There’s an ineffable magic to seeing dragons come to life on the screen – a blend of myth and marvel that speaks to the child in all of us. Few stories have captured this magic as masterfully as DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise, an adaptation of author Cressida Cowell’s best-selling book series….
Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Lemonade Blessing is a biting coming-of-age comedy about John (Jake Ryan), freshly tossed into a private Catholic high school by his devout mother, who falls head over heels for a devious classmate ready to push his faith (and morals) to the brink with a series of increasingly uncomfortable…
From his imposing turn in Jack Reacher to the Suicide Squad, Jai Courtney is no stranger to playing villains and anti-heroes on screen. But his latest role in cult filmmaker Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals, the actor may be embodying his most unhinged yet, as Tucker, a shark-obsessed serial killer with a penchant for showing tourists the…
Director Wes Anderson has his devotees and his detractors in equal measure, but it can’t be denied that his films manage to assemble some of the most impressive ensembles put to screen. And his latest, The Phoenician Scheme (you can read our review here), is no exception. Centering around Zsa-zsa Korda, “one of the richest…
After taking the world by storm with their horror debut feature Talk To Me in 2023, all eyes were very much on Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou to see how they would follow up such a mammoth success. Proving that they were no flash in the pan, the twins launched back into the genre…
The action genre and Kellan Lutz go hand-in-hand at this point. Whilst the actor started out his career across a variety of comedy features (Stick It), horror efforts (the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street) and teen-aimed television (90210), and he may best be known as Emmett Cullen from the Twilight film series, it’s…
The Salt Path is the profound true story of husband and wife Raynor and Moth Winn (played by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, respectively), and their 630-mile trek along the beautiful but rugged Cornish, Devon and Dorset coastline. After being forcibly removed from their home, they make the desperate decision to walk in the hope…
The newest chapter in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice with Final Destination Bloodlines. Returning audiences to death’s twisted, often blackly comic design are directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, who knew that after over a decade since the last Final Destination…
Proving that it’s sometimes the unlikeliest figures that are the most fatally capable, Bob Odenkirk emerged as an action star in his own violent right in 2021’s Nobody, which starred the Better Call Saul alum as Hutch Mansell, a mild-mannered family man who returns to his former life of an assassin after he and his family…
Returning to the Gold Coast, it was more than an overwhelming homecoming for musician Peter Andre ahead of the premiere screening of his new film, Jafaican, as part of this year’s Gold Coast Film Festival. Described as “not your average heist movie”, Fredi Nwaka‘s crime comedy focuses on Gazza (played by Andre), a small-time crook,…
A dark twisted thriller in the same vein as Se7en and Untraceable, DarkGame is an unsettling feature surrounding a determined detective (Ed Westwick) in a race against time to stop a sadistic game show on the dark web, where captives are forced to compete for their lives and the losers are executed via live broadcast. For…
A reimagining of Ang Lee’s acclaimed 1993 romantic comedy, The Wedding Banquet is a joyful, exuberant, fresh take on the genre, featuring a hilarious cast of multigenerational talent, headlined by Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang. Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for…
As this year’s Sydney Film Festival program goes live (read all about it here), with 201 films from 70 countries on the bill, including 17 World Premieres, 6 international premieres and 137 Australian Premieres, bringing together hundreds of new international and local stories, festival director Nashen Moodley spoke with our Peter Gray about his vision,…
Hagar’s Hut embarks on a journey through the complexities of psychological trauma and that of the lines it often blurs between reality and fantasy as it follows Skye, a young girl fleeing from the clutches of abuse inflicted upon her by her psychiatrists, who seeks solace in the untamed wilderness. There, she encounters Xan, a…
Looking for a fresh start, Quinn and her father move to the quiet town of Kettle Springs. They soon learn the fractured community has fallen on hard times after losing a treasured factory to a fire. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning clown emerges from the cornfields to…
Established in 1993, in honour of two of Australia’s most significant filmmakers, Charles and Elsa Chauvel, the Chauvel Award acknowledges significant contribution to the Australian Screen Industry. In recognition of the incredible Charles and Elsa Chauvel, the Gold Coast Film Festival proudly honours those Australian screen industry legends, who shape Australian cinema in their own…
Ezra, a once-famous trumpeter, now struggles to keep his career afloat, performing for scraps at the local small jazz club. After his family is killed in a horrific car crash, Ezra stumbles upon a lighthouse and is mistaken for the keeper by one of the workers. Drawn by the power of the lighthouse, he decides…
Marvel are being careful with who they assemble with Thunderbolts*, an unconventional team of anti-heroes who, after finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their past. As the Thunderbolts – Yelena Belova, Bucky…
Derived from the interactive survivalist horror game, Until Dawn is an original standalone story that expands upon the game series’ mythology, focusing on Clover and her friends, who head into the remote valley where Clover’s sister vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor centre, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and…
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with…
It Feeds follows the harrowing story of a young girl who insists that a malevolent entity is feeding on her. Ashley Greene (Twilight) stars as a clairvoyant therapist who must confront her own past traumas to save the girl before it’s too late, with Shawn Ashmore (X-Men) as the anguished father desperately fighting to protect his daughter…
“You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.” Written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, Sinners presents a new vision of fear. Starring Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Delroy Lindo, Li Jun Li, and Wunmi Mosaku, the film details…
While covering the news desk in Cairo for a colleague over the Christmas holidays, Australian journalist Peter Greste was arrested and accused of terrorism. He became a pawn in the middle of a deadly game full of corrupt officials and ancient rivalries. The subject of his own worldwide news story, where only his wits and…
While covering the news desk in Cairo for a colleague over the Christmas holidays, Australian journalist Peter Greste was arrested and accused of terrorism. He became a pawn in the middle of a deadly game full of corrupt officials and ancient rivalries. The subject of his own worldwide news story, where only his wits and…
First dates are nerve-wracking enough. Going on a first date while an unnamed, unseen troll pings you personal memes that escalate from annoying to homicidal? Blood-chilling! Returning to the thriller genre with the playful, keep-you-guessing intensity he perfected in the Happy Death Day films, director Christopher Landon delivers an of-the-moment whodunnit where everyone in the…
A movie that sells you exactly what it says on its genre blending box, Death of a Unicorn stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father/daughter duo who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) and his greedy family (Téa Leoni…
Having made a name for herself across Australian stage and screen for her compelling performances, Saskia Archer is poised to be Australia’s next international export. Having honed her skills at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where she starred in such productions as Romeo & Juliet, When the Rain Stops Falling, and An…
The murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023 is back. And this time she’s not alone. The original creative team behind the original $180m phenomenon – led by horror titans James Wan for Atomic Monster, Jason Blum for Blumhouse and director Gerard Johnstone – reboot an all-new wild chapter in A.I. mayhem with M3GAN…
A movie for international, mixed and third culture kids, Carmen & Bolude is a multicultural comedy based on the real-life friendship of Michela Carattini and Bolude Watson. Written by the duo and co-directed by Carattini, Carmen & Bolude tells of two friends who must travel from New York City to Sydney, Australia, where they have…
The Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) (March 20th – 24th, 2025) is an exciting, volunteer-run festival that aims to inspire and empower established and emerging women and gender diverse screen practitioners from Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and the wider Moana region through the celebration of their work and artistry. MWFF exhibits work from collaborative teams…
