TV & Streaming

V/H/S/99 flexes its creative muscle with a shaky form: TIFF 2022 Review

One of the more unlikely franchises of a resilient nature, V/H/S/, a retro-appearing horror anthology effort that often compiles a series of genre directors flexing their creative muscle through short horror narratives, is now in its fifth iteration in the form of V/H/S/99. The horror tales that often are confined within the V/H/S/ films are always…

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Film Review: Confess, Fletch; the long awaited sequel we didn’t know we needed

The idea of a Fletch remake/reboot/sequel has long been discussed for almost three decades now.  The obvious suggestions of Jason Lee and Jason Sudeikis were thrown around for contention to follow in Chevy Chase’s comedic footsteps during its production, but after consistent stop/starts it has fallen to Jon Hamm to pick up the mantle and…

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First Impressions: Amazon’s The Rings of Power is a sensual feast of Tolkien goodness

Set in the middle age of Middle Earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and the One Ring, Amazon Prime Video’s new series The Rings of Power. After watching the first two episodes, it is clear the studio squeezed every cent out of the reported $465 million dollars for its first season…

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Interview: Director Daniel Roher on controversial political documentary Navalny; “It’s really important that the world remembers that not all Russians are evil”

In August 2020, Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition was poisoned with a lethal nerve agent in an assassination attempt.  In the months following, the shocking revelations about the attempt on his life came to light during his road to recovery, a process that was captured by award-winning director Daniel Roher in his…

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Interview: Director Rebekah McKendry on her philosophical scarer Glorious

The pandemic gave many a creative time to think as so much of the entertainment industry faced an uncertain future. For director Rebekah McKendry through, it played into her favour. Presented with a unique, near-singular-set horror film that mused on philosophy and existentialism, Glorious seemed like an idea born from a world that was unsure…

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Film Review: Glorious is surprisingly contemplative for a lightly demented horror film

With a rest-stop bathroom glory hole serving as a type of universal gateway between a confused, confined Ryan Kwanten and an unseen, but very heard, J.K. Simmons, one would be forgiven for thinking Glorious may be, well, just a little filthy. Sure, it’s dirty at times and leans into a gory mentality when it sees…

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ABC iView reveal new miniseries Soundtrack To Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse

What do you do when you get trapped in an abandoned building during a zombie apocalypse? Write a song about it, of course. ABC iView have today revealed the exclusive new miniseries Soundtrack To Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse (STOTZA for short). The 10 half-hour-episode feature follows four teenage musicians on a mission to win triple…

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Film Review: Thirteen Lives is a tense dramatization of one of this century’s most triumphant rescue efforts

In June of 2018 when thirteen members of a Thai boys’ soccer team were trapped underground in a cave that flooded out through early monsoon rains, it didn’t take long for the story rights to be snapped up by various studio heads, all looking for their own take on an initially tragic then, thankfully, happily…

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Interview: Robert Patrick on respecting the acting process when making What Josiah Saw

One of the most recognisable presences within film, Robert Patrick has been dominating the screen with his oft-villainous and authoritative roles for nearly four decades now. Best known for his turn as T-2 in the groundbreaking Terminator 2: Judgement Day, as well as such films as Cop Land, Charlies Angels: Full Throttle, Walk the Line,…

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Film Review: What Josiah Saw subverts our horror expectations with a brutal subtlety

Though What Josiah Saw may include rather expected tropes of the haunted gothic subsect of the horror genre, Vincent Grashaw‘s self-contained chiller continually subverts our expectations with a brutal eeriness that’s likely to divide its audience between those who are enveloped by its slow burn mentality and those who prefer their horrors far less subtle….

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TV Review: This is Going to Hurt is hilarious, dramatic & pain-free

There aren’t many shows that can successfully straddle the lines between comedy and drama. But This is Going to Hurt is not most programs. The British dramedy based on Adam Kay’s memoir will dazzle audiences with its sharp writing, humour and pathos. Ben Whishaw stars as a young doctor working for the National Health Service….

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SXSW to head to Australia in 2023

SXSW have announced an annual Asia-Pacific installment, with Sydney set to host in October 2023. It’s the first time the iconic conference and festival of creativity has expanded beyond North America since its inception in 1987. A joint collaboration between the NSW Government, Destination NSW, TEG, and SXSW, SXSW Sydney will bring together the world’s…

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Season Review: Chloe is an intriguing, thrilling series about the web of lies built around social media

Watching the anti-heroine of Alice Seabright‘s thrilling series Chloe, Becky Green (Erin Doherty, an absolute star-making turn), as she scrolls through the social media lifestyle of the titular Chloe (Poppy Gilbert), a flame-haired femme with a seemingly enviable and lavish existence, the loneliness and self-loathing is palpable. It’s a feeling we’ve probably all experienced, noting…

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Interview: Zahn McClarnon on the importance of Native representation in his new series Dark Winds

Executive produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford, Dark Winds is set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, and follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) of the Tribal Police as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The closer Leaphorn digs to the truth, the more he…

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Film Review: Fire Island is a savagely funny comedy that’ll prove warmly important to queer audiences

Whilst I’m certainly not suggesting that Fire Island won’t earn some crossover appeal with straight audiences – hell, I even saw this movie with a straight guy – queer audiences are sure to wholeheartedly embrace Joel Kim Booster‘s deliciously funny, at times savage comedy in a manner that’s entirely personal and significantly unique compared to…

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Interview: The cast of The Boys on the “messed up” third season at Prime Video’s exclusive fan screening

The Boys hasn’t had to do much to announce itself as the dirty, profane, narcissistic, misogynistic, black sheep of the comic book world…but it doesn’t mean it won’t keep on trying. Following its three-episode premiere on Prime Video on June 3rd, cast members Jack Quaid (Hughie), Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Chace Crawford (The Deep), Karen…

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Season Review: The Boys season 3 spits in the face of superhero fatigue with a violent glee

Within the first few minutes of the third season of The Boys, the profane-laced dialogue (no one drops a “C-bomb” like Karl Urban), bold nudity (if you think there’s a lack of male frontal shots in mainstream media, feast your eyes here), and bloodied-red body horror (there’s that R18+ rating certified) more than announces that…

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Interview: 61st Street star Tosin Cole on finding the truth in his character and the show’s topical relevance

Streaming on AMC+, 61st Street is a propulsive thriller coursing through the dark heart of the infamous Chicago criminal justice system as police and prosecutors investigate a deadly drug bust that threatens to unravel the police department’s code of silence. To coincide with the show streaming, Peter Gray spoke with star Tosin Cole, discussing the…

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The Boys cast members to tour Australia to preview anticipated third season

The Boys are back! Following the release earlier this week of the head-poppingly diabolical official trailer and key art of the highly anticipated third season of The Boys, Prime Video today announced the cast of the series will be travelling Down Under this June. Cast members including Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, and Karen…

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Film Review: Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers is far more creative and hilarious than it has any right to be

The notion of Disney and The Lonely Island collaborating is one that I imagine many failed to place on their 2022 movie bingo card.  The comedy team – they of “I’m on a Boat” and “I Just Had Sex” fame – have rightfully added a little of their grown-up twist to the reimagining (of sorts)…

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Disney+ set to release nine original Australian series and films

The Walt Disney Company in Australia & New Zealand has today announced its first wave of local content commissions and acquisitions for Disney+ with nine Australian originals launching in 2022/23. Announced at an event held at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the slate of local and sure to be loved content includes three Scripted drama…

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Interview: Steven Cree on the insular process of filming twisted horror film The Twin

Primarily known for his television work on such series as Outlander and A Discovery of Witches, Scottish actor Steven Cree is trading in the fantastical for the fearful, headlining the twisted horror film The Twin alongside Discovery… co-star Teresa Palmer. Cree stars as a husband who relocates with his wife to the other side of…

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Netflix announce release date for Chris Hemsworth’s Spiderhead

Netflix have released the first official still and release date for their forthcoming Chris Hemsworth thriller Spiderhead. Based on “Escape from Spiderhead” by George Saunders, a short story from The New Yorker, the Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) directed film follows a brilliant visionary (Hemsworth’s Steve Abnesti) who runs a state-of-the-art penitentiary who experiments on…

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First Impressions: A messy script doesn’t serve The First Lady, but Michelle Pfeiffer sure does!

As Gillian Anderson states – under a set of prominent teeth that appear almost caricaturish in their imagery as Eleanor Roosevelt – being a first lady isn’t a job, it’s a “circumstance”.  Such a circumstance, it would seem, that Showtime thought it only fair to showcase the women behind some of the most powerful Presidential…

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Interview: Elisha Cuthbert on filming The Cellar, approaching the horror genre, and her love of Australia

Now streaming on Shudder, The Cellar (you can read our review here) is a haunted house-themed horror film starring Elisha Cuthbert as a mother whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of her family’s new house in the country.  She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling the home that she will have…

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Film Review: The Cellar is a haunted house effort that aims for tension over bloodshed

Whilst The Cellar won’t exactly be riding high on viewers’ lists of must-see scary movies, Brendan Muldowney‘s haunted house horror effort at least conjures an atmosphere and an unlikely climax to earn it valid points for trying. Muldowney’s script initially plays into the genre tropes we expect when Keira Woods (Elisha Cuthbert) and her family…

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Interview: Dominic Cooper on playing a villain in That Dirty Black Bag and injecting his own essence into a vile character

Streaming on AMC+, That Dirty Black Bag is a raw, epic and romantic eight-part series about the dark side of the Far West.  Starring Douglas Booth as bounty hunter Red Bill and Dominic Cooper as the savage Sheriff McCoy, the series follows their eight-day clash as blood, bullets and bodies fly in the wake of…

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Film Review: All The Old Knives is a conversational thriller intelligently carried by Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton

Despite both Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton proving their worth as action figures within the spy genre previously – Pine in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Newton in Mission: Impossible II – All The Old Knives steps away from the action-driven physicality of the genre and opts for proceedings more in tune with a John…

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First Impressions: Moon Knight is a stranger effort from the Marvel brand bolstered by Oscar Isaac’s dual performance

So often favouring spectacle over character development, the comic book action movie has gradually skewered its initial action-centric mentality towards a dramatic outreach (however melodramatic) that speaks to the quality talent the films so often manage to lure.  And for Marvel, not only are their films consistently cast, but their Disney+ series’ have more than…

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Harry Wild

TV Review: Harry Wild is a cosy murder mystery elevated by a relatable and amusing main character

The British have always excelled at the cosy murder mystery – the sort you watch routinely on a weeknight with a cup of tea – but this time its Ireland that’s produced a stellar addition to the genre. Giving off strong Rosemary & Thyme vibes, the Acorn TV original Harry Wild stars Jane Seymour as…

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