EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert – Movie Review

TL;DR – A kaleidoscopic blend of restored archival footage and electrifying performance that cuts through the spectacle to reveal the man behind the myth.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Elvis banner in Las Vegas.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert Review Introduction

There are many reasons to watch a film, and sometimes that reason can just be the story of how it came together. A bunch of mostly unseen documentary footage, hidden in a salt mine, was found while Baz Luhrmann was researching for his Elvis movie. Missing audio and needed extensive archival work to bring back to life. Well, that is a narrative that begs you to take a look, which is why we are diving into EPiC or EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert or Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, depending on how you want to slice it.  

So, to set the scene, Elvis has been touring all over America, spent time in the armed forces after being drafted, and then spent years in Hollywood bringing so many films to life. However, at the end of that period, it was time to change things up and go back to what he loves doing, performing for people, and the best place to do it was Las Vegas, Nevada.

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“Wuthering Heights” (2026) – Movie Review

TL;DR – I truly do not know who this film is for. It is an unpleasant experience for those who have never read the novel, and changes so much from the source material that it would be alienating for those who loved it.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – This film contains scenes which may cause distress.

Cathy in a wedding dress flowing along the moors.

Wuthering Heights Review Introduction

Okay, I feel like this is one of those films where I need to clarify where I am coming from here. When I was growing up, there were a number of classics on the curriculum, but my school didn’t dive into the works of the Brontë sisters. So, it didn’t form a strong bond with me when I was young. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not dismiss those who did form a bond because if someone did a film of Dinotopia and botched it, I would also be mad. However, I’m coming into this film without those built-up expectations, for better or worse. [Editor’s Note: It would not have helped either way]

So, to set the scene, Cathy (Charlotte Mellington) is the only daughter of a drunkard fool, Mr Earnshaw (Martin Clunes), who once owned considerable land and prestige but has both figuratively and metaphorically pissed all that away through gambling debts. Cathy has one companion, Nelly (Vy Nguyen), who is, retrospectively, more of a paid lady-in-waiting than a friend. But her life changes when her father brings a boy home, who is given the name Heathcliff (Owen Cooper). They become a fast pair in a land of isolation. But years later, the adult [and probably too old for the source material] Cathy (Margot Robbie) is joyous to hear that they finally have a new neighbour, Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). While Nelly (Hong Chau) advises against it, and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) clearly does not want her to go, Cathy goes to visit the new family, but one sprained ankle changes everyone’s lives.   

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Mercy – Movie Review

TL;DR – This is an insipid, soulless, and excruciating attempt to appear relevant, but it ends up having little genuine intellectual fortitude.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

A ticking countdown clock.

Mercy Review Introduction

Now, I’ll be honest from the outset, while I always try to go into a film not knowing the general reaction towards it, sometimes you simply can’t escape finding out. In that vein, I did know that Mercy was generally considered a bit of a dumpster fire before I walked in, but people and critics can be very wrong, so given the cast and the premise, I was ready to give it the benefit of the doubt. I should not have given it the benefit of the doubt.  

So, to set the scene, in the not-too-distant future, Los Angeles is under attack from crime, civil disturbance, and a court system about to fail. To change that up, they institute the Mercy System, where violent offenders of capital crimes are sent to the Mercy Court, where an AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) gives them 90 minutes to lower their guilt probability to under 92%, or they are instantly executed. One of the early proponents of this new system is LAPD Detective Christopher “Chris” Raven (Chris Pratt), who supported it after his partner (Kenneth Choi) was killed in the line of duty. Which is unfortunate for him, because he now sits strapped to a chair with that same AI judge staring down at him watching a clock count down and a guilt probability that he killed his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis), sitting at 97.5%.

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Iron Lung – Movie Review

TL;DR – A film that is all-vibe, but it leans into that vibe with a gusto you rarely see.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

A flashing light.

Iron Lung Review Introduction

Today, we are diving [pun intended] into some fascinating independent cinema: a film made from an Indy video game, and then independently financed by a YouTube star in their directorial debut. That is such a fascinating combination that I had to take a look.  

So, to set the scene, sometime in the future, a calamity has occurred where every inhabited planetary system disappeared in a catastrophe called the Quiet Rapture. Only those living on artificial structures survived, and there are not many humans left. Humanity is heading fast into extinction when a random moon AT-5 is found covered in an ocean of blood. Using convicts, they explore this ocean for answers. One of those “volunteer” pilots is Simon (Mark ‘Markiplier’ Fischbach), a man with a lot of blood on his hands. He is welded into a submersible called SM-13 and sent to the bottom of the ocean to explore, only to find there might be horrors in an ocean of blood.

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The Boy in the Woods – Movie Review

TL;DR – I look at one boy’s life during truly unrelenting times.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Max alone in the woods.

The Boy in the Woods Review Introduction

Today, we explore a film that touches on one of the juxtapositions of humanity, our propensity for great evil, but also our profound ability to survive in the face of insurmountable odds. Add to this the fact that this is a real story written by the person who lived through it, and you get a profound setting for a film.

So, to set the scene, during the height of World War II, Poland had been occupied for about two years by the Nazis. It is a place of ghosts as Jewish towns and quarters across the country have been devastated, with few remaining. Maxwell Smart (Jett Klyne) and his family are among the few left, and as they were being rounded up for ‘relocation’, he manages to escape after his mother tells him to run. His aunt finds a place for him to hide out, a farm run by Jasko (Richard Armitage). It is a tough transition for Max, who had spent all his life in the city, but when you are hiding from the Nazis, you need to become someone else. Jasko teaches Maxwell how to survive in the wild, which soon becomes a necessity.  

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Send Help – Movie Review

TL;DR – This is a wild and weird film that makes you feel like you are walking around a Bunnings at night, not knowing when you will step on a rake hidden in the gloom. A cavalcade of catastrophe in all the right ways.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – This film contains scenes which may cause distress.

Linda Liddle peering out from behind her desk.

Send Help Review Introduction

Wow. It’s rare that I walk out of a film genuinely unsure how I feel, but this ending was so wild it forced me to rethink everything. Well, this is what happened today, and what is happening to me as I process my thoughts while writing this review. But you, dear reader, can’t help me out of this predicament, so let’s stop the prelude and dive in.

So, to set the scene, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is not precisely a people-person, but she is very good at what she does in the Planning & Strategy Department. But when the company CEO dies and is replaced by his son, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), her life gets turned upside-down as her promised VP position gets usurped by the new dude-bro atmosphere. As a sympathy move, Bradley invites Linda on the trip to Bangkok, but what neither of them can expect is that the plane would crash into the sea somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand, and what Bradley doesn’t know is that Linda is a Survivor fiend, and this might be her dream situation.   

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My Top 20 Films of 2025

So far, in our awards, we have looked at Action, Cinematography, Costumes, Emotion, Fun, Music, Tension, Worldbuilding, Best Animation, & Best TV of 2025

However, in this last entry into our Best of 2025 awards, we crown our Best Film of 2025.

All films are subjective, so our list might look completely different from yours. We reviewed 107 films that had their Australian Theatrical/Streaming Release in 2025. This is the list from which we draw our entries, and you can see the complete list of movies HERE.

Much like last year’s list, we have had many staggered releases towards the end of the year in Australia. So we may have films here that were released in 2024 for you but 2025 for us, and there may be some omissions here because we won’t get those films until later in 2026.

Highly Commended

A Complete Unknown, The Accountant 2, The Brutalist, Dog Man, Drop, Elio, F1, Heads of State, How to Train Your Dragon, Kangaroo, Karate Kid: Legends, KPop Demon Hunters, The Long Walk, The Lost Bus, Primitive War, Regretting You, Roofman, The Running Man & Zootopia 2

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The Works from 2025 That Showed Off the Wonderful Glory of Animation

Animation is a form of filmmaking that is often related to second-tier status, something just for kids. This is oddly undertaken by both the organisations giving out awards and the guilds promoting their members’ work. However, they are not second-tier films; in many ways, animated films push the frontiers of filmmaking and what is possible, and they should be championed for their work.     

Animated films can be hand-drawn, stop/clay motion, or computer-generated; it does not matter, but all of them show the unique techniques of hundreds of artists that bring the work to life. And in a world full of AI slop, they should be celebrated.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2025 are: The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Elio, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey & Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Our Highly Commended TV in 2025 are: Creature Commandos & Rick and Morty

So, without further ado, these animated films showed us the glory of animation in 2025. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers ahead.

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Cinematography That Made You Go Wow in 2025!

Cinematography is an art form that can be as bold as a gong crashing after a moment of silence or as subtle as the tide coming in. It elevates a film to the heights of accolades or becomes frustrating when it misfires.

While at the heart of cinematography is the Director of Photography or Cinematographer, to get something from the script to the final shot takes a whole team of professionals, and it is their talent that we champion today.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2025 are: The Brutalist, Frankenstein, KPop Demon Hunters, Nosferatu, The Phoenician Scheme, Warfare & Weapons

Our Highly Commended TV in 2025 are: Andor, The Diplomat, Peacemaker & PLUR1BUS

So, without further ado, these moments of cinematography took our breaths away in 2025. Be warned that there may be some slight spoilers ahead.

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The Musical Scores of 2025 That Wowed Us

One factor that I will always look out for in a film or tv show is the musical score. When a musical score is transcendent it can get caught in my soul in the days, weeks, months, and even the years that come. There is immense artistry in weaving emotions from music, having us slip into the world that is created, fear the oncoming dread even if we do not know why, or rejoice in the triumph of that final victory.

Music charts the cinematic world as it guides us, lifts us up, and yet it can also crush our souls with a couple of notes on a piano. This is its power.

Also, a reminder that this award is for Musical Scores and Original Songs only, so no needle drops or non-original songs.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2025 are: The Brutalist, Conclave, F1, How to Train Your Dragon, One Battle After Another, Thunderbolts* &Tron: Ares


Our Highly Commended TV in 2025 are: Doctor Who, Murderbot, Paradise & The Residence

So, without further ado, these are the musical scores that moved us in 2025. Be warned that there may be some slight spoilers ahead.

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