Film & TV

It would be hard to deny Unfriended as an imaginative and innovative film; Director Levan Gabriadze takes an initially uninspiring concept and makes it work with admirable attention to detail and a genuine sense of tension. However, in the film’s pursuit of as much realism as possible, the viewer is left unable to escape from…

The last time seasoned actor Tom Hanks teamed with seasoned Director Steven Spielberg was 2004, with romantic-comedy The Terminal, now 11 years later the dynamic Actor-Director duo have re-teamed to deliver a Cold War drama with Bridge of Spies. The forthcoming film, which also stars Amy Ryan and Mark Rylance, is about an insurance claims…

Girls just wanna have fun. Except that in the film, A Royal Night Out, those two ladies are Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at ages 19 and 14, respectively. The film is a fun and warm-hearted historic romp that does feel like it’s being played a little too safe at times. On V.E. Day (8…

If you had seen what Madison has seen over the course of Fear the Walking Dead‘s first two episodes would you gather your two kids for a good ol’ game of Monopoly before following them out into the night to find a shotgun, while leaving a barking dog in your house, with the damn back…

In the early 1960’s a movement was beginning to grow amongst the African-Americans in the United States. It began in the south led by Martin Luther King Jr with a pacifist push but soon a group emerged in the west coastal city of Oakland (near San Francisco), founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale came…

The brand new full length trailer was released today for the seventh film in the Rocky series, titled Creed, which brings back Sylvester Stallone into his iconic role, this time as he meets the son of Apollo Creed. The film is released in November. Here’s a bit more about the film, and then check out…

The much anticipated new series of Doctor Who will be fast-tracked to ABC iView once again this year, with ABC confirming the first episode of the Ninth series will premiere on Sunday, September 20 at 5.30am AEST on ABC iview.

It’s not a new concept by any means, but films about artificial intelligence can still cut deep into the human psyche. Ex Machina is no different – following the narrative of Caleb, a computer programmer who wins a mysterious competition at his work, and is rewarded with a week long stay in the secluded and…

Everest tells the story of the 1996 Everest Film Expedition, a dramatic true story of a team of climbers who found hope, strength and triumph in the wake of tragedy. Their successful ascent of Mount Everest just days after fellow mountaineers and friends died there, is a compelling story about the human spirit and a mountain…

With the release of Unfriended on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, we caught up with one of the film’s stars Jacob Wysocki to talk about his role and the film and what it’s like working on such a different sort of horror film. In case you missed it when it was in theatres, Unfriended is…

The documentary, Killswitch makes some interesting points in support of whistle-blowers and hacktivists like Aaron Swartz and Edward Snowden. That is that their only real crime is that they’ve out-smarted you. Killswitch is an unoriginal but interesting film about the battleground that is the Internet, which describes how our rights to free speech and privacy…

IN THE HOUSE has returned to Sydney’s Event Cinemas on George Street for its third season, and the 1970’s high school classic Grease. 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…

A Royal Night Out is a film about one perfect, glorious evening in the lives of two real-life princesses. They are Elizabeth and Margaret Windsor and the night is 8 May 1945, V-E Night. The whole of London is on the streets to celebrate the official end of World War II in Europe. It is…

Where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality? When does thinking about committing a crime become a crime? Can we be convicted just because our Google searches were for suspicious or potentially dangerous things? These are just some of the questions posed by the chilling documentary titled Thought Crimes: The Case of the…

Empires of all kinds find themselves crumbling, evolving, and switching it up in this week’s DVD releases. Ex Machina Ex Machina is the first feature film by screenwriter Alex Garland, and what a stunning debut it is. Starring Alicia Vikander, Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina explores the philosophical and moral questions surrounding the…

Brimming with crucial social and political issues, the canvas of the ‘hood film’ has provided film directors with a vast array of meaning for decades, ever since Colors and Do the Right Thing were released to critical acclaim in the 1980s. Almost always bleak, the ‘hood film’, which predominantly deals with African-American and Hispanic-American populated…

Starring Rooney Mara as Therese and Cate Blanchett as Carol, the CAROL is an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt. Directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy, click through to watch the trailer in full… Due for release in 2016, CAROL is set in 1950s New York and follows the story…

Peace Officer is one scary film and it’s not even a horror movie. This documentary is a timely and important one about the militarisation of police in the United States. It’s a fascinating, informative and balanced look at a complex subject and one that manages to hit all of the right notes. The story focuses…

It’s been a slow few weeks at the box office. Despite a slew of new releases, none have really made a huge impact and its been 6 weeks since anything has broken $4 million. Enter Straight Outta Compton, F. Gary Gray’s highly anticipated biopic on prolific hip-hop group N.W.A.. The Hip-Hop drama had a $60 million opening…

A feature film is on its way based on the documentary Our Brand Is Crisis, which focuses on the use of American political campaign strategies in South America. The film, which will be named after the original, stars Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie and is set for release at the end of October.  Today…

Tearaway Unfolded, an expansion of the award-winning Tearaway game, is another inventive gem from the Media Molecule team which has now been released for Playstation 4. While the game is busy attracting acclaim from around the world, mirroring the reception the original Tearaway received in 2013, we at The Iris want to give you a…

Last week we brought you our review of Kill Me Three Times, and this week, we’ve got some behind the scenes clips and images from the film’s director Kriv Stenders, who also directed Red Dog. In an effort to stay on top of the developments in technology, the film debuts on digital platforms, DVD and…

A week ago, we gave you our impressions of Netflix’s new crime drama Narcos and came away impressed and eager to see where the series would go. A week later we’ve had time to sit down and work our way through the first season of the show and while we still feel it’s a strong…

Steven Spielberg’s legendary Jaws is about to become much, much more terrifying with an immersive cinematic experience put on by Art & About Sydney and Golden Age Cinema next January. The concept is fairly simple: the screening will take place at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool right by Sydney Harbour on Woolloomooloo Bay and attendees can…

A deeply emotional and captivating film, Mia Madre (My Mother) stands as what is bound to be one of the many beautifully told Italian films on offer for the Lavazza Italian Film Festival. Having won awards from the likes of the Cannes Film Festival 2015 (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury), and being directed by Nanni…

The title of this film doesn’t really give much of an insight into its narrative and in fact, the word “life” has a bit of a double entendre. It couples as both the act of existing as well as the name of the publication that one of our leads works for. Not so surprisingly though,…

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 9th September 2015 9/11: The Lost Hero-ABC2-9.20pm AEST There are innumerable tales of heroism from 9/11; with…

On Sunday 18th October at Village Cinemas Crown in Melbourne, the cast of new comedy-drama The Dressmaker will be on hand at a red carpet premiere. The impressive line-up includes Liam Hemsworth and co-stars Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, and Sarah Snook. What’s more is that the highly acclaimed filmmaking team will also be in attendance,…

TV series Empire caused quite a stir with it’s first season, quickly becoming one of the most talked about shows of the year and establishing itself as a firm player amongst the likes of network big guns like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong with stand-out performances…

Japanese Film Festival Classics program returns to 2015 with an array of the best Japanese films selected from the works of renowned filmmaker, Kon Ichikawa. This tribute highlights Ichikawa significance in moulding the style of 20th Century Japanese films. All screenings are free and are to be held in the Domain Theatre, featuring a total…