Film & TV

After announcing himself as a horror filmmaker to be reckoned with following his bold 2022 debut Barbarian, it’s understandable that audiences may be entering Zach Cregger‘s sophomore scarer Weapons with a certain level of expectation.  Of course, the rather ambiguous trailers have only added to the overall dread the film suggests, and the trivia nugget…

Cinema, as of late, has really taken advantage of nostalgia and the good faith that audiences will hold onto such and turn out for a years-later legacy sequel.  The last few years alone have given us continuations to such once-dormant properties as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Top Gun, Scream, Halloween, and I Know…

In the action-comedy The Pickup, a routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers, Russell (Eddie Murphy) and Travis (Pete Davidson), are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by a savvy mastermind, Zoe (Keke Palmer), with plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo…

The heist film genre gives itself away to a multiple of mentalities.  Yet, whether it adopts a more action-based personality or one more comedic, it ultimately plays very much by the same central narrative of a snatch-and-grab job that, more often than not, has its share of obstacles to overcome. The Pickup, the latest heavy-name…

In her real time crime thriller set in a war zone, The Cranes Call, director Laura Warner embeds with war crimes investigator Anya Neistat and her team as they track down a group of survivors bold enough to take a stand against those accused of committing the most heinous crimes of rape, torture and murder…

Earlier this year, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan brought a classic sensibility of the sitcoms of heyday to streamer Hulu (Disney+ here in Australia) with Mid Century Modern.  The Will & Grace creators maintained a sense of nostalgia with the multi-camera format and live audience participation, whilst updating the humour to include a more modern…

Performed by a predominantly Polynesian cast led by Jason Momoa, Chief of War follows the epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonization of Hawai‘i at the turn of the 18th century. An epic historical drama starring, written and executive produced by Momoa and co-created by Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, Chief of War is set…

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 looking at three spotlight titles…

Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures Australia, we have 5 digital double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the new horror film Weapons, from director Zach Cregger (Barbarian), in Australian theatres from August 7th, 2025. When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a…

Brandon T. Jackson continues to make his mark in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera. In addition to standout performances he’s demonstrating his growing influence as a creative force in the industry by moving into production. As the founder and CEO of 1919 Distribution, a rising powerhouse in independent film and content distribution,…

At San Diego Comic-Con this past week, fans packed the Gen V panel as Prime Video debuted the official trailer for the highly anticipated second season of the acclaimed spinoff series set in the Emmy Award-winning world of The Boys. This season of Gen V introduces key events and revelations that feed directly into the final chapter of The Boys….

Prime Video have announced that the highly-anticipated Australian Amazon Original series, Top End Bub will launch in Australia and New Zealand on September 12th this year. A TV series follow-up to the 2019 box office smash Top End Wedding, Top End Bub is a heart-warming eight-part series that sees Miranda Tapsell and Gwilym Lee reprise their roles as…

Dog owners are all too aware of how inherently special the bond is between themselves and their four-legged friend.  Regardless of their size, their age or temperament, it’s a deep connection that forms on either side, and the pooch at the centre of The Friend – a gigantic, droopy-faced Great Dane by the name of…

With such a talented cast and a premise ripe with potential, it truly is a shame that Bride Hard succumbs to Shaina Steinberg‘s lazy, exposition-overloaded script, Andrew MacRitchie‘s inexplicable editing, and Simon West‘s continually pedestrian directing (how he has fallen since Con Air in 1997 should be studied), resulting in an action-comedy that fails on…

Launched from the current Global Top 10 Netflix hit series Building the Band, Midnight Til Morning is a four-piece group blending powerful vocals, emotional vulnerability, and undeniable charisma. On August 6th, they’ll officially launch their music career with anticipated debut single “Bye”, a soaring, bittersweet ballad marking the arrival of a new global music force. Crafted alongside a world-class creative…

The trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash from Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron is here! The third film in the phenomenally successful Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash returns audiences to Pandora for an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family. Set…

Bringing to mind the classic action films of the 80s and 90s, Osiris is a taut sci-fi actioner about a team of Special Forces commandos who wake up on an alien spacecraft with no memory of how they arrived. They soon horrifically discover they are being hunted by a merciless Alien race. Bringing action legend…

Riverside Theatres is currently host to a world-class, spine-tingling production of 1984, an adaptation of George Orwell’s iconic novel by Orson Welles, brought to life by the brilliant Shake & Stir Theatre Co. Even if you’ve never read the book, the themes totalitarian control, surveillance, and the distortion of truth that are so deeply embedded…

A multi-faceted performer who has amassed a career across film, television and stage that has spanned over four decades, Lou Diamond Phillips is an industry legend.  But in speaking to our Peter Gray to celebrate the release of his new film, Et Tu – a dark comedic thriller about an unhappy director watching his awful…

How To Train Your Dragon is flying into your home! And to celebrate, The AU Review have an exciting prize pack to giveaway to one lucky Sydney resident thanks to Organic PR and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. To celebrate the launch, Universal are partnering with the St George Illawarra Dragons for a takeover on their 2nd…

It feels inevitable that something like Together will earn comparisons to last year’s The Substance, purely off the fact that the horror it indulges in – that would be the body variety – escalates considerably leading into its wild climax.  Sure, The Substance being a great example of body horror is all well and good,…

Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their…

Set over the course of one day in a dysfunctional office setting, Another Day in America – as much of a generalisation as it may appear as a title – is an apt description for Emilio Mauro‘s commentative dark comedy, which blends situations both mundane and exaggerated across its 112 minutes, resulting in an oft-uncomfortable,…

The Toronto International Film Festival is set to dazzle this September as it celebrates its 50th edition with a red carpet–ready slate of Official Selections from its Gala and Special Presentations programmes. As part of its full list, TIFF is presenting world premieres including Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, Maude Apatow’s Poetic License, Isabel Coixet’s Three Goodbyes, Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice, David Michôd’s Christy, Yeon Sang-ho’s The Ugly, James…

This week, Australia was just that much more fantastic as Sydney played host to Marvel’s First Family in the lead-up to the anticipated release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960’s inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue…

In the grand design of 90s horror movies that could manage a certain 2025 resurgence, I Know What You Did Last Summer would, arguably, be not placed too high on a list of likelihoods.  Thank the lords then that writer/director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) pitched her version to Sony Pictures, as the filmmaker defies…

TIFF is preparing to welcome the world this September for its 50th Festival, announcing 11 more Official Selections in the Gala and Special Presentations programmes. Reflecting TIFF’s commitment to champion new perspectives and cinematic excellence to its diverse international public audience, these films — Nicholas Hytner’s The Choral, Agnieszka Holland’s Franz, Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus,…

Apple TV+ have released the trailer for its upcoming historical drama Chief of War, starring, written and executive produced by Jason Momoa. Set amidst the scenic backdrop of the islands of Hawai‘i, the nine-episode series, based on true events, follows warrior Ka‘iana, portrayed by Momoa, as he tries to unify the islands before Western colonisation…

Despite the fact that the recent Materialists has been rightfully acclaimed and turned a neat little profit for its US distributor, A24, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Dakota Johnson-led rom-com-dram was one of the worst films to ever grace the screens for the hoards of millennials who were disappointed that it was more…

Tonight, the 73rd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) unveiled an outstanding program of over 275 screen works and announced the 10 Bright Horizons films screening in competition and vying for MIFF’s flagship prize. From the 7th to the 24th of August, cinephiles across Melbourne, regional Victoria, and throughout the country online can explore a diverse…