Author: Peter Gray

There are standing ovations… and then there are the kind that feel inevitable. The opening night of MJ the Musical at Brisbane’s QPAC Lyric Theatre didn’t just earn one – it triggered waves of them. The kind that start mid-show, ripple through the crowd, and return again before the final curtain even has a chance…

There’s a moment early in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie where a glowing Luma drifts into frame, wide-eyed and urgent, setting off a galaxy-spanning rescue mission. It’s the kind of whimsical, high-concept storytelling the Mario universe thrives on – colorful, strange, and full of possibility. Unfortunately, that promise quickly gets swallowed by a film that…

Winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 and the Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award, The President’s Cake arrives with a wave of international acclaim – and it’s not hard to see why. Set in 1991 Iraq, during the final years of Saddam Hussein’s rule, the film follows nine-year-old Lamia, tasked with baking…

Fifteen years on, Femme Fatale sits in a fascinating, complicated place in Britney Spears’ catalogue – once dismissed as impersonal and overly synthetic, now increasingly understood as both a cultural pivot point and a quietly resilient achievement. Released in March 2011, Femme Fatale arrived at a moment when mainstream pop was aggressively chasing the club….

This summer, fear doesn’t knock – it breaks in. Inspired by the chilling legacy of Cape Fear, a new nightmare begins when Cape Fear premieres June 5th on Apple TV. From executive producers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg comes a relentless psychological thriller where the past refuses to stay buried. Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson…

With his original upload, Kane Parsons redefined the landscape of horror for a new generation. Now, making his feature debut, Backrooms will expand the terror for the big screen, with Academy Award nominees Chiwitel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve leading the charge as a therapist ventures into an otherworldly dimension in the basement of a furniture…

There’s something quietly disarming about Father Mother Sister Brother – a film that unfolds not with grand declarations, but in glances, silences, and the emotional spaces left unspoken. Structured as a triptych spanning the Northeast US, Dublin, and Paris, it explores the fragile, often complicated bonds between adult children and their parents, as well as…

There’s something quietly radical about a filmmaker as singular as Jim Jarmusch making a film that feels this small. Father Mother Sister Brother doesn’t announce itself with narrative urgency or emotional fireworks – instead, it invites you to lean in, to notice, to sit with the awkward silences and half-truths that define family. And in…

In the crowded landscape of sitcoms, where shows often lean on predictable tropes or overly polished humor, Baby Daddy carved out a space that felt refreshingly warm, chaotic, and genuinely funny. While it may not always be the first title people mention when reminiscing about pleasing 2010s comedies, it absolutely should be part of that…

Set against the breathtaking expanse of the Ningaloo Reef and filmed on Baiyungu Country, Whale Shark Jack is a sweeping yet intimate family adventure that explores grief, healing, and our deep connection to the natural world. The Stan Original follows 12-year-old Sarah, played by Alyla Browne, a fearless ocean kid raised aboard a research catamaran…

Tucked beneath the streets of Brisbane, Boom Boom Room isn’t just a place to eat – it’s a full-bodied, late-night experience that leans into mood, music, and indulgence. Equal parts supper club and sensory playground, it promises modern Asian dining with a theatrical edge – and it delivers. From the moment you step inside, the…

A quarter-century on from its 2001 release, Get Over It stands as one of the most gleefully offbeat teen comedies of its era – a film that never quite fit the mold, and is all the better for it. Arriving at a time when the genre was dominated by glossy prom-night fantasies and raunch-heavy gross-out…

Adapting The Magic Faraway Tree for the screen was never going to be straightforward. Simon Farnaby, who helped bring the charm of Paddington 2 and Wonka to life, takes a decent swing at translating Enid Blyton’s whimsical, plot-light books into something resembling a cohesive family film. The result is a bright, well-meaning adventure that captures…

There’s a delicate balance at the heart of The Magic Faraway Tree – between whimsy and emotional truth, chaos and comfort – and few characters embody that better than Dame Washalot. In this vibrant new adaptation, based on Enid Blyton’s beloved classic, audiences are reintroduced to a world where fantastical lands spin into place atop…

They. Will. Kill. You. And unlike most horror taglines, this one isn’t bluffing. With They Will Kill You, director Kirill Sokolov storms into English-language filmmaking like he’s got something to prove – and judging by the sheer volume of bloodshed on display, he absolutely does. Best known for his gleefully unhinged Why Don’t You Just…

At the trailer launch for Forgotten Island, directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, alongside voice stars H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, revealed a film deeply rooted in friendship, memory, and cultural authenticity – one that’s as personal as it is universal. From the outset, emotion ran high. For Crawford and Mercado, the project represents not just…

Hunt. Or be hunted. The first trailer for Apex has arrived, teasing a sleek, nerve-shredding survival thriller led by Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton. Set against the vast, unforgiving terrain of the Australian wilderness, the film promises a brutal game of cat and mouse where nature is only half the threat. Theron stars as Sasha,…

There’s something quietly dispiriting about the idea that 13 Going on 30 is being remade for Netflix. Not because remakes are inherently bad, or because nostalgia should be untouchable, but because this particular film represents a kind of movie, and a kind of industry, that we’ve already lost. And instead of rebuilding it, we’re strip-mining…

There’s a version of The Pirate King that sounds almost too eccentric to work: a PTSD-stricken veteran, a custody battle, and a pirate re-enactment troupe. And yet, in the hands of director Josh Plasse, this unlikely blend becomes something deeply human, disarmingly funny, and quietly powerful. At its core, the film follows Todd Gillis (Rob…

There’s something quietly magical about stories that bring families back together – and that’s exactly the spirit behind The Magic Faraway Tree. Now, that same sense of adventure is leaping off the page and into real life with a brand-new competition that blends cinematic wonder with outdoor thrills. Based on the beloved children’s classic by…

There’s something undeniably magical about Old Hollywood romance – and for Melbourne-based creative Cassidy Krygger, that magic has come full circle. After years of admiring the timeless charm of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Krygger has brought her own modern interpretation to life with Love in the Moonlight, a supernatural romantic comedy set to premiere…

There’s a scrappy, endearing charm running through Crash Land that feels baked into its DNA – the kind of film that knows exactly where it comes from, even if it occasionally treads familiar ground getting there. Drawing clear inspiration from the DIY chaos of Jackass and the offbeat sincerity of early-2000s indie comedies, the film…

As Ryan Gosling takes audiences on an interstellar journey in Project Hail Mary (read our full review here), out in theatres this weekend, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on a career defined by range, risk, and unforgettable performances. From heartthrob romance in The Notebook to intense drama in Half Nelson, from enigmatic antiheroes in…

There’s a new college drama on the way – and if you’re into messy relationships, elite sports culture, and emotionally unavailable hockey players, this one’s already shaping up to be a binge. Call it “straighted rivalry,” if you like, Off Campus taps into that same appetite for high-stakes love stories set against the hyper-masculine world…

At Sydney’s Hoyts Entertainment Quarter, the red carpet for Deadloch Season 2 felt a little less like a premiere and a little more like a warning. The global hit crime-comedy is back – but this time, it’s sweatier, stickier, and far more dangerous. Created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, the new season trades the…

There’s something quietly miraculous about how Deadloch manages to be so many things at once without collapsing under the weight of it all – and in its second season, it somehow gets even more ambitious. Shifting the action from Tasmania to the Top End is more than just a change of scenery; it’s a smart…

There’s a quiet confidence running through F.I.G that immediately reframes expectations. This is not the glossy, hyper-engineered pop pivot some might anticipate from a former Disney Channel breakout, nor is it a continuation of the darker, urban-leaning textures flirted with as Skye Riley in Smile 2. Instead, Naomi Scott delivers one of the most assured…

Twenty years on, She’s the Man remains one of those rare teen comedies that didn’t just survive its era – it quietly outgrew it. Released in the US on March 17th, 2006, the film arrived at the tail end of a very specific wave: glossy, high-concept teen comedies built around identity swaps, social hierarchies, and…

There’s a certain chaotic magic to 2019’s Ready or Not that felt lightning-in-a-bottle – a savage, tightly wound satire wrapped in a gleefully bloody game of survival. So walking into Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, I wasn’t necessarily convinced a sequel was needed. And yet, while it doesn’t quite recapture that original bite,…

After days of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it teases, the wait is finally over — the first full trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has arrived, ushering in a bold new era for Peter Parker. Following the record-breaking global success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the next chapter doesn’t just pick up the pieces – it reinvents them. Set…