Author: Peter Gray

While covering the news desk in Cairo for a colleague over the Christmas holidays, Australian journalist Peter Greste was arrested and accused of terrorism. He became a pawn in the middle of a deadly game full of corrupt officials and ancient rivalries.  The subject of his own worldwide news story, where only his wits and…

While covering the news desk in Cairo for a colleague over the Christmas holidays, Australian journalist Peter Greste was arrested and accused of terrorism. He became a pawn in the middle of a deadly game full of corrupt officials and ancient rivalries.  The subject of his own worldwide news story, where only his wits and…

Having already carved out a sense of the absurd regarding the legal system with their work on the TV series Rake, star Richard Roxburgh and writer Peter Duncan take on a far more serious aspect of such risibility in The Correspondent through the incarceration of Australian journalist Peter Greste and the dubious charges of terrorism…

A sweet film with a talented cast and an evident love for the aspiring creative, The Comic Shop is well-meaning in its temperament, but a little less confident in its execution as it injects a dramatic streak that doesn’t flow with its initial personality. The titular comic shop is Mike’s World, a small venture that…

First dates are nerve-wracking enough.  Going on a first date while an unnamed, unseen troll pings you personal memes that escalate from annoying to homicidal? Blood-chilling! Returning to the thriller genre with the playful, keep-you-guessing intensity he perfected in the Happy Death Day films, director Christopher Landon delivers an of-the-moment whodunnit where everyone in the…

However far fetched Drop proves to be with its wild, pulling-the-wool-over-our-eyes premise, director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) and screenwriters Jillian Jacobs (Fantasy Island) and Chris Roach (Non-Stop) maintain a sense of unpredictable fun across the film’s tight 95 minutes as it presents a cat-and-mouse thriller ripe for the digital age. After opening with…

Delivering his first essentially original screenplay since his 2013 breakout Fruitvale Station, filmmaker Ryan Coogler basks in the glory of a post-Creed/Black Panther space with the liberating Sinners, a gory, horny, relevant reflection on Black culture and artistry. Set in 1930s Mississippi in the midst of Prohibition, Coogler’s gradually escalating gonzo horror effort finds its…

In the same manner as to how Netflix’s Bridgerton blends its English Regency with a modernised mentality, Jonathan Hammond‘s Fireflies in the Dusk takes that notion and dials it to 11, enhancing its sense of absurdity and random humour to create a truly witty, daft comedy in the process. The short film’s comedic temperament is…

Pro Wrestling Australia (PWA) is bringing its most personal and high stakes battle yet to The Factory Theatre with CHEVS VS TROY. This highly anticipated main event will see PWA Heavyweight Champion Jessica Troy defend her title against her former best friend turned bitter rival, Charli Evans, in a Last Wrestler Standing match on Friday,…

Between last month’s spy thriller Black Bag and this week’s release, The Amateur, adult audiences are finally finding reason to go to the theatres again.  To enjoy smart, almost understated genre features that delight in dialogue and a forward narrative over the spectacle of tentpole cinema feels almost archaic in this day and age, so…

A movie that sells you exactly what it says on its genre blending box, Death of a Unicorn stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father/daughter duo who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) and his greedy family (Téa Leoni…

Movies about unicorns have a certain fantastical nature to them, so it makes sense that Death of a Unicorn adopts such a mentality – albeit with a serious case of nastiness and surprising class commentary. A blackly comic creature feature with an evident love for the back catalogue of Steven Spielberg and James Cameron –…

Having made a name for herself across Australian stage and screen for her compelling performances, Saskia Archer is poised to be Australia’s next international export. Having honed her skills at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where she starred in such productions as Romeo & Juliet, When the Rain Stops Falling, and An…

It’s time to get your paws up little monsters, because Mother is returning to Australia! After much anticipation, Lady Gaga has officially announced the Australian leg of The MAYHEM Ball tour, adding 3 stadium dates to her global itinerary. These shows mark the 14-time Grammy Winner’s long-awaited return to the region, and her first dates…

An exploration of identity and creativity set against the backdrop of the largely unexplored realm of classic Latin jazz, Becoming Vera is a quiet, reflective drama that finds its comforting centre in the performance of Raquel Lebish as the titular Vera. As the film closes out, writer/director Sergio Vizuete states that “23,000 children age out…

Same night, different nightmare. Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the new survivalist horror film Until Dawn, based on the hit video game, only in cinemas from April 24th, 2025. One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote…

The murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023 is back. And this time she’s not alone. The original creative team behind the original $180m phenomenon – led by horror titans James Wan for Atomic Monster, Jason Blum for Blumhouse and director Gerard Johnstone – reboot an all-new wild chapter in A.I. mayhem with M3GAN…

This ain’t no walk in the park! Based on Ethan Pettus’ cult-favorite novel, Primitive War is a 1968-set action film that follows an elite recon unit, Vulture Squad, who are sent deep into the Vietnamese jungle to locate a missing Green Beret platoon—only to discover a far more lethal threat: dinosaurs. Written and directed by…

The Persian Film Festival Australia 2025 returns this April and May to offer a unique cinematic experience that brings together the best of Persian cinema from the past year, presenting stories that transcend borders and connect people across the globe. Now in its 11th edition, the festival continues to be a key platform for Persian…

The 13th Palestinian Film Festival Australia is set to return this May with a bold and innovative program of new cinema from and about Palestine, offering a powerful and resonant exploration of resilience, love and freedom in the face of ongoing war and dispossession. Running across five cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra…

Playing with a character that’s as if Clark Kent didn’t entirely realise the pros of having superhuman strength, or, perhaps, a more reluctant John Wick, Novocaine – No Pain (which is the title being pushed here in Australia for the otherwise known as Novocaine, presumably off the notion that local audiences aren’t entirely aware of…

The Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) unveils their fantastic program with 5 World, 11 Australian and 4 Queensland Premieres along with the return of SIPFEST: Shorts in Paradise in this year’s festival, running between April 30th and May 11th, 2025, at HOTA, Home of the Arts. Included in the 12-day festival are some incredible events…

As someone who has never played Minecraft the game, and is only vaguely familiar with its building premise, to say there was a major detachment – and perhaps an unenthusiasm – towards A Minecraft Movie would be an understatement.  But in that uninitiated mentality is perhaps the perfect embodiment to review such a film as…

The 72nd Sydney Film Festival (4–15 June) has today revealed a sneak peek of 16 bold new films set to screen this June, offering a taste of the 2025 program ahead of the full Festival announcement on Wednesday, 7th May. “This first look offers a cross-section of the bold storytelling and distinctive voices that can…

Australia, prepare to experience the unparalleled energy and passion of music icon Ricky Martin as he announces his much-anticipated return this November 2025. The tour marks Ricky’s first Australian performances since his sold-out shows in 2015, promising fans an unforgettable musical journey. Renowned for his electrifying live performances, blending Latin and world music with high-energy choreography and a…

Watching something like Mid-Century Modern you’re reminded of both the golden age of the multi-cam, live audience classicality of a sitcom, as well as the shift in televisual consumption, with this nostalgic itch-scratching firecracker of a show taking advantage of its streaming setting with boundary-pushing humour and considerable profanity; once you hear the stupendous Linda…

If there’s one thing about our Nicole Kidman, it’s that she’s going to work! Fresh off three of last year’s buzziest shows (Expats, Lioness and The Perfect Couple) and a criminally Oscar-oversighted performance in the erotic drama Babygirl, the perennially busy actress/producer is at the centre of another twisted thriller of sorts in Prime Video’s…

At this point you know what you’re going to get with a Jason Statham vehicle, and when it’s one penned by Sylvester Stallone and directed by David Ayer (who, in addition to such actioners as Suicide Squad and End of Watch, was behind last year’s Statham surprise The Beekeeper), you shouldn’t be remotely taken aback…

After changing the way network television viewed queer comedy with their revolutionary sitcom Will & Grace, creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are set to alter the landscape of the streaming space with Mid-Century Modern, a classic multi-cam comedy series about old friends, new roommates and chosen family. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, directed by…

As someone who grew up with the Looney Tunes, there’s certainly a sense of nostalgic warmth when watching something as unapologetically wacky (and 2D) as Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up. Nostalgia only takes you so far though, and as much as The Day the Earth Blew Up is a bombastically entertaining cartoon…