U got it bad – The Fault in Our Stars review

By Simon Miraudo May 28, 2014 As far as crazes amongst teenagers go, the ‘slow-death fantasy’ is a weird (if not new) one. Its most modern incarnation, John Green’s bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars, has struck quite a chord; certainly if my screening of Josh Boone‘s feature adaptation is any indication. The audience […]

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500 days of Shailene – The Spectacular Now review

By Richard Haridy May 6, 2014 From the outside, The Spectacular Now looks like a generic teen story we’ve seen a million times before: the cool kid falls for the shy, awkward girl and over the course of a summer learns the value of true friendship. What’s most magical about The Spectacular Now is how […]

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Divide and conquer – Divergent review

By Jess Lomas April 8, 2014 The world has crumbled following a world war, yet again, and this time the key to society’s salvation lies with one teenage girl, yet again. Based on the bestselling novel by Veronica Roth, Divergent will invariably draw comparisons to The Hunger Games for its dystopian narrative, roots in Young […]

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Trailer Debut: The Fault in Our Stars

Prepare to have your tear-ducts emptied. The first official trailer for The Fault in Our Stars, adapted from John Green’s best-selling YA novel, has landed online. It stars Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) as teen cancer patient Hazel, who falls for the similarly sick Augustus (Ansel Elgort) after meeting at a support group, and… umm, nothing, look away right […]

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Mary Jane cut from The Amazing Spider-Man 2

There have been growing concerns about the number of new characters in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Now comes news that one has been cut from the film entirely: Mary Jane. Actress Shailene Woodley revealed to Entertainment Weekly that her three scenes had been excised from the upcoming sequel. Good news for Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, who […]

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Chris Cooper to play Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man 2

Jamie Foxx is playing Electro. Paul Giamatti is set for Rhino. Now comes news from Deadline that Chris Cooper will take on the role of Norman Osborn – aka the Green Goblin – in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. That means Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) will be squaring off against not one, not two, but three villains in his […]

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First look at The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Sony Pictures has released the first image of Spidey’s new threads from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It’s… pretty much what you’d expect. Coming Soon note the new outfit’s bigger eyes and subtle colour and texture alterations. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone will reprise the roles of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy in the sequel. They will be joined […]

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Paul Giamatti in talks for Amazing Spider-Man 2

In an attempt to bring some kind of excitement to the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man sequel, Deadline reports that Paul Giamatti is in talks to take on a villainous role. Giamatti, who makes anything he appears in substantially better, is discussing the role of Rhino, a super villain amusingly described as one of the ‘dimmest’ bad […]

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Shailene Woodley might be Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is moving ahead at… well, an amazing pace really, and Variety recently revealed that the Mary Jane character is set to appear and also speculated on possible villains. Shailene Woodley is apparently the top choice to play the role of Peter Parker’s infamous crush after Kirsten Dunst defined the character in […]

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No man is an island – The Descendants review

The Descendants – Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley and Judy Greer. Directed by Alexander Payne. Rated M. Originally published January 10, 2012. By Simon Miraudo. The Descendants arrives on DVD and Blu-ray in Australia May 9, 2012. There might not be two filmmakers more diametrically opposed – but still operating in the same thematic wheelhouse – than Cameron Crowe and Alexander Payne. The former is warm and […]

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No man is an island – The Descendants review

The Descendants – Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley and Judy Greer. Directed by Alexander Payne. Rated M. By Simon Miraudo. There might not be two filmmakers more diametrically opposed – but still operating in the same thematic wheelhouse – than Cameron Crowe and Alexander Payne. The former is warm and fuzzy; the latter is cold and […]

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