If we keep Accidental Love out of the conversation (and he’d wish everyone would), David O. Russell has had an incredible few years. A man who struggled to get films made for almost a decade (following the successful Three Kings in 1999, his only release until The Fighter in 2010 was the underrated I Heart Huckabees…
There was a time when we would only get a new Pixar movie every few years. Now, for the first time ever, we’re getting three in a 12 month period. This started with the box office smash Inside Out earlier this year and will end with the most anticipated animated sequel since Toy Story 3…
Accompanying The Good Dinosaur in cinemas this week is Sanjay’s Super Team, a short film which sits on the other end of the spectrum as one of the most original Pixar shorts to date. In the film, which is the first animation from Pixar to focus entirely on Indian culture and religion, a young boy, Sanjay,…
In this origin story but not quite an adaptation of the beloved J.M Barrie book Peter Pan this film takes us on a journey that seems to have no real rhyme or reason other than Peter trying to find his mother, accidentally stumbling into an adventure and ultimately discovering his destiny. Peter (Levi Miller), a…
Powerful and utterly inspirational Sarah Gavron’s latest film Suffragette follows the brave women of the suffrage movement in Britain during the 19th and 20th century. This historical drama draws upon the daily abuse faced by women during a time period when they had no rights at all, and a group of women who would no…
Visionary Director Paolo Sorrentino gives us one of his most universally appealing and accessible works to date with Youth, calling upon the ageless talents of Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel and a scene-stealing Rachel Weisz, to deliver a fascinating, surreal – almost absurd – exploration of legacy, loss, wisdom, memory, and cynicism. Set exclusively in…
Given that at some point everything that is old becomes new again, it makes sense that the National Lampoon Vacation series would be on the reboot agenda. A surprisingly durable series that has spanned over three decades, the latest in line acts as a semi-reboot-come-sequel with enough sly nods to pay tribute to the original without…
When I got the opportunity to write the review for what is undoubtedly the biggest film of the year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I trembled at the idea of doing something so underwhelming and unjust. Then I thought – while it isn’t remotely on the same level – J.J Abrams must have felt the exact…
To celebrate the shiny, sparkly, glittery special DVD release of Broad City Season 1 we decided to revisit the dynamic duo known as Abbi and Ilana. From their interesting methods of transporting drugs to trying to deal your taxes, this show deals with what every 20-something is truly thinking. The DVD gives you all kinds…
It’s a real shame that Keanu Reeves opted to follow-up his acclaimed actioner John Wick with Knock Knock, a deliriously campy, sexed-up thriller that could quite possibly be the most embarrassing feature Reeves has had the displeasure of involving himself with. Toeing the camp line is always a risk with any given actor but, let’s face…
You’d not be wrong in thinking that 2015 could be the year of the spy movie, with Kingsman: The Secret Service, Spy, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation having all been released already and Spectre due later in the year. We also have another contender in the genre, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. With a ridiculously attractive…
Let’s face it. The box office is about to crumble as the release of a certain space opera draws ever closer. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 isn’t discouraged however, earning another impressive AU$2.8 million in its third week on top. It has now made over half a million dollars worldwide as it draws…
Another entrant in the found-footage genre of horror that might have reached its expiry date. The Gallows would have had to do something exceptional (and exceptionally different) to tear it apart from the usual suspects. This all started with Blair Witch Project, reprised by the Paranormal Activity franchise, and many many others that never saw…
It’s not often that a show so incredibly surprising, ridiculous, and fantastic finds its way onto our screens, but that’s exactly what happened when Jane the Virgin aired in America in late 2014. Equal parts comedy, drama, murder mystery, soap opera, romance, family drama, and coming-of-age, Jane the Virgin has something for everyone, and even…
Mankind’s eternal search for the fountain of youth has seen Hollywood explore more than one scenario where immortality is a reality, always at some morally reprehensible dystopic expense. Films such as Elysium,The Island, Transcendence or more recentlyChappie have approached the idea from different angles with great success. Whether director Tarsem Singh’s (The Fall, Immortals, The…
In the Heart of the Sea is exactly as it sounds – a film centred on the perils for seamen and sea creatures alike. Directed by award-winning director Ron Howard, the film is historically based on the whaling ship Essex and how real-life author Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) became inspired to write the classic Moby…
Black comedy is a tricky thing to execute correctly, and sadly The Voices, despite an intriguing premise and a considerably talented ensemble, fails to balance its ingredients successfully. It’s a bit too brutal to be truly funny yet similarly it’s a little too off-kilter to be deemed a straight-up horror film – but who’s to…
Flight Facilities are a household name in Australian dance music but a never-before-seen mini documentary shows us that behind the polished performances are two good mates who make music for a living, and love it. Red Bull Media House produced Across America during the duo’s coast-spanning tour of the USA in early 2015. It is hard…
Long time no Z. The anticipation for Zoolander 2 is still at fever pitch, thanks the very first trailer released the other week. Now, the sequel to one of the most quotable (and hilarious) comedies of all time has an official international trailer, showcasing even more footage and giving us a closer look at Penelope…
For the second week straight, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 leads the charge against its blockbuster brethren Spectre. Despite earning US$100 million less in its second week, Hunger Games still sits on top both here and in The States. It made AU$5.2 million and kept the new Bond film to AU$3.4 million. Not…
Steven Stelfox (Nicholas Hoult) is an A&R agent for a top record label. Those who live and breathe music would kill for that job. He lives and breathes cocaine. When one of his colleagues outperforms him, he copes by listing the different names for it – blow, bugar-sugar, lump etc – like counting to ten….
“What a waste of a good holiday”, exclaimed the woman seated next to me as the credits rolled. And she’s not wrong – there’s plenty of things I’d do in France if I was given the chance. I would swim every single day. I’d go for walks in the beautiful countryside. I’d drink every bar…
What used to be, what is now, and what the future potentially holds are the main framing points screenwriter Steven Rogers (Kate & Leopold, P.S. I Love You) strands together in Love The Coopers, a deliriously schmaltzy and often contrived dramedy that’s a particularly mixed stocking when it comes to its individual characters chapters. There’s…
It’s devastating when a popular figure, particularly one who is renowned and hero-worshipped for their domination in their chosen field, is unmasked as a fraud. It’s especially hard news to swallow when the person in question denies cheating allegations again and again, and is seen as a community leader. This is exactly what happened to…
In 1976, a relatively unknown actor named Sylvester Stallone wrote a screenplay that would change his life and the lives of many young men from that generation forward. That screenplay turned into the boxing film Rocky, and we would grow to become or know of people who would shadow box in their bedrooms, making “dsh-dsh-dsh”…
Sitting alongside Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis at the autograph signing table at Supanova Adelaide, I watch a trio of little girls who are engaged in a battle of charm with the 26 year old Leeds native. The girls compliment Lewis on being ‘very good’ in the Potter films before turning their attention to the…
I guess it was just bad timing on Spectre’s part. Kept to a solitary week at the top of the box office, Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 opened with AU$9.8 million last week, leaving the new Bond film with a comparatively small AU$5.4 million. Despite falling short of Spectre’s stellar opening in Australia by $2…
Some terrible madman is going around killing the world’s most beautiful people, including Usher and Justin Bieber, in Zoolander 2, forcing them to leave the world one last selfie with Derek Zoolander’s (Ben Stiller) signature look, Blue Steel. Such is life in the Zoolander universe as we once again take a close look at the…
The illusionists known as The Four Horsemen are back for their second act in Now You See Me 2. Original cast members such as Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco are all returning, with the addition of Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe. After the first installment Now You See Me in 2013, featuring magic…
In news that surprises absolutely nobody, Spectre, the 24th James Bond film has effortlessly shot to top spot both here and in The States. Helmed by Sam Mendes and once again starring Daniel Craig as the suave agent 007, Spectre made AU$11.3 million down under and with that I’d like to throw some facts at…
