Film & TV

TV DVD Review: Wayward Pines (USA, 2015)

Wayward Pines is M. Night Shyamalan’s first venture into the world of TV and while it lives up to his legacy of telling stories with ridiculous plots, it has got way too many problems to hold its own against all the other compelling shows at the moment. Based on the book by Blake Crouch, the…

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Film Event “Flicks At The Greens” is coming to Sydney this September for the First Time!

Among the lush landscapes of Sydney’s Harbour, Flicks at The Greens offers the perfect destination for an outdoor cinema experience. From September 16th till October 11th,  Flicks at The Greens is screening a movie every week from Wednesday to Sunday at sundown. The intimate movie sessions are being held at North Sydney at The Green’s freshly refurbished…

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Watch the Trailer for Apocalyptic drama The 5th Wave

From the pages of young adult science fiction writer Rick Yancey comes the film The 5th Wave. Due out next January,  Chloe Grace Moretz will star as older sister and lone survivor, Cassie on an Earth dominated by Martians called “The Others”. With the Earth already in ruins just four waves in, the 5th wave is coming…

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Exclusive Interview: O’Shea Jackson, Jr talks portraying his father in Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton is fresh of a huge three-week dominance in the U.S Box Office, holding onto the number 1 position despite some strong competition. The N.W.A biopic, which currently has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, has finally made it’s way down to Australia and at the Sydney premiere we caught up with O’Shea…

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Exclusive Interview: Ice Cube on the success of Straight Outta Compton and new music

At the Sydney red carpet premiere for N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton we talked to legendary emcee Ice Cube about the film’s success, the timeline of the plot, and find out if filming has inspired him, in a similar way to Dr Dre, to release new music. Having put his 10th studio album, Everythang’s Corrupt…

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Video Game Review: Dishonored: The Definitive Edition (PS4, 2015)

Published by the acclaimed Bethesda and developed by Arkane Studios, Dishonored launched to critical and financial acclaim when it was released in 2012. While it was far from perfect, it certainly presented something fresh and forced players to think rather than merely kick a door down and shooting everything in sight. The Definitive Edition is…

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Film Review: Straight Outta Compton (USA, 2015)

N.W.A have, is, and always will be integral to hip hop and it’s status as one of the most unique, and accessible, forms of self-expression in music. Birthed in the excessively rough neighbourhood of Compton, California, the group became a reference point for hip hop as a channel through which youth can make sense of…

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Win a double pass to see Gayby Baby at the Indie Gems Film Festival in Sydney!

The sixth annual Indie Gems Film Festival has announced its 2015 program, showcasing the latest independent Australian cinema from 11 to 13 September at Riverside Theatres. Indie Gems presents film enthusiasts with a rare opportunity to view superior non-commercial cinema that is specially curated by award-winning creative producer, John L. Simpson, on the big screen…

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Australian Box Office Report: Southpaw and Vacation duke it out for #1

A couple of new films have changed the box office landscape this week but the two from last week are back at it again, fighting for top spot. Southpaw has usurped number 1, earning $1.3 million last week. Although it is only in its second week in Australia (as opposed to its 7th in The States)…

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River Song to return to Doctor Who for the 11th Christmas Special

Let the anticipation commence! We’re still over two weeks away from the much anticipated return of Doctor Who – Peter Capaldi’s second season as the iconic time traveller – and already we’re getting news on the end of this run of the series. BBC revealed today that Alex Kingston would be returning for this year’s Christmas Special,…

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Film Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (USA, 2015)

Given my past experiences with the horrific disease, I’m one person that finds the deus ex machina of cancer unbearable. It is often done tastelessly, depicting it’s sufferers as people without autonomy or regarded with the self-respect that they deserve – cancer patients are people, not pawns that should be used to explain a protagonist…

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The Jewish International Film Festival Announces Line-Up And Dates

In October, the Jewish International Film Festival returns to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Gold Coast and New Zealand for a run of dates that will feature 60 international premiere features and documentaries. The festival has become known for showcasing diverse cinema and engaging audiences both from the Jewish community and beyond. Every film, selected by Festival…

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Darwin International Film Festival Announces 2015 Program Launch

The Darwin International Film Festival has launched its official program at Deckchair Cinema over the weekend. A full line-up of films, workshops and events curated by an expert panel has been announced, with this year’s program resulting in all films having their Northern Territory premieres at the festival. Countries featured include Brazil, India, Germany, Poland and more,…

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What to watch: The Iris’ Weekly TV Picks (2nd September-8th September)

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 2nd September, 2015 Sammy J and Randy in Ricketts Lane-ABC iView-Streaming 24/7 In what is both an…

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Vikings star Clive Standen to raid Australian shores for Oz Comic-Con

Australian Vikings fans are in for a treat this month with Clive Standen, who portrays legendary Norse warrior Rollo Lothbrok in the acclaimed historical drama, set to raid our shores as part of Oz Comic-Con. Standen will be attending both Brisbane and Sydney events and fans will have the opportunity to get up close and…

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Mad Max: Fury Road named best film of the year by international critics

This year, at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, Australia action blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road will be awarded the very prestigious Grand Prix of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), meaning that a panel of 493 of the world’s top critics have named it the best film of the year. In a…

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DVD/Blu-Ray Review: Star Leaf (USA, 2015)

It’s hard to know where to start with a movie like Star Leaf. It’s exactly not a work of great great cinematic importance but it’s not really trying to be. The film’s aspirations are humble ones – it wants to be fun, light and kind of forgettable – and for the most part it hits…

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Narcos leads the pack in a slew of new additions to Netflix Australia this week

The first season of Netflix’s new original series Narcos premiered on Friday (read our first impressions here), and today a slew of new films have been added to Netflix Australia’s repertoire. Available from later today will be the following films, a mix of family friendly, Oscar winners and cult favourites: 

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Vikings actors Travis Fimmel and Alexander Ludwig mingle with fans at The Big Viking Picnic

Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft) attended The Big Viking Picnic held at Grove Gardens in Kells, Co. Meath in Ireland over the weekend, an event that came about due to his association with children’s cancer charity, Aoibheann’s Pink Tie.

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You can totally fly on a Star Wars themed commercial airline now.

File this under “is this real life?” because something that shouldn’t be real, just became a reality. Japanese carrier All Nippon Airlines (ANA) have announced that they’re turning several of their aircraft into Star Wars themed battle cruisers passenger jets, in advance of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens this December. The brand partnership is part…

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TV Review: Fear the Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 2 “So Close, Yet So Far” (USA, 2015)

Fear the Walking Dead continues to, very slowly, take shape with the second episode of the spin-off series, and it’s much of the same we got in the pilot only with a bit more punch behind it. There’s still that almost lethargic pace behind one splintered family’s perspective of a city unknowingly flung into chaos,…

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Win a double pass to see Highlander at “In The House” this Friday!

IN THE HOUSE has returned to Sydney’s Event Cinemas on George Street for its third season, and the classic film Highlander is kicking things off. 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…

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Narcos: Our Impressions Of Netflix’s New Crime Drama

At first glance, a lot of the shows that Netflix picks up seem to be positioned to check boxes on their roster. “People like Game of Thrones, maybe they’ll go for Marco Polo?”, ”Superheroes are big on TV right now, how about Daredevil?” and so on. Following in that mould, Narcos seems like it’s supposed…

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TV Review: Hannibal Season 3 (USA, 2015)

The third season of Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal sees the crime-procedural-turned-art-film bloom into a full-on romance drama – and the results are nothing short of glorious to behold. The season’s opening arc concerns itself with the international manhunt for Hannibal kicked off by the end of Season 2. Later episodes tackle the long-awaited arrival of Francis…

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Film Review: Holding The Man (Australia, 2015)

In the mid-90’s, Timothy Conigrave published his bestselling memoir, titled Holding the Man, 10 days before his death. It was a story so intimate and full of warmth that it continued to resonate with Australian audiences over the years. Tommy Murphy adapated it into an award-winning stage production in 2006, and now Director Neil Armfield…

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Film Review: Ricki and the Flash (USA, 2015)

Usually when imagining a career in rock n’ roll and a band called “Ricki And The Flash” you wouldn’t imagine it to involve a handful of old timers in a shabby Californian bar with a 60 something year old lead lady whose only ever record produced is stored in her ex-husband’s rubbermaid. And yet, this…

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AMC’s The Walking Dead plan special ‘Zombies on a Plane’ stand-alone story

Already details are starting to emerge for the second season of Fear the Walking Dead, and AMC have just dropped a huge announcement to Entertainment Weekly about their lead-up plans. The network and the world of The Walking Dead will produce a 30-minute special episode (likely split into chapters) which tracks a walker outbreak on…

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The five best episodes from the first five seasons of FX’s Archer

We’re a bit excited that the first five seasons of Archer are finally on Netflix in Australia, after making quite a name for itself on the US version of the popular streaming platform. So excited, that many here at The Iris are not doing their work and instead having a binge of entire seasons of the…

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Win a double weekend pass to Oz Comic-Con in Brisbane and Sydney!

After the huge success of the inaugural Oz Comic-Con Brisbane and Sydney events in 2014, and a recent sell-out show for Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, Australia’s best-loved pop culture extravaganza jets back to Brisbane and Sydney this September. Taking over the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 19th and 20th September and the Sydney Exhibition Centre…

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