sequel

Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures Australia we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embark on the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune with Dune: Part Two, in Australian theatres from February 29th, 2024, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave…

This summer, the epic studio disaster movie returns with an adrenaline-pumping, seat- gripping, big-screen thrill ride that puts you in direct contact with one of nature’s most wondrous – and destructive – forces. From the producers of the Jurassic, Bourne and Indiana Jones series comes Twisters, a current-day chapter of the 1996 blockbuster, Twister. Directed…

The “Merc with the Mouth” is back and more self-aware than ever in the first-look trailer for Marvel’s dip into the R rated territory of Deadpool with Deadpool & Wolverine. Not much is known about the plot specifics, though we do know Matthew Macfadyen‘s as-yet-to-be-named character works for the Time Variance Authority, the multiversal organization…

Whilst much can be said about how so much of The Dry‘s success was in large part to it opening at a time when cinemas were still battling the pandemic-stricken productions that were halted, it can’t be denied that Robert Connolly‘s tight thriller was a fine genre film in its own right.  The fact that…

And just like that, the DCEU comes to a close with a droplet rather than the splash we were expecting a decade ago. In 2013, when Man of Steel premiered, there was the promise of an exciting future of storytelling to be told for the variety of characters within the DC lore.  There was rousing,…

It wasn’t so long ago that the Marvel machine was something of an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.  Each film seemed to pull record-breaking numbers upon its opening weekend and, more often than not, were winners across the board with critics; at least enough to be deemed “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, which has become…

  When the insertion of the number 4 in a film’s fourth outing as a substitute for the letter A is the smartest thing it’s able to execute, you know you aren’t in for the smoothest of operations. In a year where we’ve seen certain action sequels prove that there’s ample gas in the tank…

Given the big swings he took with his take on the Halloween series – the foul cries from fans were deafening at times – it stands to reason that writer/director David Gordon Green‘s tackling of such a classic genre piece as The Exorcist won’t be done by the books or to the liking of purists….

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…

Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, alongside Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman, return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s…

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…

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…

For a film that sold itself on the premise of action staple Jason Statham facing off against a giant, prehistoric shark – and grossed over $500 million globally in the process – it was a particular let-down that 2018’s The Meg had, well, very little of Statham v shark to speak of.  A creature feature…

When it’s said that Tom Cruise saved cinema in 2022, it isn’t a statement made lightly or with any false sincerity.  Top Gun: Maverick was the invitation needed to truly bring audiences out of the comfort of their home after almost 2 years of enforced hibernation and the ease of the streaming services. Had the…

After a genuinely scary first offering in James Wan‘s Insidious (2010), the Leigh Whannell-created series has failed to make good on any of the unnerving potential with its sequels (and prequels) going forward.  As each subsequent film seems to earn less and less favourable word from critics and audiences, there’s an almost immediate sense of…

Continuing from the toned-down sexualism that 2018’s Bumblebee adopted – the first Transformers sequel that was directed by someone other than series staple Michael Bay – which, coincidentally, earned the franchise its highest praise from collective critics, Steven Caple Jr.‘s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a similarly wholesome, Saturday morning popcorn flick that is…

Despite being the third film in the respective Crime City series – preceded by The Outlaws (2017) and The Roundup (2022) – The Roundup: No Way Out very much operates on its own.  Sure, it helps to have seen the other films, but Lee Sang-yong‘s enthusiastic actioner transmits a joy and an individuality that doesn’t…

The Fast & Furious films live in the ridiculous – or, at least they have predominantly for the last decade or so – and, at this point, that’s practically a compliment to call so.  Whether you think they have evolved or devolved over time from their humble 2001 beginnings of car-jackings and street races is…

Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia we have 5 digital double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the Furious new action sequel Fast X, in cinemas from May 18th, 2023. The end of the road begins. Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious Saga, launches the final chapters of one of cinema’s most storied and popular global…

Only a few weeks after Jane Fonda navigated pedestrian, older-skewered comedy in 80 For Brady, the legendary actress is working with similar, though admittedly better material in Book Club: The Next Chapter, an unnecessary, but serviceable laugher that reunites Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen for another round of mostly safe, occasionally suggestive…

Since Avengers: Endgame – arguably the last great Marvel movie to be created – the cinematic universe of Kevin Feige‘s box office-conquering superheroes has been creatively rocky.  Sure, they’re still bringing in considerable bank, but the audience enthusiasm has seriously waned in the wake of too many cooks in the kitchen, and their served dishes…

Enhancing the punishing and graphically gory nature of Fede Álvarez’s 2013 “reimagined” Evil Dead and the more comedic inclination of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 (1987), Lee Cronin‘s Evil Dead Rise is a manic, at-times disgusting horror treat that proves there’s still a whole lotta (after) life left in this franchise. Given that Cronin seems…

It’s hard to believe that, at one point, 2014’s John Wick was practically considered dead on arrival.  A combination of unproven directors (eventual franchise mainstay Chad Stahelski and uncredited “co-director” David Leitch), a screenwriter with only a duo of barely-registered titles under him (Derek Kolstad), and a lead actor with a slew of underperforming box…

With over $20 million in Australian box office takings, The Dry surged as one of the top grossing films in Australian history upon its release in 2021.  No doubt hoping to emulate that success, director Robert Connolly and lead actor/producer Eric Bana are returning to the mysterious fray in Force of Nature: The Dry 2,…

Similar to how Henry Cavill’s (re)appearance as Superman was all but confirmed prior to the release of Black Adam (and then, you know, leaked in its entirety through supposed bootleg footage), which in itself was viewed as a desperate ploy to drum up interest for the Dwayne Johnson-led superhero flick, there’s a similar air of…

After cementing his status as a macabre maestro with the releases of Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, director David F. Sandberg took perhaps the scariest step of all – into the comic book universe!  After helming 2019’s acclaimed Shazam!, Sandberg has wasted no time in maintaining the mythical momentum with its sequel, Shazam! Fury of…

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…

Whilst I can see the charm that audiences fell for regarding the original Fisherman’s Friends, a 2019 “feel-good” true story dramedy about the unlikely musical success of the titular Cornish fishermen, who signed with Universal Records and garnered a Top 10 placing album with their sea shanty renditions, none of that is remotely present in…

As Puss in Boots: The Last Wish arrives in theatres (you can read our review here) to reintroduce us to the Shrek franchise’s feisty feline and his last-life effort to regain the 9 lives he mistakenly took for granted, Peter Gray spoke with series newcomer Harvey Guillén about finding his voice for his character Perrito,…

Given that it has been 11 years since we last saw Puss in Boots garner his own solo outing, it’s fair for any audiences going into this one to have certain reservations.  Not that the original was bad in any manner, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish isn’t exactly a continuation many were clamouring…