As we nudge ever closer to the warmer months but not quite before the closing of the year the pop culture scene gets an injection with Oz Comic Con landing in both Brisbane and Sydney over consecutive weekends. Pop culture conventions have long left an impression on the scene particularly for fans of film and…
Beginning in 1982 with First Blood, then 1985’s Rambo: First Blood Part II, 1988’s Rambo III, then 2008’s Rambo, 11 years later the Rambo saga is releasing a fifth and final film to close out the iconic action hero’s story. Originally adapted from John Morrell’s novel First Blood, it centres around the character of John…
Former Sonic Youth bassist-singer Kim Gordon, pop musician-producer-songwriter Benny Blanco, and actor-comedian Cheech Marin have been announced, among others, in an initial line-up regarding keynote and featured speakers for the 34th annual South By Southwest Conference and Festival (March 13-22 2020). “We’re kicking off the 2020 season with a captivating group of speakers. From Keynotes…
Downton Abbey was a television show filled with glamour, wealth and manners. For six seasons, viewers were treated to a bird’s eye view of the community connected to that famous British estate. While the film adaptation could have become just an extended episode of the series, this film instead manages to hold its own as…
Despite prominent billing, Toni Collette and Merritt Wever are both absent for the first hour-long episode of Unbelievable, Netflix’s latest limited series that centres itself around a serial rapist and the duo of hardened detectives that investigate. Instead, Kaitlyn Dever, as arguably the series’ most sympathetic character, earns our attention as Marie, a troubled teen…
Watching a film like Tabernacle 101 is a frustrating experience. On the one hand, the Australian-made, low (and I mean low) budget sci-fi piece deserves some admiration for the mere fact that it has managed to snare itself a US theatrical release, however limited it may be (it played the first week in September in…
There is good reason Stephen King’s story of It has endured for decades. Amongst his best work, the famed horror author has always been strongest when he’s sketching elegant parallels between fight and flight. Sure, that’s been done to death in modern cinema, and the dynamic between the two states has been mined by horror…
Over the weekend Disney held its sixth D23 Expo, an event where the company gets to showcase all its forthcoming news and announcements to both the media and the general public. In a surprising turn after dropping the official launch announcement less than a week ago for Disney+ the company has come charging out of…
With controversy preceding its release, The Nightingale has seen polarising responses from festival audiences, from walkouts to awards. The controversy stems from the film’s depiction of rape, with two gruesome examples early in the film. These however, provide the necessary bedrock for a deep look into our colonisation’s patriarchy, genocide and classism, with white (male)…
The streaming video on demand (SVOD) market in Australia is already teeming with both paid and free services. But another heavy hitter has now laid down a challenge to the global behemoth of Netflix and looks set to shake things up. The House of Mouse is now officially bringing Disney+ to Australia from 19 November…
Australian streaming service Stan are continuing to strengthen their TV show line-up, huddling closer with long term partners Showtime to bring four new shows to the platform. Given Showtime is already a huge present in the TV section of Stan, this new content line-up should be very well received. Especially since it includes Ethan Hawke…
With only eight films in his illustrious career, writer/director Quentin Tarantino has left an indelible mark on cinema in the last few decades. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the filmmaker’s unique style and vision. With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his ninth (and potentially penultimate) film, Tarantino offers a deeply personal piece…
The Australian Dream is one of two recent documentaries about AFL legend Adam Goodes’ playing career and his his powerful anti-racism advocacy, with Ten’s The Final Quarter already making waves. Written by famed journalist Stan Grant and directed by BAFTA-winning director Daniel Gordon, the film is an inspiring (and infuriating) exploration into the depths of…
French director Céline Sciamma is one of the best writer/directors in French Cinema working today. She specializes in coming-of-age dramas and this reviewer has been a fan of her work ever since he saw her film Tomboy. From fantastic directorial work like her directorial debut Water Lilies and her prior film Girlhood to stellar screenwriting…
Filmgoers have always mused upon the fact that there are formulas in cinema that have been explored over and over. Cliches and tropes, if you will. In the case of this review, the formula that has been explored numerous times is the adaptations of the works of renowned English writer/playwright William Shakespeare. What makes Shakespeare’s…
If you were asked to name some of the greatest and most influential filmmakers, what names would spring to mind? Hitchcock, Kubrick, Spielberg, Tarantino? Perhaps Eisenstein or Chaplin? How about Alice Guy-Blaché? No? Luckily for you (and for Alice’s legacy), Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché is here to help. Narrated by Jodie…
Celebrities and guests walk the impressive black carpet for the Sydney premiere of the new Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw film starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham
It’s hard to believe that a franchise that started out as little more than a soft remake of Point Break, pinning Vin Diesel and his disposable crew against low-rent law enforcement with the street racing scene as its background, has transformed itself into a billion dollar commodity where secret agents take on international terrorists. And…
It’s only been a couple of months since the box office dominating Avengers: Endgame rocketed through our pop culture landscape. But the demand and appeal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hardly wavers amongst Australian audiences. So it’s no surprise that social media was buzzing with the announcement that Hayley Atwell will be making her first…
The name “Van Duren” may not mean much to most people. But to Greg Carey and Wade Jackson this Memphis musician is king. The pair went on a journey to discover more about this artist. The result, Waiting: The Van Duren Story is like Searching for Sugar Man, because it sees some fans searching for…
The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival kicks off tomorrow at Cinema Nova and Backlot, and along with it will come an impressive list of special guests. Running from the 19th to the 30th, they’ll be in town to present their films, and you can get all the details of when and where you can see the…
Arts House and the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) have announced a new partnership which will aid the production of various films based around untold stories and new technologies, supporting artists, filmmakers and VR experts alike at this year’s festival. While MIFF VR has featured at each festival since 2016, the virtual-reality landscape has never…
We all know that Disney reworking its own animated films into “live action” remakes is purely for the box office dollars. Those of us old enough to remember the originals, having seen them in the cinema, and blasting the soundtracks into our subconscious and poring over every bit of dialogue, are all too aware. What…
Apollo 11 is a documentary that takes you to the moon and back. Literally. This feature-length film comes hot on the tails of First Man and Hidden Figures. It proves that there is still plenty of mileage to be had from this extraordinary, historical feat. This is directed by Todd Douglas Miller who is used…
VIP guests and celebrities were greeted with an amazing spectacle whilst walking the red carpet for the Sydney premiere of the new live action Disney film The Lion King
As the brand new Mortal Kombat film readies filming in South Australia this year, a juicy piece of news has been confirmed by writer Greg Russo via Twitter. This upcoming Mortal Kombat film, which is schedule for a released of 5th March 2021, will be the first in the franchise to be rated R in…
The fact that the existence of another raunchy teen comedy — jam-packed with sex, drugs and alcohol — may not mean much but it has been a very long time since I have heard this much hype for a comedy such as Booksmart. Ever since its premiere at this year’s South by Southwest, it has…
Buddy comedies are a dime-a-dozen these days. And much like romantic films, they rely on the chemistry of the leads to succeed. An original plot? Unimportant. Solid acting? No need. If the chemistry works between the leads, then it should offset a lot of the film’s flaws. Case in point, Michael Dowse‘s action-comedy Stuber, a…
Now in its 68th year, the Melbourne International Film Festival has announced an astonishing line-up for its 2019 season, boasting 259 feature films, 123 shorts and 16 virtual reality experiences, MIFF 2019 will include 31 world premieres and 160 Australian premieres all taking place over just 18 days. It’s artistic director’s Al Cossar‘s first year…
I was standing in a darkened bar, full to the brim of influencers, a vintage bike wedged behind me in a copse of fake trees. In front of me, a bank of cathode ray TVs blinked and sputtered. Next to them, a perfect replica of the Byers living room, with LEVIS X STRANGER THINGS spelled…
