Film & TV

Interview: Bill Bennett on the emotional exhaustion of making The Way, My Way; “It was important that I view myself as a certain character.”

The Way, My Way is the charming and captivating true story of a stubborn, self-centered Australian man who decides to walk the famed 800-kilometre-long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through Spain. He doesn’t know why he’s doing it… but one step at a time, it changes him and his outlook on life forever. Based on…

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Film Review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes impresses with its technical marvel and emotional resonance

Although Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a continuation of the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy that Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes kicked off in 2011, with Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) following through,…

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Sydney Film Festival announces full program for its 71st year

“The 71st Sydney Film Festival unfurls a canvas of bold narratives and remarkable visions, mirroring the evolving dynamics of our world,” said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. “This year, we are proud to present films that challenge, entertain, and provoke dialogue, from the sweeping landscapes of Australian dramas to the complex human stories from global cinema.” “The 2024 selection reinforces our commitment to…

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Film Review: The Idea of You; The luminousness of Anne Hathaway elevates serviceable rom-com

If the premise of The Idea of You sounds like romanticised mentality of fanfiction – that being a romance centred around a 40-year-old single divorcee and the global boyband heartthrob who meet-cutes her and proceeds to pursue her to her bewilderment – it’s because it essentially is. Based on Robinne Lee‘s novel of the same…

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Interview: Guy Nattiv on his biopic Golda, detailing history, and the humour and humanity of Helen Mirren

One of only two Israeli filmmakers to have won an Academy Award, Guy Nattiv is amplifying his voice as an Israeli director and screenwriter with the release of Golda, a ticking-clock thriller sharing the intensely dramatic events, high-stake responsibilities, and controversial decisions that Golda Meir, the first and only head of government in the Middle…

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Interview: Boy Kills World director Moritz Mohr on choreography, creativity and French cookies; “The heck if I could tell you how it came to be.”

In his directorial feature film debut, Moritz Mohr aimed for the jugular, and bloodied it out with gusto.  Boy Kills World (you can read our review here) is a balls-to-the-wall action flick about a deaf and mute orphan who is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of…

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Film Review: The Road to Patagonia twists and turns towards self-discovery

The Road to Patagonia opens with Matty Hannon – the director, cinematographer, and centre-man – telling how he’s headed to the top of Alaska, which if you know your American geography, is distinctly away from Patagonia, which encompasses the southern end of South America. But worry not, the title is not a metaphor nor figurative. …

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Amy Poehler to join this year’s Vivid Sydney celebration for first Inside Out 2 preview

Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian, Amy Poehler will join this year’s Vivid Sydney line-up for a special Vivid Ideas event at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 27 May. Poehler, who is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after talents, with credits including actress, writer, director, producer, and bestselling author, will front Vivid Sydney Presents…

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Film Review: Boy Kills World is a bonkers live-action cartoon that delights in its brutal creativty

Childlike yet ultra violent, there’s a lot of style over substance when it comes to Mortiz Mohr‘s Boy Kills World, an exaggerated, audacious, attention-seeking actioner that doesn’t have much to say, but succeeds at being a delirious slice of escapism that deserves points for the fact that it’s a bonkers, live-action (R-rated) cartoon that speaks…

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Win a double in-season pass to the chilling new horror movie Tarot

Your fate is in the cards. Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the chilling new horror film Tarot, starring Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Mean Girls‘ Avantika, in Australian cinemas from May 2nd, 2024. When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot…

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Interview: Natasha Henstridge on new horror film Cinderella’s Revenge; “Not the fairy tale as you know it.”

After breaking as the lead in 1995’s Species, Natasha Henstridge soon took the silver screen by storm with roles in such high-profile projects as Maximum Risk, opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme, the comedy The Whole Nine Yards (and its sequel, The Whole Ten Yards), John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, and the Hugh Jackman thriller Deception. Cinderella’s Revenge…

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Interview: The Crow director Alex Proyas on navigating studio systems, AI use in films, and reflecting on I, Robot two decades on

Alex Proyas has long been one of Australia’s greatest directorial exports.  Biding his time between international and local fare – in the same sentence of his work you can mention 1994’s defining The Crow, the ambitious neo-noir sci-fi thriller Dark City, and the blockbuster Will Smith outing I, Robot – the filmmaker has made a…

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Body horror and dramatic flourishes don’t play together in The Demon Disorder: Gold Coast Film Festival Review

There’s a fascinating premise at its core and an impressive heft of body horror effects abounding throughout, but The Demon Disorder never quite conjures enough other-worldly strength to rise above its structural flaws. A tale of three brothers and the demonic trauma they share off the back of their father’s death – presumably the result…

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Film Review: Hanky Panky; Lo-fi comedic horror effort is intentionally nonsensical – whether you like it or not!

To call Hanky Panky inexplicable at times would be an understatement.  And in no way is that intended to be an overt criticism towards Nick Roth and Lindsay Haun‘s wild comedy-horror effort that delights in its science-fiction mentality whilst bathing itself in batshit insanity. It’s an acquired taste of a film, and it definitely benefits…

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Blink Twice trailer asks “Are you having a good time?”

Zoë Kravitz is stepping behind the camera for Blink Twice, a twisted, sinister thriller that is sure to raise a few questions about its certain topicality. Originally titled “Pussy Island”, Kravitz – who also co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum (TV’s High Fidelity) – directs Channing Tatum as tech billionaire Slater King, who charms (or…

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Film Review: The Fall Guy; Crowd-pleasing actioner is both a love letter to the stunt profession and another showcase of Ryan Gosling’s charisma

Not that we needed reminding, but Ryan Gosling‘s distinct energy – rightfully rebranded as “Kenergy” in the culture-shifting buzz surrounding last year’s Barbie – is entirely unmatched.  We saw it earlier this year with his boisterous rendition of the Oscar-robbed “I’m Just Ken” at the Academy Awards where, without even taking off his sunglasses, he…

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The Raid is a brutal and unrelenting action film that serves as a reminder of the true mastery of the genre: Gold Coast Film Festival Review

As easy as it is to call something like The Raid (released in some territories as The Raid: Redemption, this the result of certain legalities) a “thin” movie in terms of plot and character, Gareth Edwards ultimately thrives on such a simplistic nature, turning in a slaughterhouse of an action movie that rarely lets up…

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Sting is an enjoyably camp horror effort that backs its gross effects with some emotional heft: Gold Coast Film Festival Review

Given the ambition he showed with his Mad Max-meets-Dawn of the Dead B-grade genre piece Wyrmwood (and its respective sequel), it makes sense that Australian director Kiah Roache-Turner would continue his genre mash-ups for his follow-up.  What proves surprising, however, is that for Sting, an ode to the creature feature (and, fittingly, Australia’s fear of…

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Interview: Matthew Brown on Freud’s Last Session, casting Sir Anthony Hopkins, and staying neutral in opposing conversations

In his final days, Sigmund Freud, a recent escapee with his daughter from the Nazi regime, receives a visit from the formidable Oxford Don C.S. Lewis (author of “The Chronicles of Narnia”). On this day, two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century intimately engage in a monumental session over the belief in the…

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Film Review: Abigail deliciously balances bloody gore and knowing humour

After the underperformance of both Dracula: The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield last year, the vampire-centric subsect of storytelling – especially within the horror genre – seemed, quite fittingly, void of life with audiences.  But seeing as how much new life they injected into the once-dormant Scream series with their one-two punch of…

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Interview: Abigail directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin on the beauty of ballet and bloodshed in their heightened vampire flick

Children can be such monsters. After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight.  In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting…

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Interview: Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens on manifesting roles and finding the humour in the horror of Abigail

Children can be such monsters. After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight.  In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting…

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Interview: Abigail stars Kevin Durand and William Catlett on character quirks and what truly terrifies them

Children can be such monsters. After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight.  In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting…

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Film Review: Challengers serves itself up as one of this year’s true cinematic winners

Going into Challengers, I think it needs reiterating for unsuspecting audiences that, as much as this is being advertised as “a sexy tennis movie” (which it absolutely is), it’s a Luca Guadagnino feature.  So don’t be at all surprised that the director of the lush and tragic Call Me By Your Name, the oft-unnerving Suspiria…

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Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and filmmaker George Miller to launch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in Sydney

Lady and Gentlemans… Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller will unveil his highly anticipated action adventure, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, in Sydney on Thursday, May 2, before he and the film’s stars begin their global publicity trek, travelling to Mexico City, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, London, Miami, New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. Golden Globe…

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Interview: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist on Challengers; “I think all three of them are desperate for connection.”

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must…

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Prime Video celebrated the launch of its Fallout series with a recreated Vault 33 in Sydney’s CBD

The end is nigh folks. Well, it is for those invested in Prime Video’s new TV adaptation of the wildly popular Fallout series anyway, with all episodes of its first season, now available to stream. Under the foundations of Sydney’s CBD, fans got the chance over this past weekend, to check out a recreation of…

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Interview: Carlo Mendez on his first lead role in the thriller Demise; “The challenge was making my character likeable.”

At the core of Demise, Yara Estrada Lowe‘s debut feature film, is a messy love triangle that allows the erotic thriller to lean into the campy, oft-unhinged sensibilities the genre can so continually give way to. Subtlety is disregarded and melodrama is heightened, making for one helluva wild time. At the core of the film…

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Film Review: Arcadian is a tense family drama presented as a dystopian thriller

Comparisons to John Krasinki’s A Quiet Place will be inevitable when viewing Arcadian, but, despite the familiar ground covered across the family-versus-insurmountable-odds-in-a-dystopian-future narrative, director Benjamin Brewer (a predominant music video director who also served as the lead visual effects artist for Everything Everywhere All At Once) and screenwriter Michael Nilon (who’s produced a heft of…

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Film Review: Robot Dreams is a gorgeous, wordless animated tale dipped in surreality and colourful psychedelics

Have you ever pondered what a robot would dream of?  Well, in Pablo Berger‘s gorgeous, wordless animated tale they dream in surreality and colourful psychedelics.  But in the case of Robot Dreams‘s protagonist, simply named Robot, he dreams of Dog, his owner and best friend, who he is cruelly separated from in a circumstantial situation…

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