Film & TV

In Austin for the North American Premiere of the film about his own life, The Iris’ Johnny Au meets the final NASA Astronaut to step foot on the moon, Astronaut Eugene Cernan, to talk about the Documentary The Last Man on the Moon. Eugene talks about having his life documented in conversation with Johnny, the…

When we left the Nine-Nine precinct at the end of Season 1, Det. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) was asked to go undercover for the FBI, his unrequited feelings for fellow detective Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) were still, well, unrequited, Terry Crews was still a large mass of comedic dynamite and Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) had…

Earlier this month, ahead of its May release in Australia and in the US, the new action-comedy Spy had a premiere screening at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Though seemingly unorthodox for a major release (and a mainstream comedy at that) to see a public screening so far in advance of its release,…

When it comes to true music icons, it’s fair to say they’re a rare breed – but anyone who knows Mavis Staples will tell you: she’s in a league of her own. With some sixty five years of performances behind her – and more still to come (she’s touring Australia as we publish this piece) –…

Four first look images have just been released for The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. To say that we’re excited is a gross understatement. In this next chapter of the epic Maze Runner saga, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known…

With the news officially breaking last week that cult hit 90’s TV show The X-Files would be making a come-back we decided to take a look back at the show and pick out some of our favourite episodes. One of the things we discovered is that over the course of the 9 seasons picking favourites…

Avast, mateys! Here be SpongeBob with another cinematic adventure. This time he voyages out of water, out of time, out of earth and out of his dimension. Whatever it takes to restore the cornerstone of civilisation ­the Krabby Patty. The secret formula for this highly addictive burger has mysteriously disintegrated into thin water, and the…

While at SXSW, Larry Heath sat down with NCIS: Los Angeles actress Renee Felice Smith to talk about her new short film Baby, which she served on as star and Executive Producer. The project, which premiered as one of the shorts in the Narrative Shorts Competition at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, tells the story of a…

Ahead of its release on DVD and Blu-Ray next week (April 8th), Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain sat down to talk about working on Christopher Nolan’s epic Insterstellar – from the space suit to the film’s strong female characters – plus Matthew’s Academy Award and space exploration. Read on: What were the challenges of…

The Iris had the opportunity to chat to Anna Zlokovic, the director of the music video, “The Empty House,” for musician Jack Kovacs. In our exclusive interview, we talk to Anna about SXSW, recognising music videos as art, the challenges of the shoot and what it’s like working with Jack Kovacs. Anna also shares her…

There has been a few Mad Max: Fury Road teasers but today the full length trailer has exploded across media and it’s a dirty, gritty, fiery and frenzied 2 minutes and 30 seconds. With explosions, scavenged steam punk-esque vehicles flipping all over the place, an electric dust storm tornado and a guitar flame-thrower. Director George…

“In the land of the blind the one eyed girl is queen”. So goes the premise to director, Nick Matthew’s feature debut, The One Eyed Girl. The winner of the Dark Matters award at Austin Film Festival in 2014 is a raw, experimental and plodding look at how and why a psychiatrist descends into the…

Brendan Toller is a rock and roll maniac. Having directed his first film, I Need that Record: The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store, he came into contact with many of rock and roll’s greatest figures, including the lesser known Danny Fields, who was responsible for the success of many iconic bands…

‘Dia de Muertos’ aka Day of the Dead has always been a great theme for films to work with, particularly animated ones. Director Jorge Gutierrez has taken the opportunity to inject the Mexican tradition’s vibrancy into The Book of Life, generating a sense of wonderment through stunning visuals and lively characters. The film’s plot revolves…

In exciting news for Nirvana fans, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen’s Cobain: Montage of Heck is set to have a limited release in Australian cinemas, premiering on May 7. The film is the first fully-authorised documentary about the life of the legendary frontman Kurt Cobain, featuring exclusive interviews with friends and family as well as home…

If you are a fan of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s best-selling manga series Parasyte, April 26th is one day you are going to want to have marked down in your diary. For one day only, Madman Entertainment have announced that Parasyte: Part 1, the first part in a planned two-part film adaptation of the series, will screen across…

While at SXSW earlier this month, Larry Heath sat down with Jessica Edwards, the director and producer of Mavis! – a new documentary about the legendary Mavis Staples, who just so happens to be touring Australia as we publish this piece. The pair talk about the experiences of making this film, the icon herself and much…

In news that has fans of The Daily Show across the globe hitting up Google like there’s no tomorrow, retiring host Jon Stewart’s successor has officially been announced as South African comedian Trevor Noah. Most of you may be saying to yourself ‘Trevor who?’ and you wouldn’t be alone. Many fans were expecting a big…

Hello Asia! Editor Johnny Au chats with actor Anthony Brandon Wong about his character “Le Bok” on ABC’s Maximum Choppage, his work as an actor as well as an acting coach and his passion for all things food! You may (or may not) have seen him as “Ghost” in The Matrix sequels but his character…

One of our personal favourite events to cover each year is the great Sydney Film Festival; the celebration of international and home-grown cinema that is now in it’s 62nd year. Today, the first 27 films that will be spread across the event, from June 3rd to June 14th, has been announced and it includes some…

When Ryan Gosling premiered his Directorial debut Lost River to a packed house at Cannes last year, it’s fair to say the odds were stacked against him. He couldn’t have picked harsher critics to premiere his film to. This is a crowd who have rarely been fans of Actors turned Directors. Do you remember The Brave – Johnny…

Every once in a while a phrase or acronym surfaces which unjustly gives legs to a social stereo­type. In The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Director Ari Sandel applies his tongue in cheek approach to some of the more serious social undercurrents that continue to plague ‘young people’ working out their place in the world, resulting in a film…

“Conquer” gave us a heap of great acting and character moments, sprinkled it with a bit of action – courtesy of Daryl and Aaron – and a triumphant return; but it did little more than make the wait for Season 6’s premiere all the more painful. There was a lot here that we wanted to…

Gang culture and it’s devastating effects are never far away from the front pages of London’s newspapers. 2008 was one of the worst years for gang-related violence. The murder of Shakilus Townsend was arguably the most shocking. Honeytrap, which is based around this murder, follows Layla (Jessica Sula), the girl who would ultimately lead this young man to…

If you can imagine the Disney fairy tale animated film of the same name brought to the screen in all its resplendent glory as live action, then Kenneth Branagh’s version certainly fulfils that. A consistently visually bold film even though it does lack a sense of originality or uniqueness in the story. Regardless it’s still…

Monday 30th March 2015 Three Kings – Go! – 10:00pm AEST David O. Russell’s Three Kings is a comedic adventure that takes places as four American soldiers set out to steal gold in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War. George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Spike Jonze and Ice Cube star in this fresh, unique film…

Some of the most celebrated films are returning to the big screen at Event Cinemas George St, with their In The House Program! Hosted by Channel 7’s Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis, and Quinny from Supanova Pop Culture Expo, the program features a line up that includes Blade Runner, Mad Max 2 and The Fifth Element. A…

Earlier today, a certain cat won the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for “Aussie/Kiwi’s Favourite Animal”. Before he won, we asked the infamous Tardar Sauce aka Grumpy Cat a few questions about things that are pretty unimpressive like movies, awards, and living in a world of celebrities. Yes, that’s right… we had the chance to do…

Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke and J.K. Simmons in new footage for Terminator Genisys When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese…

Jake Gyllenhaal has bulked up in an epic physical transformation to play boxer Billy “The Great” Hope in Antoine Fuqua’s fighter drama SOUTHPAW. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day” and “The Equaliser”), SOUTHPAW follows the battles of a boxer (Gyllenhaal) who fights his way to the top, only to find his life falling apart around…