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…
In a small town in America’s Bible belt, Christianity and tradition reign supreme. For the past 88 years a community in the Holy City of the Wichitas have staged an Easter passion play/pageant that once saw audiences number the tens of thousands. Jesus Town USA is a documentary that is warm and sweet-enough but can…
Kill Me Three Times is a black comedy/thriller that sees professional assassin Charlie Wolfe (Simon Pegg) tangled up in a web of deception tying together the rural lives of a dentist (Sullivan Stapleton), a bartender (Callan Mulvey) and his lover (Alice Braga) in Western Australia. Unfortunately, despite the messy fun of this premise and the…
Variety is reporting that Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of the Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events book series is moving closer to production. Paramount Pictures, who also ran the ship on the last adaptation – the 2004 film starring Jim Carrey – have hired Mark Hudis (True Blood) as the showrunner and Barry Sonnenfeld to…
1996 classic Trainspotting, a landmark achievement in raw British cinema, has remained the crowning achievement of Director Danny Boyle. Adapted from Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name almost two decades ago, the black comedy is a reference point for the careers of all involved, particularly Ewan McGregor who played Renton, one of the four…
Pixels is not your usual alien invasion fare type film. It’s also not your usual Adam Sandler type film. And it’s also not your usual family type film either. You would think that being unusual would work in its favour but sadly it doesn’t. What this film does have is some funny moments, some really…
Call Me Lucky is a fascinating and compelling portrait of one of the most memorable and significant voices in comedy that you’ve never heard of. However, once you hear Barry Crimmins declaration – “I’d like to overthrow the government of the United States, and I’d like to close the Catholic Church” – it’s hard to…
Every second Friday, guests to the In The House Screenings at Event Cinemas on George Street (Sydney) are treated to a trivia question from your friends here at The Iris. And here is where they come to find the answer! This week, the question concerns the classic 1986 film Highlander. And we made it a…
Sequels, prequels, adaptations, and spin-offs rule in this week’s Australian DVD and Blu-Ray releases. Here are our three picks for the week…
A brand new poster has been revealed for the upcoming 24th Bond film, Spectre. The film is the fourth film to star Daniel Craig as the iconic spy – and is contracted for a fifth and final turn. The film is released in November. Check out the “bone-chilling” new poster, here:
