Film

Thanks to Umbrella Entertainment we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to The Survival of Kindness, the latest feature from one of Australia’s leading filmmakers – Rolf de Heer. Written, directed and produced by award-winning auteur filmmaker Rolf de Heer (Dingo, Bad Boy Bubby, The Tracker), The Survival of Kindness uses allegory to analyse…

Just as confusing as it is fascinating, Backwards Faces, a science-fiction fuelled comedy from writer/director Chris Aresco, seems as if it’ll run the risk of being a little too smart for its own good. It all starts straightforward enough, with a post-one night stand scenario setting up the dynamic between Ken (Andrew Morra, also serving…

For such a bloodied horror experience, the leading ladies of Evil Dead Rise are all smiles and levity as they discuss the “torturous” episode of filming, their own descent into “the abyss”, and how exactly Jim Carrey was used as a reference point. Ahead of the film’s global premiere earlier in the year (read our…

“Tell the kid he’s got it,” said the legendary Mel Blanc with a smile, after listening to a young man’s first demo tape of cartoon character voices. The year was 1984, “the kid,” was Jim Cummings. Since then, the kid has gone on to give life and voice to some of America’s most beloved animal…

Most well known for his titular role in the television series Arrow, based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, Stephen Amell has long been part of the comic culture since the series first aired in 2012.  After 8 seasons, Amell has retired the hood (or has he?) and has since incorporated his own professional…

There are certain films that, as an audience member, you can tell were an absolute blast to film.  You imagine the on-set atmosphere was one of joy and gaiety, quite often enhanced if said film is being shot on location.  Mafia Mamma feels like one of those productions.  It’s just a shame the presumed fun…

Enhancing the punishing and graphically gory nature of Fede Álvarez’s 2013 “reimagined” Evil Dead and the more comedic inclination of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 (1987), Lee Cronin‘s Evil Dead Rise is a manic, at-times disgusting horror treat that proves there’s still a whole lotta (after) life left in this franchise. Given that Cronin seems…

The release of Chrissy Judy feels rather aptly timed at the given moment considering the unnecessary controversy around the artform that is drag.  Its history has never been tied to sex or sexuality, so it’s incredibly ironic that anti-LGBTQIA+ conservatives have peddled their agenda against the art and have positioned themselves as “protecting” children from…

Arriving just in time for the Easter weekend, the credence of a family in peril and the determination of the stranger who can save them come together in On A Wing and A Prayer, a faith-based drama streaming on Prime Video from April 7th. Directed by Sean McNamara, written by Brian Egeston, and based on…

Remember the uproar there was regarding Jared Leto’s Italian accent in House of Gucci?  Prepare to have a field day with whatever Russell Crowe is attempting in The Pope’s Exorcist. And not only is it the vocal inflection of good ole’ Rusty, but his whole general demeanour throughout Julius Avery’s horror romp, where he swigs…

Judging a film by its poster art is never the safest thing to do (what’s that old judging book cover quote?), but in the case of Allelujah it’s a safe assumption that anyone who even remotely glanced at the colourful, rainbow-adorned title and collective cast ensemble on display would have an idea of the film’s…

She’s everything. He’s just Ken. The Barbie world and the real world are set to collide in a new teaser trailer for Greta Gerwig’s hot(pink)ly anticipated comedy, Barbie. Barbies and Kens abound, with “beach offs”, rollerblades and choreography aplenty as Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) look to delve beyond their plastic fantastic surroundings….

Through iconic stories, characters and moments from over 120 years of moving image history, Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion celebrates the women and gender-transcending superstars who shaped their own roles, took creative control and fought a system that tried to exploit them. From the swagger of Mae West and glamour of Anna May Wong to the powerful…

We’ll address the elephant in the room first.  Yes, Chris Pratt does indeed adopt a stereotypical Italian accent for his voice work as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.  No, it’s actually not as offensive or as wince-inducing as you may be anticipating because, quite ingeniously, the film makes a joke out of the…

From award-winning director Ben Affleck, Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of…

Telling a story with an ending we’re already aware of and centred around a subject that could be considered mundane to many, Ben Affleck‘s strength as a director – and enthusiastic support player – is on full display in Air, an immensely humorous, consistently riveting and passionate drama about the basketball league’s greatest ever player…

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the…

As we’re seeing superhero films flounder under audience fatigue, there’s a new subsect of IP being explored in a particularly exciting fashion; and it has nothing to do with sequels either! (Although, given how well received Creed III, Scream VI, and John Wick: Chapter 4 have all been, sometimes following through on existing titles isn’t…

This holiday season, get ready for an action-packed, all-star, rainbow-colored family reunion like no other as Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return for the new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster musical franchise: Trolls Band Together. After two films of true friendship and relentless flirting, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) are now officially, finally, a couple….

The unlikeable, but relatable, protagonist rings strong in Vivian Kerr‘s Scrap, a feature-length adaptation of her own similarly-named 2018 short film that she fronted as lead and writer.  For her filmic go-around, Kerr has assigned herself directorial duties as well, assuring that her character (Beth) is presented in a way that holds authenticity; whether we…

Thanks to Paramount Pictures Australia we have 5 family in-season passes (Admit 4) to Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, the new adventure adaptation of the classic role-playing game, starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant.  Exclusively in cinemas March 30th, 2023. A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic…

Following on from Peter’s review earlier this week, our own Harris Dang tells us why the latest installment in the John Wick series is a five star slice of nirvana for fans of action cinema… John Wick – Chapter 4 continues the story of our titular anti-hero (Keanu Reeves), who is currently at his lowest…

It’s hard to believe that, at one point, 2014’s John Wick was practically considered dead on arrival.  A combination of unproven directors (eventual franchise mainstay Chad Stahelski and uncredited “co-director” David Leitch), a screenwriter with only a duo of barely-registered titles under him (Derek Kolstad), and a lead actor with a slew of underperforming box…

With over $20 million in Australian box office takings, The Dry surged as one of the top grossing films in Australian history upon its release in 2021.  No doubt hoping to emulate that success, director Robert Connolly and lead actor/producer Eric Bana are returning to the mysterious fray in Force of Nature: The Dry 2,…

There’s a formula adhered to and a lack of mould breaking throughout Matt Ruskin‘s Boston Strangler, but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t an effective take on an establish genre, with his script executing compelling narrative arcs and supplying the always-watchable Keira Knightley a role with sense and purpose. She stars as Loretta McLaughlin, a…

A harrowing tale of addiction, psychological instability, and the humanising of substance abuse, All the World Is Sleeping is a generational drama that provides no easy answers within.  Inspired by the true stories of Carly Hicks, Patricia Marez, Jade Sanchez, Myra Salazar, Kayleigh Smith, Malissa Trujillo, and Doralee Urban, a collective of New Mexico women…

23 years after Hollywood first attempted to adapt the Dungeons & Dragons phenomenon with an entirely forgettable fantasy that starred Jimmy Olsen from TV’s Lois & Clark, and had Marlon Wayans setting back racial stereotypes by a good few decades, the (studio) powers that be have opted to re-polish the IP, rolling the dice on…

Sometimes the hero you are meant to be lies just beneath the surface. This year, DreamWorks Animation dives into the turbulent waters of high school with a hilarious, heartfelt action comedy about a shy teenager, Ruby Gillman (voiced by Lana Condor), who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens…

Based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese film Ikiru, which in itself was inspired by the 1886 Russian novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy, Oliver Hermanus’s Living is an understated take on one of life’s most complicated musings: What does it mean to truly live? It’s a big question, but in the hands…

When we spend so much time consuming global entertainment, it feels extra special to watch a beautifully told Australian story—a film that’s rich with nostalgia yet doesn’t shy away from truth. Of an Age is a stirring, gorgeously filmed queer romance, set in Melbourne during 1999. The movie follows 18-year-old amateur ballroom dancer Kol (Elias…