Film

Set in Northern China in 1931, Cliff Walkers follows the story of four Soviet-trained Chinese agents who are tasked to find an informer who has escaped from a location that was occupied by the Japanese, who used it for nefarious purposes like torture. Their mission is to evade capture and make it to Harbin so…

Famed on Instagram for his 6’7 frame and popularisation of the “man-bun”, California native Brock O’Hurn has traded in influencing for entertainment, transitioning from the phone screen to the big screen.  Having made his film debut in Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, and its subsequent sequel, before earning television roles in drama series such…

There’s nothing particularly original about The Resort.  In some manner hoping to be a type of The Shining-in-Hawaii set-up, Taylor Chien‘s supernatural scarer at least doesn’t tread on the expected genre trope of the found footage angle – something that this type of narrative could easily have adopted. A film that unfortunately lets itself down…

“Action-capable hero seeks revenge following the murder of his wife” is one generic genre outline that many an action film has adhered to.  And whilst Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (as it’s being touted) is a film stocked with considerable talent who all deserve better than such a configuration afforded, their combined efforts can’t exactly lift…

After making a name for himself in the late 90’s/early 2000’s with his distinct brand of British gangster villainy, writer/director Guy Ritchie seemed to trade in authenticity for capital.  The success of such studio projects as Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin seemed to gradually distance Ritchie from his more unkempt beginnings, before 2019’s The Gentlemen seemingly…

Set in 1820’s Northwest, First Cow tells the story of two travellers. The first being Otis “Cookie” Figowitz (John Magaro), a taciturn chef who is travelling with a group of fur trappers. The second being King-Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant on the run for killing a Russian man. The two eventually become friends over…

Satirical without ever being savage, YouthMin adopts a cringeworthy mockumentary style of approach to its narrative, bringing to mind the same uncomfortable comedy that made The Office such fascinating viewing. Whilst its thematics of being primarily raised in the protestant church and the subsequent camps that came with such faith is more likely to resonate…

The teen-centric, modernised adaptation of classic literature is a road travelled before throughout cinema.  Jane Austen’s Emma was revamped for the Valley girl-focused Clueless; Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew was the basis for Heath Ledger’s taming of Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You, and, however surprising it may be, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark…

As much as The Oak Room‘s narrative basis of “A man walks into a bar…” sounds like a gag set up, Cody Calahan‘s slow burning thriller is anything but a humorous punchline. The man walking into said bar is Steve (RJ Mitte), a prodigal son of a small Canadian town who, as we learn through…

With Nomadland having just earned Academy Award accolades as the Best Picture of 2020, a film like Land being released is curious timing.  It’ll inevitably be compared to Chloe Zhao’s inward masterpiece and, in its own way, it’s something of a more digestible, audience friendly take on the narrative of finding yourself in the wilderness. The…

The first ever African-American film producer to solely produce an Oscar-winning film (when Halle Berry won her Best Actress statue for Monster’s Ball), Lee Daniels has long associated himself with acclaimed fare throughout his career thus far. After a near-decade long break from directing films, the Academy Award-nominated director of such lauded features as Precious…

After making a name for himself in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Sam Claflin soon earned global recognition as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games series.  Romantic leading roles and character driven projects followed, with his exercises in the dark psyches of his roles continuing with the release of Every Breath You Take….

The spirit of the 1990’s thriller is alive and well within Every Breath You Take.  The upper-middle class family having their perfectly manicured lives upended by the arrival of a mysterious figure – this one British and in the form of the disarmingly handsome Sam Claflin – is a road travelled many times before; hell,…

Though the battle grounds of Mortal Kombat are far from the usual comedic landscape Josh Lawson is used to, the Australian actor/writer/director has certainly put his own stamp on proceedings in bringing the character of violent mercenary Kano to life. Touching down in Sydney to discuss his foray into the world of blockbuster cinema, Lawson…

Mortal Kombat fans rejoice! The hotly anticipated (and fantastically violent) cinematic re-adaptation of the best-selling game has arrived in cinemas for all eager, and legal, eyes to see (you can read our review here). In conjunction with the film’s release, Peter Gray caught up with its director, Simon McQuoid, and producer, E. Bennett Walsh, to…

Sister tells the story of An Ran (Zhang Zifeng), a nurse who is on a strong career path to become a doctor and move out her home and go to Beijing as a full-time student. She is estranged from her family due to the ongoing fact that her parents always preferred a son over her….

The road from video game to cinema screen has often been an arduous trek – to say the least.  Often made with the best of intentions, but seldom able to satisfy the expansive fanbase, video game adaptations are usually starting at a disadvantage. Sure, there’s a certain campy pleasure to watching Jean Claude Van Damme…

The best performances within the biopic genre are those that aren’t just simply imitations or impressions of the subject at hand, but an honest appraisal of the person, one where the performer vanishes on screen. And so often with such grand performances, it can lead to the rest of the film surrounding them to feel…

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, the Fast & Furious series has defied all expectation and grown to exponential heights as Vin Diesel and his motley crew have graduated from street racing to international espionage. The latest trailer for Fast & Furious 9 only adds to the franchise’s penchant for athletic lunacy as Diesel’s Dominic…

The hilarious new film Bad Trip premiered on Netflix at the end of February, and fans of comedian Eric Andre – the film’s star – are bring treated to the finest prank film since Borat. In newly released deleted scenes, which you can view below, the film’s director Kitao Sakurai revealed that “what you see…

Marketed as “Lord of the Flies in space”, Voyagers – whilst occasionally leaning in to that description – is a confused genre effort that feels like a more reflective, psychological film has been edited down to a tween crowd who may appreciate its melodramatic personality. Written and directed by Neil Burger, his first original script…

Ascendant is one of those films that’s equally as difficult to write about it as it is deceptively simple.  A film that banks entirely on the fact that it unravels and reveals its narrative in an unexpected manner, Antaine Furlong‘s ambitious sci-fi-leaning action/thriller is a testament to the first time Australian filmmaker’s bold vision and…

Academy Award® Winner Emma Stone brings the legacy of the wicked Cruella de Vil to life in the new trailer for Cruella, ahead of its Australian release in both theatres and Disney+ with Premier Access* on May 28th, 2021. Set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, Cruella follows a young grifter named Estella (Stone),…

What is it about cinematic advanced primates which makes them so fascinating? Is it the similarities they have with us homo sapiens? Is it because they are cute? Is it because they have such engagingly primal instincts that we cannot look away? Is it because they satisfy our need to see city-wide destruction? Or can…

Neil Burger‘s 30-year career as a filmmaker has taken the director on a varied journey.  From his beginnings as a music video director and faux documentarian, Burger became a staple name in mainstream cinema thanks to such commercial and critical successes as The Illusionist, Limitless, and Divergent. Now working off his first original script in…

One of the true gems of the internet has been the fact that Warner Bros. have maintained one of the earliest interactive HTML movie websites – their 1996 Space Jam website. With a new Space Jam film out this year (no less than 25 years later…), many were worried this joyous site would be taken…

Marvel’s long awaited Black Widow has finally landed on a release date after being shifted around the last year (thanks COVID).  Marvel Studios have announced July 9th for Scarlett Johansson‘s solo outing as Natasha Romanoff as she confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued…

It goes without saying that the ending of a film is as crucial to its success as any other major component.  And in horror films especially, the satisfaction element of its climax is one the genre often lives or dies by.  Hunter Hunter, from writer/director Shawn Linden, is such a film that almost relies entirely…

Once a staple of Australian television – having worked on such notable homegrown series as McLeod’s Daughters, Underbelly, and Home and Away – Jonny Pasvolsky has since been making ground for himself across the Pacific, starring in such profile productions as Mortdecai opposite Johnny Depp, The Front Runner with Hugh Jackman, and the acclaimed series…

So much of Blithe Spirit‘s ingredients point to signs of a tasty meal, and yet one can’t help but feel entirely ready to return this flavourless chaff to the kitchen within minutes of its arrival. Adapted from Noel Coward‘s 1941 play and boasting the appealing quartet of Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Judi…