The Iris is proud to bring you our top ten films of 2013, as voted by our contributors. We kick things off with an American comedy that met our writer’s expectations… 10. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues How could we reserve passing judgement on a sequel to one of the most quintessential comedies of the…
The Iris is proud to present a list of our top twenty films of 2013, voted by our contributors. All films on this list are subject to the Australian release dates – not the original release date in the film’s home country. And we kick off with one such film, released in 2012 in the…
Majestic, powerful and intimidating, the sad reality is that sharks have more reason to fear us, than the other way round. Thanks to netting, shark finning and mercury poisoning we’ve managed to push over 90% of shark species to the brink of extinction. Directors Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas choose to broach the subject more…
As expected, the second film in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug, comfortably won the Boxing Day Box Office Battle (BDBOB) for 2013. The fantasy epic took $5.465 million on opening day, which is the second highest Boxing Day take ever. The record still belongs to the first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey, which made $5.925 million on Boxing Day in…
We asked the contributors of The Iris to tell us their favourite shows of 2013, and here now are the top thirteen they voted! Only three new series make the list, with the other ten proving that the best only get better as the seasons continue… 13. Person of Interest – CBS, USA This continues…
It’s almost become cliché to say it now, but Meryl Streep dominates yet another film. August: Osage County is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, with original playwright Tracy Letts penning the screenplay for The Company Men director John Wells to helm. A darkly comic drama, the film begins…
If you’re a Doctor Who fan, “The Time of the Doctor” was more than just your usual Christmas Special. It means the end of the Matt Smith era and the beginning of our time with Peter Capaldi. Before we get to those eyes who appeared quickly in “The Day of the Doctor” (the 50th Anniversary…
The release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues has sent Ron Burgundy and his News Team straight to the top of the Australian box office over the past week. The comedy sequel made an impressive debut, especially considering that the original Anchorman only made $1,669,440 in its entire Australian run back in 2004. David O. Russell’s American Hustle and animated sequel Cloudy With…
The Little Mermaid. Beauty and the Beast. Aladdin. The Lion King. These animated musical classics were all released within a 5 year period (1989-1994) when Disney animation was at its high point. This fruitful period, known as the Disney Renaissance, continued until the end of the century and also included films such as Mulan (1998) and Tarzan (1999). However, during the…
The new documentary Muscle Shoals tells the story of a little town of the same name in Alabama, USA, where an incredible amount of iconic music was recorded at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios. We’re talking tracks by everyone from The Rolling Stones to U2 and Aretha Franklin (all of whom appear in the film)… to…
The new documentary Muscle Shoals tells the story of a little town of the same name in Alabama, USA, where an incredible amount of iconic music was recorded at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios. We’re talking tracks by everyone from The Rolling Stones to U2 and Aretha Franklin (all of whom appear in the film)… to…
Catholic guilt can be one pervasive beast and if ever there was a film to embody this phenomena it’s Philomena. This is the tragic drama/comedy that is inspired by a true story. It crosses three nations, several decades in time and shows the misdemeanours of an institution that should’ve protected its vulnerable charges. The film…
There’s a lot riding on the second installment in The Hobbit trilogy. The first film, An Unexpected Journey, did fairly well (if grossing over a billion dollars worldwide is your definition of “fairly well”) but received some less than favourable reviews, primarily due to its length and some issues with the High Frame Rate technology. Though…
Back during the AU review’s Sydney Film Festival interview series for 2013, we sat down with Patrick Riester, one of the actors from the low budget film Computer Chess, directed by Andrew Bujalski. We talk about the unique filmmaking style, the story, being a part of the film and his usual role: editing. The film is screening…
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a film, which thrives in the visual first, and the story second. But the story is a very close second. Based on a short story in the New Yorker magazine by James Thurber – but not completely following it – we see Walter Mitty – played by Ben…
The Iris is proud to present, in anticipation of the final Matt Smith episode of Doctor Who later this week – the annual Christmas special – the first ever episode of our new Doctor Who Podcast “The Doctor is In” featuring Larry Heath and Sosefina Fuamoli. Larry, a newer fan, gets all the information from…
The Muscle Shoals documentary is as soulful as the music that came out of the Alabama County of the same name. The documentary is filled to the brim with the rich musical history of the town that gave the world The Swampers, and countless hits from The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and way too many others…
While Computer Chess is spruiked as a ‘hilariously offbeat comedy’, it only draws a few tepid chuckles, most of which don’t make the trip from brain to mouth. But assuming it’s one of those comedies where you’re not supposed to laugh, it’s still enjoyable. I’m just not sure if it’s enjoyable enough to invest your hard earned…
Back in November, Supanova took over Adelaide for another year, drawing the pop culture geeks out in force for three days of pure awesomeness. As well as sitting in on some great panels and avoiding being stalked by Chewbacca, I had a chat with Dean O’Gorman, one of the ‘Supa-Star Guests’. O’Gorman, as many of you will…
While at Supanova in Sydney all the way back in June, Larry Heath sat down with one of the dwarves from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy to talk about the films, New Zealand based actor Jed Brophy who plays Nori. We address some fan disappointment in the first film, how that might be addressed in the future, and what…
Ask anyone under the age of 30 what they think is the funniest film ever made, and 9 out of 10 of them will say Anchorman. Hardly a success when released in 2004, the film became a hit on DVD and has since become the most frequently quoted film amongst members of Generation Y. Who among us has…
The first official HD trailer for Blended has been released and we have it for you here on The Iris! Blended marks the third comedy collaboration between stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, following their successful onscreen pairings in the hit romantic comedies 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer. After a disastrous blind date,…
The Iris presents the new trailer for 22 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Note: this is the uncut, red band trailer and it contains coarse language and adult themes. In the action-comedy 22 Jump Street, after making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah…
Released today in Australian cinemas, The Iris meets Director and Comedian Adam McKay on the red carpet of the Sydney premiere of Anchorman 2 to talk about the unlikely return of Mr. Ron Burgundy. ———- This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may have formatting errors – images…
The Iris talks to Australia’s own Josh Lawson from Anchorman 2 – which opens in cinemas today – at the Sydney Red Carpet premiere. We talk about his role in the film, House of Lies – the US TV series starring Don Cheadle he’s a part of – and much, much more… ———- This content…
Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to see the Australian premiere of Venus in Fur in its original form as a production from Queensland Theatre Company. The play easily joined the ranks of my favourite experiences at the theatre, and completely won me over with its winning combination of comedy and drama. So when I heard that Roman…
The season has been hinting at Witch-hunters for a while but now they finally become a prominent part of the storyline. This steers the narrative into an interesting direction bringing with it fresh characters and conflicts and pushing the possibility of an alliance between Marie and Fiona. Meanwhile, Queenie educates Delphine on racial prejudice and…
Homeland is back for another year. I will be chronicling the journeys of Carrie, Saul and Brody throughout the third season of the best show currently on television. Spoilers within so don’t read before viewing the episodes! *SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT* Previously on Homeland… Brody (Damian Lewis) has managed to assassinate Javadi’s boss, and Carrie (Claire Danes) is doing…
Well this is impressive. David O. Russell’s period con artist dramedy has managed to debut at #1. Hype has been building ever since it was announced that Russell had gathered an all-star cast (Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence) for his follow up to the much-loved Silver Linings Playbook. Nevertheless, it is still impressive…
As we approach the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I, it is good for us to be reminded of the terrible and destructive nature of war. The most effective war films are able to give their audiences a tiny taste of what it might have been like to live through those times, as…
