Interviews

Interview: Jason Brooks and Chelsea Edmundson on their grisly fairytale adaptation, The Death of Snow White; “We love to take it as far as we can.”

The story we know, but told not as we’ve seen it before. Coming only a few months after Disney’s controversial musical live-action adaptation, Snow White is given a dark, violent makeover in The Death of Snow White, director Jason Brooks‘s unique take on a classic, with a decidedly gory twist. In the film, Snow White,…

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Interview: Andrew Bell on crafting the origins of his coming-of-age/vampiric thriller Bleeding; “Happy accidents happen out of necessity.”

Bleeding follows Eric, a 17-year-old grieving the death of his brother. When his cousin, Sean, the hot-shot son of an alcoholic cop, gets pulled into the lucrative, deadly world of using and selling Blood, Eric will do whatever it takes to save him from the same fate that swallowed his brother whole. With a debt…

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Interview: Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on Jurassic World Rebirth, character instincts and “zaddy” status

Following our chats with both director Gareth Edwards and the trio of Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda, The AU Review’s dino-sized coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth wraps up with Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Ahead of the film’s release in theatres this week, Peter Gray spoke with the actors – Friend stars as…

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Interview: Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda on building their dynamic on screen in Jurassic World Rebirth; “The whole world that was built felt so intimate.”

As The AU Review’s coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth continues, Peter Gray spoke with rising stars Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda about their entrance into the iconic series; you can read our interview with director Gareth Edwards here. Starring as siblings Teresa and Isabella Delgado, Blaise and Miranda spoke of building their sisterly…

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Interview: Gareth Edwards on directing Jurassic World Rebirth, honouring Spielberg, and Jonathan Bailey’s viral “little glasses”

A new era has been born. Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a…

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Interview: Ivanna Sakhno on finding the human behind her A.I. creation in M3GAN 2.0

M3GAN 2.0 is hyping up its central battle of A.I. killbots as “This Bitch versus That Bitch.” But which bitch is which? The anticipated sequel brings back the the murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023, and this time around M3GAN has to contend with AMELIA, a military-grade weapon and the ultimate killer infiltration…

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Interview: Mimi Keene on playing the captivating femme fatale in the new BritBox series Towards Zero

There is no doubt that Agatha Christie is one of the most influential authors in the mystery genre. Her work is beloved all over the world, with adaptations of her stories spanning across decades on screen and on stage. There is also such an innate human curiosity in finding a sense of justice and resolve,…

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Interview: Director Gerard Johnstone on embracing a more ambitious tone for M3GAN 2.0; “I felt like everyone wanted to give her a second chance and a redemption story.”

Following their chat earlier in the year when the M3GAN 2.0 trailer was released, Peter Gray and director Gerard Johnstone are speaking once again as the sequel to the acclaimed science fiction horror film M3GAN constructs itself for release. As the killer doll faces a new threat – a military robot called AMELIA (autonomous military…

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Interview: James Wan on producing M3GAN 2.0, his advice as a director, and not forcing a “pop culture” moment

The murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023 is back. And this time she’s not alone. The original creative team behind that phenomenon – led by horror titans James Wan for Atomic Monster, Jason Blum for Blumhouse and writer-director Gerard Johnstone – reboot an all-new wild chapter in A.I. mayhem with M3GAN 2.0. Two…

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Interview: Jane Larkin on transitioning from athletics to art with her debut feature film The Edge; “We need to know what makes us great and take that journey together.”

In The Edge, the dramatic feature film from debut filmmaker Jane Larkin (a former Australian representative sprinter), three young women (Larkin, Japanese paralympic swimmer Mei Ichinose and First Nations powerlifter Lily Riley) navigate life, love, education, and controversy while deeply embedded in the world of elite sport. The film is an honest and gritty portrayal…

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Interview: The stars of period drama Outrageous on bringing the Mitford sisters to life

The Mitford sisters are amongst some of the most well known people in the United Kingdom, gaining notoriety in the 1930s. What caused this fame and widespread attention was not the affluent and aristocratic status of these women (although their status did lead them to be targets for scandalous headlines in the press), but the…

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Interview: Will Bates on sonically interpreting the emotional undercurrent of Rosemead at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival

Set in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley and based on a harrowing true story, Rosemead is a gripping, emotionally charged portrait of a mother’s love pushed to its limits. Lucy Liu delivers a transformative performance as a terminally ill Chinese immigrant who uncovers her teenage son’s disturbing fixation with mass shootings. As her health deteriorates, she takes…

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Interview: Liam Greinke on navigating the on-screen horror of Dangerous Animals; “It was kind of like paying for the art.”

This interview contains SPOILERS. As a Brisbane boy in the early stages of his career, Liam Greinke is all too aware how lucky he is to be able to share the screen with Jai Courtney in the serial killer-cum-shark attack thriller Dangerous Animals – even if he doesn’t make it to the final frame! Talking…

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Interview: Sean Byrne on finding the “dark side of Steve Irwin” in killer shark romp Dangerous Animals

It’s been a whole decade since Australian genre director Sean Byrne graced the screens with his unique brand of horror with The Devil’s Candy.  But proving the wait has been worth it, he has unleashed a series of Dangerous Animals into theatres with his latest outing – a relentless, edge-of-your-seat survival horror starring Hassie Harrison,…

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Interview: Akbar Hamid on the importance of his short film Poreless; “At the end of the day it’s about self worth and knowing that it’s all within.”

A fabulous, queer Muslim beauty entrepreneur must figure out how to compete in a Shark Tank-like product pitch contest after suffering an untimely allergic reaction. Such is the logline for Poreless, a biting, commentative short currently screening at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.  Headlined and produced by Akbar Hamid, the performer is making a plenty…

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Interview: Rita Walsh on her hybrid documentary The Wolves Always Come at Night and the important conversations it’s generating about climate migration

Rita Walsh is an award-winning producer based in Los Angeles, but working between Australia and the USA, on a series of cross-fiction and non-fiction filmmaking projects embodying a strong directorial vision. Her most recent collaboration is with director Gabrielle Brady on the hybrid feature The Wolves Always Come at Night, which premiered in Platform Competition…

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Interview: Nick Frost on finding the freedom to explore the live-action atmosphere of How to Train Your Dragon

There’s an ineffable magic to seeing dragons come to life on the screen – a blend of myth and marvel that speaks to the child in all of us. Few stories have captured this magic as masterfully as DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise, an adaptation of author Cressida Cowell’s best-selling book series….

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Interview: Director Chris Merola on exploring his truth in Lemonade Blessing, the dichotomy of comedy and religion, and casting against the grain

Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Lemonade Blessing is a biting coming-of-age comedy about John (Jake Ryan), freshly tossed into a private Catholic high school by his devout mother, who falls head over heels for a devious classmate ready to push his faith (and morals) to the brink with a series of increasingly uncomfortable…

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Interview: Jai Courtney on finding the humanity within a shark-obsessed serial killer in Dangerous Animals; “It was really about a character that had a lot of colour to them.”

From his imposing turn in Jack Reacher to the Suicide Squad, Jai Courtney is no stranger to playing villains and anti-heroes on screen.  But his latest role in cult filmmaker Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals, the actor may be embodying his most unhinged yet, as Tucker, a shark-obsessed serial killer with a penchant for showing tourists the…

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Interview: Director Wes Anderson, Benicio del Toro, Scarlett Johansson and the cast of The Phoenician Scheme on balancing calculated filming with playful improv

Director Wes Anderson has his devotees and his detractors in equal measure, but it can’t be denied that his films manage to assemble some of the most impressive ensembles put to screen.  And his latest, The Phoenician Scheme (you can read our review here), is no exception. Centering around Zsa-zsa Korda, “one of the richest…

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Interview: Danny and Michael Philippou on their new film Bring Her Back, exploring grief, and surprise casting; “Putting that on the screen is surely going to bother people.”

After taking the world by storm with their horror debut feature Talk To Me in 2023, all eyes were very much on Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou to see how they would follow up such a mammoth success. Proving that they were no flash in the pan, the twins launched back into the genre…

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Interview: Kellan Lutz on leading the action charge in Desert Dawn, career advice and aspirations, and stepping out of his comfort zone

The action genre and Kellan Lutz go hand-in-hand at this point. Whilst the actor started out his career across a variety of comedy features (Stick It), horror efforts (the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street) and teen-aimed television (90210), and he may best be known as Emmett Cullen from the Twilight film series, it’s…

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Interview: Director Marianne Elliott on moving from the Broadway stage to a cinema screen with The Salt Path; “I feel changed in that I’m more aware of the importance of nature.”

The Salt Path is the profound true story of husband and wife Raynor and Moth Winn (played by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, respectively), and their 630-mile trek along the beautiful but rugged Cornish, Devon and Dorset coastline. After being forcibly removed from their home, they make the desperate decision to walk in the hope…

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Interview: Final Destination Bloodlines directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky on crafting death and surprising audiences

The newest chapter in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice with Final Destination Bloodlines. Returning audiences to death’s twisted, often blackly comic design are directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, who knew that after over a decade since the last Final Destination…

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Interview: Director Timo Tjahjanto and producer Kelly McCormick on expanding action and Bob Odenkirk’s return in Nobody 2

Proving that it’s sometimes the unlikeliest figures that are the most fatally capable, Bob Odenkirk emerged as an action star in his own violent right in 2021’s Nobody, which starred the Better Call Saul alum as Hutch Mansell, a mild-mannered family man who returns to his former life of an assassin after he and his family…

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Interview: Peter Andre and director Fredi Nwaka on their new crime comedy Jafaican

Returning to the Gold Coast, it was more than an overwhelming homecoming for musician Peter Andre ahead of the premiere screening of his new film, Jafaican, as part of this year’s Gold Coast Film Festival. Described as “not your average heist movie”, Fredi Nwaka‘s crime comedy focuses on Gazza (played by Andre), a small-time crook,…

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Interview: Ed Westwick on his sadistic new thriller DarkGame, committing to an unnerving tone, and the new generational reaction to Gossip Girl

A dark twisted thriller in the same vein as Se7en and Untraceable, DarkGame is an unsettling feature surrounding a determined detective (Ed Westwick) in a race against time to stop a sadistic game show on the dark web, where captives are forced to compete for their lives and the losers are executed via live broadcast.  For…

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Interview: Andrew Ahn on remaking Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet and exploring queer identity on screen

A reimagining of Ang Lee’s acclaimed 1993 romantic comedy, The Wedding Banquet is a joyful, exuberant, fresh take on the genre, featuring a hilarious cast of multigenerational talent, headlined by Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang. Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for…

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Interview: Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley on this year’s program; “There should be no barriers to coming.”

As this year’s Sydney Film Festival program goes live (read all about it here), with 201 films from 70 countries on the bill, including 17 World Premieres, 6 international premieres and 137 Australian Premieres, bringing together hundreds of new international and local stories, festival director Nashen Moodley spoke with our Peter Gray about his vision,…

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Interview: Lincoln Lewis on his dark new role in Hagar’s Hut, acting inspirations, and dream feature projects

Hagar’s Hut embarks on a journey through the complexities of psychological trauma and that of the lines it often blurs between reality and fantasy as it follows Skye, a young girl fleeing from the clutches of abuse inflicted upon her by her psychiatrists, who seeks solace in the untamed wilderness. There, she encounters Xan, a…

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