Film

Arriving in cinemas today, Cyrano (you can read our review here) is the beautiful new drama from director Joe Wright, who has reinterpreted Edmond Rostand’s classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac as a sorrowful musical starring Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage (TV’s Game of Thrones) as the titular poet. To coincide with…

Reimagining another literary masterpiece, as he did with both Pride & Prejudice and Anna Karenina (and, to a lesser extent, the ambitious but much maligned Pan), Joe Wright‘s interpretation of Edmond Rostand‘s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac is a suitably lush affair that manages to reinvigorate a tried and true story, one that we have…

Joe Wright is no stranger to a period piece, having adapted the literary dramas Pride & Prejudice and Anna Karenina, the acclaimed romantic war tale Atonement, and the Oscar-winning political drama Darkest Hour.  So, there’s really no one more suited to adapting Edmond Rostand’s classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. Based upon the 2018 stage…

Detailing a film and its lead actress adored by the queer community, and uncovering within that connection a story so juicy it seems almost too dramatic to be true, Boulevard! A Hollywood Story is a fascinating look at the intended musical iteration of Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard, Gloria Swanson‘s determination to see its…

Though presented in the guise of a character drama, The Novice is very much a psychological thriller detailing the compulsive, obsessive need one can hone in their attempt to perfect their field of interest.  For the central figure in Lauren Hadaway‘s dark effort, Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to the role, both physically…

Whilst we’re finally experiencing the certain studio projects that the pandemic momentarily stalled from their original release dates, the last year has also made way for many made-during-COVID productions to seep through the schedule too.  Two creatives who put their lockdown status to viable use were Charles Busch and Carl Andress, lifelong friends and collaborators…

Welcome to the post-biological world. We’re not there yet but we soon will be. Scientists, innovators, engineers and other experts foresee a time where humans could transcend immortality through technology. The answers lie in machine learning, artificial intelligence and robotics. It’s a place where we could download our memories to ensure our “essence” lives on…

Whilst C’mon C’mon is the type of film that ultimately holds you down to listen to what it has to say, Mike Mills constructs it in such a way that it’s a more emotional and gradual experience.  There’s a texture in the way he presents his narrative, culminating in a manner that when stepped away…

As Baz Luhrmann stated prior to the release of the trailer for his anticipated biopic Elvis, that they are “the invitation to the movie”, Peter Gray was fittingly invited to attend a global press conference with Baz and lead actor Austin Butler to discuss their 3-years-in-the-making musical epic. Touching on the decision to make a…

With some 60 locations already in North America, the burger and bar restaurant Wahlburgers opened its doors for the first time in Australia today, and our very own Nathan Atkins was there for the opening. Located in Sydney’s Opera Quays, Wahlburgers was founded by brothers Mark, Donnie and Chef Paul Wahlburg, and was the subject…

Flee is the latest hybrid of both documentary and animation, giving it a similarity to the 2008 film Waltz with Bashir. They both involve storytelling of factual narratives through the medium of animation that stirs up the animation of audiences as the subjects recollect their experiences. In the case of Flee, the animation not only is…

There’s that old chestnut saying that truth is stranger than fiction, and it would appear that no one knows this more than writer/director Wes Hurley.  An autobiographical tale of growing up queer in the USSR in the 1980’s, Potato Dreams of America is an often bizarre, occasionally sad, but completely unique feature that, however trite…

Whilst The Greenhouse isn’t always cohesive in its fantastical exploration of grief, Thomas Wilson-White‘s drama is nonetheless an impressive, ambitious debut that takes bold swings throughout its narrative, detailing how the coping mechanism regarding loss is always a uniquely and individually tailored experience. Still grieving the loss of one of her mother’s from years prior…

Thanks to Universal Pictures we have 5 double passes (Admit 2) to give away for the upcoming release of Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage, set for release in cinemas from February 24th, 2022. This musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic play tells the story of Cyrano de Bergerac as he pines for the affections of the…

In a new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic thriller from the producers of The Invisible Man, Firestarter tells of a girl with extraordinary pyrokinetic powers fighting to protect her family and herself from sinister forces that seek to capture and control her. For more than a decade, parents Andy (Zac Efron; Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile;…

Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.  The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice)…

A new dimension of Strange is upon us. With Spider-Man: No Way Home STILL going strong at the global box office, the Marvel hype for the anticipated Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is at an all-time high, with Sam Raimi‘s sequel seemingly looking to pick up where Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Strange left off. A…

Only weeks ago Drive My Car would have been considered the best film you’ve never heard of.  Now, with a deserving Best Picture Oscar nomination to its name, it’s hopeful that the same enthusiasm and appreciation that drove Parasite to glory two years ago can be transferred to this foreign-language gem. A Japanese drama that…

The idea of making a movie about a viral outbreak during a pandemic is a form of irony that was not lost on director Kiah Roache-Turner or star Luke McKenzie when filming Wyrmwood Apocalypse, but as on the nose it may have been, it was perfectly in tune with the embracement they felt when leaning…

With the recent release of Marry Me reminding us that not all romantic comedies have to be relegated to the throw-away click-throughs of a streaming platform (I’m looking at you Netflix), I Want You Back decides to brazenly prove that a quality entrant to the genre can be released to a service – in this…

In addition to hearing the principle cast of Marry Me discuss the making of the film, Peter Gray chatted one on one with stars Sarah Silverman, Michelle Buteau, and director Kat Coiro. In between being serenaded by the two comediennes, he discussed working with Jennifer Lopez, the Anaconda reunion we didn’t know we needed with…

Ever since 2008’s Taken reorganised Liam Neeson‘s career, the actor has embraced his action persona and, almost annually, kept his fans satiated with each subsequent outing. His latest release is Blacklight, a slightly more grounded action film where he stars as FBI operative Travis Block who uncovers a conspiracy within his own agency.  To coincide…

It’s almost hard to believe there was a time before Liam Neeson took an almost exclusive stance on the midrange-budgeted actioner where his character, usually an operative in some form or another, possessed enough of a skillset to inflict pain on an interchangeable villain.  It’s been the actor’s go-to for almost 15 years, and whilst…

Releasing in Australian cinemas today – just in time for the Valentine’s season – Marry Me is the latest romantic comedy from Jennifer Lopez, with the global icon starring as a pop singer who suffers a public humiliation and, on a leap of faith, marries a stranger on an impulsive whim.  After saying “I Do”…

Prior to Jennifer Lopez becoming the global icon she’s considered today, her path as an actress was one that oft travelled in directions not expected.  Sure, now we align her with romantic comedies such as The Wedding Planner, Maid In Manhattan and Second Act, but some 20-odd years ago, before she was synonymous with that…

Halfway through 2021, the AU review was invited to visit the set of Wyrmwood: Apocalypse which was being filmed under strict COVID-19 regulations in the outskirts of Sydney. It’s the long-awaited big-budget sequel to Australia’s “most pirated film” Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, a title the team are proud to boast about, which was released…

Thanks to Rialto Distribution we have 5 double passes (Admit 2) to give away for the upcoming release of Blacklight, starring Liam Neeson, set for release in cinemas from February 10th, 2022. Travis Block is a government operative coming to terms with his shadowy past. When he discovers a plot targeting U.S. citizens, Block finds…

Whilst most films set for release over the last two years were understandably shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenneth Branagh‘s Death on the Nile has been more than just a casualty of coronavirus.  Though its initial late 2020 release was pulled due to the ongoing pandemic – and industry insiders spooked by Tenet‘s “underperformance” –…

For most people, the opening chords to Sesame Street theme song “Sunny Days” will bring back a surge of memories. Sesame Street recently celebrated its golden anniversary, and was a staple for many growing up. The revolutionary kids’ show has already inspired many documentaries, including Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days and the puppeteer-focused…

Known as the “master of disaster”, due to his penchant for predominantly large-scale destructive narratives, director Roland Emmerich has, once again, assembled an abundance of special effects, overt exposition, and stock standard human characters for his latest suspension of disbelief – Moonfall. Whilst his varied directorial career is littered with some genuine genre gems –…