Netflix

May December navigates its delicate subject matter with an intentional melodramatic flair: Brisbane International Film Festival Review

November 5, 2023

Within the opening minutes of May December, small-town mother Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) is throwing a community BBQ with all the social niceties we come to see over the future 113 minutes she shrewdly projects.  In hoping she has enough food to feed the masses, she opens the refrigerator and questions if she has enough […]

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Film Review: The Killer is a precise and darkly comedic antidote for genre expectation

October 27, 2023

With its tried and true premise, and graphic novel origins, one may expect The Killer to fall into the expected traps and tropes of the hitman subsect of the action genre.  And though that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, with David Fincher at the helm, as well as reuniting with his Se7en screenwriter Andrew […]

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Film Review: Netflix’s opioid crime drama Pain Hustlers benefits from Emily Blunt’s passionate performance

October 26, 2023

There’s already been an abundance of films, television series and books that have detailed the greedy, unethical foundations of the pharmaceutical industry in America.  And whilst Netflix’s Pain Hustlers may not be the most investigative and favours entertainment over education, it’s a further insight into the peddling of the opioid crisis and acts as something […]

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Series Review: Heartstopper Season 2 continues to represent minority groups on television

August 4, 2023

Heartstopper Season 2 continues to explore the importance of representation. Not only in the LGBTQIA+ community, but through families, relationships, friendships, and abilities. The heartfelt romantic tv drama series aired on Netflix on the 3rd of August, produced by See-Saw Productions, written by Alice Oseman, and directed by Euros Lyn.  Based on Oseman’s webcomic and […]

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5 things we learned from Rian Johnson’s director’s commentary for Glass Onion

February 27, 2023

Those of us that still collect physical media will be all too aware of the oft-golden special feature that is the director’s commentary.  But, in perhaps a sign of the streaming model cottoning on that it needs to up its game when it comes to packaging a film, Netflix have sanctioned writer/director Rian Johnson to […]

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Interview: Jessica Watson and the cast and crew of Netflix’s True Spirit

February 3, 2023

At the age of 16, Jessica Watson attempted solo global circumnavigation.  Departing in Sydney on October 18th, 2009, and returning on 15th May 2010, her incredible, untapped journey saw her cross the equator in the Pacific Ocean before crossing both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. A Young Australian of the Year Award recipient and awarded […]

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Film Review: The Wonder overcomes any pretention thanks to Florence Pugh’s utter conviction

November 3, 2022

When The Wonder first begins there’s a rather pretentious and, ultimately, unrewarding additive that runs the risk of undoing all that will follow.  Niamh Algar‘s soothing vocal tone greets us as our eyes glaze over a constructed film set.  Algar informs us that we are indeed watching a film, but the players involve believe in […]

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Interview: Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne on The Good Nurse; “He’s America’s most prolific serial killer, and you’ve never heard of him”

October 25, 2022

Based on an incredible true story centred in the world of hospitals and health care, about how one woman’s growing suspicion of her co-worker led to America’s most prolific serial killer being brought to justice after 16 years of quietly killing patients across the US, The Good Nurse is a chilling true crime story that […]

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Film Review: The Good Nurse overcomes any true crime narrative mechanisms with a strong, honest core

October 25, 2022

There’s something incredibly refreshing about The Good Nurse in that its true-crime temperament isn’t marred by overt manipulation – as so many of such adapted tales can be. Jessica Chastain (as typically great and committed as expected) is Amy, the titular good nurse, a single mother who is hiding her own ailment as she dedicates […]

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The Wonder is a restrained, elegant film boasting another committed turn from Florence Pugh: TIFF 2022 Review

September 19, 2022

When The Wonder first begins there’s a rather pretentious and, ultimately, unrewarding additive that runs the risk of undoing all that will follow.  Niamh Algar‘s soothing vocal tone greets us as our eyes glaze over a constructed film set.  Algar informs us that we are indeed watching a film, but the players involve believe in […]

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The Good Nurse adheres to a more refreshing approach when detailing its true crime narrative: TIFF 2022 Review

September 16, 2022

There’s something incredibly refreshing about The Good Nurse in that its true-crime temperament isn’t marred by overt manipulation – as so many of such adapted tales can be. Jessica Chastain (as typically great and committed as expected) is Amy, the titular good nurse, a single mother who is hiding her own ailment as she dedicates […]

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Netflix announce release date for Chris Hemsworth’s Spiderhead

April 26, 2022

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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Film Review: The Harder They Fall is a violent western spectacle that redefines the prominence of people of colour

October 22, 2021

“While the events of this story are fictional…These. People. Existed.” These words hit harder than any bullet or bass snare experienced in The Harder They Fall as they sprawl across the screen in the opening seconds of Jeymes Samuel‘s Black Western fantasy.  Perhaps, in a way, an almost spiritual sequel to Mario Van Peebles’ genre-breaking […]

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The Starling squanders any of its emotional potential with lazy manipulation: TIFF 2021 Review

September 14, 2021

There’s a hopeful message about tackling grief in a healthy manner and how there’s the possibility of light at the end of darkness present in the core of The Starling.  With so many promising ingredients too, Theodore Melfi‘s feel-good dramedy is likely to lure audiences in with a false sense of security, promising potential but […]

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The Guilty is an intense showcase for the ever commanding Jake Gyllenhaal: TIFF 2021 Review

September 13, 2021

The 2018 Danish thriller The Guilty was riveting, ruthless material.  This American remake, coming courtesy of director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer), is much of the same, which means those who have seen the original will find the plotting all too familiar, yet those uninitiated are likely to be wholly swept up in its […]

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Why Chris Rock was cut out of Bad Trip, Eric Andre’s prank film on Netflix

April 9, 2021

The hilarious new film Bad Trip premiered on Netflix at the end of February, and fans of comedian Eric Andre – the film’s star – are bring treated to the finest prank film since Borat. In newly released deleted scenes, which you can view below, the film’s director Kitao Sakurai revealed that “what you see […]

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Film Review: Malcolm & Marie succeeds entirely off the committed performances of John David Washington and Zendaya

January 28, 2021

Although Malcolm & Marie was one of the first films to be announced as a “made during COVID-19” production, it thankfully has nothing to do with the global catastrophe.  Instead, writer/director Sam Levinson (creator of HBO’s Euphoria) has opted for an in-house tragedy revolving around the titular couple (John David Washington‘s Malcolm and Zendaya‘s Marie) […]

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Lady Whistledown delivers an announcement: Bridgerton Season 2 is coming!

January 22, 2021

Prepare for another social season.  Bridgerton, the romantic, scandalous, and quick-witted series that became one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of all time, will be returning for a second salacious season, as stated by the society papers of Lady Whistledown. “Dearest readers, The ton are abuzz with the latest gossip, and so it is my honour […]

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Tim Minchin

Back to the Outback: A new star-studded Aussie animated film is coming to Netflix feat. the music of Tim Minchin

December 4, 2020

With a focus on, you guessed it, the Aussie outback, Netflix’s new animated film Back to the Outback is set to debut globally in 2021. Featuring a strong line-up of Aussie talent, including Isla Fisher, Miranda Tapsell, Guy Pearce and Angus Imrie, the comedy-adventure film has been directed by debut filmmakers Clare Knight and Harry […]

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Assassin's Creed

Netflix announces Assassin’s Creed live action series

October 28, 2020

Netflix has announced a new live action original series based on Assassin’s Creed. It will work with game publisher Ubisoft to create AC shows across live action, animation, and anime, Deadline reports. Executive producers Jason Altman and Danielle Krenik from Ubisoft Film & Television currently oversee the project. It is on the hunt for a […]

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Is Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix worth watching?

August 3, 2020

There’s something weird, wacky and wonderful about a series that doesn’t pull its punches. The Umbrella Academy introduced us to a misfit family of people adopted and brought together for their special powers to try and stop the end of the world. Season 2 which has just landed on Netflix has us following the Hargreeves […]

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Is Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga worth watching?

June 28, 2020

Given the state of the world right now, a little comedy would be the perfect antidote to distract us.  And, on paper, a satire-cum-love-letter surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a duo of Icelandic popstar-wannabes desperate to win said contest sounds like a potential winner. The reality, unfortunately, is […]

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Is Netflix’s The Lovebirds worth watching?

May 22, 2020

Not unlike fellow Netflix offering Murder Mystery, The Lovebirds adopts the tried and true premise of regular-folk-get-mixed-up-in-a-major-crime and hopes it has enough of a strong centre to overcome any unoriginality.  And whilst the screenplay from Aaron Abrams (a sometimes-actor whose credits include Resident Evil: Apocalypse and The Open House) and Brendan Gall (TV’s Blindspot) doesn’t […]

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Is David Spade Netflix comedy The Wrong Missy worth watching?

May 18, 2020

The latest film to be trotted out onto Netflix’s new rotation is The Wrong Missy. Straight up, you should know that this project comes courtesy of Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions team, so that might immediately throw up some questionable flags to begin with. Bankrolled by the streaming giant, predominantly set in Hawaii (presumably as […]

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Caliphate Netflix

Is Netflix’s Caliphate worth watching?

May 18, 2020

Streaming on Netflix now, Caliphate is an eight-episode thriller shot between Sweden and Jordan, following a planned ISIS terror plot in Stockholm while at the same time examining the much deeper issue of radicalisation. With a long-running show like Homeland wrapping up (rather well, might I add) after eight seasons, it’s expected that some fans […]

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First Impressions: Netflix’s second season of Dead To Me continues to complement its comedic personality with a wealth of emotion

May 7, 2020

*This review will contain spoilers pertaining to Dead To Me’s first season* It goes without saying that if you haven’t finished season one of Netflix’s deliciously comedic Dead To Me (or watched it all, shame on you if so), this second season is not for you to play catch up.  And after the unexpected note […]

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Travel by Taste: 11 food shows on Netflix to binge through

April 28, 2020

Although we’re currently unable to head on out to a far-flung destination and indulge ourselves in local flavours, we’ve still got ‘armchair travel’. Whether you’re glued to the TV or cooking up a recipe in the kitchen, using your senses to immerse yourself in another culture, as vividly as possible, is the closest we can […]

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Is the new Netflix film Extraction starring Chris Hemsworth worth watching?

April 26, 2020

Extraction sees Aussie Chris Hemworth team up with writer Joe Russo (of the Russo Brothers) and debut director Sam Hargrave for a brutal and bloody action thriller for Netflix. This isn’t a unique story, it sees a teenage kid of a Mumbai drug lord get nabbed and held for ransom by an opposing drug lord. […]

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Altered Carbon

Netflix Review: How does Altered Carbon Season 2 compare to the first?

March 4, 2020

Back in February 2018 Netflix launched the streaming series adaptation of Richard K Morgan’s novel of the same name, Altered Carbon. We called it a nuanced and detailed Blade Runner for the small screen. The series sees humanity’s evolution into a digitised age, where memories and human consciousness can be backed up onto a digital […]

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Netflix’s The Witcher falls short of a phenomenon, but there’s still fun to be had

December 29, 2019

With the conclusion of Game of Thrones, it was inevitable that mythical, semi-medieval source material with an established following would be pushed by networks and studios alike, hoping to be adopted by its worldwide fanbase hungry for more. The Witcher ticked all those boxes; this time being both a successful book series, and a much […]

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