Exciting news, Whovians! The first teaser for Doctor Who season 8 has landed, and it’s brought a release date with it. The sci-fi powerhouse will be returning to our screens on August 23rd, which is less than two months away! Although the trailer itself doesn’t reveal much, it does involve the new Doctor (Peter Capaldi)…
I’ve not watched a huge amount of Swedish cinema in my life, but the few films that I have watched have the same stylistic feature that has led me to believe something about Swedish dramas: that they are characterised by a distinct visual and narrative style based in honesty and stark realism. This realism is…
One country. Two men. Three cities. Two Men In China sees friends- comedian and writer, John Doyle (who is best known as “Rampaging” Roy Slaven) and scientist and activist, Tim Flannery once again taking a trip. This is the pair’s first overseas sojourn as the two have previously travelled across the Great Divide as well…
The movie version of the musical of the same name, Jersey Boys, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here, and director Clint Eastwood does a solid job and even manages to retain a little bit of that musical flair but it’s not altogether brilliant, nor is it terrible. We’re given the fairly routine storyline…
Performing arts has always been – and will always be – fertile ground for documentary filmmaking. Clashing egos and high stakes in the pursuit of a craft is always going to be fun for a camera to follow, and we’ve seen it work multiple times over in movies like Every Little Step, Mad Hot Ballroom,…
The Iris’ writers count down their top 10 films, released between January 1st and June 30th in Australia! 1. The Grand Budapest Hotel Though there are moments of unexpected violence and cruelty, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ stands as one of the most joyous experiences I’ve had in the cinema this year. Tackling feelings of loneliness…
Brad Pitt seems to be fighting Nazis in a lot of his movies in recent years. However, from the look of Fury we’re not going to be seeing an bad Italian accents or light hearted art chasing this time around. Set in April 1945, the film centres around a battle-hardened and world weary sergeant who…
In a particularly clever marketing ploy, the advertisements for the third instalment of The Hunger Games franchise are going far beyond stock standard trailers and movie posters. Instead, an immersion tactic has been employed by releasing propaganda posters that address the fictional citizens of Panem. In these posters, different districts are “saluted” in an attempt…
In a move that will make the dictator appear even crazier, Kim Jong Un has threatened violent retribution if Seth Rogen and James Franco’s latest film, The Interview, is released. The plot of the movie is pretty simple – a talk show host and his producer are given the opportunity to conduct a rare interview…
In the lead up to this year’s Tropfest, Tropfest Australia is holding the fourth annual Tropfest Roughcut event on July 26th in Sydney. The engaging and interactive film industry event will include networking sessions, panel discussions, and conversations with industry greats, such as actor John Jarratt (Wolf Creek) and comedian Dan Ilic. The full day…
This is it, we have finally reached the end of Noah Hawley’s black comedy-crime-drama Fargo, inspired by the Coen Brothers film of the same name. Without further ado, let us launch into a recap of the episode and a little discussion, beware there’s thin ice and spoilers ahead. We open with a long tracking sequence,…
This past weekend saw the release of two sequels of much loved originals, with 22 Jump Street and How to Train Your Dragon 2 finally being released on Australian screens. Both of the original films have gained a strong fanbase in the years since they were released, so the sequels were always going to be a big deal. 22…
The Hollywood Reporter broke the story earlier today that Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Channing Tatum (22 Jump Street) and Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) have signed up to appear in the next film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Hail, Caesar! The Coen Brothers, whose films include Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Best…
Dean O’Gorman may as well be an Australian citizen, let’s be real. The NZ born actor who is currently making The Hobbit fans’ hearts melt alongside Aidan Turner as ‘Fili’ has had a long-running connection with us over the pond, having starred in McLeod’s Daughters back in the day, which saw him stationed just outside…
Heart Of A Lion (Leijonasydän) is a Finnish drama that asks the question, “Should you be ruled your head or by your heart?” It’s an age-old conflict and yet, this film manages to deal with this along with two sensitive and timely topics (racism and nationalism). Directed by Dome Karukoski, Heart Of A Lion is…
Michael Bay’s typical grandiosity has spilled over into the classic tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; it would be a cause for concern if the first official trailer didn’t make the film seem so incredibly fun. Detailed and very polished, the modern take on the anthropomorphic fantasy looks to be a visual feast for…
The Iris’ Larry Heath sat down with Director Christopher Houghton, Producer Julie Byrne and Actors Matt Day and Leeanna Walsman of the 2014 Australian film Touch ahead of its Sydney Film Festival Premiere.. In the first part of our interview with the cast and crew of the film, we discuss how the SA FilmLab made…
There is always this uncomfortable inner-conflict when I finish watching a Happy Madison production (otherwise known as ‘another Adam Sandler movie’), like I just witnessed something profoundly confusing and I don’t know whether to love it or to hate it. Nowadays, it seems most critics are quick to jump on the ‘hate side’ too often,…
Documentary Keep On Keepin’ On is rather naive in the way it was made. Director Alan Hicks and his cinematographer Adam Hart had never really worked on any similar projects before, so they just kept on shooting until they could piece together a film. It took five years for them to make Keep On Keepin’…
Michael Bay has managed to somewhat redeem himself with Transformers: Age of Extinction with a too long but well worth it rollercoaster ride. Just remember, it’s Hollywood, it’s Bay, it’s not really supposed to make sense and you’re really going to watch the giant robots and cars and see things blow up. Firstly, lower your…
The late, French fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent will be the subject of two different biopics this year. The first is the eponymously-titled one from actor-turned-director, Jalil Lespert and is perhaps the most authentic film, as it had the full support of Saint Laurent’s lover and business partner. Pierre Bergé lent original outfits, designs, and…
We may be on the opposite side of the world, but that doesn’t mean that Australia can’t enjoy the Scandinavian Film Festival, which will be premiering across the country in July. The inaugural festival is being presented by Palace Cinemas and the will be screened exclusively in their locations across the country. Attendees will be…
American actress Yvette Nicole Brown is the latest guest to join the massive Oz Comic-Con lineup for Melbourne this July! Brown, known for her role as Shirley on the NBC hit Community, also has a strong fan base with younger television viewers from her days on Drake & Josh. Brown’s addition to the Oz Comic-Con…
Hossein Amini, writer and director of the new film adaptation The Two Faces of January (in Cinemas now) sits down with The Iris’ Larry Heath to talk about the film’s Sydney Film Festival Premiere, his feature film debut, taking on the adaptation of the much loved book, bringing together the amazing cast and they reflect…
For all the sadness and terrifying places that Ester Martin Bergsmark’s latest film takes us there is so much triumph and disclosure on the journey. After all the suffering we feel for the characters in this film it tears you apart. If Something Must Break doesn’t break you, you are either an incredible, strong soul…
“Build it and they will come” or, how two film-obsessed brothers went from nothing to create a full length feature film. “Australia makes such great genre films” says Kiah Roache-Turner “films like Mad Max and Undead did it so well, and after seeing them you’re left waiting, thinking ‘when is someone gonna do another film…
This is massive news. Ever since JJ Abrams was announced as the director of Disney’s Star Wars: Episode VII, most people assumed that Abrams would stick around for Episode VIII and IX, which are scheduled for release in 2017 and 2019 respectively. But according to Deadline, Disney is currently in the process of closing a deal for Rian Johnson to…
The Iris brings you to the World Premiere of the new Transformers film, Age of Extinction, which took place in Hong Kong on Thursday night. The cast and crew hit the red carpet and also attended a press conference for the film’s release. You can see the gallery here: [print_gllr id=3720] Photos courtesy of Getty…
An incredibly insightful and deep look into something so very positive and important. This is how I would describe my chat with Alan Hicks, an Australian drummer and surfer who moved to New York at the age of 18 before happening to fall under the wing of one of the most prominent figures in jazz…
The Iris meets the Director and Producer of the Sydney Film Festival 2014 premiere Australian Documentary Tender – Lynette Wallworth and Kath Shelper, respectively. We discuss the film, its future screening on ABC TV, the subject matter (the community of Port Kembla coming together to set up a non-profit funeral business) and the music of…
