Film & TV

Meryl Streep is stepping back into the spotlight as a rock star in her newest film Ricki and the Flash, in a new trailer that’s been released. Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a rock and roll legend who decides to return home to her ex-husband (Kevin Kline) and adult daughter (Streep’s real-life daughter Mamie Gummer)…

When veteran, Iranian filmmaker, Jafar Panahi was jailed in 2010 and banned from making films this made him even more determined to carry on doing just that. In this time he has made not one but three movies, the most recent being Tehran Taxi. This one sees fiction dressed up as a documentary and it…

Model and actress Cara Delevingne will touch down in Australia in July to promote her new film, Paper Towns. Delevingne will be walking the red carpet at the Australian premiere of the film on Sunday 5 July in Sydney. Delevingne is a well-known socialite and model, famous for campaigns for brands such as Yves St…

A trailer for The Walk, a new thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been released. The Walk, directed by Forrest Gump and Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis, is the true story of a death-defying plot to complete a walk between the two buildings of the World Trade Centre. Philippe Petit (Gordon-Levitt), with the help…

It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for this, and now it’s finally here. Or at least the teaser trailer is. Mockingjay Part 2 sees the world of Panem at full-scale war with the Capitol, headed by evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland). He’s made it his mission to destroy our heroine, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)…

By Popular Demand, Sydney Film Festival (SFF) are thrilled to release a third round of screenings at Palace Cinemas for 10 films fast approaching second screening capacity. Eight features and two documentaries make up the selection at the Palace Verona and Norton Street cinemas. This extended partnership beyond the end of the festival is a…

It’s been 22 years since Jurassic Park, and long have us fans of that very first film waited for a sequel that was worthy and lo we finally have it in Jurassic World. We can now safely relegate those other two films into extinction and rest assured that this is now an honourable contender for…

I often watch an episode of Game of Thrones more than once, and happily re-watch scenes over and over again. But there is one particular scene in “The Dance of Dragons” I won’t be watching again, not because it was boring or mishandled, but because it was emotionally draining and incredibly depressing, even if it…

Though far from perfect, Netflix’s original series have mostly delivered in terms of both quality and diversity. House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Daredevil, Bloodlines and Marco Polo all bring something very different to Netflix’s lineup. While it has you covered for dramas of a political, fantastical or super-powered nature, the service does…

The Sydney Film Festival (SFF) is ecstatic to announce that Cemetery of Splendour, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, will now be screening at the festival following a rapturous reception at Cannes this year. Film aficionados will recognise Weerasethakul as the director of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, which won the Palme d’Or at…

The Scandinavian Film Festival is ecstatic to announce its full line-up of 22 feature films that are set to play at the festival this year, framed by the witty opening night comedy Here Is Harold (Her Er Harold) and closing night film Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (Jag ar Ingrid). This documentary is set…

The world of music biopic is always a tricky affair. Trying to balance enough rock and roll fantasy and/or exaggeration with reality to create an engaging but honest story about an iconic musician can often serve itself up as a disappointment (De-Lovely and Beyond the Sea are two that immediately come to mind). Focusing on…

I’ve often been intrigued by the idea of what would happen if you flip a movie on its head. Market it as one thing and then turn it into something completely different. Something that surprises. Something that gets people talking. Imagine, for instance, if Hostel (2005) had been marketed as a raunchy teen comedy? The idea…

Jennifer Peedom’s Sherpa is worthy of praise for maintaining it’s focus when it could have easily been lost in the majestic and overwhelming beauty of Mount Everest. The team behind this documentary explore the increasingly strained relationship between the international climbing community and the Sherpas who make such climbs possible, effectively capturing the anxiety that…

Get on Up was the entrée, a biopic on the inimitable, James Brown. But Oscar-winner, Alex Gibney’s documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown is the more substantial, main course. For over two hours the audience is treated to a film that is full of music and flamboyance, from old performances on stage and…

The names Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp may not mean much to you unless you know that they were the unlikely managers of The Who during the sixties and early seventies. The pair are a rather odd couple and they’re also the subject of a documentary by James D. Cooper. The result is a vibrant…

The stories of the mountaineers who climb Everest has long been documented and fictionalised on our screens. From the 1934 documentary short Wings Over Everest to the 1997 tele-movie Into Thin Air, based on the book of the same name, telling the stories of the men who battle the conditions of one of the most…

The anticipated new Pixar film Inside Out – the first release from the acclaimed animation studio since 2013’s Monsters University – will be premiering in Sydney, Australia next week (Monday, June 15th), ahead of its nstional release on Thursday, June 18th. And to help launch the film, one of the stars of the film, Amy Poehler,…

Last week, Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Sydney alongside co-star Jai Courtney to showcase a special preview of his return to the mega successful Terminator franchise, Genisys. The film opens on July 1st around the country.  While in town, Arnold got photos with fans, selfies with the Sydney Opera House and attended the special screening… among…

Those classed as ‘Hood Films’ really made an impact on commercial cinema back in the 90’s. Classics like Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society, and Juice were met with critical acclaim and appealed to both a crowd that likes intelligent, well-written cinema rife with thoughtful social commentary, and a crowd that just wants an…

Mysteries and detective stories have long been popular in literature, arts, films, with the story of Sherlock Holmes long enduring time and remake after reboot after re-imagining. In Mr Holmes we take a look at the world’s greatest detective in his twilight years long since retired but still troubled by one unsolved case. Sherlock Holmes…

Gabriel Ripstein’s 600 Miles is a straight shooter unconcerned with excess narrative baggage, clocking in at 85 minutes with a minimal gun trafficking plot that relies on talented actors and raw cinematography to place this project as a worthy debut feature for the Mexican filmmaker. Veteran Tim Roth brings a solid performance to the film,…

Presumed dead by his crew, NASA botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is left behind on Mars. In a Gravity like scenario (presumably with less 3D tears), Ridley Scott’s new film The Martian asks the question: how does a man survive on Mars and get home? Let’s just hope things don’t end up in a similar…

Before the National Lampoon lent their name to some terrible straight-to-video films they were ground-breaking. This comedy institution started as a spin-off magazine; graduated to books, radio and stage revues; and eventually yielded cult comedy films worthy of inclusion in Hollywood. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon is a funny and…

Netflix has acquired the rights to distribute War Machine, the satirical comedy about the war in Afghanistan from Animal Kingdom Director David Michôd. With the superstar lead taken by none other than Brad Pitt, this proves a very big acquisition for the streaming service and could change the way Hollywood approaches them and similar streaming…

“There will be no subtitles, dialogue, or voiceover” is our introduction to The Tribe, a surprisingly shocking film about a state boarding deaf-school in Kiev, with it’s own seedy underbelly of crime and Lord of the Flies type brutality. Director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky delves into the miserable and calmly observes the bleak, dog-eat-dog world that is…

  The gifted Thomas Salvador directs and stars in Vincent (2014), a French film that tells the story of a man named Vincent who develops extraordinary superpowers when he comes in contact with water. With his recently discovered ability, Vincent spends much of his time in the water, taking in the awe and wonder that comes with developing…

Kim Farrant’s Strangerland has a magical and mythical quality to it, making full use of the Australian outback with rich, rocky-red landscape shots that swallow the film’s characters in expansive, ambitious cinematography. But while visually impressive, Strangerland’s flaws lie in a commitment to ambiguity, presenting itself as one thing and then veering off into another…

Being an adult is hard. Relationships are hard. Making new friends is hard. Exercising and eating right is hard. Having big dreams is hard. But what we really want is the result. The thing at the end of all that hard work that makes it worthwhile. Sometimes getting to that point can be a little…

Every mention of Lily Tomlin is preceded by “the incomparable” because it’s a universal truth, but the famed American comedian has been a rare sight on the big screen in recent years, featuring primarily in supporting roles in TV series like Web Therapy and Malibu Country. Thankfully that drought is over, with not only her…