Author: Peter Gray

\ Tied to a tree with no recollection of how he got there – or why – when Bark opens with its interesting set-up of seeming Average Joe, Nolan Bentley (Michael Weston), in this predicament, Marc Schölermann‘s horror effort wants us to question if he’s a victim or a perpetrator. Over the course of its…

A little over a year since the release of his Sincere LP, R&B singer Khalid has decidedly changed his tune from those airy, harmonic rhythms to a more pop-forward, liberating sound with After The Sun Goes Down, a confident, at times sexually charged collection of beats that leans into an almost Y2K sense of sound….

If you’re a popular-enough movie with a strong feminine edge, there’s a good chance you have been, will be, or are receiving the screen-to-stage treatment.  Over the last near-two decades we’ve seen such titles as Legally Blonde, Bring It On, 13 Going On 30, and Mean Girls all get the musical treatment, and now, the…

Australian pop sensation Samantha Jade has long been a powerhouse in the music industry – from winning The X Factor in 2012 to topping charts with her platinum-selling hits and captivating audiences with her dynamic performances.  Known for her stunning vocals and undeniable stage presence, Samantha has continually evolved as an artist, expanding her talents…

Whilst there is a certain initial familiarity in Jessica Rothe portraying someone who’s in something of a cyclical environment in her latest horror effort, Affection, it becomes all too evident in the early minutes of BT Meza‘s genre outing that this is no retread of the more humorously minded Happy Death Day – the film…

The Tron series has always existed in an interesting space within cinematic history.  The 1982 original (Tron) and its 2010 sequel (Tron: Legacy) were more a cult phenomenon than box office successes, with the first film something of a visual revolution as it introduced audiences to the notion of entering a digital world, before Joseph…

An uncomfortable drama inspired by true events, Sovereign is a quiet, muscular outing from first-time feature filmmaker Christian Swegal, featuring a terrifying, layered turn from Nick Offerman at its core that speaks to the actor’s undeniable presence. Jerry and Joseph Kane were a father-son duo of anti-government extremists; Jerry was a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen” who…

Inspired by true events, Sovereign stars Nick Offerman as Jerry Kane, a radicalised “sovereign citizen” who, with his 16-year-old son Joseph (Jacob Tremblay), gunned down two West Memphis police officers in 2010, sparking a deadly manhunt. Directed by Christian Swegal, and also starring Dennis Quaid, Nancy Travis and Martha Plimpton, Sovereign draws chilling parallels to…

Michael Stahl-David first burst onto the scene with his breakout turn in the seminal sci-fi horror hit Cloverfield. Since then, he’s built an impressively varied screen career, appearing in HBO’s Golden Globe winning Show Me a Hero, Netflix’s acclaimed juggernaut Narcos, the medical drama Good Sam, and Almost Family, an adaptation of the Australian series…

A sound reflection of the tranquil art of fishing, Looking Through Water is a calm, simple drama about the complicated relationships between fathers, sons and brothers. Now even more notable for being Michael Douglas‘s final screen role – the actor announcing his retirement earlier this year – Looking Through Water adopts a Princess Bride-like narrative…

If you could restore youthful beauty and guarantee longevity by committing to a few days of mysterious treatments, would you? Would you trust your life and health to science and technology that might be more hype than healthy?  Enter Shell. Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is thinking it over. She’s a slightly unkempt, earnest, talented actress who…

Arriving not long after The Substance doesn’t bode well for something like Shell, Max Minghella‘s campy, body horror ode to trashy escapist 90s cinema that similarly explores the world of ageing in Hollywood and how far someone will go to maintain perfection.  With both films screening within a week of each other at last year’s…

One of the most talked about titles out of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival was the biographical sports drama Christy from acclaimed Australian filmmaker David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) and starring Sydney Sweeney in the titular role, one that generated Oscar buzz out of the festival last month; you can read our review here, where we…

Mr. Scorsese is a cinematic portrait one Martin Scorsese, detailing the man through the lens of his work, exploring the many facets of a visionary who redefined filmmaking, including his extraordinary career and unique personal history. With exclusive, unrestricted access to Scorsese’s private archives, the documentary series is anchored by extensive conversations with the filmmaker…

No stranger to helming both action and comedy, director Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door, Let’s Be Cops) hilariously collides suburban dad life with high-stakes thrills, transforming an ordinary afternoon into an absurd action-packed adventure where minivan mayhem meets professional hitmen in Play Date, which Prime Video have revealed today through exclusive first-look images ahead…

The Japanese Film Festival (JFF), presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney, marks its 29th year with a line-up of major new releases, literary adaptations, thrillers and anime features. Touring Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth from 27th October to the 19th December, the festival continues to highlight the best of contemporary and classic Japanese cinema….

Natalie Abbott burst onto the scene as Muriel Heslop in Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, earning Helpmann and Green Room Award nominations in the process.  And now, she brings her comedic brilliance and powerhouse vocals to The Lovers, a popified take on Shakespeare’s classic ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’; you can read our review here. As the…

Whether we’ve taken notice or not, but, much like your James Bonds, Jack Ryans and Jack Reachers, the character at the centre of Shane Black‘s Play Dirty – Parker – is a cinematic mainstay who has appeared in films dating back to the 1960s, portrayed either directly or taken inspiration from by a multitude of…

There’s an odd satisfaction that comes from watching genre films that use the narrative of stolen children.  It’s a horrific, harsh reality, but Hollywood knows how to take the weighted drama of such and merge it with a revenge-cum-saviour mentality, creating the type of story where justice prevails in a way to make the escapism…

Global music superstar Louis Tomlinson has released his highly anticipated new single ‘Lemonade’, a mix of tight funkified guitars, shimmering keys, and organic percussion leading to a captivating chorus; “She’s so bitter, she’s so sweet, a little taste is all I need”. Louis shared, “The most important thing was for the first single to sound ambitious sonically. It…

Hugely popular comedian Matt Rife has announced new tour dates for his ‘Stay Golden World Tour’ with nine dates across Australia and New Zealand next year. January and February will see Rife electrify audiences in New Zealand’s Ōtautahi, Christchurch and Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, followed by an Australian run throughout Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth….

Whilst it’s understandable that Glen Powell‘s rise to fame over the last few years has very much leant into his obvious sex appeal, you have to hand it to the actor for not always relying on it within his projects.  Namely his latest effort, Chad Powers, a sports-themed comedy series that he and producer/writer Michael…

Directed by Louis Mandylor and written by and starring Scott Adkins, Prisoner of War tells the story of a soldier captured by the Japanese and held in a Philippine POW camp. Before the entire colony embarks upon the Bataan Death March, Wright and his fellow prisoners are forced to compete in brutal death matches for…

From Oscar winner Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions, producers of the landmark horror films Get Out, Us, Candyman and Nope, comes a chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, idolatry and the pursuit of excellence at any cost, Him, featuring an electrifying dramatic performance from Marlon Wayans and a star-making turn from Tyriq Withers….

Much has been said about Jordan Peele‘s attachment to Him.  Though, like Peele’s own directorial efforts (the thematically complex Get Out, Us, and Nope), Justin Tipping‘s film bathes in its horror elements and topical commentary, it’s more in tune with other producorial efforts (Nia DaCosta’s Candyman and Dev Patel’s Monkey Man), proving a feature that…

A two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor, Mark Kerr, a former wrestler, is one of the greatest mixed martial artists to ever emerge from the sport. Following his coverage as a subject in the documentary The Smashing Machine, which detailed his fighting career, director Benny Safdie adapted…

Despite his absolute monstrous size at the time of his career and just how brutal he proved in the ring of mixed martial arts, Mark Kerr was – and still is – a figure that defied the expectations many would presumably put upon him from a personal standpoint.  Softly spoken, with an emotional sense that…

Proving themselves each other’s muses, Swedish power popstar Zara Larsson and British singer-songwriter-producer MNEK have maintained their musical forces for her latest LP, the euphoric Midnight Sun, a decade after they first struck electropop gold on their 2015 collaboration “Never Forget You”. Their blend of EDM sonics and R&B sensibilities course through the veins of…

With the release of last year’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, a retreading of Bryan Bertino’s 2008 home invasion chiller The Strangers, director Renny Harlin and screenwriters Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland delivered a largely uninspired, familiar horror effort that hoped it would justify its existence by promising to be the essential springboard for a…

And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend… Last year’s global cinematic cultural sensation, which became the most successful Broadway film adaptation of all time, now reaches its epic, electrifying, emotional conclusion in Wicked: For Good. Directed once again by award-winning director Jon M. Chu and starring…