Dr Luke Buckmaster
@lukebuckmaster.bsky.social
Guardian Australia's film critic, chief critic of Flicks.com.au and "The VR Critic" (thevrcritic.com). PHD in virtual reality. Creator of Nicolas Cage fan site The Cage Gauge: https://www.flicks.com.au/cagegauge/
This is, without doubt, the greatest television series ever made about murderous garden gnomes awakened by an ancient evil
Gnomes review – Asa Butterfield takes on murderous garden ornaments in pulpy horror-comedy
Rightly described as ‘Gremlins meets Hot Fuzz’, this fun series has the high-spirit and gusto one hopes for in a show about evil killer gnomes
theguardian.com
Digger does what great art should: challenges, provokes, divides, exhilerates, exasperates.
Digger is the batshit climate satire nobody expected from Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise steps into his most unhinged role yet as Digger, in this absurd, gleefully mad climate comedy sizzling with high-art chaos.
flicks.com.au
Ed Sheeran, take note: if the Looney Tunes crew can have the courage to take an ideological stance, so can you.
Coyote vs. Acme movie review: turning Looney Tunes into an anti-corporate manifesto
Coyote vs. Acme sees a scrappy group of everyfolk take on the almighty corporate forces seeking to suppress them. Now where have we heard that before?
flicks.com.au
While holidaying in Europe, I went on a walking tour of the Eiffel Tower that incorporated virtual reality. Wrote about it here.
The Symbol of Paris review - not your average VR walking tour
I’m no stranger to virtual reality walking tours – having traversed the likes of ye oldey Amsterdam, the Grand Palais, and phosphorescent far-flung spectacles in the cosmos. Each of these experiences is predicated on using the VR medium to recreate spaces rendered inaccessible through distance or time. The Symbol of Paris – which unpacks the…
thevrcritic.com
On its 50th anniversary, I revisit Marathon Man: a jittery, violent, deliciously paranoid thriller, with one dentist appointment nobody will forget.
Marathon Man is now 50 – and that dentist scene still hurts like hell
Fifty years on, Marathon Man remains a jittery, violent and deliciously paranoid thriller – with one dentist appointment nobody will forget.
flicks.com.au
Propulsively plot-driven and twisty as all get-out, this new Aussie thriller is one of the standout TV shows of 2026
Last Seen review – this gripping Apple TV thriller is one of the standout shows of the year
Patrick Brammall and Maxine Peake star in this superbly acted and absolutely riveting drama about a father who thinks his missing daughter may still be alive after a mysterious phone call
theguardian.com
I travelled across the world, on one of the longest flights possible, to a tiny island off the coast of another small island, just to leave reality altogether. Visions from the 2026 Venice Immersive, at the vanguard of a new age of storytelling and creative possibilities.
Kristen Stewart's electrically immersive directorial debut is one of the best films of 2026. Here's why you shouldn't miss it
The Chronology of Water movie review: an astonishing directorial debut from Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart makes a wildly bold directorial debut with this fractured, feverish, and visually audacious portrait of trauma, memory, and survival.
flicks.com.au
This new Australian film demonstrates how the trans experience can offer new shapes, new feelings, new possibilities for compelling drama
Sweet Milk Lake review – a rewarding film about a trans man mistaken for his twin brother
Harvey Zielinski is superb as director, writer and star of his feature debut – playing not one, but two roles
theguardian.com
Few films feel as quintessentially “Melbourne” as Mad Rush, which has the aura of a truly indie work - with an appealingly unpolished, guerrilla energy
Mad Rush review – an intricate phone scam isn’t quite enough to drive this very Melbourne movie
In Hollywood’s hands this would be a pulse-pounding thriller, but Maddelin McKenna’s lithe feature debut is all about street-level authenticity
theguardian.com
Whereas Gillian Armstrong’s 1979 film adaptation is a class act, Netflix’s new six-part series is steamier and more juiced up, with Mills & Boon-ish vibes.
My Brilliant Career review – Netflix’s take on this Australian classic is sassy and steamy – but a tad syrupy
Philippa Northeast is entertaining as Sybylla Melvyn in this adaptation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel that has more erotica and a more pronounced love triangle
theguardian.com
Despite this film's stacked cast, comedy that targets low-hanging fruit leaves the laughs few and far between
Holy Days review – even Miriam Margolyes, Jacki Weaver and Judy Davis as nuns can’t save this film
Despite the movie’s stacked cast, an oddly threadbare storyline and comedy that targets low-hanging fruit leaves the laughs few and far between
theguardian.com
A new adaptation of My Brilliant Career, an acclaimed White Lotus-esque series, the superb The Drama and more - here's my monthly column on new streaming releases
Best TV and movies streaming in Australia on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney, Prime, ABC and more
Discover what’s coming to Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Prime Video and others in August, including new Ted Lasso, My Brilliant Career and Masters of the Universe
theguardian.com
This new Australian film is a darkly comedic take on privilege under pressure, inspired by The White Lotus, Triangle of Sadness and Melancholia
The Birthday Trip review – excellent Australian black comedy piles pressure on to privilege
Compelling debut feature of James Robert Woods – who wrote, directed, produced, shot and edited it – keeps dialogue centre stage
theguardian.com
Now into its third and final season, Colin From Accounts continues to be one of the most charming romcoms on television
Colin from Accounts season 3 review – TV’s most charming romcom comes to a funny, emotional end
This season’s timeline jumps ahead three years, taking the audience back to the eternal question of ‘will they or won’t they?’
theguardian.com
With this year now more than half way over, I pick six of my favourite films released so far in 2026
6 great films released so far in 2026
From meditative documentaries to nerve-shredding horror and brilliantly awkward comedy, here’s some of 2026’s unmissable films.
flicks.com.au
The mystery is compelling...but wait until you meet the locals. Love this new Australian crime drama, co-produced by the BBC
Treasure & Dirt review – a gloriously strange detective mystery, unlike any you’ve seen before
A beheading in the outback kicks off this terrific six-part series, in which the greatest pleasure is not solving the crime but learning about the peculiar locals
theguardian.com
The Pitt is such a great series that every new hospital-set drama for the foreseeable future will be judged in its shadow. Which isn't good news for some shows...
The F Ward review – Anna Friel medical drama doesn’t quite scrub up
The six-part Australian series about intern doctors at an underfunded hospital is missing an essential ingredient
theguardian.com
Exhilarating cinema doesn't need action or spectacle. In The Invite, it all comes from conversation. My review
The Invite movie review: horny and heartfelt, this is one of 2026’s best films
Hilariously performed, cleverly scored, and brilliantly executed, The Invite is an unmissable comedy-drama.
flicks.com.au
Awesome Aussie horror movies just keep coming. Now we have Saccharine, which takes a bold route into exploring eating disorders and body dysmorphia
Saccharine review – eating disorder body horror offers plenty to chew over
Australian director Natalie Erika James demonstrates the power of movies as vessels for cultural commentary in this intoxicatingly creepy production
theguardian.com
Games don’t have to be about scoring, succeeding, conquering, winning. In the case of the deeply pleasurable VR experience Color-a-Cube, playing means applying colour to a series of blank models. Here's my review
Color-a-Cube review: the simple joy of slowing down
Games don’t have to be about scoring, succeeding, exploring, advancing, conquering, winning. They don’t have to tell stories. They don’t need characters or enemies to overcome. Sometimes acts of playi...
thevrcritic.com
My monthly column for The Guardian. July's biggest streaming titles include The Sheep Detectives, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and a new Will Ferrell comedy www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
Best TV and movies streaming in Australia on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney, Prime, ABC and more
Discover what’s coming to Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Prime Video and others in July, including The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Sheep Detectives and Christopher Nolan’s back catalogue
theguardian.com
Some films age badly. Mrs Doubtfire isn't one of them. Here's why
I rewatched Mrs Doubtfire. I wasn’t expecting this
Robin Williams’ cross-dressing comedy seemed destined to feel dated. But critic Luke Buckmaster found a much smarter and warmer classic than he expected.
flicks.com.au
Robin Hood’s latest adventure is pretty bloody dark and cynical, dragging a beloved legend through hellish darkness. My review
The Death of Robin Hood gives an old legend a brutal beating
Robin Hood enters his sad dad era in a grim, mud-caked reinvention that drags a beloved legend through hellish darkness.
flicks.com.au
He’s one of cinema’s most famous alien whisperers. But which Spielberg extraterrestrial adventure reigns supreme?
Every Steven Spielberg alien movie, ranked worst to best
He’s one of cinema’s most famous alien whisperers. But which Spielberg extraterrestrial adventure reigns supreme?
flicks.com.au
Fans of bureaucracy-themed, Australian workplace comedies such as Utopia and The Hollowmen will feel right at home watching this easily digestible and well-paced series. My review of Ground Up www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
Ground Up review – Sam Pang stars in ABC’s easily digestible AFL office comedy
People love a good bureaucracy satire – but while this six-part series is tonally pleasant, it’s not belly-laugh material
theguardian.com
Whatever you think about AI and art, this much is certain: all the great, entirely human-generated artistic works that came before it will become more valuable, more cherished, in an era when they no longer exist. “Don’t it always seem to go / That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?”
IMO, Paris, Texas contains one of the most moving conversations ever put on screen. I revisit this amazing film
Retrospective: Paris, Texas remains one of the greatest road movies
More than 40 years on, Paris, Texas remains one of cinema’s most moving, mysterious and profoundly human journeys.
flicks.com.au
