Film & TV

It is hard to know where to start with 13 Reasons Why as the story unconventionally begins with it’s end. In this case, it is the end of Hannah Baker’s life, her suicide. Based on Jay Asher’s novel of the same name, 13 Reasons Why explores the unravelling of a high school tapestry after text…

Imagine Entertainment Chairman Brian Grazer (who co-founded the company with Ron Howard) and Australian animation powerhouse Animal Logic’s CEO Zareh Nalbandian have announced that they have formed a joint venture to produce a slate of animated and family films. The partnership will see the pair develop, produce, and finance six feature length animation and hybrid animation…

The mystery. The suspense. The adventure. The call…that started it all. Steven Spielberg’s touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old. Don’t miss the In The House’s School Holidays Special – E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial at Event Cinemas George St in glorious VMAX on April 14. Tickets…

Raw tells the story of Justine (Garance Marillier), a brilliant 16-year-old whose admission to a prestigious veterinary school sparks a coming-of-age like no other. With her older sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) watching on, Justine partakes in a bizarre hazing ritual where she is forced to eat raw meat for the first time, defying her vegan…

The world’s most prestigious festival for international television, Series Mania, is set to make its Australian debut in Melbourne with a joint partnership between ACMI and Film Victoria. Held annually in Paris, the Melbourne festival will display program highlights from Series Mania Paris 2017, with over 40 free screenings of premiere seasons of some of…

Hot on the heels of the release of the new trailer for The Mummy comes news that Sydney will act as the first stop on a global tour headlined by the film’s star Tom Cruise. Cruise, alongside co-stars Russell Crowe, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella (who stars in the titular role) and director Alex Kurtzman, will…

Curious choices defined The Walking Dead’s season 7 finale “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life”, and while it didn’t quite make up for what’s been an average season at best, it featured all the big beats characteristic of a landmark episode mixed in with those small character moments that teetered between nauseating…

A bold colour palette expressing traditional Chinese imagery overlays both the personal and political difficulties filmmaker Jennifer Zhang has with her mother in Tough, a short student film that redefines the documentary genre tag. In the space of four short minutes, Zhang manages to convey an alarmingly detailed view of her relationship with her mother,…

In 1968 we received Rosemary’s Baby. It was the film that established Roman Polanski’s ability to bring madness onto screen and placed Mia Farrow as the paranoid mother, unknowingly carrying Satan’s spawn through nine months of fear and mental ruin. It was a landmark film, exploring the psyche and anxiety of an expecting mother. In…

Sometimes a new show comes along and it feels like a breath of fresh air in amongst a genre that has been feeling a little formulaic and stale. Legion created and developed by Noah Hawley (Fargo) takes a deeply dramatic dive into the world of mutants and superpowers. We meet David Haller (Dan Stevens) and…

Straight from the set of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and from its pop-up at SXSW, the fictional fast food restaurant Los Pollos Hermanos is opening its doors in Sydney for two days only – and owner Gus Fring (played by Giancarlo Esposito) will be on hand to celebrate. The pop-up Los Pollos Hermanos…

Microsoft has announced the release of their highly anticipated Surface Studio, as well as their Windows 10 Creators Update, which will roll out on 12th April across Australia and New Zealand. The Surface Studio devices are designed to provide new, more flexible ways of creating, and will be coming to Australian and New Zealand markets…

Hounds of Love, a genre-bending powerhouse thriller from Australian director Ben Young, has been wowing critics across the globe since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2016. And earlier this month it had its North American premiere at SXSW. Featuring a cast of familiar and new faces, the film tackles deep issues of trauma…

A new teaser trailer and accompanying poster has been revealed for upcoming sci-fi Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets from The Fifth Element director Luc Besson. The film is based on the popular French science fiction comic series Valérian and Laureline, and takes place in the distant 28th century, where Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara…

With turns in series like Doctor Who and Legends of Tomorrow, Arthur Darvill has become a Comic Con favourite around the world – and now he’s in Australia, having just finished up with Oz Comic-Con in Perth, and now this weekend he’ll be in Adelaide for the event’s South Australian turn. Ahead of arriving in…

Earlier this month, a “slightly futuristic comedy about babies who don’t age” called Infinity Baby premiered at SXSW. While at the infamous Austin festival, before having the chance to see the film, and knowing only this small byline, I caught up with the cast – most of whom hadn’t seen the film either at this…

From acclaimed director Olivier Assayas comes this evocative thriller starring Kristen Stewart as Maureen, a young American woman in Paris making her living as a personal shopper for a celebrity. In common with her twin brother, Lewis, whose recent death still haunts her, Maureen may have the psychic ability to communicate with spirits. In her…

When filthy-rich video store magnate Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy, American Pie), his soap star wife Moira (Catherine O’Hara, Home Alone) and their two kids, über-hipster son David (Dan Levy) and socialite daughter Alexis suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lives to regroup and rebuild their empire from within the rural…

The first scene of Ghost In The Shell is incredibly haunting, as a crimson-hued setting features a fresh, human brain being delicately placed into a robotic body. It’s an uneasy mixture of human and AI – and according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk – it is a reality that’s not too far into the future, once…

The second attempt at adapting Stephen King’s terrifying thriller It to the screen is only a few months away. And there’s no better time than now to put everyone on edge with its debut trailer. Fear grips the small town of Derry, Maine when kids start to go missing with some even turning up murdered….

Never have I been so disgusted and intrigued at the same time but after watching Two Pigeons – Dominic Bridges‘ directorial debut – its interesting how much we take our security and privacy for granted. After all, if you found you had a squatter living with you, would you ever really be the same? Vulgarity…

In our last two installments, we explored a slew of major franchises with promising games abandoned before they ever saw the light of day. From the enigmatic ambition of Peter Molyneux’s Fable franchise, to the never realised depths of the Pirates of the Caribbean games, it’s clear that even the most popular franchise often suffer…

Fox has partnered with Milkman Grooming Co to create a limited-edition Vax packaging to coincide with the release of Vikings Season 4 – Volume 2 on DVD & Blu-Ray. Influenced by the show, Milkman Grooming Co has ensured every aspect of the design of the packaging is visually stimulating, incorporating clever historical references, themes and scents…

It is no secret that the Marvel Studios made the deal with Sony Pictures to bring Spider-Man to the MCU for not only a fresh new take on the character but also to be a forefront character moving into their so called ‘Phase 4’. It certainly stands that the return of the friendly neighbourhood web slinger was one…

Fantastic news for anyone interested in catching some films they missed at the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival. The Event is being extended in Sydney and Melbourne until April 5. To satisfy public demand, the festival has added Festival favourites such as 150 Milligrams, A Bag of Marbles, The Dancer, From the Land of the…

One of the Summer’s biggest hits has been the Disney animated film Moana – which has its home entertainment release this week. To reflect on this film, we spoke to New Zealand actress Rachel House, who plays Gramma Tala in the film. We talk about what it took to bring the character to life, the…

The first photos of Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (Ex-Machina, The Danish Girl) as the iconic video game action heroine Lara Croft have been exclusively released by Vanity Fair overnight. The article also revealed more of the backstory for the new incarnation of Croft, who was last portrayed onscreen in the commercially successful Tomb Raider films by Angelina Jolie. This…

There has been a lot of movement on the charts this week, thanks to a crowded pile of new entries into cinemas over the weekend. The highly anticipated Disney remake Beauty and the Beast went straight to the top of the ladder.  It sits comfortably at no. 1, having earned $13.14m, giving it the biggest…

Netflix has had many successes with its ‘Netflix Originals’ but in 2017, it tackles new ground with the live action adaptation of successful Japanese manga and anime series Death Note. The anime to live action track record are not in Netflix’s favour, however, this teaser trailer looks like they are far from concerned. Despite fans being split…

Earlier this month at SXSW, the documentary Muppets Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched premiered to much jubilation. The film is exactly as the name implies: some of the team behind the original Muppets (as well as Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street and others), got together to talk about their time on…