Movie Review – The First Omen

Alaisdair Leith
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Movie Review – The First Omen

We currently live in a world of remakes, sequels, requels from studios who are desperate to cash in on any franchise that made them even a sliver amount of money in the past. We have seen a few low points, particularly with last year’s attempt to resurrect the Exorcist films. We all know that this did not go well and plans for further films were shelved quite swiftly after the film’s disastrous performance at the box office. It was with a similar amount of trepidation that I went into The First Omen. Fortunately, I was completely surprised; the film is a disturbingly horrific and beautifully told story about corruption in the catholic church and the lengths they will go to cover it up. 

The story starts out looking at Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a young American woman headed into ascension in the catholic church. She moves to Italy to complete her ascension into becoming a Nun after the priest from her childhood recommends her Cardinal Lawrance, who Bill Nighy brilliantly plays. At the convent, which is also acts as an adoption centre and refuge for pregnant young women who need assistance during their time. Margaret meets a young girl Clarita (Nicole Sorace), her treatment by the Nuns is different to the other girls there and often spends a lot of time in the Bad room. Things don’t add up for Margaret and she soon finds herself investigating the reason behind the cruel treatment of Clarita and how it connects to the inevitable birth of the anti-Christ. 

 We have seen many supernatural films about the Catholic church, particularly in the last few years with Warner Bros Conjuring spin-off The Nun and its sequel, Sony attempting with The Pope’s Exorcist and Universal’s aforementioned dreaded Exorcist sequel. Director Arkasha Stevenson clearly knows this, while understanding the real-life corruption and need for power that the Catholic church holds. Instead of fumbling about, this film embraces this idea completely and instead of one person trying to infiltrate the church and bring about the end of the world, this film dives much deeper into it. 

Some horror films are fantastic at delivering jump scares, others keep their cards close to their chest, offering up an intriguing mystery, and others just throw disturbing images and scenes at you in order to shock and sicken. This film manages to be all of these things at once, all securely contained in a two hour movie. The jump scares are genuinely earned in this film and came as a complete surprise. There are several moments when a character is staring into the pitch black and you can just make out something moving slowly towards them, the camera then flashes back to the character whose fear has intensified, and then back to the pitch black as the entity leaps out in the most satisfying way. Where the film really excels is the shock and sicken parts. Stevenson understands that the treatment of women and their bodies by the church is something else that is quite often glazed over in films and has no problem exploring this. Scenes of childbirth in extremely harsh conditions with demon hands prodding and poking around is confronting and told at such a rapid and sickening pace, for people like me who are quite queasy when it comes to needles, medical instruments and blood, this was not fun. 

Free is particularly fantastic as Margaret. Her understanding of the Church and her realisation as to what is happening, while still wanting to hold onto her own hopes and dreams of becoming a fully-fledged Nun is fascinating to watch. You could strip the Omen stuff away and this would still be an exciting film. Before she moves into the church full-time, Margaret is housed in the city of Rome with fellow recruit Luz (Maria Caballero), and their commitment to having one last night out before giving their bodies over to the Lord plays out in a surprisingly well-shot nightclub scene set in 1970’s Italy. 

During this time in Italy’s history, there was rioting in the streets, a large cultural shift of the younger generation leaving the church and looking to science and education combined with the politics of the time had a bloody two-decade effect on Italy’s social standing, and this is woven beautifully into the events of the film and the reason for the Catholic church wanting to go through with their plans with the antichrist. Having a movie set and actually shot in Italy is not easy to find these days with most studios using external shots with studio interiors. Here the filming was done in the town of Viterbo, the same locations as Life is Beautiful and the upcoming La Chimera. This location assists the movie in feeling alive and for that gothic horror vibe to ring through perfectly.

The first three-quarters of this film works perfectly, it is able to stand alone in its own right and does not need any prior knowledge or viewings of the Omen or its ill-fated sequels or TV shows to be able to follow this film. Stevenson is able to let her vision of this film stand on its two feet without needing to pay homage to the franchise’s past. It’s a shame that the final act and closing moments of the film do connect the dots to the Omen films and franchise, no doubt to support any future sequels that may need to occur if this film does well financially. That doesn’t take away from the experience of the film, it just does feel slightly disappointing that is didn’t finish a bit stronger. 

The First Omen is not the film you think it’s going to be. It’s a deep dive into the manipulation of the Catholic church and the lengths they will go to to remain in power. A tale of possession and manipulation of the female body as simply an instrument to get what they want has never been told so succinctly by first-time film director Arkasha Stevenson. All of this is fuelled by spectacular performances from the cast, in particular, Free, who leads the charge in making this a horror film that has a lot to say about religion and women’s bodies. It is a terrifying and unsettling film that will stay with you long after you have left the cinema. 

The First Omen is showing in cinemas now.

TV Review – Ripley

Nick L'Barrow
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TV Review – Ripley

It’s a recipe for success. Take a critically renowned series of crime-thriller novels from Patricia Highsmith, have them adapted for the screen by Oscar winning screenwriter Steven Zallian, and cast one of the best dramatic actors working today in Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) as the lead role. And what do you get? Netflix’s latest binge-worthy series, Ripley.

Obsession, betrayal, fraud, and murder are all thematic foundations for this stylistic and thrilling adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and the consecutive novels that followed, centring around Tom Ripley (Scott), a desperate con-artist in 1960s New York who is barely surviving on fraudulently cashed cheques that he acquires through a fake debt collection service.

Opportunity strikes in the most unexpected way for Ripley when he is approached by a shipyard owner who believes Ripley went to college with his estranged son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), who is currently away in Italy with no real prospects of returning home.

Offered a generous salary and all-expenses paid travel to the beautiful beachside villas of Italy, Ripley is requested to bring Dickie home by any means necessary. However, after befriending Dickie, his lavish lifestyle of high-end fashion, delicious food, and no financial worry appeals very much so to Ripley, who entangles himself in a web of deceit and lies to steal away the life he’s always dreamed of having.

Writing and directing all eight episodes of this mini-series, Steven Zallian’s attention to detail in adapting (and in some cases, updating) Patricia Highsmith’s novels to both paper and screen makes for truly engaging television, right from the opening moments. Zallian’s decision to play the series out in a full-framed, black-and-white allows him to utilise light in a striking manner, often to juxtapose the tonal jumps within the story.

In New York, where Ripley is constantly in a high state of paranoia, seemingly waiting for his house of fraudulent cards to cave in, the dark, dankness of the lighting and cinematography is completely immersive into the mindset of Ripley. However, the over-exposed brightness of Italy’s sunshining days then brings forth the potential of a new life, a new start, a brighter future.

Every frame of Zallian’s direction feels so deliberate. Ripley is an incredibly stylistic looking series that plays with framing expertly to evoke the feeling of the subject in frame. But it also captures the vast beauty of Italy, showcasing the monumental villas with such grandiose scale, or the beaches with such salty, shimmering beauty. The appeal of a new life for Ripley is not hard to imagine with direction like this.

Zallian also plays around with non-traditional filmmaking techniques, like having characters read the letters sent to each other directly to camera, almost conversationally with the recipients, which adds even more emotional context to pivotal moments throughout. It’s unique and engaging moments like this that heighten the entertainment factor of the series.

However, as appealing as the life Ripley wants to pursue looks, it doesn’t come with out thrills and tension. Patience is the virtue of this retelling of Tom Ripley’s story, and Zallian uses the eight episodes to build up relationships and the tension between them very well. Blending brilliant passive-aggressive conversations filled with character ambiguity often enhances the mystery and motives of not just Ripley, but those around him too.

What truly brings this all to life is the once again outstanding lead performance from Andrew Scott. Recent Oscar snubbing aside, Scott feels like he is continually ascending to his acting peak, and Ripley is another rung on the way to the top. The complexities of Tom Ripley as a character as truly fascinating to digest through Scott’s performance.

Balancing nuance with theatre style showmanship, Scott is enigmatic in every single scene he is in. For a character who so heavily entrenches themselves into their self-dug grave, the amount of sympathy that can be argued to be had for Ripley is a testament to Scott’s ability to portray Ripley’s desperation and fight to just survive, despite his means of income being criminal. Then, as the lure of more luxury, money, and status brings the starry-eyed Ripley in, the levels of desperation turn sinister, and at points, confronting and terrifying to watch.

The supporting cast, primarily consisting of Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf, Dakota Fanning as Marge, and Maurizio Lombardi as Inspector Ravini all bring a distinct dramatic flair that continually builds the tension within the story. Every character’s simmering distrust of the elusive Tom Ripley consistently sharpens the edge of uncertainty as to whether Ripley is going to finally be caught out, or what lengths he will go to for that not to happen.

Ripley is a visually engaging, stylistic, and tense adaptation of the various stories Patricia Highsmith created about elusive con-artist Tom Ripley. Steven Zallian’s writing perfectly and continually builds tension each episode, while his purposeful and deliberate direction adds more layers of complexity to the characters and story, all topped off with another brilliant performance by Andrew Scott, to equate in a series that will demand you to hit ‘Next Episode’ each time it pops up on your TV screen.

All eight episodes of Ripley are available on Netflix from April 4.

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Win tickets to see Back in Black

Alaisdair Leith
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Win tickets to see Back in Black

BACK TO BLACK chronicles the life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

Thanks to Studio Canal, we have 10 in-season double passes to giveaway to Novastream readers.

A celebration of the most iconic – and much missed – homegrown star of the 21st century, BACK TO BLACK tells the extraordinary tale of Amy Winehouse. Painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame, BACK TO BLACK honours Amy’s artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons. An unflinching look at the modern celebrity machine and a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent. In Cinemas April 11

To enter, fill out the Form below and head on over to our Facebook page for a second entry into the competition.

Review – Monkey Man

Nick L'Barrow
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Review – Monkey Man

Hanuman is a Hindu deity of wisdom, strength, courage, devotion, and self-discipline, who’s legendary stories and mythology within Hinduism has inspired the foundations of first-time writer/director Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) new revenge fuelled action-thriller, Monkey Man, which is releasing in cinemas after a truly explosive premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival.

Arguably more well-known to general audiences for his incredible dramatic work in films like Slumdog Millionaire and Lion, Patel’s first foray into the action genre is a brutal, gritty, and feral thriller that is driven by an emotional revenge tale that follows an anonymous man, known only as Kid to those who interact with him, played by Patel.

Kid spends his nights in an underground fighting league, wearing a monkey mask (Kid’s way of channelling the resilience of Hanuman), getting the living shit beaten out of him night after night for cash from an eccentric bookie named Tiger (Sharlto Copley).

As Kid’s resilience grows, and his rage burns, he uses his connections and understanding within this criminal underworld to infiltrate a corrupt elite society of businesspeople, police, and politicians, some of whom were responsible for the death of Kid’s mother when he was a child, and burn it all to the ground.

Balancing a gritty, brawl-like brutality in the action sequences, scathing social commentary surrounding the elite vs. working class societies of India, and a heart wrenching personal tale of tragedy and the rage-filled vengeance that consumes the lead character, Patel’s feature filmmaking debut packs a lot into its 2-hour run-time.

There’s no denying that this is a bold undertaking for a first film, with Patel unapologetically and bombastically making the film he obviously wants to make. Almost in the sense that if this was his one chance to make a film, he’s going all in, both physically and thematically. And at times, it can feel like a lot.

There is an up-and-down style pacing that doesn’t always allow certain themes and concepts to breathe, despite these interesting themes of oppression, racism, political abuse, and even transphobia, that are so clearly important to Patel, being explored through a non-Hollywood, rose-coloured lens.

What does land during the exploration of these themes however is a story and character that is purely driven by a singular emotion – anger. And that’s felt not just in the world that Monkey Man is set, but by Patel’s filmmaking as well, giving this film a heart that sets itself apart from every other action-packed, stock standard, revenge thriller. It’s this film’s heart that’s been injected in to the script by Patel that makes every action scene feel like the stakes have been raised even higher than anticipated.

Minor pacing and structure issues aside, Monkey Man is a wildly thrilling ride due to the intensity and brutality of the electric and frantic action scenes. From every booming punch inside the underground fighting ring, to each stab slicing and gunshot bellowing in the insane final act of this film, Patel has show he is a force for the action genre, both in front of and behind the camera.

The camera is violently thrown around the brilliantly choreographed set pieces as much as stunt performers (and Patel himself) are thrown around the frame in that same energetic way films like John Wick have more recently, but also showcasing obvious inspiration from Hong Kong martial arts cinema and iconic Bruce Lee films. It’s less fighting, and more so brawling, which elevates the brutality to a whole new level.

Outside of the action, there is a grittiness to the cinematography that highlights the feral nature of this criminal underworld that Kid has entangled himself in. It’s dark, it’s dank, and it is completely immersive. The true beauty is highlighted in the oppressed people at the foundation of Monkey Man’s themes, which Patel showcases frequently throughout the film, but is truly at the films core during the second act in which Kid’s hero’s journey takes him to a scenic location containing a group of non-binary warriors, of whom are truly a highlight in the film’s second half.

Patel’s love for Indian art extends to the film’s soundtrack, which is loaded with Bollywood bangers that increase the excitement of the adrenaline fuelled action scenes. But Patel also has fun with some unexpectedly hilarious needle drops, showing he knows how to make a film this gritty and emotionally driven a lot of fun too.

Monkey Man is a bold, ambitious directorial debut from Dev Patel, whose adoration for marital arts cinema combined with his desire to tell an emotionally driven story about systematic oppression in the country he loves, leads to a brutal, gritty, wild action flick that is bombastic when the punches fly, and heart string pulling when the story beats land. There is a lot going on in this film, and not all of it cohesively works, but there are far more pros than cons for this action-packed revenge flick, and makes Patel’s next directorial effort one to watch out for.

Monkey Man is in cinemas April 4, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Interview – ‘Before Dawn’ director Jordon Prince-Wright discusses the intimate story behind a large scale World War I film

Nick L'Barrow
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Interview – ‘Before Dawn’ director Jordon Prince-Wright discusses the intimate story behind a large scale World War I film

BEFORE DAWN is an epic retelling of one of Australia’s most significant triumphs during WW1, based on authentic war diaries. Jim Collins (Levi Miller), a young man from the outback, joins the ANZAC to fight on the western front with the hope of making a difference, leaving behind his family-run sheep station. However, the muddy, ruthless, and unforgiving nature of the war begins to weigh heavily on Jim, leaving him with a profound sense of guilt. As the battalion dwindles, and hope fades, Jim’s redemption comes in a pivotal moment during one of Australia’s most significant battles. He must choose between risking his life or living with the weight of leaving another soldier behind.

Leading up to the film’s release, in cinemas April 4, Nick L’Barrow had the chance to chat with Before Dawn‘s director Jordon Prince-Wright about the diaries he found that led to creating this film, harnessing the values of the ANZACs on set, and the moment on set he realised the epic scale of this production.

Jordon Prince-Wright: The fact that you’ve got a Mission: Impossible poster there – I like you already!

Nick: Well, thank you very much! It’s a great movie! And thank you for taking the time to chat about Before Dawn. I really appreciate it. It’s such an epic scale film. Was there a point during either the screenwriting process, or perhaps a moment on set, where you had the chance to take a step back and really take in the sheer scale of this project?

Jordon Prince-Wright: The point that it happened was when we were on set, and I saw 300 extras march past me in uniform. And that’s when I looked at the DOP and had a few… choice words that I said! It was a lot bigger than I ever expected it to be.

I think we always knew it was going to be big. We postponed because of COVID, and that gave me 12 months to go and make things bigger again! I was always so passionate about this project, so there was this kind of tunnel vision that we didn’t really take a step back and go, “Whoa! This is really big!”

It was only in that moment, when I was sitting there, having some lunch and I saw them walk past. And I went, “Oh, what have we got ourselves into?!” [laughs]

Nick: I read that a lot of the story for this film came from diaries you read with recounts from ANZACs who were in the trenches during the war. How did you come across the diaries? And was there a certain story or event from them that was the turning point of you adapting it for this film?

Jordon Prince-Wright: So, I read the diaries in high-school. And then I branched out to other museums to try and find other diaries, and you got to read the same event from different soldiers’ perspectives.

But the turning point for me was when I ‘d start talking to people about it, and I’d mention World War I, and they’d go, “Oh, Gallipoli, right?” Well, there’s actually more than just that! Yes, it was the bloodiest battle. But there were ANZACs on the Western Front! I’ve got to tell their story!

So, I made all these short films, which kind of got this crew all together. And then we made this feature with an unconventional way of getting funding. Then doing the same thing for Before Dawn, but on steroids essentially!

For me it’s almost like I want to find what’s impossible to tell on screen. Let’s try it. Let’s give it a crack. That’s the thing that scared me the most. Yes, we’ve got such massive sets, and it’s a big scale film. But it’s actually the intricate characters and the casting, making sure that was all right. There was so many layers with this production to pull off.

Nick: Was there a certain soldier’s diary entry that really helped you get in to the mindset of what the ANZACs were going through to create those intricate characters and intimate story?

Jordon Prince-Wright: It was actually Archie’s character, the young guy. Because for me, I remember when I did a short film, and I dressed up in the [army] uniform, and I was 16 when I did the short film. And I remember looking at Archie, he was 16.

I mean, no one can put themselves in that place. We don’t know how we would react until we’re actually there. But, I’d like to think if I was in that situation, I wouldn’t go out there and be there hero. I’d be like Archie. He’s very reserved and trying to take it all in.

Being able to read those diaries, I found a lot of times I was going, “What would I do in these situations?” And then I would flip it into what the character was thinking. What is that actual solider thinking now? And how we put that on screen was very hard to do.

Nick: The ANZAC spirit is well known to hold values including mateship, courage, ingenuity, larrikinism – how important was it for you to facilitate those values on set as well?

Jordon Prince-Wright: Yeah, look, the brilliant thing is I had an awesome cast to work with. I had an awesome crew to work with.

We were in the wettest winter on record. There was mud, it was raining. It was the closest thing you could get to the actual Western Front! I’m not going to lie – it was a really hard shoot! But after the first week, the worse it got, the happier we were and the more we laughed at things.

People would fall in mud, and people were pulling each other out of the mud, and we’d have a laugh. It really helped to get that camaraderie between everyone. I was working with actors who are well known names! But after a few days, it was like we were all best mates out of high school. That’s what it felt like.

And hats off to them because everybody was awesome to work with, everyone was down to earth. Also, we knew what we were doing. We weren’t just telling a story here. We weren’t just telling a story that’s based on true events. It was an ANZAC story. It had that extra weight that we needed to do this right.

Nick: Speaking of this cast, it’s often we hear actors say how important sets and costumes are to understand their characters. I’m curious what it was that helped you understand this story outside of the diaries?

Jordon Prince-Wright: For me, it was looking at the trench maps and understanding the scale. Looking at those maps and realising it was actually quite big, and how this scene would happen here, and that scene would happen there.

I knew in order to do this properly; I would need to build it to scale. But when we actually were filming, we had a few shots in the film where we would pull back and would look down into the trenches and could see everything going on. And it looked great, and we had a great set, but it took the audience away from being actually in there. So, we cut that all out and that’s why we stayed in there.

It served its purpose by being able to feel big in scale. But for me, reading those diaries, looking at the trench maps, trying to understand where particular events took place in the trench maps. It was so intricate.

Nick: I wanted to wrap up by asking about the opening of the credits of this film, where you have ‘For Grandad’ as a dedication on the screen. If you don’t mind me asking – what was your Grandad’s influence on this film, and on you in general?

Jordon Prince-Wright: Grandad has always been a massive, massive supporter of mind. He served with the British army. He was a Two-Pound Pom. Just the courage of doing that, right? Leaving the UK and coming to Australia with two daughters and no job yet! The courage to do that is just remarkable!

He’s always been supportive of me, and unfortunately, he’s no longer alive, but he was the type of guy who was always there. It’s something’s impossible, harness that energy and then go do it so you can say I told you so!

That’s why I wanted to dedicate the film to him, not just because of his military background, but because of the fact that every film we have down has got bigger and bigger, and he was a driving force of that.

Thank you to Jordon Prince-Wright for his time, and to Umbrella Entertainment and NixCo PR for organising the interview! Before Dawn is in cinemas April 4.

Win tickets to Late Night with the Devil

Alaisdair Leith
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Win tickets to Late Night with the Devil

31 October, 1977. Johnny Carson rival, Jack Delroy, is the host of ‘Night Owls’, a once hugely popular syndicated talk show. A year on from the tragic death of Jack’s wife, ratings have plummeted, and sponsors are getting nervous. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack pulls out all the stops for his annual Halloween special, booking a psychic, a professional skeptic, a parapsychologist, and a young girl allegedly possessed by the devil… What could possibly go wrong?

Late Night with the Devil is finally in Australian cinemas on April 11, and to celebrate, we have 10 in-season double-passes to giveaway! Fill out the form below to enter and head to the Novastream Facebook page for a double entry and look for the Late Night with the Devil competition post for more details.

Review – Godzilla X Kong : The New Empire

Alaisdair Leith
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Review – Godzilla X Kong : The New Empire

The MonsterVerse has been described as “fun” many times throughout its history, and the new entry Godzilla X Kong : The New Empire is no exception. While the Monsterverse has been littered with mostly positive entries, there has been the occasional misstep (King of Monsters anyone?) The New Empire propels the series forward by putting the human characters last and letting Kong and the Hollow Verse be front and centre. While Godzilla is still a part of the story, this really is about Kong and his connection to Hollow Earth and finding more of his kind. It’s told with director Adam Wingard’s trademark use of neon colouring and synth sounds that have really carved out his idea of what the Monsterverse is. 

Set a few years after the events of the previous movie, Kong is living in Hollow Earth, settled into his new home, he is starting to feel the sting of being completely alone. He makes his way back to Earth through new access points that have opened up between the two places. His infected tooth is replaced by vet Trapper (Dan Stevens) the newest of the human cast. When Godzilla senses Kong in his territory and a greater threat rising from the uncharted territory of Hollow Earth, the two titans must once again team up to take down a threat that threatens to destroy both worlds. 

Stevens is the perfect addition to the cast, his romantic past with Ilene (Rebecca Hall) creates an interesting dynamic and their chemistry is really evident here. Unfortunately, Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) is back and is just as annoying, if not more than the previous film. He offers nothing of substance apart from being the screamy, whiny annoying one that can apparently interpret Jia (Kaylee Hottle) dreams that are calling her down into Hollow Earth. The focus this time around is on the monsters, in particular Kong who takes the front and centre of the story as his exploration through Hollow Earth to find more of his kind is an engaging journey to watch. The majority of this is done with no dialogue and strikes a great balance in an otherwise very loud blockbuster story. 

Wingard puts his usual neon flair into the striking visuals of the monsters and the world they inhabit. Godzilla going Barbie pink is a nice mix up and adds to the colour palette that this series is well known for. The designs of the new creatures are close to Avatar, but definitely not from Pandora. There are a few surprises that I don’t wish to spoil, but the Kongs as seen in the trailer each have a unique design and their personalities all just fit well into the DK Country characters with Cranky Kong (Scar King), Diddy Kong (the orange baby one) and of course the main man Kong, who really leads front and centre here. 

Sidelining the human characters while still making them an important part of the story was a smart move. Honing in on Jia and Ilene and how they fit into this new world is fascinating to watch. Hottle steals every scene with her wide, curious eyes, and her relationship with Kong is still as sweet as it was in the last film. The mo-cap provided by Allan Henry for Kong and the other creatures helps the transition to a digital character have the soul and heart that this character requires in this film to embark on his journey. 

When the action sequences finally kick in, the film goes hard. There is an incredible sequence with no dialogue for 15 minutes with Titans v Titans, monsters vs monsters, smashing and bashing each other attempting to come out on top. This movie does a lot of country hopping making it feel like a truly international affair with portals from Hollow Earth popping out all over the planet. The sheer amount of anticipation when a Titan heads for a portal to see where they pop up was a key part of the excitement of this film. 

If you are heading into this film looking for cohesion or a complex arc, you will definitely not find it here. There is a sense of whimsy and fun in this series that is really dialled up to eleven in this story. The neon colour palette and links to Godzilla’s nuclear history is on clear display here and while he is sidelined for Kong to take the main story this time around, there is enough interaction to still deliver on big action. 

The recent Godzilla Minus One may make this film pale in comparison, however it is important to note that this franchise is completely separate and it’s important to keep the history of the Monsterverse in mind when consuming this film. It is a big, dumb, loud action flick that delivers on its promise of larger-than-life action sets that are best viewed on an IMAX screen (or the biggest one you can find!) 

Review – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2

Nick L'Barrow
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Review – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2

It was the viral horror flick of 2023. Not long after the day A.A. Milne’s beloved, honey-eating bear from the Hundred Acre Woods became public domain after 100 years of existence, a trailer dropped from the team at Jagged Edge Productions doing something that your grandparents and great-grandparents would never have imagined could happen to this adorable, sweet, kind, pants-less creature – turn him into a blood-thirsty, psychopathic killer.

But that’s indeed what writer-director Rhys Frake-Waterfield did in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a film that became a cultural moment in 2023 with horror-lovers flocking to the cinemas for it’s limited release, making it an incredible financial success (making an astronomical $4.9 million on a $100,000 budget) despite its scathing reviews, leading to a 3% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, in the film industry, money talks. And making 40 times your budget back is a sure-fire way to guarantee this horror franchise will continue. Now loaded with a bigger budget, and a new screenwriter on board, does Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 not just recapture that audience curiosity, but prove itself to be better than its lacklustre predecessor?

In many ways, the answer to both questions is – yes! Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is bigger, bolder, and far bloodier, giving horror fans a solid slasher flick full of cringe-inducing kills, but an attempt at a more grounded story around it’s human characters gives the film a bit more substance, something that definitely lacked the first time around.

The primary reason anyone will come and watch this film is the plethora of kills we witness Pooh, Piglet, and new characters to the series, Tigger and Owl pull off. Each character has a signature kill style, which not only varies the insane number of deaths this film has but gives each character a unique trait that lets each moment stand out from a stock standard slasher tone.

Pooh’s brutality is completely on show right from the film’s terrifying opening scene involving a smash and bash mass murder, finished off with a ironically signature bear trap kill. And it only gets more insane as the film goes on, watching Pooh brutalise his way through the small town of Ashford, hearing Tigger taunt his prey before his hunt begins, or the abomination-style look of Owl creeping you our before leading to one of the films goriest death scenes.

With an increase in budget comes far better practical effects, something that the filmmakers are clearly fans off based on the use of them throughout. The gallons of fake blood, the prosthetic gore and guts, and a massive step-up in the quality of the creature’s makeup all work together in an impressive manner, giving the film a great atmosphere of dread and horror.

The story of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 effectively render the events of the first film as non-cannon, rather taking the Scream style route of having the first film actually be a movie in this new story’s universe. The reset of this world brings forward a far less infuriating Christopher Robin (one of the lowlights of the first film), who is dealing with a significant, Pooh related trauma regarding events that took place when he was a child.

The more grounded, human story following Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) breaks up the intensity of the blood and gore that takes up most of the films 90-odd minute runtime, and it’s a noble attempt at adding more substance to the film. It doesn’t always work, rather at times slowing down the pace a bit too much and not really ever surpassing a surface-level of emotional investment. But there is an argument to be made that 90-minutes of pure Winnie the Pooh carnage could be too much for one film, and these moments bring levity and a reasonable amount of empathy for Christopher Robin as he deals with his trauma.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is a massive step up (and in the right direction) from it’s viral predecessor. Horror and slasher fans will rejoice in the honey-soaked, blood-oozing, brutality of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Owl’s rampage. The kills are inventive and ridiculous and will be best enjoyed with a crowd of fellow horror fans.

The story is also an improvement, but it never takes itself deep enough to enter genuine dramatic territory, despite the best efforts and intentions from the filmmakers. And with the recently announced Poohniverse bringing together horror variations of your beloved childhood characters, this film does enough to keep the curiosity alive as to what deranged films we will get leading up to this bloody climax.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is playing for a limited time in cinemas, from March 28 – April 1!

Win tickets to IO Capitano

Alaisdair Leith
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Win tickets to IO Capitano

Nominated for ‘Best International Feature’ at the 2024 Academy Awards, IO CAPITANO is the epic story of two teenagers, Seydou and Moussa, who decide to leave Dakar, Senegal and make their way to Europe. They do this secretly, although they are repeatedly warned about the arduous journey. The dream of becoming rich and famous as musicians in Europe is too enticing. But their journey is not as easy as they imagined and they are quickly confronted with obstacles that they never envisaged in this powerful and empathetic odyssey that will move and uplift you.

IO Capitano is only in cinemas March 28 and to celebrate we have 10 in-season double passes to giveaway! Fill out the form below to enter and head to the Novastream Instagram for a double entry and look for the IO Capitano competition post to enter and for more details!

Pause your game – PAX Aus tickets are on sale NOW!

Alaisdair Leith
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0
Pause your game – PAX Aus tickets are on sale NOW!

It’s that time of year again! PAX Aus is returning to Melbourne for another huge three-day event in October, and the best time to buy tickets is RIGHT NOW!

Badges for PAX Aus 2024 will be available to purchase from Midday AEDT on March 26th here. Early Bird 3-Day badges will be limited and available for $175 and Early Bird Single Day badges for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be available for $70. As an additional benefit to getting your tickets early, you can grab some exclusive PAX Aus per-order merch including Adult and Pet PAX branded bandanas, coffee mugs,stress ball and yellow bouncing putty (you can view it via the website here).

Lauren Luciani, PAX Aus Event Director, said, “The PAX Aus team is already well underway with building out a 2024 event that will surpass expectations. We are well aware of how passionate our community is about PAX and feel privileged to deliver them the show that they love so much. Each year we task ourselves with the challenge of doing it even better than the year before, so watch this space.”

The event in 2023 was a huge success, with PAX Aus boasting its biggest year ever. The event hosts the latest games from big hitters like Nintendo, Ubisoft, Playstation, and Xbox. A dedicated PAX Rising area for the upcoming indie games from local and international devs. If cosplay is your thing, the weekend has cosplay competitions, panels and plenty of photo opportunities. Industry experts from game studios and developers host panels, play cards and even belt out sea shanties to raise money for charity.

Grab your tickets via the PAX Aus website here and we will see you there October 11th.

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