Interviews

Interview: AnnaLynne McCord on having no fear and blind faith in accepting her role in Condition of Return; “Why am I afraid to say yes?”

You have to take your hat off for director Tommy Stovall and writer John Spare for navigating Condition of Return in a manner that I don’t think even the savviest of viewers would predict.  As a whole it may not always adhere to a certain cohesion as it flits between a dramatic thriller detailing the…

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Interview: Cobweb director Kim Jee-woon and star Song Kang-ho on exploring their love of cinema through their film

In 1970s Korea, when both art and dreams are censored, a film director dreams of a masterpiece. After delighting audiences at both this year’s Cannes Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival, Cobweb is spinning its way into Australian cinemas from October 5th (you can read our review here). To coincide with the release, Peter Gray…

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Interview: The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green; “I’m always going to be there to push buttons and challenge an audience.”

50 years ago this December, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world. Now, a new chapter begins. From Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who shattered the status quo with their resurrection of the Halloween franchise, comes The Exorcist: Believer. Ahead of the film’s much discussed release…

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Interview: Suka director Heidi Lee Douglas on what inspired her action-romance hybrid debut feature

The story of two generations of warring families in Sydney’s West, Suka is a violent love story…with a twist.  Brought together by fate, but pulled apart by family, this genre-bending romantic action film marks the feature debut of Australian filmmaker Heidi Lee Douglas. Ahead of the film’s release this week on DVD and Digital, Peter…

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Interview: Saw X director Kevin Greutert and production designer Anthony Stabley; “We know we need to outdo the previous films”

You just can’t keep a good serial killer down, can you?!? The puppet master better known as Jigsaw has terrorised audiences – and on-screen body parts – for almost two decades now as part of the lucrative Saw film series, the little Aussie horror movie that could that birthed a billion dollar franchise. Despite the…

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Interview: Retribution director Nimród Antal on contained action, working with Liam Neeson, and the films that inspired him

As a filmmaker Nimród Antal has effortlessly aligned himself within the action-thriller genre space.  Whether he’s terrorising Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale in the snuff-film horror Vacancy, or  exercising the limits of predator and prey in the science-fiction sequel Predators, the Hungarian director knows his way around a thrilling set-piece; something that came in handy…

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Interview: Annie Murphy on her villainous voice role in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken; “I now have a thirst for evil.”

*This interview took place prior to the current SAG-AFTRA strike* Every hero needs a villain.  And when you’re Ruby Gillman, a sweet, awkward 16-year-old whose just found out she’s a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queen of the seas, there’s nothing scarier than Chelsea: Beautiful. Popular. Mermaid! From DreamWorks Animation, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken…

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Interview: Lana Condor on being the first female title character in DreamWorks’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

*This interview took place prior to the current SAG-AFTRA strike* She may have loved all the boys with her hit Netflix trilogy of films, but the only thing we love right now is Lana Condor. Making history as the first female title character in a DreamWorks Animation film, Condor is breaking ground as Ruby Gillman,…

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Interview: Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto on seeing his vision come to life on the big screen; “It’s very nice just to see a different flavour of superhero.”

An origin story 5 years in the making, Puerto Rican filmmaker Ángel Manuel Soto is finally seeing his vision of the Mexican-American superhero Blue Beetle brought to life in DC Studios’ Blue Beetle. Starring Xolo Maridueña in the lead role, the film tells of recent college graduate Jaime Reyes and his return home full of…

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Interview: Joe Lo Truglio on writing and directing Outpost; “I think a lot of people are not going to like this movie.  And that’s okay.”

Joe Lo Truglio has long made a name for himself within the comedy scene.  Whether it’s as Andy Samberg’s over-sharing right-hand in the acclaimed sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, his various roles in the absurdist Reno 911!, or as one of the many sex-starved “teens” in the cult hit Wet Hot American Summer, Lo Truglio has proven…

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Interview: Director Michael Chaves on conjuring The Nun II; “Watching a movie you want to feel like you’re in the hands of a madman”

Having directed both The Curse of La Llorona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Michael Chaves is no stranger to helming horror in the supernatural space. For The Nun II, the anticipated sequel to 2018’s hit The Nun, Chaves is navigating his boldest narrative yet, with the director noting he’s proud if…

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Interview: Writer/director Mel Eslyn on her unique debut feature Biosphere; “I didn’t want it to become a headline before people saw it and understood the nuances.”

“It’s Mark Duplass, Sterling K. Brown, it’s the end of the world and they’re in a biosphere.” That’s how writer/director Mel Eslyn presented her unique dramedy Biosphere ahead of its premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s ultimately all you need to know going into it from this week in Australian…

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Interview: Celine Song on writing and directing Past Lives; “There’s going to be other people that feel connected to what you are connected to”

A delicate drama born from her own personal experience, Celine Song is laying emotions bare with the release of Past Lives (you can read our review here). Following its stellar reception at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the South Korean-Canadian director, playwright, and screenwriter is telling her story globally as the film releases in Australian…

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Interview: Director Josh Greenbaum on new comedy Strays; “A little kind of absurdism always goes a long way for me.”

When Peter Gray last spoke with director Josh Greenbaum it was in conjunction with the trailer release for his foul-mouthed, furry-friended comedy Strays, a subversion of the dog movies we know and love, about the complications of love, the importance of great friendships, and the unexpected virtues of couch humping. When Reggie (voiced by Will…

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Interview: Nikolai Nikolaeff on Dracula: The Last Voyage of the Demeter, being approved by Spielberg, and working with his “villainous” face

*This interview took place prior to the current SAG-AFTRA strike* Melbourne-born actor Nikolai Nikolaeff will be the first to tell you he’s aware he gives off “villain” vibes; “It’s got resting “I’m going to kill you” face,” as he states.  And it’s because of such that he’s carved an international career for himself in a…

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Interview: Jann Mardenborough on being the real life inspiration behind Gran Turismo

It’s the incredible true story that you may have never heard of. The latest film from acclaimed District 9 director Neil Blomkamp, Gran Turismo is a biographical sports drama based not only on the iconic race simulation game from Playstation, but the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a British Gran Turismo player who harnessed his…

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Interview: Talk To Me directors Danny and Michael Philippou on executing their horror success

After previewing at the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival, before taking the world by storm at its global Sundance Film Festival premiere earlier this year (read our review here), Talk To Me has become the little horror that could. A supernatural horror experience unlike any other, Talk To Me is the twisted brainchild of Australian filmmaking…

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Interview: Margot Robbie, director Greta Gerwig and the cast of Barbie; “It is really exciting to get to be a part of a moment that is expanding”

She’s everything.  We’re just living in her world. Undoubtedly one of this year’s most anticipated films – if not THE most anticipated – Barbie is a pink-splashed comedy that’s all about living in the Barbie world, where giant summer blowout parties, planned dance choreography and Ken’s beaching make it the perfect place to live.  That…

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Interview: Tom Cruise at the Sydney premiere of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

As he celebrated his 61st birthday, Tom Cruise proclaimed there was nowhere else he’d rather be than in Sydney to premiere his latest action spectacle, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Returning as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, Cruise touched down on Australian soil to greet his fans alongside the film’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, and…

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Interview: Hayley Atwell on joining the fray of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Tom Cruise’s generosity as a co-star

In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake,…

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Interview: Christopher McQuarrie on directing the action intricacies of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and who’s responsible for THOSE stunts

In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake,…

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Interview: Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff on finding their action sensibilities in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake,…

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Interview: Temuera Morrison on the generational impact of Star Wars and the tenacity in pursuing his career

Two of Temuera Morrison’s most noteworthy career milestones have truly come from opposite ends of the galaxy. 1994’s Once Were Warriors was a painfully truthful examination of urban Maori life that continues to cast a long shadow across New Zealand film and culture. And his first Star Wars appearance in 2002 sparked a unique character arc that will place…

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Interview: Sasha Calle on the importance of representation in playing Supergirl in The Flash

As The Flash speeds into cinemas around the world this week (you can read our review here), where the titular superhero uses his powers to alter the events of his past, changing the course of the very future he once knew, we’re entering a new dawn of DC superheroes – including none other than Supergirl!…

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Interview: Writer/director Bill Oliver on Tribeca drama Our Son; “With gay marriage I think there’s a little bit of an expectation to be perfect.”

Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Bill Oliver‘s Our Son is where drama meets mindfulness as audiences explore contemporary relationships between two men (played by Luke Evans and Billy Porter) trying to make their way in the world of parenting their child in the aftermath of their separation. This story unabashedly unfolds with the…

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Interview: Ben Schwartz on Renfield; “How in the world would I pass on a movie where Nic Cage is playing Dracula?”

As we mentioned in our review of Renfield (which you can read here), Nicolas Cage is too perfect a casting addition as the legendary Count Dracula.  And it would seem that was the enticing reason Ben Schwartz took on the film as well; “How in the world would I pass on a movie where Nic…

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Interview: Bill Holderman and Erin Simms on creating Book Club: The Next Chapter, reuniting THAT cast and location scouting in Italy

When Bill Holderman and Erin Simms wrote the script for 2018’s Book Club they envisioned both Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda in their respective roles; now you know why Keaton’s character’s name is Diane! Such was the power of their own determination, both Keaton and Fonda signed on, with fellow industry titans Candice Bergen and…

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Interview: Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner on Beautiful Disaster

Based on the 2012 New York Times best selling self-published novel by Jamie McGuire, Beautiful Disaster is a sexy, modern-day romance film from the director of Cruel Intentions and After We Collided, Roger Kumble. Detailing the “will they/won’t they” between Abby Abernathy (Virginia Gardner), a college freshman eager to focus on her studies and start…

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Interview: Katie Cassidy on surviving Arrow and the power of the fan base

After being Taken in the Liam Neeson thriller of the same name, surviving the wrath of a seasonal serial killer in Black Christmas, but succumbing to the killer instincts of Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare On Elm Street, Katie Cassidy‘s film career may not have always seen her make it to the final credits, but…

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Interview: Filmmakers Rachael Antony and Laurence Billiet on their documentary The Giants; “We can go to the moon but we still don’t understand trees.”

Following on from 2020’s most watched documentary on Australian television – Freeman, about the life and career of Cathy Freeman – co-directors and life partners Laurence Billiet and Rachael Antony have collaborated for The Giants, a stunning film that celebrates the life of environmental folk hero and gay icon Bob Brown. As the film arrives in…

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