Film & TV

Netflix Review: Marvel’s The Defenders starts off triumphant but fizzles by its end

Four years in the making and with a lot of anticipation riding on it, the next series in the juggernaut that is the Netflix/Marvel collaboration The Defenders has landed. After two seasons of Daredevil and one each for Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist we finally get the team up of the street level…

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Watch the first trailer for A. A. Milne biopic Goodbye Christopher Robin

The story of Winnie The Pooh author A. A. Milne has long been optioned for cinema, and this November, British director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) will have his stab at the biopic, Goodbye Christopher Robin. The film stars Domhnall Gleeson in the lead role, with Aussie actress Margot Robbie playing his wife Daphne, Kelly Macdonald…

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Australian Box Office Report: Annabelle: Creation makes a thrilling debut at the box office

Looks like audiences are down for creepy possessed dolls! In its debut weekend in cinemas, Annabelle: Creation, the prequel to the Annabelle storyline from 2014, shot straight to no. 1 and earned $2.28m in the process.  It generated a screen average of $9,903 across its 231 screens nationally. Annabelle: Creation beat out last week’s no. 1 to push it…

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Interview: American Made director Doug Liman talks about uncovering the heart at the centre of his action films

Doug Liman has never been a director afraid of making bold choices. Whether he’s taking the leap from indie cinema ala Swingers to expensive actioners like The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or honing his skills as a wrangler in order to challenge a fearless performer such as Tom Cruise, the New York…

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Film Review: American Made (USA, 2017) is a sharply paced outing that proves a welcome return to form for Tom Cruise

Simultaneously stepping away from the action brands they’re both primarily recognised for, there’s a sense of material re-engagement for director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Edge of Tomorrow) and star Tom Cruise with American Made.  Telling a story that’s less reliant on aesthetic spectacle and star power, Gary Spinelli’s account of…

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Win a copy of Guerrilla starring Frieda Pinto, and Idris Elba on DVD

Set against the backdrop of one of the most explosive times in U.K. history, Guerrilla tells the story of a politically active couple whose relationship and values are tested when they liberate a political prisoner and form a radical underground cell in 1970s London. The six-part limited series is from Academy Award-winner John Ridley and…

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Win a double pass to the Kill Bill Double Screening In The House in Sydney

Here comes The Bride in the ultimate In The House Tarantino Double at Event Cinemas George St with Kill Bill: Vol 1 and Kill Bill: Vol 2 back to back on August 25th. We learn that revenge is a dish best served cold in this deadly pursuit. This is a rare chance to see Tarantino’s…

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Interview: Tess Haubrich’s journey from Home and Away to Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant

Now that the home release of Alien: Covenant is upon us, we had the opportunity to speak with Security Officer Rosenthal of the USCSS Covenant, also known as Aussie Actor Tess Haubrich.  With her head firmly back on her shoulders, and after eight more weeks of hard work and being on set for her next…

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David Tennant and Michael Sheen set to star in new Amazon series Good Omens

Neil Gaiman seems to be all the rage at the moment for Amazon Prime Video. Fresh off the success of their adaptation of his 2001 novel American Gods, the streaming service has plans to give a similar treatment to Gaiman’s much loved 1990 novel Good Omens, which he wrote with Terry Prachett. The comedy-horror fantasy…

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Film Review: The Dark Tower (USA, 2017) is tolerable for casual viewers but disappointing for die-hard King fans

Full disclosure, I have not read any of the Stephen King The Dark Tower series of books. As somebody who is unaware of the source material, I was going into the film adaptation of The Dark Tower with the simple expectation of wanting to enjoy a film, to be transported to another place, be invested…

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Interview: Matt Okine and Harriet Dyer open up on The Other Guy and onscreen diversity

The Other Guy is a new series that looks at life ten years after the ‘happily ever after’ we usually see portrayed in rom-coms. It examines the complexities and awkwardness of returning to the dating scene, of having to find new watering holes, avoiding the people who make you feel awful and generally just trying…

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Film Review: Hampstead (UK, 2017) is London’s answer to Lady & The Tramp

Hampstead is a film that is based on a true story. But you get the sense that it’s a glossy, feel-good version of reality. The film is a pleasant rom-com that is a nice way to wile away 102 minutes so long as you don’t expect any surprises or social realism. The film is directed…

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Film Review: Logan Lucky (USA, 2017) is a calculated, charming caper

It’s been a few years since director Steven Soderbergh had a feature film on the big screen but with Logan Lucky he makes a welcome return in this rollicking comedy-heist. It would be easy to boil this down to a red-neck dirty overalls wearing, whiskey swigging, pick-up truck driving version of Soderbergh’s own hit Ocean’s…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: Wonderstruck (USA, 2017) astounds with heart, emotion, and magic

Directed by Todd Haynes (Carol), Wonderstruck focuses on the lives of two kids in two different time periods, who both set off on their own very personal New York adventures. Ben (Oakes Fegley) longs to know the identity of his father as it may provide some insight into his own life and mindset. Rose (Millicent…

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Village Cinemas is unveiling a new cinema site in Melbourne

Village Cinemas are embarking on a new venture that will help welcome an all-new cinema site located in Melbourne’s largest mixed-use precinct, M-City Monash. Located in the suburb of Clayton in Melbourne’s south east, M-City will become home to four apartment towers, an international hotel, commercial offices and a retail precinct. Strategically developed within a…

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Nash Edgerton’s new TV series for FX Australia has commenced production

Nash Edgerton’s first directing gig for a television series and FX Australia’s first local production, Mr Inbetween, has commenced shooting. Driven by dark humour and off-beat conversation, the six part series follows charismatic, yet volatile hitman Ray Shoesmith, as he navigates his chilling business while also maintaining friendships, parental responsibilities and a fledgling romance. The show…

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Five Reasons to watch Australia’s answer to Atlanta, the Stan series The Other Guy

Dating has become a complicated business – gone are the times when respectable men and women would try to court each other civilly. Nowadays, it’s all about Tinder, night clubs and one-night stands, with any hope of a meaningful relationship lost in a sea of lust and horniness. One programme looking to examine these modern…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: Orlando (UK, 1992) is a meandering look at gender studies in history

Blur may have sung about “girls who are boys who like boys to be girls,” but it was writer, Virginia Woolf who got there first. Her short novel, Orlando is about a young, aristocratic man who wakes up one day and discovers he’s become a woman. It was a novel that was written by Woolf…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: Jungle (Australia, 2017) tells of Yossi Ghinsberg’s Intense and Dramatic Journey

Ever since his resounding success with the Harry Potter franchise Daniel Radcliffe has continued to push the boundaries of his acting career with fantastic and varied performances in both Swiss Army Man and Imperium. Now Radcliffe has completed one of his most physically demanding roles yet portraying Yossi Ghinsberg, an Israeli adventurer who became stranded…

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First Impressions: Marvel’s The Defenders is exactly the scrappy street level hero team up we hoped for

After two seasons of Daredevil, and introductory seasons for Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, we now reach the first season of Marvel’s The Defenders. The series where our street level heroes of New York finally meet and team up to take on what appears to be the biggest baddie of all to date….

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Netflix’s The Crown delivers a trailer for its second season

The award-winning Netflix series (and famed as the most expensive television series of all time), The Crown, will return for its second season later this year – and now we have the first trailer ahead of its December debut. The Crown focuses on Queen Elizabeth II and her time spent as Queen of the United Kingdom. The show focuses…

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Australian Screenwriter Andrew Knight set to receive screen industry top honour

Andrew Knight, screenwriter for projects such as Hacksaw Ridge, Rake and Jack Irish, has been officially announced as the recipient of the 2017 Australian Writers’ Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award, commonly regarded as one of the industry’s highest honours. Knight started his career writing for classic Australian comedy series such as The D Generation, Fast Forward…

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PSX17SEA: Hands on: Detroit: Become Human (PS4)

Being a massive fan of Quantic Dream’s previous titles like Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain, as soon as I got into the venue, I made a beeline to the booth. The demo on the floor was the same available at E3, where you play as Connor, an android negotiator working with the Detroit PD…

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Interview: Composer Tyler Bates on Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2, The Punisher, Atomic Blonde & touring with Marilyn Manson

Tyler Bates and his musically talented mind has not only collaborated in taking down hordes of Zombies with Zack Snyder’s Dawn of The Dead, dealt with psychopaths in worlds created by Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects and Halloween), blurred the lines with Hank Moody (David Duchovny) for the Californication TV series, but has followed the…

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PSX17SEA: Hands on: Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom (PS4)

I’ve never personally played the original Ni No Kuni, but I was told that although this is a sequel to the series, it does not pick up the story from the previous game and you play completely new characters in the completely new world of Ding Dong Dell.

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PSX17SEA Hands on: Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite (PS4)

I’m a massive, massive fan of the Marvel vs Capcom series. It’s almost definitely my most favourite game in the fighting genre. Mostly because I could use Resident Evil’s Albert Wesker to kick major butt (my gamertag is inspired by him). When I heard that Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite would be available to play at…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: Namatjira Project (Australia, 2017) continues the story of Australia’s most prolific Aboriginal artist

Albert Namatjira remains one of Australia’s most revered artists. At the time of his death, his collection exceeded two thousand individual paintings, a perceptive catalogue of the landscapes that form the barren heart of Australia’s central regions. Yet his significance far extends his body of work. In 1957 Albert became the first Aboriginal person to…

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Video Games Preview: Uncharted The Lost Legacy looks like another winner for Naughty Dog

What began as a concept for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End DLC evolved into a substantial and important continuation for Naughty Dog’s mega successful cinematic action-adventure franchise, the result of which is Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Not the most exciting or unexpected title for what is essentially a spin-off, but a fairly appropriate one seeing…

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Film Review: Wind River (USA, 2017) is excitingly tense and beautifully shot

Having proven his worth as a screenwriter with both Hell or High Water and Sicario, Wind River serves as scribe Taylor Sheridan’s directorial debut.  Arguably arriving with high expectations, Sheridan’s tight, often brutal thriller proves his workings with such professionals as David Mackenzie and Denis Villeneuve has paid off, showcasing an ease behind the lens…

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Film Review: Annabelle: Creation (USA, 2017) is a vast improvement over its dull predecessor

When James Wan’s The Conjuring hit cinemas in 2013 it was rightfully heralded as one of the greatest supernatural horrors ever made, instantly shooting to the very top of many genre aficionados’ lists and sewing the seeds for an ever-expanding cinematic universe to the scale no horror franchise has pulled off before. Then Annabelle was…

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