Review

Anyone walking into Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest expecting a thinly veiled biopic of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard as played by Philip Seymour Hoffman – a sweeping, savage character study in the vein of, say, Daniel Plainview – won’t take long to realise their error. A sliver of Joaquin Phoenix’s …

Aussie PJ Hogan’s first local feature in nearly two decades is his most subversive and personal since Muriel’s Wedding . Toni Collette again headlines as hitchhiker Shaz, hired to take over a household of adolescent girls by an absent philandering father (Anthony LaPaglia) who has sent his Sound Of Music …

Torrents of claret. Ghost girls. “Heeeere’s Johnny.” The key scares of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 art-horror are such staples of Scary Moments schedule-filler, it’s tempting to think we know the Overlook inside out. This bang-up reissue says otherwise. Seen in its rightful place on the big screen, it’s clear to see …

Buffy : The Making Of A Slayer book review: Bored now. This lavish hardback making of Buffy The Vampire Slayer arrives 15 years after the show’s debut. If that makes you feel old then reading it you’ll assume Nancy Holder thinks you’ve gone senile as well, as so much of …

Switch Episode 2 TV REVIEW (opens in new tab) Episode 1.02 Writer: Chloe Moss, Tim Price Director: Dominic LeClerc THE ONE WHERE The Witches Of Kensington curse Hannah’s career prospects, Jude magics herself a new boss and Grace’s new boyfriend is a potential bunny burner. VERDICT Here’s a rarity: episode …

For followers of the Dragon Ball Z franchise, there could be no greater fan service than the ability to physically reenact the dire, potentially world-destroying battles the series is famous (some would say infamous) for. Dragon Ball Z for Kinect approximates the sort of schoolyard make-believe one might have seen …

Halle Berry strips down to her bikini (again) in this toothless shark drama from maritime-mad John Stockwell ( Into The Blue , Blue Crush ). Playing a traumatised free-swimmer who survives a face-to-face encounter with a hungry Great White, the actress suffers the curse of Oscar in a movie that …

With its first two installments, Dance Central has proven itself to be the dance franchise to beat. Utilizing the Kinect to full effect and wrapping everything up with great presentation, this series has been a recent reigning champ in the motion-controlled and party-game genres. But where could Harmonix take it …

Continuum 1.03 “Fast Times” TV REVIEW (opens in new tab) Episode 1.03 Writer: Simon Barry Director: David Frazee THE ONE WHERE Liber8 leader Travis is dying, so his team go on a killing spree to secure human growth hormones to help him. Meanwhile, Kellog strikes up a deal with Kiera. …

Mat Whitecross’ follow-up to his Ian Dury biopic, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll , shares more than a name with the gig that Noel Gallagher called both “shit” and “fantastic”. For pop mythologists, The Stone Roses’ 1990 Spike Island show defined a generation, hoisting 27,000 fans’ spirits above …