This Month
Why screen villains always play golf
Short of kicking a puppy, there’s no more reliable signifier of utter rottenness than a man – and it is always a man – playing golf.
- Peter Swain
AI made Tom Hanks 18 years old again. Unlike colleagues, he’s a fan
Hollywood is divided over whether artificial intelligence is a boon to creativity, or a vapid destroyer of jobs.
- Devin Gordon
From Cats to the Babe sequel, the most disastrous films of all time
Andrew Lloyd Webber was left so traumatised by what Hollywood did to Cats that he bought an emotional support dog.
- Leaf Arbuthnot
October
New Trump movie shows the power of wearing an expensive-looking suit
The Apprentice’s costume designer tells how the film’s clothes tell the story of Donald Trump’s rise and lawyer Roy Cohn’s descent.
- Max Berlinger
Think you know that voice? Dead celebrities are working again
Judy Garland, James Dean and Elvis might be dead, but thanks to artificial intelligence, they can still do voice-overs, act and generally make money.
- Mia Dawkins
Qantas apologises for showing R-rated film on all screens on flight
The crew played the movie following the malfunction of personal in-flight entertainment systems, according to a person who recounted the experience on Reddit.
- Kate Christobek
Liked The Sopranos? You’ll love this doco about it
Twenty-five years after The Sopranos first aired, this two-part series on Binge explores the way the show’s art mirrors the life of its creator.
- Terry Pontikos
Kamala Harris’ historic run could outpace Hollywood’s Oval Offices
The lack of women of colour among actors playing presidents could prove consequential as Americans weigh voting for Harris.
- Sara Ruberg
September
‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Downton Abbey’ star Maggie Smith dies
The 89-year-old actress was a shining star in a generation that included Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave.
Mercury hits the right note at JMC Academy; buys majority stake
JMC’s alumni include Pacific Avenue’s Harry O’Brien, Universal Music Group’s Brent “Quincy” Buchanan and Animal Logic Entertainment’s Felicity Staunton.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
In Beetlejuice sequel, Michael Keaton looks the same 36 years on
The actor delivers a barnstorming performance as the fast-talking sleazebag demon in Tim Burton’s comedic vision of the Afterlife as a nightmarish bureaucracy.
- John McDonald
If you’re leaving Disneyland while it’s light, you’re doing it wrong
The world’s best-known theme park inspires awe and delight during the day, but after dark Walt’s $280 billion vision truly comes to life.
- Lucy Dean
August
‘Kneecap’ and ‘Touch’: edgy Irish hip-hop and an Icelandic romance
The fictionalised biopic of a loud, incomprehensible band has a rough and ready quality, while a heart-warming drama somehow manages to keep the lid on the treacle jar
- John McDonald
Blink Twice film review – billionaires behaving badly
Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut stars Channing Tatum as a tech bro with dark predilections.
- John McDonald
How Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively took control of Hollywood
This Millennial power couple have matched the success of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore in the 1990s with films topping the box office take.
- Guy Kelly
Alien: Romulus – this film floats like a giant piece of astro-junk
After seven chapters, the series has become utterly predictable, cluttered with the bodies of dead characters and fossilised storylines.
- John McDonald
Sleeping Dogs movie review: Russell Crowe in top form in this thriller
Crowe’s performance in the lead role reminds us what a fine actor he is in this slow-burner that occasionally erupts into violent action.
- John McDonald
Deadpool & Wolverine film review – on its way to cinematic immortality
This “action-comedy” has more blood-letting than any other superhero movie, but its “R” rating hasn’t stopped it making financial history.
- John McDonald
July
Movie reviews – Gothic Aussie Birdeater and old-school B flick MaXXXine
This dark, ugly chiller set in the bush is hard to fathom, but fiendishly dumb B-grader MaXXXine at least entertains.
- John McDonald
‘Fly Me To The Moon’ review: Johansson shines in space age romcom
Director Greg Berlanti’s would-be screwball comedy is not concerned with plausibility – he wants us to be seduced by the characters.
- John McDonald