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Mad Max franchise mastermind George Miller recently brought us a new addition to the series with the release of the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa (read our review Here) – and while that movie struggles to draw in viewers during its theatrical run, we have decided to take a look back at the first Mad Max sequel, the 1981 classic The Road Warrior (watch it Here). You can hear all about it in the embed above!

Directed by Miller from a screenplay he crafted with Terry Hayes and Brian Hannant, The Road Warrior – which is also known as Mad Max 2 outside of the United States – has the following synopsis: After avenging the death of his wife and young son at the hands of a vicious gang leader, Max drives the post-apocalyptic highways of the Australian outback, fending off attacks from nomadic tribes that prey on outsiders. Falling into an encampment...

Exclusive: Superstore star Ben Feldman will lead Australian comedy crime caper Population 11.

Lionsgate, streamer Stan and Phil Lloyd and Trent O’Donnell from No Activity producer Jungle Entertainment have teamed for the 12-part series ahead of a March 14 launch in Australia.

The series, which Jungle produces Entertainment in association with Factor 30 Films, has been quietly shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We’ve now got full cast details, a trailer (see below) and first-look images.

Based on true events, the series is based around a man, Hugo, who goes missing from a tiny outback town of only 12 residents. His son, Andy Pruden (Feldman), a suburban Ohio bank teller, has journeyed across the world to visit and is alarmed when he discovers he is missing. Andy teams with another outsider Cassie (Perry Mooney) on a quest to find his father, and the pair find themselves in increasing danger as they...

The Dry Review — The Dry (2020) Film Review, a movie directed by Robert Connolly, and starring Eric Bana, Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell, John Polson, Matt Nable, Eddie Baroo, Martin Dingle-Wall, Bruce Spence, Julia Blake, William Zappa, James Frecheville, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Joe Klocek, BeBe Bettencourt, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Sam Corlett, and Miranda Tapsell. [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: The Dry(2020): Eric Bana Succeeds in a Lead Role Though the Plot Sometimes Falters...

Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) wasn’t ever planning on coming back. Leaving wasn’t his choice, but at a certain point the present replaces the past. Hearing that his best friend from high school killed his wife and son before turning the gun on himself wasn’t therefore going to change his mind. If anything, knowing that truth and the fact that Luke was gone might have been the final nail as far as never returning at all. But that’s when the card came with a cryptic message more or less blackmailing Aaron into attending the funeral. It was sent by Luke’s father and stated that he knew they lied twenty years ago. What was the lie? We don’t yet know. Whatever it was, though, it worked. Aaron was heading home.

Writer/director Robert Connolly’s The Dry (co-scripted by Harry Cripps from Jane Harper’s novel...

The barren earth surrounding a drought-stricken Aussie town provides fertile ground for mystery, suspense and punchy emotional drama in “The Dry.” This enthralling adaptation of Jane Harper’s international bestseller stars a spot-on Eric Bana as a city detective whose investigation of an apparent murder-suicide in his hometown triggers renewed suspicion about his involvement in a mysterious death that’s haunted the community for two decades. Expertly directed and co-written by respected filmmaker Robert Connolly, “The Dry” has all the character intrigue, clever plot twists and red herrings to keep viewers guessing. It should become a sizeable summer hit when released in local cinemas on Jan. 1. Broad international streaming exposure is assured.

Headlining his first Aussie feature since 2007’s “Romulus, My Father,” Bana is perfectly cast as Federal Agent Aaron Falk. A dedicated detective based in Melbourne, Aaron hasn’t set foot in hometown Kiewarra since departing abruptly following the...

Robert Connolly’s The Dry stars Eric Bana as Agent Aaron Falk, who returns to his home town after an absence of over 20 years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life – a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought.

When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound – the death of 17-year-old Ellie Deacon. Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected.

The film is based on the Jane Harper novel of the same name, adapted by Connolly and Harry Cripps.

The Dry, produced by Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jodi Matterson for Made Up Stories together with Connolly and Bana, also stars Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell, John Polson, Julia Blake, Bruce Spence, Matt Nable, William Zappa,...

Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger on location in Morocco.

Every Cloud Productions’ Miss Fisher movie and TV franchise will be spotlighted at the second Make It Monthly, a Melbourne-based program of free screen industry talks and networking next month.

The creative team led by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger will discuss the evolution of Essie Davis’ sleuth Phryne Fisher from the TV series which began in 2012 to the feature Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, which opens in cinemas on February 27.

Cox and Eagger will discuss what makes the audience so passionate that they contributed more than $800,000 in crowd-funding to the production budget.

Also speaking will be Every Cloud Productions’ commercial director Drew Grove and Roadshow Films Australian production executive Edwina Waddy.

Make It Monthly is a partnership between Aftrs, Media Mentors Australia and Acmi.

Media Mentors’ Denise Eriksen will moderate the session at the Acmi on March 5, which is free,...

Essie Davis as Phryne Fisher.

Essie Davis sports an array of dashing outfits as the heroine in Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, which opens in Australia on February 27 and starts streaming on Acorn TV in the Us on March 23.

Costume designer Margot Wilson created 15 different looks for Phryne Fisher as the sleuth shows her prowess at fencing, jumps from a cliff onto a train and through windows, dances the tango, flies a plane and drives a car.

Wilson also enjoyed swapping the detective suit traditionally worn by Nathan Page’s Inspector Jack Robinson for a safari suit made from linen table cloths.

“Jack would have looked ridiculous in a heavy suit in the desert. The linen safari suit moves him more towards Phryne visually,” Margot says.

Roadshow has released a selection of stills of the movie directed by Tony Tilse, scripted by Every Cloud Productions’ Deb Cox and produced by Fiona Eagger.

Nathan Davis and Essie Davis in Palm Springs.

The creators of Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears were always confident the movie would appeal to the legion of Essie Davis’ Phryne Fisher fans, but what about those who have never seen the TV series?

Any doubts soon vanished during the world premiere of the 1929-set adventure-murder mystery-romance, the first of three sold-out screenings at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Director Tony Tilse likened the atmosphere to a rock concert as 865 people whooped, hollered and laughed and gave a standing ovation at the end.

“People who had never seen the TV series told me how much they enjoyed it,” Tilse, who was set-up director on the series, tells If. “The enthusiasm and love for the film was overwhelming and very humbling.”

Every Cloud Productions’ Fiona Eagger, who co-created the franchise based on Kerry Greenwood’s novels with screenwriter Deb Cox,...

The final day of shooting (Photo credit: Tony Tilse)

Production of Every Cloud Productions’ Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears wrapped in Melbourne last week after a lengthy shoot in Morocco.

The final block of the 1920-set adventure starring Essie Davis, Rupert Penry-Jones, Nathan Page, Miriam Margolyes, Ashleigh Cummings and Hugo Johnstone-Burt was shot at the historic Werribee Park Mansion.

Director Tony Tilse posted a bunch of location photos during the shoot, to the delight of Miss Fisher fans who contributed more than $1 million in a crowd-funding campaign to the $8 million budget.

Scripted by Deb Cox, the plot follows Davis’ Miss Phryne Fisher as she rescues Shirin Abbas, a young Bedouin girl (Australian newcomer Izabella Yena) from prison in Jerusalem. The sleuth then sets out to unravel a decade-old mystery concerning priceless emeralds, ancient curses and the truth behind the disappearance of Shirin’s forgotten tribe.

(Photo: Tony Tilse...

First look at the ‘Miss Fisher’ movie. (Photo: Ben King)

Brit Rupert Penry-Jones, Daniel Lapaine and Jacqueline McKenzie have joined the cast of Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears, the feature film spin-off of the ABC series and novels by Kerry Greenwood, which is shooting in Morocco.

Essie Davis returns as the glamorous private detective Phryne Fisher with Nathan Page as Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Miriam Margolyes as Aunt Prudence, Ashleigh Cummings as the loyal assistant and maid Dorothy ‘Dot’ Collins and Hugo Johnstone-Burt as her husband Constable Hugh Collins.

Tony Tilse is directing the movie scripted by Deb Cox and produced by her Every Cloud Productions’ partner Fiona Eagger. Lucy Maclaren is co-producer.

The plot sees the heroine set off from 1920s Melbourne on adventures involving murder, mystery and mayhem from London to British Palestine. After freeing Shirin Abbas, a young Bedouin girl (Australian newcomer Izabella Yena) from her unjust imprisonment in Jerusalem,...

Kayti Burt Jan 18, 2019

We've got an update on the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries movie...

The Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries movie is coming! The film, titled Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, wrapped production in November. Check out the official announcement from Every Cloud Productions, the studio behind Miss Fisher...

Miss Fisher Movie Cast

Essie Davis will be back as Phryne Fisher, with Nathan Page returning as Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. The rest of the main Miss Fisher cast will appear as well with Miriam Margolyes as Aunt Prudence, Ashleigh Cummings as Dot Collins, and Hugo Johnstone-Burt as Constable Hugh Collins.

Rupert Penry-Jones, Daniel Lapaine, Jacqueline McKenzie, John Stanton, William Zappa, Ian Bliss and Kal Naga will also appear in the film.

Tony Tilse is directing the movie from a script by Miss Fisher TV show co-creator Deb Cox.

Miss Fisher Movie Plot

According to if, here is the official...

Steve Le Marquand, Max Cullen, Claire van der Boom and Brendan Cowell head the cast of Broke, an Australian drama about a washed up, former rugby league star who battles a gambling addiction.

The feature debut of writer-director Heath Davis, the film is due to roll in Gladstone, central Queensland, on June 16.

Le Marquand will play the protagonist Ben .Bk. Kelly, who tackles his demons and strives to win back the respect of his community with the help of an ageing railway worker (Cullen) and his single parent daughter (van der Boom).

Cowell will portray a fellow gambling addict. Also cast are William Zappa as a bookmaker, Steve Bastoni as a cop and Justin Rozniak as a villain.

Producer Luke Graham raised more than $40,000 on crowd-funding site Indiegogo and the balance of the budget from private investors and a contribution from the Nrl as part of an Nrl gambling awareness...

2010′s searing family crime drama Animal Kingdom brought Australian cinema to the forefront of the international stage with a vengeance, turning attention to the country’s film community once again. One movie that seems poised to benefit from the increased exposure is director Tony Krawitz’s second feature, Dead Europe, a drama about a man discovering unpleasant aspects of his ancestral history as he travels to a racially tense Greece. Child actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, who has already made a name for himself with roles in The Road and Let Me In, leads a cast that includes Ewen Leslie, Marton Csokas, William Zappa, Yigal Naor, and Danae Skiadi. Krawitz hands off the screenwriting reins this time to first time feature film scribe Louise Fox. A trailer for the film has now been released, and can be seen below.

After going down the unimaginably bleak path of The Road, Let Me In star Kodi Smit-McPhee looks to be traveling a far creepier, unsettling one with Dead Europe. Set to premiere at Tiff tomorrow, Australian director Tony Krawitz‘s drama follows a man (Ewen Leslie) who finds out dark secrets about his family while taking his father’s ashes from Australia to Greece.

The first trailer is a bit unfocused as to what’s its actually going for, but it presents a well-photographed intriguing atmosphere. It should at the very least be a unique option on Tiff’s massive line-up. Check it out below thanks to The Playlist, along with some stills for the film also starring The Debt‘s Marton Csokas, Jean-Francois Balmer, Igal Naor, William Zappa and Francoise Lebrun.

Synopsis:

Following the death of his father, Isaac takes the ashes back to his father’s birthplace in Greece...

Mongrel’s Creed Short Film. Tom Noakes‘ Mongrel’s Creed (2009) short film stars William Zappa, Anthony Phelan, Andy Ryan, Anthony Samson, and Stuart Rawe. Mongrel’s Creed‘s plot synopsis: “Set in the dungeons of a futuristic rehabilitation center Gravel must confront his superior officer, Mr. Cod, in order to save his close friend Robbie from becoming reprogrammed.”

There is a lot of production value in the interior scenes of Mongrel’s Creed, far more than is expected with a short film.

More on Mongrel’s Creed:

The film was completed as part of a graduate diploma at the Australian Film and Television Radio School.

Mongrel’s Creed has recently screened at the London Sci-Fi film festival, Israel Icon Sci-Fi Film festival, Adelaide Shorts Film Festival and Dungog Film Festival.

Mongrel’s Creed also stars Nathan Owen, Chris Merriman, Bali Padda, Diab Metry, Miguel Contreras, and E. James Wright.

Watch...

A Heartbeat Away screened at the Australian Film Festival at Sydney's Randwick Ritz on the weekend ahead of its release this Thursday. The feature film debut of Gale Edwards . acclaimed theatre director of such international hits as The Boy From Oz . is a musical addition to the ever-popular genre of the Aussie feel-good. Following in the proud tradition of The Castle, it's up to the local brass band to snatch back their town hall from the evil clutches of property developers.. However, disaster strikes when weeks out from the competition their conductor (William Zappa) is incapacitated leaving his reluctant, rock-n-roll guitarist son (Sebastian Gregory) to lead the band to victory. With Isabel Lucas featuring as Gregory.s love interest, and...

From Nirvana (and Isabel Lucas) fans to seventy-year-olds, Gale Edwards’ debut feature A Heartbeat Away targets an unusually wide demographic. Miguel Gonzalez reports.

Originally titled Montague Municipal, the script was submitted by a Queensland Investment Corporation equities dealer, Julia Kincade, to an initiative set up by the Pftc and Pictures in Paradise to find new writers.

“New writers come up with fantastic ideas and they’re very open to changes, which I’m not sure more experienced writers are. The downside is that it can sometimes take a long time, because they’re not full-time writers and they’ve got other jobs,” said producer Chris Fitchett.

Two scripts from that scheme were soon made into films, Blurred in 2002 and Under the Radar in 2004, but the process for this one would be much slower. Chris Fitchett was working on the film as script editor with Brown producing, but both got distracted by other projects.

The Hangover: Part Two

Opens: May 26th 2011

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong

Director: Todd Phillips

Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.

Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.

The wait didn't last long.

Tom Stoppard's classic comic masterpiece, Travesties, previewing at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 9 March 2009 (opening 13 March), will reunite one of Australia's most versatile comic actors, Jonathan Biggins, with director Richard Cottrell, award-wining designer Michael Scott-Mitchell and Composer and Sound Designer, Paul Charlier: the creative team behind Sydney Theatre Company's 2007 hit, Ying Tong. Travesties is set during the first world war when James Joyce (Peter Houghton), Lenin (William Zappa) and the Dadaist Tristan Tzara (Toby Schmitz) were all, for various reasons, resident in Zurich. Stoppard imagines them coming together to mount an amateur production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The uproarious action is presented from the indistinct memories but distinctive perspective of Biggins' minor British consulate official, Henry Carr, who places himself, to hilarious effect, at the centre of this convergence of some of the most acute minds of the twentieth century.