Film & TV

TV Review: Unplanned America – Episode 2 “Family Matters” (SBS2, Australia)

In Episode 2 ‘Family Matters’ the boys travel to two vastly different events in different cities to discover that family doesn’t have to be about blood relatives and can come in the most unlikeliest of places and forms. The first is the Gathering of the Juggalos in Southern Illinois, a music festival dedicated to fans…

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 5 “The Runaways” (USA, 2014)

Critics and fans of this current age of television are quick to wax lyrical over the current crop of shows we have to enjoy; “The Golden Age of TV” and “TV is the new cinema!” are two phrases that get bandied about often. Yet for all of the past decade or so of television’s ‘cinematic’…

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A look at the music films screening at the upcoming Sydney Film Festival

The 61st Sydney Film Festival is coming up next month (June 4th to 15th), and the full program announced last week boasts an incredible array of exciting films. Included in the program is a great selection of music films, both documentaries and features. Below is a rundown of the music films screening at the Festival….

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Box Office Report: Bad Neighbours takes the top spot again

After taking the top spot last weekend with $2.6 million from advanced screenings, it is not a surprise that Seth Rogen / Zac Efron comedy Bad Neighbours took the top spot again this past weekend, raking in another $4.7 million. The film has been a huge hit so far both here and in the US,…

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Here’s the first official look at Batfleck and the new Batmobile

Ever since it was announced last year that Ben Affleck would be taking over the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman from Christian Bale in Zack Snyder’s untitled Batman vs. Superman film, fans have experienced a complex set of emotions. While many were not hugely happy with the casting choice, everyone has been holding out for a…

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Film Review: The New Black (Sweden, 2014)

The Next Black is a fashion documentary that doesn’t look at what’s in style now; nor does it examine what will be fashionable in a year’s time. Instead, it looks around the corner at what is coming next by interviewing the pioneers and innovators within the industry who are using technology and new ideas to…

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Exclusive Interview: Director Riley Blakeway speaks on Someplace Else

Presented by Corona Extra and Directed by Riley Blakeway, Someplace Else features Ozzie Wright, Dylan Graves, Hanni El Khatib, Rose Ashton, Jeff Canham and Andrew Brophy. Corona Extra pulled together this eclectic group of individuals for the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7…

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Film Review: Belle & Sebastian (France, 2013)

Belle and Sebastian is a remake of the much-loved 1960s French TV series in which a six-year-old boy befriends a wild mountain dog on the pastoral slopes of the French Alps. Since this version incorporates an additional story of Jewish fugitives attempting to cross the border into neutral Switzerland, the film comes off like a…

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Exclusive Interview: Jeff Canham speaks on his experiences in Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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TV Review: Fargo – Season 1 Episode 3 “A Muddy Road” (USA, 2014)

With the episode titled ‘A Muddy Road’ this is bound to lead us down an even more twisted and precarious path as we delve deeper into the mysterious and crooked goings-on in Minnesota as one by one our characters become more inter-twined within this dark evil web. We start by taking a trip back to…

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TV Review: Game of Thrones – Season 4, Episodes 4 “Oathkeeper” and 5 “First of His Name” (USA, 2014)

These episodes are being welded together as they both serve the purpose of re-arranging the show after Joffrey’s shocking death in “The Lion and The Rose.” While we are seeing Dany get a bit more innovative with her “roam around freeing slaves” shtick, “Oathkeeper” gave us one of her weaker sequences. It was a grand,…

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Film Review: Transcendence (USA, 2014)

It’s a film which has been mostly panned by critics, but Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, the Johnny Depp-fronted Transcendence doesn’t fail to at least keep engagement consistent until the very end. Although clunky at times, and full of half-excellent performances, the film finds it’s feet in cinematography, speaking highly for Pfister’s unquestionable talent. Though visuals…

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What to expect from the new SBS 2 series Unplanned America, premiering May 12th at 9:30pm

Premiering Monday 12 on SBS 2, a new six-part Australian series will follow three friends – Gonzo, Nick, and Parv – on the road less travelled in the expansive United States of America. Unplanned America is about the in-depth exploration that evolved from a lack of travel books, an aversion of backpacker guides, and seemingly…

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TV Review: Fargo – Season 1, Episodes 1 “The Crocodile Dilemma” and 2 “The Rooster Prince” (USA, 2014)

From the opening scene right through to the closing credits Fargo emulates its film forebear with the same intriguing plot, twisted dark humour and spectacular cinematography. With the original Ethan and Joel Coen brothers as executive producers and writing credits the series was destined to have a similar tone. The series commissioned for a limited…

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TV Review: The Feed – Season 2, Episode 52 – 8th May 2014 (SBS2, Australia)

Even as the fine journalists at Fairfax walk out in protest of impending cuts, nothing can stop The Feed. It was this story that opened the episode of May 8 2014, and it really just serves as another depressing chapter in the miserable book that ‘old media’ has become- yet you can’t help but feel…

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Exclusive Interview: Dylan Graves talks us through his experience on Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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Film Review: Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants 3D (France, 2014)

Anyone who’s chuckled madly at the 4 minute animated slices of goodness that make-up Minuscule, will no doubt be welling with excitement at the thought of a full length feature delving into this charming insect world. French creators Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo have taken the plunge, writing and directing a film crammed with action…

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 4 “The Monolith” (USA, 2014)

‘The Monolith’ – what a title for an episode of anything not directly related to 2001: A Space Odyssey. The one shot that recalls 2001 comes early is blink-and-you-miss-it quick; a shot of the SC&P elevator doors, black and imposing against a white background. And like the monolith in 2001, this doors represent all the…

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Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt chase tomorrow right to the edge with epic Edge of Tomorrow premiere event

Well this is pretty impressive. In order to promote their upcoming sci-fi film Edge of Tomorrow, stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt will be taking part in a groundbreaking event that has never before been attempted. They will be attending three premieres in one day (July 28th). But the catch is, each premiere is in…

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Film Review: Healing (M) (Australia, 2014)

In Victoria, the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary has been conducting its Bird Rehabilitation Program at nearby Won Wron Correctional Centre for nearly two decades. One morning, whilst reading The Age, director Craig Monahan stumbled upon an article about the facility; it’s been ten long years since he read that article, and in that time, Healing has…

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New trailer for Someplace Else: Corona’s Artist Residency On The Road In Mexico

Corona Extra presents this very special short film titled “Someplace Else”, which documents Corona’s artist residency on the road in Mexico Directed by Riley Blakeway, Someplace Else features Ozzie Wright, Dylan Graves, Hanni El Khatib, Rose Ashton, Jeff Canham and Andrew Brophy. Corona Extra pulled together this eclectic group of individuals for the ultimate road…

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Exclusive Interview: Ozzie Wright talks his unique Mexican road trip, as part of Short Film Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 3 “Field Trip” (USA, 2014)

Continuing the show’s dominance of 60s soundtracks, Field Trip concludes with Jimi Hendrix’s If 6 Was 9 – a song that essentially about the counter cultural movement of the 60s and how the hippies are the really aware ones against the white collar conservatives. Whilst the show does flirt occasionally with the 60s counter culture,…

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Film Review: The Babadook (Australia, 2014)

Raising a disobedient 7 year-old child while working shifts at a nursing home and maintaining what remains of your home after your husband is gone – killed in a car crash on the way to the hospital to deliver your unborn child – is pretty damn tough. This is what Amelia faces (Essie Davis) with…

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Complete program announced for the 61st Sydney Film Festival

The program for the 61st Sydney Film Festival was officially launched today by Tony Grant, the NSW Minister for the Arts. The Festival will run from the 4th to the 15th of June and will showcase a wide and exciting range of incredible films. This year the Festival consists of 183 titles from 47 countries, including 15 World Premieres (including 6 World Premiere short…

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Film Review: Chef (USA, 2014)

If Jon Favreau’s film, Chef were a food it would be garlic. It’s a product adored by some, hated by others and is not rare. This light comedy with hints of drama does hit the mark, in some respects. But on other points it is a half-baked, lukewarm pie that will underwhelm fans of his…

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Box Office Report: It’s a good weekend for Bad Neighbours

It was quite a slow weekend at the Australian box office, which is understandable given the end of school holidays. The reduction of family audiences has meant that the top two spots have been taken by two comedies skewed towards (slightly) more mature audiences. The top spot was taken by new Seth Rogen-Zac Efron comedy…

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Mark Wahlberg to visit Sydney for footage screening of Transformers: The Age of Extinction

Excitement is steady buzzing in the air for Michael Bay’s latest blockbuster Transformers: the Age of Extinction. The film’s leading man Mark Wahlberg is set to keep that anticipation high with a special visit to Sydney to help promote a footage screening event on Wednesday May 21. The film also stars Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer,…

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Matt Smith set for major role in Terminator reboot trilogy

Doctor Who fans can breath a sigh of relief, as it seems that Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith is on track to make the big leap from television to Hollywood. Already set to appear in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River later this year, it has just been announced that Smith will be appearing in a major role in the…

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The 61st Sydney Film Festival announces new awards partnership with the Documentary Australia Foundation

The 61st Sydney Film Festival, which is running from June 4th to 15th this year, has recently announced an exciting new awards partnership with the Documentary Australia Foundation. The Foundation will award the $10,000 Australian Documentary Prize to one of the Australian documentaries screening at the festival. The winner of this awesome prize will be announced…

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