis (The Help, Suicide Squad) has just been released. Washington and Davis reprise their Tony Award-winning roles as Troy and Rose, a married couple who face personal and societal struggles in a lower-middle-class black section of Pittsburgh during…
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Set amongst the racial strains of 1950’s Pennsylvania, Fences is making its big screen transition at a time most relevant. The play by August Wilson won both Viola Davis and Denzel Washington Tony Awards back in 2010 and will make it’s cinematic premiere with Washington in the director’s chair. The play almost became a film…
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How To Get Away With Murder‘s first season was an electrifying blend of legal and college melodrama with a fun leading performance by Viola Davis and tight writing. The second season remains fun but suffers a little as the the show both doubles down a little too much on the melodrama and gets a little tied up by its own plot…
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Blackhat opens with exhilarating paranoia. The camera soars, impossibly, through a computer chip, where tiny lights flicker with an ominous trill. We are watching a hack that triggers the overheating of a nuclear plant in China and nullifies the warning signs. People die because of a series of numbers. A similar but harmless breach is…
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