Film & TV

The shinking Australian dollar does have is advantages – much as it did in the late 90’s when films like The Matrix were enticed to come to Australia, two massive new projects will film in Australia in the year ahead, as the US sees their dollar going further here – with financial support from the…

Set for release in a time usually suited to Academy Award favourites and the tail end of the big blockbuster runs (see: Star Wars), one of the first big comedies set for release in 2016 is shaping up to be Dirty Grandpa, starring Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Julianne Hough, Aubrey Plaza and Dermot Mulroney and…

It’s time to celebrate Halloween! And as part of Event Cinema’s In The House series, tonight at 10pm they’re taking us back to 1987 and the now classic horror film Evil Dead 2. We’ve teased the audience with this little bit of trivia: So, did you spot director Sam Raimi in the film? He was the first…

As expected, last weeks two new releases Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension and Bridge of Spies did in fact make an impact at the box office, but not enough to conquer The Martian, which enjoys its fourth week at the top. The Martian made another very impressive AU$2.2 million as it continues to stave off…

Called “A superior action thriller” (Stephen Romei, The Australian), the new chapter in the iconic franchise Terminator Genisys has just exploded onto Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, DVD, and On Demand from Paramount Home Media Distribution. In the war of man against machine, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney, The Divergent Series) is sent back to 1984…

It’s comedy magic when Simon Pegg teams up with the voices of the Monty Python team and Robin Williams to remind us to be careful what you wish for in Absolutely Anything. Unbeknownst to school teacher Neil Clarke (Pegg), a group of eccentric aliens decide to place the fate of humanity in his hands. In…

The final film in what has been one of the most epic film franchises of the past few years is almost upon us. Part 2 of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay will be in cinemas in less than a month and to celebrate Lionsgate has released a new TV spot with an even closer look at…

Need to catch a TV break and don’t know what to watch? Simon takes us through his top picks on must-see shows and films for the week. Click through to see what’s showing for your entertainment needs… Wednesday 28th October 2015 Kitchen Cabinet-ABC-8pm AEST Political journalist and commentator Annabel Crabb’s Kitchen Cabinet has been a…

Going into the Vin Disel-fronted supernatural action film The Last Witch Hunter, I wasn’t quite certain what to expect. Sure, the idea of Vin Diesel as an immortal witch hunter who saved humanity from hidden supernatural threats is dumb – but as everyone familiar with horror movies knows, dumb doesn’t have to mean bad. In…

The largest short film festival, Tropfest has just announced the national venues for the event on December 6th.  Continuing their partnership with Moonlight Cinema and hotel QT Sydney, the festival is set to screen at Sydney’s Centennial Parklands; and at Moonlight Cinema venues across the country including Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens Central Lawn, Perth’s Kings…

This week’s DVD releases all feature, or are about, talented young women who have gained immense fame in a short period of time. Amy Amy Winehouse’s tragic demise was a source of endless tabloid gossip, and this documentary uses much of that archival paparazzi footage, as well as home videos, to tell her story. Directed…

Since The Walking Dead aired “Thank You”, it’s third episode of the sixth season, this week the internet has been rampant with talk about that scene, the one in which the show seems to kill off one of the absolute fan favourites in a shocking, and frankly quite disappointing, way. The following contains spoilers for…

Another week; another shitty monster. This week marks the third conclusion to Doctor Who’s consecutive two-parter trend, and just like the others, reiterates that it seems that the show may have lost its spark. Last week, we were left with a huge cliffhanger in “The Girl Who Died”; the Doctor left Ashildr (Maisie Williams) immortal, which, through cause and…

Entries for the Sydney Film Festival’s 63rd annual show are now open. The festival will take place from 8th – 16th June in 2016, and will feature a range of features, documentaries and short films under 40 minutes. In 2015, over 250 films were screened to an audience of 176,000. All submissions are being accepted…

The numbers don’t lie: Australians of all ages are enamoured by Oddball. The film, based on a true story about a heroic Maremma Sheepdog, has surpassed $10 million at local box offices – even beating out Roadshow Films‘ other impressively successful 2015 Aussie family film, Paper Planes. After Oddball‘s triumphant 6 weeks of release, it…

IN THE HOUSE has returned to Sydney’s Event Cinemas on George Street for its third season. The series of classic films, returning to the big screen for one night only, runs every other Friday at the cinema and Season Three will also see the likes of The Dark Knight, Evil Dead 2, The Goonies in VMAX,…

A dismembered corpse is found floating in trash bags in Galveston Bay, Texas. Police trace the body back to a grisly crime scene, and arrest Robert Durst for the killing of his neighbor, Morris Black. Durst, scion of New York’s billionaire real estate family, makes bail and goes on the run. After months of eluding…

Is it a fake-out or did The Walking Dead really just kill off one of the show’s most endearing characters in such a hum-drum and incredibly upsetting way? That’s the main question left in the wake of “Thank You”, another intense and wildly gory episode of AMC’s ratings juggernaut. The big moments in The Walking…

Some time ago, in this particular galaxy, there were Star Wars films and no Twitter. So there was no way for cowards to express their disapproval of Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, or even Samuel L Jackson. Now, many are exercising this newfound power in the general direction of Force Awakens star, John Boyega,…

When the first season of the ABC’s paranormal drama Glitch ended on a cliffhanger back in August, fans were left wondering if they’d get the opportunity to get all their burning questions resolved in the form of a second season. Today the ABC announced that they had green lit the series for a return, with…

A lot of people want to live in Utopia but not many would want to work there. Or at least the “Utopia” that’s depicted in the eponymous TV show by the Working Dog production team. The series is a comedy one that feels so real it could have been a documentary if it wasn’t so…

On October 28th, the highest grossing British documentary of all time, Amy, will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Australia. The film chronicles the life – and tragic loss – of UK singer Amy Winehouse. Earlier this year, writer Carina Nilma headed along to the Sydney Film Festival to witness the first Australian screening…

Marvel has just dropped their newest trailer for the Netflix-exclusive Jessica Jones, the much anticipated follow-up to Marvel’s Daredevil series. The show follows private detective and former super hero Jessica Jones as she attempts to rebuild her life in Hell’s Kitchen. Featuring Krysten Ritter as the titular Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, and what looks…

Paranormal Activity has become a huge moneymaker over the years, requiring a modest budget and commanding endless profits despite quality – as if with most horror franchises – slipping fast. The film’s formula of night-vision cam jump scares quickly defined the genre in the 21st century right alongside the other big franchise of the times,…

In Frances Ha, co-writers (and real-life couple) Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig brought to the screen this generation’s twenty-something creative; simultaneously spoilt and burdened by choice. Their Frances, played adorably by Gerwig herself, was lively and resourceful, optimistic yet melancholic in her struggle to achieve some level of “success” and establishing a career post-college. Mistress America,…

This week’s DVD releases all feature self-made men and women, who have something to prove to the world, whether it be through through fighting, vengeance, or…stripping.

If you’re the kind of person who loves, without a doubt, the idea of work-life balance, this is not the film for you. If you’re easily upset at the sight of workplace bullying, or stress caused by an unstable manager and a professional environment that breeds unhealthy well being choices, this is not the film…

Based on the award-winning stage show by Lawrence Leung, Sucker is a coming-of-age story that follows 18-year-old Lawrence as he embarks on a road trip with unusual characters and learns many life lessons along the way. Leung co-wrote the feature film adaptation with director Ben Chessell. The film stars YouTube sensation John Luc (who has more…

Kevin Mitchell once sang about his “animal” and being insufferable whilst in heat but it’s hard to know whether the Jebediah front man considered this “lust”. The latter is one of the seven deadly sins. It’s also the subject of a new TV series which questions whether the seven deadly sins are bad vices or…

It was a treat to re-live the glorious and sophisticated historical drama Vikings Season 3 in HD, while the thoughtful extras helped bring a better understanding to what creator and writer Michael Hirst was trying to achieve, leading to a greater appreciation of the show’s production and newest characters. Vikings, as many Australians will know,…