Author: Peter Gray

Seasoned film critic and editor. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa. Contact: [email protected]

TIFF announces 11 more Galas and Special Presentations from globally acclaimed filmmakers

TIFF is preparing to welcome the world this September for its 50th Festival, announcing 11 more Official Selections in the Gala and Special Presentations programmes. Reflecting TIFF’s commitment to champion new perspectives and cinematic excellence to its diverse international public audience, these films — Nicholas Hytner’s The Choral, Agnieszka Holland’s Franz, Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus,…

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Interview: Craig McLachlan on his intimate live show Six String Stories, career reflections, and being saved by music

Get ready for a night to remember as Australian industry legend Craig McLachlan brings his unique & exciting Live & Intimate stage show to theatre’s and venues across Australia: Six String Stories. Having entertained audiences the world over for almost 40 years, McLachlan is one of Australia’s most beloved, versatile, and resilient performers.  From the…

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Apple TV+ debuts trailer for Jason Momoa-led drama series Chief of War, ahead of its global premiere

Apple TV+ have released the trailer for its upcoming historical drama Chief of War, starring, written and executive produced by Jason Momoa. Set amidst the scenic backdrop of the islands of Hawai‘i, the nine-episode series, based on true events, follows warrior Ka‘iana, portrayed by Momoa, as he tries to unify the islands before Western colonisation…

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Australian pop star BEHANI releases stripped back cover of a Spice Girls classic

Australian pop sensation BEHANI, who we announced last year had signed to ADA/Warner Music Australia for the release of her debut single “Again & Again”, is expressing her pop appreciation this week as she releases a stripped back cover of a 90s genre classic! A self-described lover of the song in question, BEHANI has reimagined…

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Is Netflix’s Too Much just that? Or is Lena Dunham’s new dramedy just right?

Despite the fact that the recent Materialists has been rightfully acclaimed and turned a neat little profit for its US distributor, A24, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Dakota Johnson-led rom-com-dram was one of the worst films to ever grace the screens for the hoards of millennials who were disappointed that it was more…

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Melbourne International Film Festival unveils full program for 2025

Tonight, the 73rd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) unveiled an outstanding program of over 275 screen works and announced the 10 Bright Horizons films screening in competition and vying for MIFF’s flagship prize. From the 7th to the 24th of August, cinephiles across Melbourne, regional Victoria, and throughout the country online can explore a diverse…

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Film Review: Smurfs; not even new Rihanna music can save truly bizarre “family” flick

If you’ve seen the marketing for the latest Smurfs film – which is serving as a soft reboot of the series, disregarding the live-action features from 2011 and 2013, and the animated retooled “sequel” from 2017 – you would notice that they’ve been very much banking on the voice casting of Rihanna as Smurfette.  There’s…

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Film Review: Nuked; stoner comedy takes its high-concept literally

A friend coming group together is a tried and true concept when it comes to situational comedy, and whilst writer/director Deena Kashper isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel with her ensemble laugher Nuked, she gives enough of her reflective humour and narrative hook a distinct personality that we’re happy to go along for the ride; which,…

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Interview: Anna Camp and Justin Bartha on their high-concept comedy Nuked; “It’s definitely a tightrope to walk in these heightened circumstances.”

It’s Jack and Gill’s 40th birthdays, so they invite their college friends to a rented mansion for a weekend away. Phones are confiscated for an “unplugged” dinner party, but to ease the tension, Jack and Gill reveal the five-course meal is fully cannabis-infused. That does the trick – until someone sneaks a peek at their…

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Win tickets to the killer new sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer

Karma is a killer. Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see I Know What You Did Last Summer, the new horror legacy sequel from Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell,…

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Film Review: Superman is a wholesome and heroic start to the new DC Universe

Similar to fellow DC Comic mainstay Batman, the character of Superman has had his share of big screen iterations (one could argue too many at this point) over the years, with no less than four different actors across as many intended franchises; disregarding the Superman serial series of the late 1940s and early 1950s with…

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Interview: Rebekah Staton on joining the comedic chaos of The Cleaner; “Once you give yourself permission to not care about any other individual, there’s a whole new world to play in.”

Wicky, the crime-scene cleaner is back for a new series in The Cleaner, encountering even stranger people and even messier situations. Some jobs involve more than their fair share of blood, sweat and tears. Armed with chemicals, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags, Wicky cleans up crime scenes. But being a sociable type, he also likes…

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Interview: Jason Brooks and Chelsea Edmundson on their grisly fairytale adaptation, The Death of Snow White; “We love to take it as far as we can.”

The story we know, but told not as we’ve seen it before. Coming only a few months after Disney’s controversial musical live-action adaptation, Snow White is given a dark, violent makeover in The Death of Snow White, director Jason Brooks‘s unique take on a classic, with a decidedly gory twist. In the film, Snow White,…

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Album Review: Kesha reclaims her independence on wild LP . (Period)

It feels rather fitting that Kesha release her latest record on America’s Independence Day, July 4th, as this – her 6th LP – truly embodies a sense of freedom, following a tumultuous period surrounding legal battles and sexual assault charges that threaten to derail her exciting pop trajectory. There’s a whole rabbit hole you can…

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Interview: Zara Larsson on touring with OneRepublic on their Australian “The Sweet Escape” Tour and the euphoric vibe of her new album

Zara Larsson, “One of pop’s biggest and outspoken young stars” (The Guardian), provokes and pushes pop culture forward, with enlightened and energised anthems that soar and seduce all at once. With every move, she continues to quietly make history and break records: her platinum-certified 2017 full-length, So Good, notably stands out as one of the most-streamed debuts on Spotify by…

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Interview: Bill Hader and the creatives behind The Cat in the Hat; “We wanted to make it really, really fun for literally the whole family.”

Meet the Cat in the Hat you don’t know! In the wonderfully whimsical tradition of Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat comes to the big screen in his animated theatrical feature film debut – an all-new, epic adventure with an edge, where mischief, magic and mayhem reign supreme. Doing what he does best, the…

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Film Review: Heads of State; John Cena and Idris Elba elevate actioner with budding chemistry

There’s a whole lot of familiarity going on with Heads of State.  It’s a tested premise – that of mismatched partners in an action landscape – but screenwriters Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Harrison Query don’t try to pretend it’s anything otherwise, and so with a capable genre director in Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) and both…

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Interview: Andrew Bell on crafting the origins of his coming-of-age/vampiric thriller Bleeding; “Happy accidents happen out of necessity.”

Bleeding follows Eric, a 17-year-old grieving the death of his brother. When his cousin, Sean, the hot-shot son of an alcoholic cop, gets pulled into the lucrative, deadly world of using and selling Blood, Eric will do whatever it takes to save him from the same fate that swallowed his brother whole. With a debt…

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Millions hunt. One Runs. And everyone watches in the first trailer for The Running Man starring Glen Powell

In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television – a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class…

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Melbourne International Film Festival announces its Opening Night film

The Rose Byrne-led dramedy, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, has been announced as the official Opening Night film of the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), with tickets now on sale. The blistering second feature from US writer-director Mary Bronstein will make its Australian Premiere this August, hot off a rapturous reception at…

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Film Review: Jurassic World Rebirth brings a classic sense of blockbuster back to the series

Despite the general consensus very much being that the last two Jurassic World features – 2018’s Fallen Kingdom and 2022’s Dominion – were vastly underwhelming in the manner in which they pushed the story forward, audiences pushing each film to over a billion dollars each at the box office meant that they ultimately didn’t seem…

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Interview: Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on Jurassic World Rebirth, character instincts and “zaddy” status

Following our chats with both director Gareth Edwards and the trio of Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda, The AU Review’s dino-sized coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth wraps up with Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Ahead of the film’s release in theatres this week, Peter Gray spoke with the actors – Friend stars as…

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Interview: Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda on building their dynamic on screen in Jurassic World Rebirth; “The whole world that was built felt so intimate.”

As The AU Review’s coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth continues, Peter Gray spoke with rising stars Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda about their entrance into the iconic series; you can read our interview with director Gareth Edwards here. Starring as siblings Teresa and Isabella Delgado, Blaise and Miranda spoke of building their sisterly…

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Interview: Gareth Edwards on directing Jurassic World Rebirth, honouring Spielberg, and Jonathan Bailey’s viral “little glasses”

A new era has been born. Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a…

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Regionality Sunshine Coast Documentary & Factual Industry Event reveals 2025 program

AIDC and Screen Queensland, with the support of Sunshine Coast Council and in association with Sunshine Coast Screen Collective, are proud to reveal the full session program and speaker line-up for this year’s Regionality Sunshine Coast documentary and factual industry event, taking place at Mantra Mooloolaba Beach on Monday 28 July 2025. The very special one-day program…

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Tether is a quiet drama that speaks to the grim reality of mass shooting aftermath: Dances With Films Festival Review

Director Hariharasidhen Nagarajan and writer Anghus Houvouras couldn’t accept “the new normal” of shootings in the United States.  Such mass attacks as the Parkland High School shooting and the Pulse Nightclub incident were part of a grim reality that the two weren’t willing to become accustomed to. They thought of not only the victims whose…

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Film Review: Stealing Pulp Fiction; ambitious comedy is a love letter to Tarantino and the importance of in-cinema screenings

Given that Stealing Pulp Fiction very much wears its Tarantino affection openly, you’d be forgiven for expecting director Danny Turkiewicz to have the same kind of flair as the very filmmaker he’s adoring.  No, Turkiewicz isn’t replicating that same QT magic, but it would be a heavy ask to expect so, and on its own…

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The Toronto International Film Festival announces first wave of World Premieres for 2025 edition

TIFF is sharing the first five Special Presentation titles of its Official Selection set to have their World Premieres at the Festival’s 50th edition this September. Alejandro Amenábar’s The Captive, Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, Sung-hyun Byun’s Good News, Nia DaCosta’s Hedda, and Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks serve as the first round of announced titles. …

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Interview: Ivanna Sakhno on finding the human behind her A.I. creation in M3GAN 2.0

M3GAN 2.0 is hyping up its central battle of A.I. killbots as “This Bitch versus That Bitch.” But which bitch is which? The anticipated sequel brings back the the murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023, and this time around M3GAN has to contend with AMELIA, a military-grade weapon and the ultimate killer infiltration…

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Film Review: M3GAN 2.0; sci-fi sequel embraces camp action over its horror origins

Whilst the original M3GAN was sold as a horror film, its camp sensibilities ultimately shone through, turning its titular killer “doll” from a slayer to an outright slay.  It had tense set-pieces and a terrifying mentality, but it found its personality sat more comfortably in the space of a meditation on A.I. and technology through…

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