There’s something quietly miraculous about how Deadloch manages to be so many things at once without collapsing under the weight of it all – and in its second season, it somehow gets even more ambitious. Shifting the action from Tasmania to the Top End is more than just a change of scenery; it’s a smart…
There’s something immediately appealing about the gleefully ridiculous premise of Pretty Lethal: take a troupe of young ballet dancers, strand them in the middle of nowhere after witnessing a violent crime, and then let them fight their way out using a very particular set of skills. It’s the kind of concept that sounds like a…
Created by Taylor Sheridan, The Madison may have been born from the creative orbit that produced Yellowstone, but it ultimately emerges as something far more intimate: a quietly devastating family drama wrapped in the sweeping visual language of the American West. Rather than leaning on the operatic power struggles that have defined Sheridan’s other series,…
For decades, readers of Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling crime novels have followed the meticulous, morally driven investigations of medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Now, the character finally makes the leap to television in Scarpetta, with Nicole Kidman (possibly the busiest woman working in Hollywood) stepping into the blood-spattered lab coat. It’s a fitting match. Kidman brings…
The Bluff is a spirited dive into pirate-infused action, set against the jaw-dropping Cayman Brac, where towering bluffs and Skull Cave provide the perfect backdrop for a story about revenge, family, and redemption. At its heart is Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden, a woman dragged back into the violent world she thought…
If you’ve been following the adventures of the Walsh sisters since 1995’s “Watermelon,” then you’ll know that these are five sisters who have been through a lot together. There’s heartbreak, infidelity, addiction, struggles with fertility, grief, depression, and, to top it all off, their mother – affectionately known as Mammy Walsh – is blunt, over-involved,…
The Artful Dodger debuted in 2023, serving as an inventive sequel inspired by Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.” Rather than focusing on Dickens’ original orphan, the series followed the “Artful Dodger”, Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), as he forged a new life in the British Colony of Australia, balancing ambition, love, and the lingering influence of Fagin…
The Wrecking Crew knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be, and it’s in that confidence that it reveals its greatest asset. Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle), this sun-drenched, bruising action comedy channels the spirit of 80s/90s-era buddy chaos, pairing Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista as estranged half-brothers pulled back together…
Joe Carnahan’s The Rip arrives with the familiar Netflix sheen, but beneath that polish is something tougher, meaner, and far more cinematic than the algorithm usually allows. A pressure-cooker crime thriller steeped in mistrust and moral rot, the film leans hard into character before letting violence and paranoia take the wheel. It’s a throwback with…
The Copenhagen Test arrives without the usual genre fanfare. There are no grandiose set pieces or relentless action beats demanding attention (at least not initially), with the series instead drawing viewers in quietly, building tension through atmosphere, psychology, and a creeping sense of dread. It’s a sci-fi espionage thriller that understands restraint can be more…
On New Year’s Eve, 1999, armed with a bottle of time travelling tequila, Minnie (Emily Browning) arrives at the swanky beach house of her long-time friend, Rodney (Ashley Zukerman), only to discover that her former flame Joe (Sean Keenan), has brought his new girlfriend, Jenny (Aisha Dee). When Minnie takes a shot and is suddenly…
2022’s Man Vs Bee was the type of simplistic, farcical premise that shouldn’t have worked as well as it did. One of the reasons it did though was the utter commitment from the comedic genius that is Rowan Atkinson, who built upon the largely silent, situational mentality of his classic Mr. Bean for nine micro-episodes…
Though a richly textured performance from George Clooney (even if he is essentially playing himself) and some warm support from Adam Sandler (though his overuse of the word “Papi” starts to grate) help bolster Jay Kelly, it’s difficult to entirely find a way into the universality writer/director Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, White Noise) hopes to…
From the opening of Oh. What. Fun., director/writer Michael Showalter and his co-writer Chandler Baker very much express both the importance of mothers during the festive season and how, in the realms of cinematic ventures, they’re an under valued character. As the film’s loving focal point, Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer, always a treat to see…
When Ghosts: Australia was announced, it might be fair to say that the idea was met with some trepidation. There have been numerous examples of comedy hits in one country failing to impress when adapted for another – anyone remember when they tried to do an American version of Kath and Kim? Yet Ghosts, based on the…
There’s a Pixar-like wonder to In Your Dreams that helps this particularly sweet family adventure film feel like it’s somewhat of a classic – despite the fact that it’s freshly releasing on Netflix as perfect programming for the impending holiday season. Embracing a mentality that likens it to the types of family films we saw…
With his imposing size and gruff delivery, it makes sense that Alan Ritchson has become so synonymous with the character of Reacher. It’s also why it’s such an inherent joy to see him considerably let loose in Playdate, a simple action-comedy that reminds us that the actor is quite a gifted, goofy comedian. He’s the…
Oh that every home should have a doorman as wise and as kind as Lester Coluca. Sadly, Lester (Teddy Coluca) was the victim for the fifth season of Only Murders in the Building, and this season’s mystery revolves around our three amateur sleuths finding out who had left him for dead in the fountain at the…
Though it’s been a story told countless times before, you can’t help but still be monstrously excited at the prospect of Guillermo del Toro adapting Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein. His name above the title just feels correct, and not just because the director has been talking about helming his version of the story for close…
Given this day and age where (mostly) everyone is traced to a social media presence and it’s not as easy to get away with saying who you aren’t, the premise of the original 1992 domestic thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, where a sweet-natured mother essentially hires a stranger off the street to watch…
With a title that can’t be misconstrued in all its obviousness, it makes sense as to why Held Hostage in My House adheres to a melodramatic, campy temperament. Despite the cheapness of proceedings, you have to hand it to writer/director Anna Elizabeth James (who seemingly has a penchant for blatantly titled thrillers, with Sinister Sorority…
It’s not too far into the 95 minutes of David Moreau‘s Other that it becomes eerily evident that everyone aside from lead Olga Kurylenko has their appearance intentionally hidden or distorted from view. Moreau himself stated that it was a visual additive that played into the loneliness and confinement of Kurylenko’s Alice, who spends the…
Whether we’ve taken notice or not, but, much like your James Bonds, Jack Ryans and Jack Reachers, the character at the centre of Shane Black‘s Play Dirty – Parker – is a cinematic mainstay who has appeared in films dating back to the 1960s, portrayed either directly or taken inspiration from by a multitude of…
Whilst it’s understandable that Glen Powell‘s rise to fame over the last few years has very much leant into his obvious sex appeal, you have to hand it to the actor for not always relying on it within his projects. Namely his latest effort, Chad Powers, a sports-themed comedy series that he and producer/writer Michael…
Whilst the story behind how Whitney Wolfe Herd both co-founded Tinder and its eventual competition, Bumble, is exciting and full of suitable intrigue, Swiped, with its understandable embellishments, never quite graduates beyond surface level interest. It’s an entertaining film, without question, with another committed Lily James performance at its core, but The Social Network this…
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…
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…
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…
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…
From the beloved E. Lockhart book of the same name, We Were Liars is the highly anticipated Prime Video adaptation developed by Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie. With an all star cast featuring Emily Alyn Lind, Caitlin FitzGerald, Mamie Gummer, Candice King, Rahul Kohli, Shubham Maheshwari, Esther McGregor and Australian actor Joseph Zada, We Were…
