'The Social Reckoning' is engaging in the moment but undeserving of the like or reshare button. Watchable as an old-fashioned investigative drama—extremely blunt as a takedown of Facebook. Aaron Sorkin, please stick to writing. Full review @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/the-s...

The Social Reckoning (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

When The Social Network debuted in 2010, it became a critical, cultural, and financial success because of its ability to combine Aaron Sorkin’s razor-sharp screenplay with David Fincher’s signature…

thisisfilm.com

Just like the Colleen Hoover novel it's based off, 'Verity' feels like a cheap book you pick up at an airport. Trash-tacular, enjoyable nonsense. Mother Anne as usual elevates the increasingly outrageous events. Read my full review @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/verity-showa...

Verity knows it’s not high art and revels in camp

The star-studded thriller about two authors caught in a precarious entanglement is funny in all the wrong ways. And you know what? That might not be a bad thing.

thecurb.com.au

'Heart of the Beast' might not win any awards for originality, but Uber the dog deserves all the praise for his brave and obedient performance as Odin. Brad Pitt’s bond with his canine companion makes for a perfectly fine watch 🎬🐕 Review @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/heart-of-the...

Heart of the Beast is a simple and touching ode to the animals that stand by us

With striking imagery, a functional-enough story, and an award worthy performance from Uber the dog, it might just be David Ayer’s most inoffensive and emotionally arresting film.

thecurb.com.au

S&A Schlocktober@schlockandawe1.bsky.social · 3w ago

New S&A Episode! It's late but MIFF Part 3 is here. Lindsay @kahn & @nadinewhitney.bsky.social talk more movies from the festival - Josephine, Bitter Christmas, The Beloved, Yellow Letters and more. Schlock & Awe episodes can be found in the account profile

I had the great opportunity of sitting down with Palestinian activist and filmmaker Mhammad Babai. Please have a read of my full interview with him about his new film, in collaboration with David Wachsmann, 'Human Animals'. Thanks to @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/human-animal...

Human Animals: Australian Premiere Screening + Q&A with Producer Mhamad Babai - 17th Sep (Melbourne)

Human Animals, a documentary by David Wachsman and Mhamad Babai (17 Sep, Kino Cinema Melbourne) The Jewish Council of Australia […]

jewishcouncil.com.au

South Korea's most expensive cinematic gamble pays off in the mighty, monstrous and multi-genre 'Hope'. Relentless as it is exhausting, you just have to respect how utterly bonkers and well crafted some of these scenes are. Full review at @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/hope-...

Hope (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Hope is as much an epic sci-fi thriller as it is a maximalist, high-concept action film. It may be repetitive, and it may oversell itself, but there are enough exhilarating, original thrills here t…

thisisfilm.com

More @melbfilmfest.bsky.social reviews! Listen to us yap agout Fatherland, Blue Heron, Big Girls Don't Cry, Mārama, and La Gradiva

S&A Schlocktober@schlockandawe1.bsky.social · last mo.

New S&A Episode! And it is MIFF Part Two. So many movies. Lindsay @nadinewhitney.bsky.social & @kahnduncan.bsky.social discuss the movies Fatherland, Blue Heron, Big Girls Don't Cry, Marama & La Gradiva Schlock & Awe episodes can be found in the account profile

New S&A Episode! It is that time of Year #miff2026 The Melbourne International Film Festival Part One. Lindsay @nadinewhitney.bsky.social & @kahnduncan.bsky.social talk about what they saw. The Good the Bad and the What Was That! Schlock & Awe episodes can be found in the account profile

Ridley Scott makes the end of the world tired and forgettable in The Dog Stars. Everything is stale, and the dog is unfortunately anything but a star in the film. I'm simply confused why Ridley made this! Full review here @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/the-d...

The Dog Stars (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Ridley Scott seems to believe that enough self-aggrandising about his own recent filmography can convince audiences that these are good movies. This delusion has caused nothing but diminishing retu…

thisisfilm.com

Martin Mckenna's 'Wilderness' fails to listen to its environment. A film that had me audibly sighing multiple times - mainly thanks to its extremely lacklustre script. A silly drama that I personally got very little out of. Read here @novastream.bsky.social novastreamnetwork.com/mff/film-rev...

Eli Roth gives us a triple scoop of AI slop in the woefully tasteless 'Ice Cream Man". I'll keep it short - one of the worst films of the year. Do not support this movie! Full review can be found here @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/ice-c...

Ice Cream Man (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Ice Cream Man is a morally repugnant mess. It masquerades as a high-concept slasher when it is nothing more than an AI-infested excuse for Eli Roth to amplify his kink for extreme violence. If you’…

thisisfilm.com

Jane Schoenbrun's surreal, sensual, and sensational 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' is a metatextual feast. I had such a blast with this and can't wait to see it again. Fright master Wes Craven would be proud. Full review at @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/teena...

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a metatextual celebration of horror’s unique capability to confront and via cathartic release give comfort to its audience. Jane Schoenbrun’s psychosexual sl…

thisisfilm.com

'Nino' finds Théodore Pellerin wandering the streets of Paris in Pauline Loquès' moving, humanist debut feature. Showing at MIFF on 16+22/08. It will also be available through MIFF Online from the 15th-31st of August. Full review at @thephrasemaker.bsky.social thephrasemaker.com/2026/07/26/m...

MIFF 2026: Nino Review - A Quietly Devastating Parisian Drama

Théodore Pellerin wanders the streets of Paris in Pauline Loquès’ moving, naturalistic debut feature.

thephrasemaker.com

This weeks full podcast is a round table chat about The Odyssey. Joining me is : @kahnduncan.bsky.social @lunarredkid.bsky.social Spotify - open.spotify.com/episode/4iUa... Apple Podcasts - podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/l...

The Odyssey

Leithal · Episode

open.spotify.com

Grief, hedonism, and self-discovery collide in Sam Haynes’ chaotic coming-of-age debut Pools. Odessa A'zion continues to prove herself a bonafide star! Full review @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/pools...

Pools (2025) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Figuring out what to do in life is rarely a journey ventured in a straight line. In Sam Haynes’ tender coming-of-age debut feature Pools, that uncertainty is captured through a group of pleasure-se…

thisisfilm.com

Kahn complaining about Disney remakes? That's almost as original as this 'live-action' remake of Moana. Full review here at @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/moana...

Moana (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Disney’s so-called live-action remakes of their beloved animated films have always felt mis-marketed. For the most part, they are still heavily animated – instead of cartoon animation, they rely on…

thisisfilm.com

'Supergirl' sold me on Milly Alcock's inebriated, messy, and sardonic heroine, but some great support from Jason Momoa and David Corenswet can't save the film from an underdeveloped script and forgettable direction. Read my full thoughts @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/craig-gilles...

Adrian Chiarella’s confident debut feature 'Leviticus' makes it hard for love to resist hate. It could be scarier, but it makes up for it with a romance that feels genuine, a concept that feels fresh, and a bleak but beautiful setting. Review @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/levit...

Leviticus (2026) – This Is Film – Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

There is a particular heartbreak in seeing those you love to turn seemingly against you. Someone you thought was a pillar of love and safety becomes a wall of hate and rejection. For a young queer …

thisisfilm.com

Toy Story 5 is a welcome addition to a franchise that seems to refuse to end. GIving Jessie leadership duties proves a fruitful decision, going toe-to-toe with technology in the digital age. The final act is as emotive as ever. Review here @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/toy-story-5-...

Pixar’s Toy Story 5 embraces familiar warmth to tackle childhood in the digital age

Toy Story 5 feels like a natural next step for a franchise that has proved its relevance for over three decades.

thecurb.com.au

'Strange River' will be compared to 'Call Me by Your Name' but the film's tone couldn't be more different. Its narrative is sparse, but its poetic camerawork and dreamlike experimentation definitely swept me up in its spell. Full review @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/jaume-claret...

Jaume Claret Muxart journeys along the Danube in the beautiful, beguiling and bewildering Strange River

A story without answers, choosing seductive visual composition and familial convergence over the trappings of a traditional coming-of-age narrative.

thecurb.com.au

Backrooms has impressive craft from a feature-debut director who is 20 years old, but it is also yet another A24 horror with an abstracted notion of "trauma" as a thematic shorthand. Come for the found footage sequences, get lost in the rest. @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/backr...

Backrooms (2026) - This Is Film - Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

Backrooms began as a creepypasta posted to a 4chan thread in 2019: a simple, slightly tilted image depicting a yellow-soaked, carpeted room that felt both uncanny and detached from reality. After year...

thisisfilm.com

'The Mandalorian and Grogu' is a mindless side quest of the TV show packaged for the big screen. My main ire goes toward Disney constantly getting away with making such lazy and uninspired 'products'. When was Star Wars ever this dull? @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/smandalorian...

Star Wars returns to the big-screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, an exercise in galactic-scale entropy

The Mandalorian and Grogu makes the biggest cardinal sin of all: scamming its viewership into believing they are making entertainment when these parts of Star Wars are nothing more than a piece of cap...

thecurb.com.au

Curry Barker's feature debut 'Obsession' is a funny, horrific twist on getting exactly what you wish for. Inde Navarrette is genuinely so captivating, her multifaceted performance is worth the price of admission! Full review here @novastream.bsky.social novastreamnetwork.com/movies/obses...

Obsession Review

Curry Barker’s feature debut is a funny, horrific twist on getting exactly what you wish for

novastreamnetwork.com

A supernova of expensive animation can’t stop 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' feeling lost in space. As a life-long Nintendo fan, I was entertained. Regarding narrative or character though, it couldn't be more vacuous and empty. Full review at @thisisfilm.bsky.social thisisfilm.com/review/the-s...

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - This Is Film - Conversations in Film and Pop Culture

When The Super Mario Bros. Movie crossed $1.3 billion at the box office in 2023, it set a somewhat disappointing precedent for Illumination. The film’s success suggested that nostalgia, brand recognit...

thisisfilm.com

'Project Hail Mary' plays like a greatest-hits reel of all your beloved sci-fi films. It is bright, hopeful, and utterly charming. The cutest buddy-rock film you never knew you needed. Read my full review for @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/project-hail...

Ryan Gosling charts new career territory in 2026’s most unlikely and endearing hit, Project Hail Mary

Who would have guessed that the first blockbuster hit of 2026, and Amazon MGM’s biggest debut yet, would be a story about a man and a rock-shaped alien? Despite remaining culturally dominant through the Spider-Verse films, this is Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s first live-action directed feature since

thecurb.com.au

S&A Quickie Review is back! Lindsay & @kahnduncan.bsky.social take a look at the movie They Will Kill You What did you think of the movie? Schlock & Awe episodes can be found in the account profile

'Ready or Not 2: Here I Come' plays like the John Wick: Chapter 2 of horror-comedies. It trades a lean, simple concept for double the lore and cast. I enjoyed its bloody mayhem, even if it is filled with bloat. Read my full review here at @thecurbau.bsky.social www.thecurb.com.au/ready-or-not...

Less hiding, more hunting - Samara Weaving returns in a gory, high-energy sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have stayed busy since Ready or Not, helming both Scream V and Scream VI, as well as the vampire comedy Abigail. It’s been seven years since Samara...

thecurb.com.au

'Primate' is an uneven chimp-carnage horror with aspirations of Donkey Kong–level fun. If you just want to see a middling slasher that gets in and out quick though, this might just have the right amount of monkey business. Full review @novastream.bsky.social novastreamnetwork.com/movies/prima...

Primate Review

An uneven chimp-carnage horror with aspirations of Donkey Kong–level fun Considering director Johannes Roberts’ previous effort was the thoroughly detestable film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon …

novastreamnetwork.com

With 'The Baltimorons', Jay Duplass delivers a cosy, comforting yuletide tale of unexpected connection and festive serendipity. I had the pleasure of seeing this at this year's @melbfilmfest.bsky.social Read my full review at @thisisfilm.bsky.social 🎄 thisisfilm.com/review/the-b...

The Baltimorons - MIFF 2025 | Film Review | This Is Film

A new Christmas goodie to add to the rotation

thisisfilm.com

Kim A. Snyder’s powerful documentary 'The Librarians' chronicles the fight against censorship in an era of Christian nationalism. Playing at @melbfilmfest.bsky.social, the film imbues hope to a dangerous situation. Full review at @novastream.bsky.social novastreamnetwork.com/mff/the-libr...

The Librarians Review

Kim A. Snyder’s powerful documentary chronicles the fight against censorship in an era of Christian nationalism. The Librarians is a sobering and essential documentary detailing America’s accelerat…

novastreamnetwork.com