Features

Telluride Film Festival 2020

Five U.S. film festivals that are worth the trip in 2020

Travelling for arts festivals is one of the most enriching experiences an intrepid adventurer can have. Not only are you able to explore a destination as you normally would, and take in the many sights, sounds and experiences on offer, you also have access to a curated program brimming with creativity. Whether that means you’ve…

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Re-Discovery: 20 films you might have missed over the last decade

The last decade of cinema has brought with it some favourites you might have missed along the way. Here are 20 films you need to discover (or re-discover) from 2010 to 2019. Submarine (UK, 2010) Richard Ayoade‘s directorial debut. Adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s 2008 novel of the same name, Submarine follows the story of the…

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January 2020 Australian cinema release: Five films you need to see

2020 is primed to be a big year for cinema, both in the realm of big-budget blockbusters and under-radar indies. Each month we’re going to be taking a look at five upcoming films that you need to see in cinemas, encouraging Aussies to get out and experience these stories on the big screen. The year…

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Here are the movies releasing in Australia on Boxing Day 2019

Beach, sales, and movies. Boxing Day is wild in Australia, and some perfectly planned combination of all three activities is usually the way to go after you’ve shrugged off any Christmas Day hangovers/food comas. You’ll be lugging yourself along to the cinema at some point, so it’s best to know what you’ve got ahead of…

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Six underrated horror films to watch this Halloween

There are so many well-known horror movies out there. But there are also quite a lot of underrated ones too. Here are six horror films I believe more people should know about this Halloween. Grab some snacks, and settle in tonight! You’ll not want to miss watching any of these. All Hallows’ Eve (2013) All…

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20 years on, South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut remains one of the best movie musicals and as timely as ever

This week, the big screen adaptation of South Park, South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut, celebrates its 20th anniversary. Debuting at the end of June 1999, the film was amongst the most controversial of a year filled with controversial but successful, MPAA R-Rated films. You had The Matrix, which had been an international hit months…

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Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival: Five music docos not to miss in 2019

Now in its 4th year, The Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival has quickly become one of the most anticipated festival on the city’s calendar, boasting World Premieres, Australian Premieres and one off chances for Victorians to see critically acclaimed documentaries on the big screen. Today we’re looking at five of the music focused docos set…

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13 Films You Must See at Sydney Film Festival 2019

It’s almost time for the annual Sydney Film Festival (5th – 16th June), stretching almost a fortnight across Sydney’s best cinemas – including the historic State Theatre – with a hugely diverse program of films from around the world. There’s almost too many gems to get through this year, so we’ve compiled a list of…

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Van Duren’s Guide to Memphis, Tennessee

Currently doing the film festival rounds – with its Australian premiere happening at the Gold Coast Film Festival on Monday – is Waiting: The Van Duren Story, from first time Australian directors Greg Carey and Wade Jackson. The film documents the life of Memphis based songwriter Van Duren, a much loved artist by those in…

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7 film releases to get excited about this autumn

From Captain Marvel to Rocketman, the next three months are filled with a mountain of cinematic releases we should all be excited about. Here are just seven… Captain Marvel Marvel fans, grab some popcorn and drinks because you’re in for a treat. Captain Marvel is set to hit cinemas this week, March 7. In this exciting…

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The AU’s 21 Best Films of 2018

It’s been another incredible year of film, with powerful indie projects and incredible blockbusters that saw packed out cinemas align with strong reviews from critics. As voted by the AU review contributors, here are the 21 films we rated above the rest this year… 21. Ocean’s 8 The Met Gala sequence itself is, admittedly, quite…

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5 films to watch after you’ve seenOverlord

When a small group of American soldiers are thrust into a German-occupied French town. Their mission to take out a radio tower takes a terrifying turn when they discover Nazi doctors conducting human experimentation in order to create super soldiers. With the release of the World War II action plus zombie super soldier laden Overlord…

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Seven films you need to be excited about for 2019

If you weren’t excited for the new year, you definitely will be once you get the scope on the films we’ll be seeing hit cinemas next year. Here at the AU Review, we have compiled a list of 7 films being released in Australia in 2019, so gather the family ’round and get ready for…

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A Star Is Reborn: Why ‘remake’ is not a dirty word

No matter how Hollywood tries to sell it, remake will always be a word deemed blasphemous to cinephiles the world over.  Sure, they can throw out terms such as reboot or reimagining or revisioning, but regardless of the spin, they all refer to the same type of picture.  And because it’s one we have experienced…

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Why you need to experience Damien Chazelle’s First Man in IMAX

When one praises a film, one of the many positives that one would say is that the storytelling is incredibly immersive from a visual perspective. Films with such praise would include Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, J.J Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness and Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. But what all those films mentioned have…

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Five documentary features you need to watch on Netflix

There’s no shortage of documentaries on Netflix – both in feature and episodic format. Here’s just five documentary features you need to add to your playlists: Blackfish Blackfish is a documentary about the captivity of orca whales, where it investigates the psychological and physical torment these sea animals go through in the name of corporate…

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Six new movie trailers you need to watch right now

From the new Elton John biopic, to Wizards and an unrecognisable Christian Bale, here are six just released movie trailers you need to watch… Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald One more addition to the beloved Harry Potter franchise, Crimes of Grindelwald is the second film in a new series of five, written exclusively for the screen…

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Interview: Hyun Lee on Asian Girls and the benefits of diversity in film funding

Earlier this year, we sat down with Hyun Lee, the director of a short film called Asian Girls which screened at SXSW in Austin, Texas and then at the Sydney Film Festival. We talked about the making of the film, working with Rainbow Chan, and the benefits and importance of diversity in film funding. It’s…

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What the critics are saying at the 75th Venice Film Festival

2018 marks the 75th anniversary of the oldest film festival in the world. Once again, Venice invites motion pictures and filmmakers from all over the world to participate in the annual show. The Festival, which premieres some of the year’s biggest films and hottest Oscar contenders, is running until the 8th of September. Here’s a look…

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5 animated films to get excited about in the next 7 months

Already so far this year we have witnessed numerous animated films making an appearance in cinemas, the long-awaited Incredibles 2 being just one. But what about the rest of the year, you ask? Rest assured, because we here at the AU review have you covered. In this article we’ll disclose five more animated films you’re likely to…

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Film Review: Kin (USA, 2018) attempts to balance family drama and sci-fi for something different

It takes quite some time before Kin ramps into its intergalactic promise, with Aussie directors Jonathan and Josh Baker stretching their indie short Bag Man into an odd hybrid feature to try thin the chunky line between on-the-road family drama and sci-fi. And while the uneven plot can be frustrating to witness as it slowly…

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Here’s a look at the six Australian films to screen at TIFF 2018

Six Australian films have been chosen for the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). As one of the biggest publicly attended film festivals the TIFF has close ties to the US film industry. This poses a good chance of expanding the range of Australian film making to a world-wide audience, like former Toronto premieres (e.g….

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Five things we learned about Breath from its Blu-Ray Release

The coming-of-age story, Breath is based on the acclaimed, Tim Winton novel of the same name. It is about two adolescent boys named Pikelet and Loonie who learn to surf thanks to a chance meeting with a former professional named Sando (Simon Baker). The film has just been released on Blu-ray and features several hours…

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From Opening to Closing Night: The 59th Sydney Film Festival – Part Two ft. The Comedy, Jeff Who Lives At Home, Safety not Guaranteed and more.

In the first part of my Sydney Film Festival review series last week, I looked at four of the films I saw during the festival, and gave you my impressions of the festival as a whole. In short, I thought they nailed it. This week I conclude my review series with another four films I…

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