New Zealand born Director Jake Mahaffy was trawling the news one day when he came across a chilling story from 2003 concerning the death of an 8 year old autistic boy named Terrance Cottrell. His death was seemingly the unintentional consequence of a modern-day exorcism performed by members of a small storefront Milwaukee church who…
Blood Punch is a cool, innovative little horror flick that takes inspiration and crafts something wholly unique, but its appeal lies in knowing next to nothing about its plot. Our story centres on Milton, a former meth cook who finds himself in rehab. When Skylar shows up and plans a breakout, under the guise of…
“No One” is an episode of Thrones that can’t seem to decide what it wants to be. It isn’t quite clear whether this episode is the spark that sets off the cascading events of the season’s final two episodes or a climax in its own right. Though it offers some closure to the Braavos and Riverlands…
We all heard the stories, “Sony are working on a a more powerful PlayStation 4”, but now the company have finally appeared to confirm it.
I Saw The Light is the new feature film from second time director Marc Abraham, focusing on the short life and influential career of iconic American musician Hank Williams. It’s not the first time Williams’ story has found its home on the big screen, but it’s the first major take since 1964’s Your Cheatin’ Heart,…
Defiance in the face of constraint brought on by stringent cultural convention is a favourite topic for Sydney Film Festival year in and year out. Falling into that category this year is Turkish award-winner Mustang which, following last year’s release, picked up the coveted Cannes Directors’ Fortnight prize, four Césars and an Oscar nomination, well…
In a village in the north of Turkey, Lale and her four sisters innocently celebrate the end of the school year at the beach with some boys. The supposed debauchery of their actions causes their home to progressively transform into a prison; classes on housework and cooking replace school, and marriages are arranged. The five…
Embedded fits nicely within the growing catalog of Australian films determined to prove our country has much more to offer the world of cinema than just koalas and beaches. Part erotic thriller, part political statement. Embedded revolves entirely around the relationship between disillusioned war correspondent Frank (Nick Barkla) and Madeline (Laura Gordon), the enigmatic woman he shares…
Any documentary ambitious enough to tackle different facets and implications of the “internet” is going to fall short of something. The single most influential creation of the past few decades has grown into such an impossibly complex and overwhelming force that it would be pure insanity to think one could encapsulate all its infinite intricacies…
What would an Almodovar film be like without the major presence of women? Certainly not an Almodovar film, that’s for sure. And it is a delight to see him back in his normal ways of female-centric stories that made him renowned and acclaimed around the world by audiences and critics over. Films of his like…
If there’s anything that sticks with you the most about Jan Gassmann’s latest documentary effort Europe, She Loves, it’s the striking cinematography. A surprisingly intimate look into the emotions and lives of five couples across Europe, the film never really looks, nor feels, like a documentary. It wears its authenticity with pride, inviting you to engage and…
Kicking off this year’s “Freak Me Out” program as part of the Sydney Film Festival was Tyler MacIntyre’s Patchwork, a horror-comedy gem that managed to fly under the radar when it was released last year. The charming indie is a literal blend of character, inventive in the way it draws from the influential idea behind…
Crowdfunded sci-fi action comedy, Lazer Team is making its way down under. The cinematic lovechild of Youtube’s Rooster Teeth, Lazer Team, is releasing to home video in Australia following box office success through its partnership with the cinema-on-demand platform Tugg. Lazer Team follows four small-town friends who stumble upon an alien crash site containing a segmented alien…
Palace Cinema’s third annual Scandinavian Film Festival, sponsored by Volvo, opens around the country this July, offering a selection of 22 films from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. Director Rune Denstad Langlo‘s sharp and insightful black comedy, Welcome to Norway will open the festival. The film follows an aspiring hotel owner who turns his half-built…
Following its premiere as the opening night film of the 63rd annual Sydney Film Festival, The Iris sought to learn more about Goldstone from Director Ivan Sen. Chatting character, corruption, representation and scale, Sen gives us further insight into the follow-up to 2013’s universally acclaimed Mystery Road, as well as discussing how his direction has…
Consider yourself a reality TV junkie? Are you a Foxtel subscriber? If you’ve said yes to both, then you’re in for a treat. Foxtel announced on Tuesday that customers who are subscribed to the network with an additional subscription package including the channel E! Entertainment Television* will be able to access the new NBC Universal…
Stephen Sewell‘s erotic political thriller Embedded sees a former-war correspondent meet an alluring, enigmatic woman at a party, before a dangerous power play engulfs them both. Fergus Halliday caught up with Stephen in the lead-up to the film’s screening at the Sydney Film Festival and talked it’s origins and the ideas the film dissects. Where did…
Between Red Christmas, High-Rise and Patchwork, the 2016 Sydney Film Festival is delivering some really solid offerings for horror movie fans. Fergus Halliday caught up with the Sean Byrne, the director of The Devil’s Candy, to talk about the film’s appearance at the festival, the film’s origins and the state of Australian horror. I wanted to start by…
Universal will be bringing Matt Damon and Alicia Vikander down under next month to promote the release of their new Jason Bourne film. The pair will walk the red carpet at the film’s Australian Premiere on Sunday July 3rd at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Sydney. It has been fourteen years since The Bourne Identity, but Damon assures fans…
Simply put, Swiss Army Man is a story about how a man, whilst lost and trapped on an island, befriends a seemingly magical corpse in order to find his way back to civilisation. However, this film is far more than that, it’s an examination of a multitude of themes. A comedy, a drama,a tale of friendship…
Every two years, we ask our Australian based readers to take a few minutes to help us get to know you a bit better. We want to make sure we are making the best possible site for you! Everyone who fills out the form and provides us with their email address will also go in…
In 2014 a new live adaptation of the beloved comic and cartoon series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit our screens. The reception wasn’t great, complaints aplenty from fans and mutiple Raspberry Awards made it fairly clear that the film’s producers, writers and the studio had some work to do to win back their audience. Two…
Ahead of its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, Fergus Halliday sat down with Swiss director Jan Gassman to talk about his latest film Europe, She Loves. A frank and intimate documentary-hybrid, Europe, She Loves, documents the lives of four couples across Europe. The Iris: Such a fascinating and incredibly ambitious movie. How did Europe, She Loves begin?…
Our own Australian director James Wan has made quite a name for himself in the horror genre. Alongside some mild detours like the revenge-film Death Sentence and the ventriloquist horror Dead Silence, he started off the Saw franchise – which spawned SEVEN films. Next came the Insidious franchise – which spawned another FOUR films. Then all of a…
Wrapping up its seventh season, Archer ended on a massive cliffhanger on Thursday night. While the FX’s dearly beloved animated spy series has not be renewed for an eighth season, there’s been talk of a feature-film based on the show. Reported by The Daily Beast, they asked executive producers Matt Thompson and Casey Willis prior…
Reported by The Hollywood Reporter, there’s been talk of a potential miniseries based on David Carr’s memoir, The Night of The Gun. AMC will be teaming up with some familiar faces if the series does move forward in production. The network announced on Monday night that they will be working with Sony Pictures Television to develop…
Following the success of his role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it has been announced that John Boyega will be starring in the upcoming Pacific Rim sequel. Reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Boyega will be undertaking the lead role as the son of Idris Elba’s character from the original film. The plot of the sequel…
Set to open in Australian cinemas next Thursday – and out in the US this weekend – we had the chance to check out the anticipated Warcraft adaptation this week, and wanted to fill you in on five of the things we loved about the film, as we get excited for its official release. Read…
Dubbed the spiritual follow-up to the classic Dazed and Confused, award winning Writer and Director Richard Linklater is taking us back to the days of our youth – this time, the first days of College – in the acclaimed film Everybody Wants Some!!, which is screening as part of Sydney Film Festival and will be…
With X-Men: Apocalypse behind us, there’s never been a better time for X-Men fans to look ahead. They’ve got TV offerings like Legion and Hellfire in development alongside big screen project’s like New Mutants, X-Force and Hugh Jackman‘s final Wolverine movie. It’s also a great time to look back, and see how Apocalypse ranks against the series’…
