With Oscar waiting in the wings, Pearce nominated for our top Aussie
Acclaimed Australian actor Guy Pearce is poised for major film industry honours, including an overdue Oscar, and he is also nominated for The Australian’s Australian of the Year.
Film
A black cast – in whiteface – reimagines the wild west
Sydney Festival marquee show Dark Noon inverts the usual westerns script, as a black South African cast depict three centuries of US history in 100 frenetic minutes: ‘This is what it looks like when you write someone else’s history. Can you see how ridiculous it is?’
Justin Baldoni sues New York Times after Blake Lively lawsuit
The director accuses the newspaper of omitting information from its reporting of Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment on set of the film It Ends with Us.
You’ll never see the huge twist coming in this Vatican drama
Conclave piles on the Vatican intrigue as cardinals manoeuvre the politics of electing a new pontiff. It’s as tantalising as a murder mystery.
A bloody, funny take on the Dracula story
Nosferatu, written and directed by American filmmaker Robert Eggers, is a remake of the 1922 German film of the same name. I left the cinema thinking, ‘Hold on, is this a love story?’
Parent power is paying off big time for Hollywood
For more than a decade, Hollywood had been in the era of the superhero, but over the past 12 months a new saviour of the box office has emerged.
Exotic coming-of-age story explores link between beauty and unhappiness
Parthenope is a university student living a complicated life but although she is a ‘goddess’, the film built around her lacks depth.
A school holidays movie that will keep young viewers in their seats
Two young lions are at loggerheads, with a young lionness between them, and the baddies are on the trail and out for blood. If this sounds like a similar story, it’s because it is.
The top 10 movies of the year — and some bonus choices
This year my film favourites are an eclectic bunch … but all of them are well worth your time. How many have you seen?
Tense stand-off: James Bond’s latest nemesis is Amazon
Future James Bond films are believed to have been put on hold while cultural differences are resolved between franchise owner Barbara Broccoli and rights owner Amazon.
Amber Heard supports Blake Lively amid ‘horrifying’ smear campaign allegations
The Aquaman star backs Lively in her legal battle against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni, accused of orchestrating a ‘retaliatory social media campaign with help from the same crisis management expert used by her ex-husband Johnny Depp during his 2022 defamation trial.
How the internet made me hate Blake Lively
I fell for the Blake Lively smear campaign. I did, and I’m sorry. But while many will dismiss this story as frivolous, there are dark forces at work here shaping the way we think, act and feel.
The young girl who saw a much nicer Chandler
Sybil Davis, whose mother was secretary to the master of noir, recalls a lively father figure who enjoyed the finer things in life.
Hollywood star alleges ‘sophisticated’ plan aimed to end her career
Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie and a subsequent effort to ‘destroy’ her reputation.
Why Hugo Weaving is ‘so bored’ with playing macho men
In his role in How to Make Gravy, the star embraces a gentler side: ‘I didn’t want to go to a place where I’m playing yet another cliché caricature of Australian masculinity.’
New Indian drama finds the depth in ordinary lives
Payal Kapadia’s quietly beautiful Indian drama All We Imagine As Light explores class, gender, financial and religious divides.
Robbie Williams the chimp doesn’t work, but there are upsides
The primate metaphor for Robbie Williams’ arrested development at age 15 is gimmicky, but the biopic is still entertaining.
Why Les Miserables is a one-man show
Victor Hugo based two central characters on the colourful double life of crook-turned-detective Eugene-Francois Vidocq.
A lion of the theatre and musical powerhouse
Lin-Manuel Miranda has dared to be different since mixing history and hip-hop in Hamilton – now he is doing a radical Lion King.
Wackadoo! Bluey hits the big screen
Bluey is set to star in her very own animated feature film, with the Queensland-made movie to hit the big screen in 2027.
Meet the star of the film that’s creating serious Oscars buzz
Mikey Madison commands the screen in Anora, a next-gen Pretty Woman and this year’s best film.
The bold, the bizarre and the brilliant get award nods
From a CGI chimpanzee playing Robbie Williams, to Toni Collette and Nicole Kidman battling it out for Best Actress, this year’s AACTA Awards nominations celebrate the bold, the bizarre, and the brilliant in film and television | FULL LIST
‘Can’t get me if I get it first’: Prepared to die to cheat cancer
As someone who has been with a brother who died from cancer, and a best friend who died from cancer, I was worried this exploration of to be or not to be would be too raw for me. It wasn’t, which is a tribute to the director and the cast.
This is a man and dog versus the rest drama — with a deadpan sense of humour
Animal wranglers deserve special mention in this film – they had to handle not only the star, but about 200 canine extras.
Golden Globes 2025: see the nominees
Australia punched above its weight this year, with acting nods for Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Guy Pearce and Naomi Watts. And a best Animated Motion Picture nomination for claymation auteur Adam Elliott.
Senna legacy fuels art and inspiration
Thirty years after his death, the Formula 1 world champion has transcended his sport to become a cultural icon.
Denzel Washington: from Malcolm X to ‘real clunkers’ and a Gladiator villain
As he wows in Gladiator II, Denzel Washington speaks of his philosophy of success: you learn, then you earn, then you ‘give back’.
Will old flames reignite the fire?
Former lovers in new French film Out of Season must weight the risks of a reunion against the separate lives they have created.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Here’s looking at you, kid
The child star who became a global pin-up has finally managed to grow up as a leading man. Off-screen? It’s still a work in progress.
This film — starring Cate Blanchett — is close to the silliest I’ve seen
‘What the hell is going on?’ asks Cate Blanchett, playing the German Chancellor, asks at one point. It’s a question the audience will ask too.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/film/page/4