Film

Win 1 of 5 Blu-ray copies of Marvel’s Eternals starring Angelina Jolie

Marvel Studios’ Eternals is gearing up to defend humanity on Blu-ray™, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD™ from February 2nd, 2022, and to celebrate the release we have 5 Blu-ray copies up for grabs! Marvel Studios’ Eternals follows a group of ancient heroes from beyond the stars who had protected Earth since the dawn of man. When monstrous…

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Film Review: Belle is an absolute wonder from Mamoru Hosoda that has spectacular visuals enriched by a rich, full heart

Belle tells the story of Suzu, a jovial yet emotionally withdrawn high schooler who is distraught over the loss of her mother. She bears a seething hatred due to the lack of understanding as to why her mother performed such an act of self-sacrifice. Hating her position in her life, she retreats to a vast…

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Interview: Director Edoardo Vitaletti on the religious inspiration behind Shudder’s The Last Thing Mary Saw

Following its acquisition by Shudder, Edoardo Vitaletti‘s horror film The Last Thing Mary Saw will commence its streaming season on the genre-centric service from January 20th, 2022. To coincide with the film’s release (you can read our review here), Peter Gray discussed with the writer/director the religious origins of the film, if he felt any…

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Film Review: Spencer is an unconventional tale of tragedy, reinforced by a mesmeric Kristen Stewart

In the opening moments of Pablo Larraín‘s Spencer, his subject – Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart, beyond impressive) – hopes to maintain any shred of autonomy she can through a lifestyle she knows has wildly altered her reality.  Late to a family Christmas celebratory weekend – the film focuses on December 24th-26th in the early 1990’s,…

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Film Review: Nightmare Alley is an intoxicatingly beautiful and haunting noir thriller from Guillermo del Toro

So intoxicatingly beautiful is Guillermo del Toro‘s haunting Nightmare Alley that its sheer aesthetic pleasures alone are enough to forgive the narrative sins it commits along the way. Far from the unnerving horror film the trailers would have you believe, del Toro’s adaptation of William Lindsay Greshem‘s 1946 novel – first made into a feature…

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Film Review: The Last Thing Mary Saw is a horror-leaning drama that opts for tension over indulgent gore

Religious principles and the notion of intolerance run thematically rampant in The Last Thing Mary Saw, a horror-leaning drama film that announces first time filmmaker Edoardo Vitaletti as an intriguing mind to keep our radar on. Opting for tension and unease rather than overt gore, Mary… is an 1843 set period chiller that opens on…

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Film Review: The 355 masks its genre simplicities with a willing cast and an escapism attitude

Whilst there’s nothing remotely original about The 355, that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun to be had with this slice of pure escapism fluff that manages to mask its simplicities with a willing cast and a scrappy, can-do attitude. Outside of directing, Simon Kinberg has a rather enviable resume.  He served as…

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Interview: The cast of Scream on carrying on the iconic horror franchise; “You don’t want to feel as if you’re copying because that can be virtually disrespectful”

As Scream, the hotly anticipated fifth instalment in the acclaimed horror series, arrives in Australian cinemas today (read our review here), Peter Gray sat down (virtually, of course) with the cast of fresh blood.  Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, and Mikey Madison were all on hand to chat with…

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Interview: Will Smith and the cast and crew of King Richard; “It’s about family and making it joyful, even though it’s intense”

As King Richard arrives in Australian cinemas today (you can read our review here), Peter Gray was invited to attend a global press conference with select cast members, including recent Golden Globe winner Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Demi Singleton, Saniyya Sidney, and Tony Goldwyn, as well as Venus and Serena Williams, to discuss the making…

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Film Review: Scream is a joyous and violently unpredictable film that honours the spirit of the original series

In 1996, when horror was a bad word and the slasher subsect had been relegated to bargain bins and a straight-to-VHS lifespan, genre maestro Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes) and a (then) relatively unknown Kevin Williamson dared to defy the conventions by creating a film that played into the…

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Film Review: King Richard is a winning biopic that transcends genre expectation

As much as King Richard has all the trappings of a biopic – and a sports drama, for that matter – it’s a testament to everyone involved that it manages to entirely transcend expectation and feel like something that’s so much more. It’s easy to wax lyrical about the fact that we’re getting a film…

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Win a double in-season pass to see the return of Ghostface in Scream

Thanks to Paramount Pictures we have 5 double passes (Admit 2) to give away for the upcoming release of Scream, set for release exclusively in cinemas from January 13th, 2022. Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting…

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Film Review: The Tender Bar is well-meaning, yet mediocre storytelling that shines brightest through Ben Affleck’s gentle performance

The Tender Bar is very much the type of film we’ve seen before, and, unfortunately for George Clooney‘s well-meaning dramedy, it’s been done better than what this narrative ultimately presents. A coming-of-age story where the protagonist overcomes his or her personal and professional struggles to achieve ultimate success, all the while guided by a wise…

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Film Review: The King’s Man adds a surprising emotionality to a series built on exaggerated violence and humour

At a time when sequels are delighting in a certain sense of nostalgia – looking no further than the latest iterations of Spider-Man, The Matrix, Ghostbusters, and the forthcoming Scream as immediate examples – you have to at least hand it to director Matthew Vaughn for opting out of such a proven trend for The…

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Film Review: The Addams Family 2 is a little too safe for a property built on creeps, kooks and ooks

Whatever creepiness, kookiness and all together ookiness that has been evoked by previous incarnations of The Addams Family is sadly nowhere to be seen in this safe-playing sequel, one that manages to bury any of the morbid humour and likeability we’d expect from the usually reliable pens of Dan Hernandez (Pokemon: Detective Pikachu), Benji Samit…

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Interview: The Addams Family 2 director Conrad Vernon on crafting a sequel and his relationship with animated films

Writer/director Conrad Vernon and the animated genre go hand-in-hand.  As both a voice actor and a director, the former storyboard artist has left his stamp on such films as Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Sausage Party. After the success of 2019’s animated update of The Addams Family, Vernon found himself back to the drawing…

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Film Review: The entertainingly perverse House of Gucci shows the comedy and drama behind the depravity of greed

House of Gucci is the second 2021 film from acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott. The first was the medieval drama The Last Duel, which was about a true story involving a woman who was fighting for her voice to be heard after being sexually abused in a tyrannically and patriarchal society. The second is about a…

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Interview: Simon Rex on filming Red Rocket and being “rediscovered” in the process; “I’ve never really been respected as an actor”

For someone who’s receiving unanimous praise and deserved award chatter about his latest performance, Simon Rex is an actor that’s keeping things remarkably cool.  Humbled by the reception he’s earning for his role in Sean Baker’s acclaimed comedy Red Rocket as a washed-up former porn star looking to get back on his feet, Rex is…

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Film Review: Red Rocket is a bleak, uncomfortable comedy heightened by the career-redefining turn of Simon Rex

When we are first introduced to Red Rocket‘s lead subject – washed-up porn star Mikey (Simon Rex) – writer/director Sean Baker frames him in such a manner that alludes to him being one of those scrappy anti-heroes whose undeniable charm is enough for us to forgive his indiscretions. And indeed, Mikey is that (in a…

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Interview: Nick Kroll on enjoying the free rein of voicing Uncle Fester in The Addams Family 2

Despite his prolific status within comedy, chances are you’re likely to recognise Nick Kroll‘s voice before seeing him in person.  Biding his time between family fare – just this last month he was heard as Gunter in the animated Sing 2 – and more adult aimed comedy – if you’ve laughed at either Coach Steve,…

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Film Review: The Tragedy of Macbeth is a razor-sharp adaptation of the famous Scottish play

The Tragedy of Macbeth is the latest film from Joel Coen of the Coen Brothers; best known for their works that are singular in vision, unique in meshing genres and humorous in their own idiosyncrasies. For his latest film, he is working solo for what is the umpteenth adaptation of the titular Shakespearean play. Many…

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Interview: Clayton Watson on playing Kid in The Matrix franchise and keeping himself grounded throughout his career; “Be centred and be still, especially in front of the lens”

Clayton Watson may be most familiar to audiences as he appears above, but the actor, best known as Kid from the Matrix sequels Reloaded and Revolutions, is so much more. Returning to Sydney to attend the preview screening of The Matrix Resurrections (you can read our review here), Watson engaged with our own Peter Gray…

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January 2022 Australian cinema releases: Five films you need to see

New year.  New cinema. 2022 is here (can you even believe?) and the multiplexes are doing their darndest to make you forget what’s going on in the real world with a heft of escapism entertainment. Between a killer sequel, A-list horror, Oscar bait dramas, and female-fronted action, the first taste of the new year promises…

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Nova Onas, Clayton Watson, Suzan Mutesi, Nasser Sultan

Clayton Watson attends The Matrix Resurrection screening with local celebrities in Sydney

Clayton Watson, ‘The Kid’ in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions attended the red carpet screening of The Matrix Resurrection at United Cinemas Opera Quays along with local celebrities Nasser Sultan, Emma Roche, Kamahl and others last night. Nathan Atkins was there to bring us these photos.

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Film Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife heavily winks to fans of the original in its bid to conjure up nostalgia

There’s a lot of DNA shared between Jason Reitman‘s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the 1984 original that his father, Ivan Reitman, helmed to fruition.  But it’s not just a familial bond that links the respective films, with several portions of the film’s plot and its character line-up clearly based off what came those near-four decades prior. …

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Film Review: Delicious will sate audiences with its sumptuous and heart-warming tale

Many of us have probably never contemplated a world where restaurants didn’t exist. The French film, Delicious traces the origins of those humble establishments with a heart-warming story involving French nobility. The result is a visual feast that will warm the cockles and sate the appetite just like a fine Christmas dinner. Éric Besnard directs…

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Film Review: Licorice Pizza is joyously subversive look on nostalgia; led by a star-making performance by Alana Haim

Set in 1973 San Fernando Valley, California. Licorice Pizza tells the story of Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), a TV show actor and high schooler who is smitten with the school photographer/volunteer Alana Kane (Alana Haim). The two are aware of the elephant in the room in terms of them being together; being the vast 10-year…

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Interview: Director Joachim Trier on the messy process of creating The Worst Person in the World

A shortlisted title for Best International Feature at next year’s Academy Awards and currently sitting 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, The Worst Person in the World is undoubtedly one of this year’s most celebrated films.  After a successful run at film festivals across the globe, it arrives in Australian cinemas on Boxing Day. To coincide…

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Film Review: The Worst Person in the World finds the soothing comfort in one’s own discomforting outlook

As much as The Worst Person in the World adheres to many of the standard ingredients of the “romantic comedy”, to refer to Joachim Trier‘s as one would be doing it a massive disservice. Detailed over 12 chapters (and both a prologue and epilogue), the film gives us a look into a certain period of…

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Interview: The Matrix Resurrections production designer Hugh Bateup on working with The Wachowskis and executing their unique vision

Are you ready for another trip down the rabbit hole? The Matrix Resurrections (you can read our review here) is returning such iconic characters as Neo and Trinity to the technological fray, with visionary director Lana Wachowski further suspending her audience’s perception of reality. With such intricate and expansive design sprawled across the screen, Wachowski…

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