Film & TV

If you are one of the many audience members seemingly disappointed that Dakota Johnson‘s love triangle with Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal’s in Materialists earlier in the year wasn’t as romantic as you were led to believe, then it’s possible that Michael Angelo Covino‘s Splitsville may be the antidote.  Of course, this self advertised “unromantic…

Embracing the “unromantic comedy”, writer/director Michael Angelo Covino assembles one of this year’s finest ensembles for Splitsville, a riotous, emotional dramedy about the perils of honesty and intimacy within relationships. When Ashley (Adria Arjona) asks for a divorce, the good-natured Carey (Kyle Marvin) runs to his friends, Julie (Dakota Johnson) and Paul (Covino) for support….

From relatively humble horror beginnings, The Conjuring Universe – as it was so dubbed the more sequels it garnered – is coming to a close after over a decade of mixed scares and box office bullion. And whilst The Conjuring: Last Rites, the ninth installment in the franchise overall (following the previous three Conjuring films,…

When trauma is experienced, how does one move on with a semblance of normalcy? That is the question indirectly asked at the centre of Eva Victor‘s stunning Sorry, Baby, a darkly comedic, at times devastating drama that unfolds in the more mundane moments that follow an act of sexual assault; in a wisely unseen moment,…

Eva Victor is a writer-director and actor whose fearless character-forward comedic sensibility has cemented them as an undeniable triple threat to watch. Victor has boldly established themself as a singular emerging cinematic voice with their feature directorial debut Sorry, Baby, which world premiered to massive acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, before closing the Director’s…

Three years ago, The AU Review’s Peter Gray spoke with author Aaron Blabey about seeing the first book in his Bad Guys series come to life on the big screen.  Now, The Bad Guys 2 has arrived, and Blabey is once again chatting with us – and, if it’s possible, even more enthused – about…

After wowing audiences out of Sundance earlier this year, where the Oscar campaign for Jennifer Lopez officially started, Australia will now have their chance to see the triple threat in action herself, with Kiss of the Spider Woman set for a local release in theatres from October. Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast director Bill…

Survival is the only victory. The trailer for Beast of War has dropped, marking the arrival of one of the biggest and boldest Australian films of the year – a high stakes thriller that cranks up the genre into a brutal fight for life – where the enemy isn’t just in the skies, but circling beneath…

The Conjuring: Last Rites delivers another thrilling chapter of the iconic Conjuring cinematic universe. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return as Lorraine and Ed Warren in a powerful and spine-chilling addition to the global box office-breaking franchise, directed by Michael Chaves, who has helmed such Conjuring cinematic universe titles as The Curse of La Llorona,…

Based on Warren Adler’s classic 1981 novel The War of the Roses, Jay Roach’s black, satirical comedy The Roses is the second filmic adaptation, following the film of the same name helmed by Danny DeVito in 1989, which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a warring couple determined to destroy the other by any…

Based on Warren Adler’s classic 1981 novel The War of the Roses, Jay Roach’s black, satirical comedy The Roses is the second filmic adaptation, following the film of the same name helmed by Danny DeVito in 1989, which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a warring couple determined to destroy the other by any…

There’s something rather ironic in Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn describing Warren Adler‘s novel The War of the Roses as “Terrifying, black-humored, black-hearted and bristling,” something that many would liken to her own works.  She isn’t wrong, and she would certainly know a thing or two about detailing the deterioration of a once-loving marriage, but…

Your home. Their world. After a record-breaking box office debut, Jurassic World Rebirth is now available to buy or rent for the first time exclusively on Digital platforms from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Amblin Entertainment. Audiences can now go even deeper with over one hour of exclusive content when you buy, including never-before-seen deleted…

Taking a break from the horror genre she has so effortlessly cornered over the majority of her exciting career thus far, Samara Weaving exudes her expected charm and badassness as the titular Eenie Meanie in writer/director Shawn Simmons‘ ode to the 70s action movie, an irreverent, fast-paced actioner that blends its comedic thrills with a…

Whilst I absolutely have to hand it to Australian filmmaker Luke Sparke for his inventive genre blend in Primitive War – that being the war-set action film and the dinosaur-centric creature feature – this bloated actioner, overall, never quite finds the right footing in how to successfully execute such a bodacious mash-up. With a requisite…

A pure studio comedy feels like a cinematic rarity these days.  For some reason a genre that no longer feels as if it has confidence in the bigger marketplace that is inside a multiplex, The Naked Gun – the third sequel in the (once again) long running franchise that was birthed nearly 40 years ago…

Facing his own painful past and the fears of his family in order to save his grandson, a retired rodeo legend (Neal McDonough) enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family. From acclaimed director Jon…

From writer-director Ari Aster comes a modern Western and paranoid thriller set in the American Southwest during the tumultuous summer of 2020. Isolated and sheltered in place, in a global pandemic, a nation under pressure found itself sifting reality through the haze of social media and lost its collective mind. A “true conversation starter” (you…

Forgoing the surrealism that largely laced his previous films (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid), Ari Aster‘s Eddington is, arguably, his most straightforward film to date.  It’s also likely to be his most divisive. Set in the heat of the pandemic – May 2020, to be exact – the film’s lead focal character, Sherriff Joe Cross…

A reinvention of Robert E. Howard’s classic sword-and-sorcery character, Red Sonja is an empowering new action film from director M.J. Bassett (Deathwatch, Rogue), starring Matilda Lutz as the titular warrior, who after being enslaved by an evil tyrant who wishes to destroy her people, finds that she must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face…

A beautiful, affective drama about the resilience of the human spirit, Treading Water features a star-making turn from Joe Gill as Danny, who, following his release from prison, tries to take control of the mental health issues that have shaped his life. When a chance encounter with a former flame, Laura (Becky Bowe, in an…

Despite opening during the pandemic when going to the cinemas wasn’t exactly the easiest excursion, Nobody – released in March of 2021, having been pushed from its original date of August 2020 – managed to (rightfully) fight its way through opposition to relative success; on a $16m budget it earned a solid $57.5m worldwide. It…

Thanks to StudioCanal Australia, we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the life affirming drama The Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston, in Australian cinemas from August 14th, 2025. From the hearts and minds of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan comes THE LIFE OF CHUCK, the extraordinary story of an ordinary man….

Sometimes the most dangerous place for a dad is a family vacation. Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk returns as suburban husband, father and workaholic assassin Hutch Mansell in Nobody 2, the sequel to 2021’s bare-knuckle action-thriller that opened at number one at the U.S. box office. Four years after he inadvertently took on the Russian mob,…

Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers aired the final episode of its second season last week, laying the groundwork for a potential third season. Whether it was a case of the pacing being hindered by the one episode a week release structure, or the show getting too far away from its original source material, this historical drama…

TIFF is celebrating its 50th edition with a robust Classics programme, presented by MUBI, and supported by Ontario Creates and the Canada Council for the Arts. Programmed by Robyn Citizen, TIFF’s Director of Programming, and Senior Curator Andréa Picard, TIFF Classics offers audiences a curated selection of influential classic films from around the world. Presented…

The Toronto International Film Festival is fast approaching, and, as seems to be tradition with TIFF, the titles making their appearances on the schedule continue to be a spoil of riches. The AU Review will be on the ground this year covering the festival for another year, and today we’re continuing our look at spotlight…

Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia, we have 5 digital double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the new action sequel Nobody 2, starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen and Sharon Stone, in Australian theatres from August 14th, 2025. Sometimes the most dangerous place for a dad is a family vacation. Bob Odenkirk returns as suburban husband,…

On the surface, Hugo Keijzer‘s The Occupant appears as if it’ll be another entrant in the survivalist drama genre, focusing on a young woman, seemingly out of her depth as she battles the elements of an unflinching nature.  The Georgia-Russia border serves as the primary setting, with Ella Balinska‘s Abby serving as Keijzer’s focal point,…

Desperate to save her sister, Abby (Ella Balinska) takes a dangerous job in the remote Georgian wilderness. Stranded in the mountains after her helicopter crashes, she finds hope through a mysterious helper radioing from nearby. As he guides her through the harsh conditions, Abby struggles to survive, and her grip on reality falters until she…