Film & TV

Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinema returns to Brisbane this spring

Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas are returning this month to kick off its country-wide tour in Brisbane, with a season of incredible films screening from September 28 until November 9. The Openair Cinemas also bring with them a range of live music acts, with each Sunday hosting Ben & Jerry’s Sundae Sessions. Each Sundae Session will include live music…

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Environmental Film Festival Review: The Human Experiment (USA, 2013)

When we consume every day, household products we assume that the ingredients have all been tested and are safe for humans to use. But what if this assumption was wrong? The Human Experiment is a documentary that looks at the pervasive, hidden chemicals that are found in all of the things we commonly use- from…

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Sydney Underground Film Festival Review: Teenage (USA & Germany, 2013)

It may be hard to believe but there was a point in history where the idea of the teenager didn’t exist. You were either a child or an adult, there was no other option. Teenage is a documentary that is directed by Matt Wolf and is adapted from the book, Teenage: The Prehistory of Youth…

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DVD Review: Perfect Sisters (Canada, 2014)

Perfect Sisters has some good features but that doesn’t mean it’s free from flaws. The film is based on a real life story, a case involving two Canadian sisters who performed matricide. But despite being based on a true crime story, this film is often unbelievable, flippant and lacking in emotion and tension. The movie…

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Box Office Report: Guardians shoots back up top while If I Stay debuts strong

Counting out the almighty Star Lord is a foolish, foolish thing to do. While the adored cast of The Inbetweeners 2 reigned supreme last weekend, it was Guardians of the Galaxy which returned with a vengeance, climbing back on top of the charts. While total profits seem to be down from last week, all movies…

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The Iris Interview: Nicholas Brendon on Buffy, Coherence, Australian seafood and more!

Oz Comic-Con is kicking off in Brisbane this weekend for the first time and it’s clear that the buzz has definitely hit the Sunshine State. Guests have been able to don the tourist caps and explore a little ahead of the weekend pop culture expo, where fans of loads of different movie and TV franchises, comics…

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Film Review: Into The Storm (USA, 2014)

Some reviews floating around are likening this tornado-obsessed film to Sharknado without the sharks, but all that seems a bit sensational when you actually sit down and watch through Steven Quale’s Into The Storm. While the acting is only a couple of notches above that in the shark-infested storm parody, there’s a semblance of a…

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‘In The House’ brings cult film classics back to the big screen at Event Cinemas George Street

Some of the most beloved cult films are returning to the big screen at Event Cinemas George Street over the next few months with the cult film festival ‘In The House’. The festival includes screenings every second Friday night and will be hosted by Channel 7’s Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis, and Quinny from Supanova. Tickets are…

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Win a double pass to see Jaws on the big screen in Sydney!

Some of cinemas most celebrated titles are set to return to the big screen at Event Cinemas George Street, with the launch of the In The House Cinema Series next month. Featuring landmark films at their finest, the series will herald the return to the big screen of some of the greatest movie titles of…

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Environmental Film Festival Review: Slow Food Story (Italy & Ireland, 2013)

When you shop at a farmers’ market or eat at a restaurant that displays the food’s providence on the menu (and the ingredients are local and fresh), chances are the name Carlo Petrini doesn’t immediately spring to mind. But he is the man who is responsible for the rise in these things. Petrini is the…

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Win a copy of Chef on DVD!

Written, directed, produced by and starring Hollywood funnyman Jon Favreau, comes the refreshingly heartwarming film, Chef. With an all-star cast including Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr and Dustin Hoffman. Chef is yours, as you like it on Blu-ray, DVD and digital with UltraViolet from September 4, 2014. Carl Casper (Jon Favreau), a once…

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Film Review: Boyhood (USA, 2014)

With Boyhood, director Richard Linklater further asserts himself as one of the most innovative in the business, his body of work – which includes Before Sunrise and it’s sequels – already coated with more acclaim than most of his peers. He excels with minimalist plots, painting seemingly dull and everyday occurrences as happenings which are…

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Film Review: What We Do in the Shadows (New Zealand, 2014)

Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement has found himself with steady work since the series about a pair of quirky New Zealand musicians living in New York came to an end. It’s seen him garner roles in big budget films (Men in Black 3, Rio) and balance that with some projects of his own. Often,…

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The Axis of Awesome launch new YouTube comedy series Axis All Areas

Australian musical comedy group The Axis of Awesome has been an internet sensation ever since their brilliant song ‘Four Chords‘ became a hit. The group, which is made up of Jordan Raskopoulos, Benny Davis and Lee Naimo, have been together since 2006 and currently have almost 200,000 subscribers on YouTube. The Axis of Awesome have…

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Exclusive Interview: Filmmaker Don Hardy on his documentary, The Human Experiment (USA, 2013)

We as consumers may not realise that using everyday products is a lot like playing a game of Russian roulette. All sorts of consumables are laden with chemicals and independent testing is often rare or non-existent. Chemical companies are also very profitable and powerful machines, but there is hope as individuals out there strive to…

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Exclusive Interview: Writer/Director Michael Spierig on his latest film Predestination

“What if I could put him in front of you? The man who ruined your life.” With this line, so begins Predestination, a home grown time travel mind bender that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat. Starring Ethan Hawke, Noah Taylor, and breakout star Sarah Snook, this sci fi trip from…

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TV Review: Doctor Who – Season 8 Episode 2 “Into the Dalek” (UK, 2014)

“Clara, be my pal. Tell me: am I a good man?” – It’s the question that fans first wigged out over when the BBC first started rolling out its teasers for the eighth season of the revived Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi’s first. For long-standing fans, it’s a question we know has been plaguing our favourite Time Lord…

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ACMI’s DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition has been extended until October 26th

Due to its overwhelming popularity, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) on Flinders Street has decided to extend the season of its blockbuster experience, DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, by three weeks. The exhibition is an incredible chance for fans of DreamWorks animated films to see the process that each film takes from the initial idea right through…

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Terrifying full trailer for The Conjuring spin-off Annabelle released online

Last year, James Wan’s The Conjuring terrified us all with its old-school scares and underlying sense of dread. One of the creepiest aspects of the film was the demon-possessed doll Annabelle, which Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) obtained after the doll terrorised two nurses. After that film’s success, Warner Brothers decided to produce an…

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Opinion: Under The Dome really has become Lost 2.0 hasn’t it?

Before the first series of Under The Dome began in June 2013 – a rare non-reality premiere Summer series out of the USA – Producer and Director Jack Bender sat down with the Huffington Post to tell everyone that despite having worked on Lost for six years in the same capacity, the new Stephen King…

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Film Review: Love Hotel (UK, France & Japan, 2014)

It’s not often that documentary filmmakers manage to capture their subject matter in an unobtrusive, fly-on-the-wall style manner. It’s even rarer for the filmmaker to achieve this while talking about sex, baby, and to show some explicit scenes of the deed without it all turning into sleazy voyeurism. But Love Hotel manages to achieve all…

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DVD Review: Between Us (USA, 2012)

Between Us first found success as an off-Broadway play but it fails as a film. The story focuses on two key episodes in two pairs of couple’s lives and exposes the flawed relationships between themselves and with each other. It is supposed to be an arty, intense and cerebral drama but instead it feels like…

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The Doctor Is In: A Doctor Who Podcast (Episode 003)

The first installment in our Doctor Who Podcast series “The Doctor Is In” for 2014. We talk about the first episode of the eighth series, hear from Peter Capaldi when he was in Australia and get news about Jenna Coleman’s imminent return to our part of the world… ———- This content has recently been ported…

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Interview: Ray Winstone talks about Noah, big sets and kicking Russell Crowe’s butt.

Released today in Australia on DVD and Blu-Ray is the Biblical epic Noah, from Writer/Director Darren Aronofsky. Ray Winstone played Tubal-cain in the film, and reflected on the role, his experiences filming, and posited whether or not he could kick Russell Crowe’s butt. Hey Ray. How are you going? I’m having a ball (laughs). Darren…

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Film Review: Felony (Australia, 2014)

Cloudstreet director Matthew Saville brings an honest, raw approach to Aussie crime drama Felony, illustrating the script by writer, producer and lead actor Joel Edgerton with flair and enough restraint to keep the film grounded in it’s tactile web of emotional quandary and brutal honesty. Opting for the quieter approach to the slow-burning thriller, the…

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Film Review: Magic in the Moonlight (USA, 2014)

Have you ever noticed how the men and women in Woody Allen’s films somehow manage to resemble new-age replicas of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton? Take the way they walk, for instance: Hips thrust forward, shoulders slightly stooped, hands in pockets if they’re men, or arms dangling about if they’re women… It’s seriously noticeable. If…

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Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Video: Turning Anthony Hopkins into Methuselah in Noah.

In this special behind-the-scenes clip, watch some of the process behind turning Sir Anthony Hopkins into Methuselah in the Darren Aronofsky film Noah. To see more, check out the film on DVD or Blu-Ray – available now! ———- This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may have formatting…

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Aussie mini-series Devil’s Playground to screen on Foxtel in September

We are definitely experiencing a golden age in modern television, with many series operating on emotional and technical levels never before seen on the small screen. It’s great to see Australian series being a part of this era, and the next is psychological thriller The Devil’s Playground. The mini-series, which will run for six episodes starting from…

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The Iris Interview: Stephen Hunter of “The Hobbit” on finishing the trilogy, Oz Comic-Con and more!

New Zealand actor Stephen Hunter has become a favourite within the Oz Comic-Con family, having already been along for Perth and Adelaide conventions so far in 2014, with the upcoming events in Brisbane and Sydney this September set to add to his rising pop culture expo count. Currently starring as ‘Bombur’ in Peter Jackson‘s latest dive into the world of Tolkien…

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Melbourne International Film Festival Review: Stray Dogs (France & Taiwan, 2013)

Tsai Ming-Liang’s Stray Dogs is a film that begs a certain amount of prior knowledge before watching. Had I known that Tsai Ming-Liang is renowned for his lack of dialogue and still image composition, I probably would have been a little more adequately prepared for this 145 minute investment. Undeniably beautiful but a rather hard…

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