Author: Peter Gray

We all have a “memory bite” – a dish that unlocks a treasure trove of memories and reminds us that food is a gateway to the stories and emotions that shape who we are. In the brand-new series Memory Bites with Matt Moran, the iconic chef and restaurateur transports beloved famous faces back to pivotal moments in…

A queer President. An occasionally profane Kylie Minogue. An unseen Hugh Jackman. A birder-obsessed detective.  And a murder most foul. An Agatha Christie-meets-Clue-like mystery series from the Shondaland factory (i.e. Shonda Rhimes, the figurehead behind such TV successes as Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, and Bridgerton), The Residence is an intelligent, witty…

The Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) (March 20th – 24th, 2025) is an exciting, volunteer-run festival that aims to inspire and empower established and emerging women and gender diverse screen practitioners from Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and the wider Moana region through the celebration of their work and artistry. MWFF exhibits work from collaborative teams…

It’s a shame that there’s been so much controversy surrounding Snow White, the latest Disney classic to get the live-action treatment, as Marc Webb‘s harmless musical is hardly strong or memorable enough to warrant the reaction it’s detractors have already decided it deserves. Sure, lead star Rachel Zegler didn’t help matters with her comments on…

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O’Dessa is an original rock opera about a farm girl (Sadie Sink) on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom.  Her journey leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love – but in order to save his soul, she must put…

Whilst his previous film – 2017’s crowd-pleasing Patti Cake$ – had a scrappiness to it, it beamed with a personality larger than its budget.  For O’Dessa, director Geremy Jasper delights in supreme maximalism, as his post-apocalyptic musical-romance hybrid projects its bigness through both its visuals and its central thematic of how love can transform one’s…

Robert De Niro and the role of a gangster have so often gone hand-in-hand that there’s an immediate sense of ease in entering The Alto Knights, with the feeling that, if nothing else, audiences can rest assured that the legendary actor will deliver a worthy performance. De Niro is ultimately the main reason to see…

Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Bugsy) is no stranger to both the crime genre and collaborating with Robert De Niro, and their collective experience are fusing with The Alto Knights, which follows two of New York’s most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese (both portrayed by De Niro), as they vie for…

Inspired by the true friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found with a stranger when looking for her father online, Bob Trevino Likes It is a heartwarming tale about how even the smallest act of kindness can have the largest ripple effect on someone’s life. Often playing the role of caretaker to people like her father…

Here we go again! It’s been over 20 years since Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan first swapped bodies in 2003’s much loved remake Freaky Friday.  You’d think by now lessons would have been learned, but it seems the universe has some unfinished business for the Academy Award winner and the Mean Girls alum if…

Screening as part of this year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival in the Narrative Spotlight section, which showcases features having their World, North American or U.S. premiere, Sweetness tells of the chance encounter between 16-year-old Rylee and her rockstar crush, which leads to the discovery of his drug addiction and the subsequent spiral of her…

That feeling of being a teenage music fan taps into an obsession that is both incredibly singular, yet universally known.  Specific music and, in many cases, the artist behind such can imprint so intimately on one’s psyche, and it’s that worship that forms the core of Emma Higgins‘ debut feature, Sweetness. Granted, Higgins laces this…

From Apple Original Films and the filmmakers from Top Gun: Maverick comes the high-octane, action-packed feature film F1, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Kosinski, seven-time FORMULA 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Chad Oman. Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes…

A top British intelligence officer faces the ultimate test of loyalty when he investigates a critical security breach in Black Bag, a riveting spy drama from Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh.  An insightful and stylish take on a classic genre (you can read our review here), Black Bag amps up suspense and tension in a…

Whilst Black Bag sets itself up as a spy thriller in slightly the same vein as the (former) Brangelina vehicle Mr. & Mrs. Smith, with the two supremely charming (and, let’s face it, beautiful) leads dancing around the question of whether or not two spies in a marriage can stay truthful to one another, director…

Described as a sitcom in the same vein as the classic Golden Girls, Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick & David Kohan and executive producer Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story, Pose) have brought together a trio of friends by chance, but family by choice in Mid-Century Modern, which today has revealed its trailer ahead…

A titan of British cinema, Mike Leigh brings his signature blend of realism and emotional depth to Hard Truths, further solidifying his reputation as a chronicler of contemporary life. Delving into the complexities of everyday existence, Hard Truths stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste as a woman tormented by anger and depression, hypersensitive to the slightest possible offence…

At the centre of Hard Truths, the latest tragicomedy from writer/director Mike Leigh, is a woman who seemingly seeks conflict in each of her interactions, making her personal relationships challenging in the process. The woman – the embodiment of someone who tests patience and will, but still earns enough love from those that she hasn’t…

Every Little Thing follows retired writer and teacher Terry Masear over a summer as she takes in and rehabilitates injured hummingbirds. Shot with stunning close-ups of the birds against the backdrop of Masear’s storied life, this film is a mediation on human-animal relationships and our capacity for care. Bringing this stunning story to the screen…

22 years on from its predecessor premiering at the Brisbane International Film Festival, Spit, the long awaited sequel to Aussie crime comedy Gettin’ Square, kicked off its proceedings last month at the AACTA Festival, where director Jonathan Teplitzky and Johnny “Spit” Spitieri himself, David Wenham, introduced the film before it toured across the country on…

Whilst the 2003 Australian crime comedy Gettin’ Square has its loyal fans and critical acclaim to its name, it severely underwhelmed at the Australian box office upon its release, leading the very existence of Spit to be quite an anomaly in itself.  A two decades-on sequel to a flop genre flick is not the usual…

Australian actor Daniel Henshall is no stranger to working with the genius that is Bong Joon Ho, having collaborated on 2017’s science fiction comedy Okja. Now, the two are reuniting on the director’s eagerly anticipated Mickey 17, the first since his historic Oscar win in 2020.  Mickey 17 tells of an unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes…

In some ways it’s unfair for Mickey 17 to use director Bong Joon Ho‘s Oscar-winning Parasite in its marketing, as this bonkers sci-fi effort is quite far removed from that aforementioned satirical thriller, and may lure audiences into a false sense of security. Of course, being a Bong picture, satire is still utilised, but waiting…

Across television, film, music, literature and live theatre, Keke Palmer has rarely left a stone unturned.  And she’s certainly not looking to give up the exploration any time soon. With the release of One of Them Days, not only is Palmer headlining alongside the Grammy-winning SZA, she’s flexing her big boss energy as one of…

When it comes to the tried and tested buddy comedy, chemistry is key.  Keke Palmer, arguably one of the most mega-wattage charm possessors currently working, and R&B music starlet SZA prove quite the dynamic duo in One of Them Days, an extremely spirited genre vehicle that they continually elevate when it occasionally gives in to…

Whilst it’s been two decades since French director Florent-Emilio Siri dipped his toe in the action genre with the 2005 Bruce Willis vehicle Hostage, it’s evident he hasn’t lost any flair for such, with his relentless Elyas touching on topical themes whilst proving rousing as an exaggerated vehicle in the same vein of a Liam Neeson…

The Alliance Française French Film Festival (AF FFF) has arrived as its 2025 programme of groundbreaking French cinema sets to dazzle audiences across Australia. Now in its 36th year, the largest celebration of French film outside France will play until the 27th April this year. Festival-goers are invited to embark on a unique cultural journey, featuring…

Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures Australia we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to giveaway to Mickey 17, written and directed by Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) and starring Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo, in Australian theatres from March 6th, 2025.  The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in…

Thanks to Mushroom Studios, The Reset Collective and Think Tank Communications we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to giveaway to Hard Truths, the multi-award-winning tragi-comedy from famed director Mike Leigh, in Australian theatres from March 6th, 2025. The story revolves around Pansy, a hypersensitive woman who constantly criticizes her husband Curtley and…

Seen is a groundbreaking feature-length documentary that not only explores the transformative power of personal healing for parents, but also delves into the scientifically supported effects of such healing on parenting and its impact on child brain development. By focusing on the unexplored aspect of parents confronting their own childhood coping mechanisms, Seen is poised…