News

The lushly beautiful The Light Between Oceans is a three-hankie historic drama set on the coast of Western Australia. With heart-tugging performances by an attractive trio of Oscar nominees (with two winners), Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz, the film is an adaptation of M. I. Stedman’s 2012 bestseller of the same name. The tale set in a remote corner of the world, in the years after the devastation of World War I, which nearly wiped out a generation of young men in Europe and left those who survived scarred by this most brutal of wars.

Derek Cianfrance, whose previous films include Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines, both wrote the script and directs, and it is hard to imagine a more perfect director for this moody historic tale of moral choice. The title refers to the story’s setting, a remote lighthouse in Western Australia, at...

Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2015 discoveries”.

Andre Hyland: 1. Norman Gunston, funny and weird Australian talk show host from the 70′-90s that I discovered via youtube… the dude was ahead of his time. If you like Tom Green, Eric Andre…you’ll appreciate Gunston.

2. 2Wet Crew, my favorite youtube series…super funny! (full disclosure, I’m in a couple eps..but I’d love it even if I had no involvement).

3. The Dolly Parton Song “Jolene“.

Lavallee: Visual, situational, the mundane and the absurd, if we had to categorize your brand of humor based on your Sundance short Funnel we could say it’s a mix of all of the above. Was wondering for The 4th, how you move from inspiration into the writing – how does that process work.

Hyland: Lots of my work is sort of a “Best of” compilation of annoying absurd situations I...

Viewers who enjoyed Darren Gilshenan.s performance as the hopeless romantic and buffoonish Uncle Terry in ABC-tv.s The Moodys can look forward to watching the actor playing an array of characters, mostly villains.

Gilshenan gets to show the dark side of his acting repertoire in Foxtel.s miniseries Devil.s Playground, the ABC series Old School, the Seven Network.s The Killing Field and ABC2 comedy Maximum Choppage.

.I find it easy to slip into the skin of characters,. Gilshenan told If from the set of Matchbox Pictures. Maximum Choppage, in which he plays a former game show host who is the corrupt mayor of Cabramatta, whom he likens to a cross between Sir Les Patterson and Baby John Burgess. .Some villains are like a child who didn.t get any toys..

Gilshenan has worked steadily in theatre, TV and film since he graduated from Nida in 1988 but he...

Two Australian films will feature in competition at the Sydney Film Festival, while five local features will get their world premieres.

Dead Europe, directed by Tony Krawitz, and Lore directed by Cate Shortland will compete In Competition, which carries a $60,000 prize.

For both films the festival will be their world premiere, along with other local features Not Suitable For Children, Mabo and Being Venice.

Krawitz’s Dead Europe is written by Louise Fox, adapted from a Christos Tsiolkas novel of the same name. It is produced by Liz Watts of Porchlight Films and Oscar-winner Emile Sherman of See Saw Films. The film is about an Australian photographer who visits his ancestral homeland of Greece after his father’s death. It will be Dead Europe’s world premiere.

Also in competition is Lore, Cate Shortland’s first film since debut Somersault. Again produced by Liz Watts, the film is an adaptation...

As the release date for Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark inches ever closer to its October 7 debut (unless you happen to see it at FrightFest this weekend), a plethora of new pictures and several new clips have hit the interwebs.The new pics come from the 19th century opening to the film, wherein we get a few clues why this particular des. res. has been lying empty for the last hundred years or so. We don't want to say too much, but let's say it's not all cheery waltzes and long lives of wearing doilies on their head for Blackwood (Garry McDonald) and his housekeeper (Edwina Ritchard).As for the clips, beware mild spoilers (more in the one called "The Garage" than the others) but they will give you a taste for the creepiness awaiting."They Don't Like Bright Lights" Clip  brightcove.createExperiences();"Teddy Bear" Clip  brightcove.createExperiences();"Bath" Clip  brightcove.

Title: Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark Studio: Film District/ Miramax Films Directed By: Troy Nixey Written By: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins, from the teleplay by Nigel McKeand Cast: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson, Garry McDonald, Edwina Ritchard, Julia Blake, Nicholas Bell Screened at: Broadway, NYC, 7/28/11 Opens: August 26, 2011 If you go by the production notes, this is one of those times in which the studio had mixed feelings about being denied the PG-13 rating that it requested. Instead the MPAA slapped an R rating, which could lower box office since kids under 17 would have to accompanied by adults. Though there’s no sex...

Chicago – In our latest horror/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” starring Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce!

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” also stars Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson, Julia Blake, Nicholas Bell, Libby Gott, Garry McDonald, Edwina Ritchard, Bruce Gleeson, Trudy Hellier, Alan Dale, Emelia Burns and James Mackay from writer Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy”) and director Troy Nixey. The film hits theaters on Aug. 26, 2011.

To win your free pass to the advance Chicago screening of “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question below. That’s it! This advance screening is on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The latest graphical art to come out for Troy Nixey's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is from the United Kingdom. United Kingdom horror fans can watch this remake in theatres August 12th and this poster shows you some of the terrorizing elements that you can look forward to. Creepy hands descend down a staircase in search of an innocent girl. Sally Hirst (Bailee Madison) holds a Polaroid camera and one begins to wonder if this film will be set in the '80s (Den).

Of course, Nixey's film is an adaptation of the 1973 television version of the same name and fans of the gothic can tremble at what writer Guillermo del Toro has in store for supernatural fans. Toro is one of the best creature effects specialists in the film business; so, expect some truly unique and scary creations in this upcoming release.

The synopsis for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark...

Two new posters today, the first for Troy Nixey’s remake of “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark”, from producer Guillermo del Toro, and stars Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes (via Empire). Also starring Bailee Madison, Alan Dale, Julia Blake, Jack Thompson, Edwina Ritchard, Eliza Taylor-Cotter, Dylan Young, Emelia Burns, and Garry McDonald, and due out August 26, 2011. The second poster is a quad UK poster for Rupert Wyatt’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, which is due to enslave us August 5, 2011. Starring James Franco, Tom Felton, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis, Tyler Labine, and Chelah Horsdal.

Take a Friday gander at the UK trailer for the Guillermo Del Toro-produced remake of “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” (via Empire). It’s the same old story, really. Kid movies into a creepy old house, finds monsters under the bed, monsters try to eat kid, dumb ol dad doesn’t believe a word of it. Who hasn’t been there? Am I right, kids? Sally (Bailee Madison), a lonely, introverted child, has just arrived at the 19th century mansion her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden , long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion’s bottomless depths. Starring Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison, Alan Dale, Julia Blake, Jack Thompson, Edwina Ritchard, Eliza Taylor-Cotter, Dylan Young, Emelia Burns,...

There are lots of horror elements in this latest trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. A malformed demon lurks beneath bedsheets, while another figure prods and pokes peeping toms and this trailer appears as more nightmare, than horror tale. Have a look at this developing feature in the trailer below, courtesy of Shock Till You Drop.

The synopsis for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark:

"Sally (Bailee Madison), a lonely, introverted child, has just arrived at the 19th Century mansion her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures, who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion's bottomless depths."

Release: August 26th, 2011 (Theatrical).

Director: Troy Nixey.

Writer: Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro's.

Cast: Katie Holmes,...

Hopscotch Films will distribute the Guillermo del Toro-produced, Melbourne-shot horror film Don’t be Afraid of the Dark.

“It’s great to be continuing our relationship with Del Toro after the remarkable success we had together with [2006 Oscar-nominated film] Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s also great to be involved with such a high-class film that has such significant local involvement. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a brilliantly realised dark fantasy and we are proud to be releasing it,” said Hopscotch managing director Troy Lum.The August release follows Disney’s sale of Miramax to Filmyard Holdings, which left the title without an Australian distributor.

The film stars Katie Holmes and Bailee Madison, as well as Australian actors Guy Pearce Jack Thompson, Alan Dale, Julia Blake and Garry McDonald. It follows a lonely, withdrawn child who moves in with her father Alex and his new girlfriend in the 19th century mansion they are restoring.

Damsels in Distress

Opens: 2011

Cast: Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Ryan Metcalf

Director: Whit Stillman

Summary: The story revolves around a group of style-obsessed college girls who take in a new student (Gerwig) and teach her their misguided ways of helping people at their grungy university.

Analysis: The first film in a decade from arthouse darling Whit Stillman, a filmmaker's filmmaker whose three Manhattan-based, yuppie-themed mannerist comedies - "Metropolitan," "Barcelona" and "The Last Days of Disco" - were a big influence on the likes of auteurs such as Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Stillman says this film varies somewhat from his previous trilogy of sorts, telling First Things that "This film is different, Completely different. Okay, not completely different, but it’s different".

Independently financed by Castle Rock CEO Martin Shafer, the project recently wrapped filming in Manhattan where Stillman returned to last year after having spent much...

Damsels in Distress

Opens: 2011

Cast: Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Ryan Metcalf

Director: Whit Stillman

Summary: The story revolves around a group of style-obsessed college girls who take in a new student (Gerwig) and teach her their misguided ways of helping people at their grungy university.

Analysis: The first film in a decade from arthouse darling Whit Stillman, a filmmaker's filmmaker whose three Manhattan-based, yuppie-themed mannerist comedies - "Metropolitan," "Barcelona" and "The Last Days of Disco" - were a big influence on the likes of auteurs such as Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Stillman says this film varies somewhat from his previous trilogy of sorts, telling First Things that "This film is different, Completely different. Okay, not completely different, but it’s different".

Independently financed by Castle Rock CEO Martin Shafer, the project recently wrapped filming in Manhattan where Stillman returned to last year after having spent much...

Remember that one year (2001) when the list-happy AFI (American Film Institute) decided to compete with the Globes and the Oscars in year end prizes? No, that didn't last long. But there's another AFI, The Australian Film Institute, that has been around for a long time and is in no such danger of being a one-off. This year, they're all about the amazing family crime drama Animal Kingdom which they awarded with a record breaking 18 nominations. Sure, the film is in danger of being way overhyped for people who are coming to it late (which is just about everyone given the sorry state of international distribution for dramas of virtually any kind) but for those who can slough off the "omg" raves, I guarantee you'll think it at least an insinuating and well executed crime drama.

AFI Favorites with multiple nominations

Its main competition for the coveted prizes, if you go by nomination counts,...

Animal Kingdom received 18 nominations for this year’s Australian Film Institute Awards, followed by Beneath Hill 60 (12), Bright Star (11), Tomorrow, When the War Began (8), The Tree, Bran Nue Dae (7 each) and The Boys Are Back (4)

The Best Film category will see Animal Kingdom competing against Beneath Hill 60, Bright Star, Bran Nue Dae, The Tree and Tomorrow, When the War Began.

Australia’s top rated drama productions – Packed to the Rafters and Underbellly: The Golden Mile – were both absent from the main Television categories (except for Underbelly‘s two acting nods).

The winners will be revealed on December 10 (Industry Awards) and 11 (main Awards Ceremony) in Melbourne.

This is the full list of nominees:

AFI Members’ Choice Award

Animal Kingdom. Liz Watts. Beneath Hill 60. Bill Leimbach. Bran Nue Dae. Robyn Kershaw, Graeme Isaac. Bright Star. Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt. The Boys Are Back. Greg Brenman, Tim White. Tomorrow When The War Began.

Animal Kingdom (A. Partos/S. Petty) , Beneath Hill 60 (C. Skubiszewski), Mao’s Last Dancer (C. Gordon) and The Waiting City (M. Yezerski) are competing for the Best Feature Film Score at this year’s Screen Music Awards.

In the television categories My Place (R. Mason), Rescue Special Ops (N. Tyson-Chew), Tangle (B. Marks) and Underbelly (B. Dallwitz) have been selected for the Best Music for a Television Series category.The 2010 Screen Music Awards, presented by Apra (Australasian Performing Right Association) and the Agsc (Australian Guild of Screen Composers) will be held at BMW Edge in Melbourne on Tuesday 9 November.

The nominees are:

Best Feature Film Score

Title Animal Kingdom Composers Antony Partos and Sam Petty Title Beneath Hill 60 Composer Cezary Skubiszewski Publisher Albert Music Title Mao’s Last Dancer Composer Christopher Gordon Title The Waiting City Composer Michael Yezerski Publisher Sandcastle Music Pty Ltd

Best Music for a...

Dbaotd PosterMiramax Films is the production company behind Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, a film from director Guillermo del Toro. The film was recently completed in May of this year throughout Melbourne, Australia. Now that the editing has been completed a teaser trailer has come out for the film, which shows some of the "dark-dwelling creatures" the synopsis hints at. The film has already secured distribution in North America, so expect to see this film in theatres next year. More details below.

The synopsis for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark:

"Sally (Bailee Madison), a lonely, introverted child, has just arrived at the 19th century mansion her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the...

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

The remake of the 1973 TV movie surprised with a robust display of solid footage. The panel began with an atmospheric teaser trailer of sinister voices leading into quick cut scenes including a seriously creepy shot of multiple little arms and hands pulling at a vent grille. The ending with a girl exploring under her sheets and being attacked scored a major jump amongst the crowd.

Later on the film's opening sequence was shown with veteran Aussie actor Garry McDonald playing the owner of a rundown mansion who attacks his chambermaid in the basement with a hammer and chisel to her teeth. He then gets pulled into an ash pit, which seems to go down into the bowels of the Earth, by something very fast moving.

Producers Guillermo del Toro and Nick Nunziata along with director Troy Nixey were on hand to talk about the film,...