Review

Whilst it commits to the kill from an on-screen carnage perspective, Nahnatchka Kahn‘s Totally Killer has a bit more of a Disney Channel Original vibe going for it in terms of its heart and structure; and that’s in no way meant as a diss against what’s ultimately a very digestible, oft witty slasher. In 2023,…

Earlier this year, we reviewed Twelve South’s HiRise 3 charging stand, which was fantastic for simply being one of the most minimal and sleek 3-in-1 options at the time on the market. But in just under a year, Twelve South has come quite a long way in developing a new and superior charging stand, in…

Between No Hard Feelings, Joy Ride, and Bottoms, female-fronted comedy has had an admirable run in 2023, managing to balance crude humour with a sense of earnestness.  The Re-Education of Molly Singer, sadly, doesn’t continue that trend. With a narrative hook that isn’t too displaced from the aforementioned No Hard Feelings, whilst also owing a…

I consider myself a casual fighting game fan. But for one reason or another, I find myself drawn to each and every Mortal Kombat iteration. Is it the gore? The unique and iconic characters? The wacky stories and alternate modes? It might just be all of them. Mortal Kombat 1 decides to reset the timeline…

Despite the fact that 2010’s 7th Saw entry was subtitled The Final Chapter, the little horror series that could has continued to soldier on with an additional 3 sequels, proving that positive financial returns will always take priority over creativity. Now, that’s not to say that The Final Chapter itself wasn’t somewhat creative – its…

Unless you’re a Spielberg or a Cameron, it seems increasingly difficult to launch an original, high-concept, sizeably budgeted film with major studio backing.  So, in that regard hats must go off to director Gareth Edwards for getting The Creator off the ground and into multiplexes; extra points for doing so with a film centred on…

I’ve checked out a few BlueAnt products over the years, including both Bluetooth speakers and soundbars alike, and can safely say that the brand is squarely focused on bridging the gap between affordable price points and competitive levels of quality. It is with that sentiment, that BlueAnt’s latest X3i Bluetooth speaker, comes out swinging, providing…

Ubisoft has been a prominent player in the world of open-world racing games, and they’re back with their latest offering, The Crew Motorfest. As an avid racing fan, I couldn’t wait to dive into this title and experience its high-octane action. And after countless hours exploring its vast open world, competing in various races, and…

There was something darkly, deliciously special about the way writer/director Emma Seligman and actress Rachel Sennott announced themselves with 2020’s Shiva Baby.  A claustrophobic black comedy that indulged in a spiralling, horrific temperament, their collaboration set a certain precedent for the boundary-pushing, topical humour that’s furthered in Bottoms, a wild, oft-violent, sexually liberated high-school comedy…

With its ludicrous potential built right into its title, Slotherhouse nabs your attention immediately with its narrative hook.  A mammal as notoriously slow as a sloth surely can’t be fast enough to kill predatorial animals, let alone a house full of sorority girls, right?  It’s just so bombastically ridiculous that it could absolutely work as…

After 4 films that amassed acclaim, both critically and commercially, it only makes sense that the world created within the John Wick films be continued in some form separate from the series itself; even though many are hoping the titular character’s rather definitive send-off in Chapter 4 is somehow retconned. Next year will see the…

While I appreciate each yearly NBA 2K iteration, it’s usually for something different each and every time. Be it a new and exclusive mode, deeper customisation and progression or new and enhanced gameplay mechanics, there’s generally something that keeps me around for the year to come. NBA 2K24 certainly provides enough in terms of variety…

There’s something rather amusing about the fact that even though Liam Neeson has a vast career of playing everything from a Jedi master to historical figures, it’s the not-always-an-average-man-with-a-certain-set-of-skills archetype that he’s become synonymous with.  Ever since Taken proved that the then-56-year-old was a force to be reckoned with, the now 71-year-old has settled into…

Though it isn’t based on a true story, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte‘s drama The Good Mother has an air of “real world” grit to it.  Of course, once the film commits to a certain narrative twist around the 1-hour mark it feels less organic, but its down-trodden location of Albany, New York, and the fact that its…

I’ve never really been into the Warhammer 40,000 universe, aside from a few video game entries here and there; but would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in the lore. Big, hulking soldiers equipped with chainswords, battling waves of enemy aliens? Sign me up. It is in that same thought that Warhammer 40,000:…

There’s a certain period-piece sexuality billowing through Widow Clicquot that brings to mind other such similarly-set efforts as Atonement and Pride & Prejudice.  And given that those films’ second-unit director, Thomas Napper, is at the helm here, it makes perfect sense that such detail and intimacy is adhered to; fittingly, Joe Wright, director of the…

Described as a “traumedy” and navigating a narrative I have no personal connection to – or even a right to comment on in all honesty – Molly McGlynn‘s Fitting In has the same footprints as a coming-of-age comedy, but laces such with a queer mentality and the potential dehumanising reality of when your body “rejects”…

Whilst the mass hysteria and government control surrounding COVID-19 has subsided, the trauma of the pandemic itself is still something that lingers for many.  Tautuktavuk (What We See) is a semi-autobiographical drama that looks at such an effect, furthered by the already isolated reality of the Inuit culture, co-directed by Lucy Tulugarjuk and Carol Kunnuk….

We recently took the time to check out and review Australian-owned Aspera Mobile’s latest entry-level handset, the AS5. While we found it far from perfect, it’s undoubtedly one of the best phones you can get for A$99, packing in an impressive amount of features like facial recognition and dual-sim compatibility. The AS8 is undoubtedly a…

Even though Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken‘s script is co-penned by Pam Brady, a scribe with South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police to her name, family audiences needn’t worry that her evident penchant for blue humour will seep through.  No, alongside Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi (the duo having collaborated…

A parallel between the systematic racism towards the Arab community in Europe and the fatalities experienced across the United States during the Black Lives Matter movement, Mehdii Fikri‘s After the Fire is an affective drama that commands conversation. Though a fictional story, the film’s credits take note that this is “based on the real struggle…

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Australian-owned company Aspera Mobile has launched the AS5, a new entry-level 4G handset with an impressive amount of features at just A$99. Yes, you read that right. It’s admittedly a great price for a phone that includes some nifty features like facial recognition and dual-sim compatibility, all while running on…

It’s rare these days for the “superhero origin story” to deviate from a familiar path.  It’s what is done within and around said path that manages to make even the most tested of narratives somewhat exciting. Blue Beetle is another case of been there, done that, with its story centring around a symbiote that transforms…

After the lush, star-studded class of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and the campier inclinations of 2022’s Death on the Nile, it makes sense that Kenneth Branagh would again change the temperament of his latest Hercule Poirot mystery.  Adhering to a darker, more supernaturally-infused mentality, A Haunting In Venice is the most unsettling of…

Sega is celebrating a return to form with Samba de Amigo finally getting a next-gen release on both Nintendo Switch and Apple Arcade, with a brand new rhythm-based game that takes on the likes of Guitar Hero and fuses it with the physical energy of Just Dance for an all-out party, which can be played…

It’s not uncommon for predominant comedic personalities to flex their talent in opposing genres.  We’ve seen the likes of Jordan Peele and Zoe Lister-Jones move from situational humour to helming their own horror works (the former with Get Out, Us, and Nope, the latter behind The Craft: Legacy) to varying degrees of success, furthering the…

Few games can capture the attention of an entire gaming generation. That being said, Bethesda has been able to do this with their previous titles, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. While Fallout 76 didn’t quite go to plan, the company seems to be back on track after their much-hyped and long-awaited…

If you, like I was, are hesitant in seeing The Nun II off the back of the original film failing to make good on the character’s horrific potential or because director Michael Chaves hasn’t exactly got the strongest track record in directing genre films under the Conjuring Universe banner – he helmed 2019’s largely forgotten…

I had played Tunic when it was released back in March of 2022, but must admit, I never really gave it the chance it deserved. I definitely liked it but simply didn’t put enough time into it in order to uncover its deeper notes and nuances. A year later, Tunic is one of the best…

Nia Vardalos truly caught lightning in a bottle when it came to My Big Fat Greek Wedding in 2002.  Produced on a miniscule $5m budget, it garnered favourable reviews from critics and audiences alike, eventually grossing over $365m globally; to this day it remains the highest grossing romantic comedy and, adjusted for inflation, the highest…