Author: Peter Gray

A festival darling for 2022, Seriously Red, a Dolly Parton-centric comedy from the mind of writer/actress Krew Boylan, is finally taking centre stage in Australian cinemas this week. In this rowdy and rambunctious musical dramedy, Red (Boylan) is a vivacious, clumsy and occasionally misguided redhead who is at a crossroads in her life. After misreading…

Though Seriously Red is a film that has its heart in the right place and explores the rather fascinating world of celebrity impersonators and, by extension, what that does to one’s own identity, Gracie Otto‘s musically-inclined comedy never quite digs deep enough regarding its thematics. Otto’s film centres itself around Raylene “Red” Delaney (Krew Boylan,…

It goes without saying that there’s a certain irony in Luca Guadagnino helming a cannibalistic tale in the wake of one of his his Call Me By Your Name stars being ousted for their abusive, sexual fantasies involving such anthropophagous tendencies; Armie Hammer, for those who perhaps haven’t heard, having been banished from the industry…

Bones and All is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter… as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap…

Rian Johnson had far too much fun paying homage to the works of Agatha Christie in 2019’s star-studded crime comedy Knives Out.  To say he executed it perfectly would be putting it mildly, but whilst a sequel to such a set-up seemed like a given, how anything secondary would be navigated was another mystery in…

Australians are obsessed with content, with new research from Prime Video Australia revealing the average Australian has watched 67 movies and TV series this year alone. With tens of thousands of titles to choose from on Prime Video, choosing what to watch can be hard. And let’s be honest, sometimes you just want to leave…

Releasing a horror movie only days out from Christmas doesn’t seem like the smartest marketing ploy.  Add to that a slasher example of the genre at a time when “horror” was a bad word – and so often relegated to the straight-to-video treatment – and you had, essentially, a film slashed dead on arrival.  Such…

With Hocus Pocus 2 proving a sizeable success, The Princess Diaries 3 now officially in the works, and both Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan discussing their interest in a Freaky Friday sequel, the House of Mouse is more than proving itself in the business of revisiting original titles for the sake of nostalgia, fan…

Well, we can’t say we weren’t warned that with such a title as The People We Hate at the Wedding we’re unprepared to be subjected to people at a wedding that we do indeed hate.  A “comedy” that commits the cardinal sin of trying to make its hateful characters relatable and forgivable of their actions,…

A satire surrounding the wealthy, faux celebrities, foodies and their misplaced importance, or chefs with a God complex seems far too easy to execute for a mock artist.  For director Mark Mylod (What’s Your Number, TV’s Succession) and screenwriters Seth Reiss (TV’s Late Night with Seth Meyers) and Will Tracy (TV’s Succession) it’s low-hanging fruit…

Amazon Australia has today released a heart-warming stop-motion film with the help of the Amazon Playmakers – ten kids selected by Starlight Children’s Foundation to be the official toy testers for Amazon’s annual Top 100 Toy List. The Playmakers were sent a selection of the top 100 toys to test and review to help Australians…

The gang isn’t all here, but the ultimate front-man is in Magic Mike’s Last Dance, the third installment in the Magic Mike franchise from Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh. Just in time for Valentine’s Day next year, “Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal…

Not only were they voices that spoke loud enough to break a cycle of abuse within the Hollywood system, they are now the faces of a ceiling-breaking movement that has forever changed the entertainment industry. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey were the New York Times journalists who investigated the abuse allegations against mogul Harvey Weinstein. …

In our continued coverage for She Said, the new drama from Universal Pictures detailing New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor and their breaking of one of the most important stories of a generation, one that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in…

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor broke one of the most important stories in a generation – a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood. This story that altered American culture forever is being detailed in the new film…

Given the weight and influence that came with the #MeToo movement – founded in 2006 by American activist Tarana Burke – and, by extension (and association), the overwhelming allegations of sexual assault against once-famed producer Harvey Weinstein, it makes sense that a film detailing as such has come to fruition.  Based off the 2017 New…

It’s all too easy to wax lyrical these days about trailers spoiling and “giving too much away” for the keyboard warriors who oft decide they hate a film before they even see it.  Whilst the jury is still out on how many will dislike The Invitation, I can attest that, as far as spoilers go, Jessica M….

Thanks to Warner Bros. Australia and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the cannibalistic romance Bones and All, the latest film from acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), in Australian cinemas from November 24th, 2022. Bones and All is a story of first love between Maren…

The Hitman Vs. Assassin subsect of the action genre is one that rarely deviates from its rather tried and true formula; aside from a hefty injection of cash and a star-studded cast, something as recent as Netflix’s throwaway actioner The Gray Man is proof that the genre, even in 2022, seems comfortable resting on its…

Australian-born Claudia Doumit may best be known for her deceptively sinister turn as Victoria Neuman in the television series The Boys, but it’s roles in films such as Dylan & Zoey that should truly keep her on the map. As the indie drama releases in US theatres and On Demand, Claudia spoke with our Peter…

Initially, it can’t be denied, Dylan & Zoey does adhere to certain rules that the “Indie film playbook” so often lays out for new filmmakers to navigate.  This is by no means a criticism of Matt Sauter‘s film, merely an observation that the simplistic settings, dialogue-heavy characters and their societal views, and “me against the…

It’s understandable to be going into a film like Nope and be expecting horror greatness, given that it’s stemming from the mind of Jordan Peele, who, with both Get Out and Us, redefined the genre with his “woke” sensibilities and penchant for symbolism and commentary. Ominous alien invasion is seemingly what’s promised here.  The trailers (at least initially, before the studio…

Premiering exclusively on Shudder from November 10th, Mandrake is a Northern Irish folk horror tale that marks the directorial feature debut of Lynne Davison. Premiering earlier this year at FrightFest Glasgow the film follows probation officer Cathy Madden (played by Scottish BAFTA-winner Deirdre Mullins), who is given the task of rehabilitating notorious killer ‘Bloody’ Mary…

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has undoubtedly divided fans like no other that has preceded it.  Whilst there was a certain uniqueness in how characters and narratives were handled – say what you will about Eternals or Thor: Love and Thunder, but they at least attempted to separate themselves from the norm –…

Just when you thought remote working was good, along comes remote-control working. Prime Video Australia today announced a nationwide search for a content junkie to fill a brand-new role—the Prime Video Buff. Prime Video is on the hunt for someone who lives and breathes entertainment to be employed in a full-time role** over summer and get…

There was a point in Romuald Boulanger‘s On The Line where a character utters the line “Elvis has left the building”, here referring to Mel Gibson‘s character Elvis Cooney, a late-night shock jock who has seemingly made a name for himself due to his on-air pranks and general volatile personality.  The line clearly wants to…

A low-key slice of independent cinema that you imagine wouldn’t be given as big of a spotlight had it not been for lead Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway nonetheless deserves its attention as it’s a determined and moving picture about one’s healing, both emotionally and physically. Adhering to the stripped-away mentality that drove her to her first…

Given how wild everyone – or teenage girls, to be a little more accurate – are for pop’s main man-candy Harry Styles, it will no doubt throw much of his female following off as to how graphic the sexual scenes are in My Policeman, a queer love story that perseveres with grand intentions but, sadly,…

The plot for Aftersun is one that we have seen countless times before in one form or another: Adult reflects on a childhood trip with a parent that was often laced with memorable experiences.  It’s how writer/director Charlotte Wells chooses to frame such a story though – almost like a faded memory – that transforms…

Though she was born in New York, was on the Broadway stage by age 13, and working in Hollywood only years later, securing roles opposite such talent as Matthew Fox (1994’s Party of Five), Jared Leto (Cool and the Crazy in 1994) Shannen Doherty (1997’s Friends ‘Til The End), and Jessica Alba (in James Cameron’s…