Fantastic Film Festival Australia is once again descending upon Melbourne and Sydney like a beautifully cinematic meteor, and honestly, what a privilege it is to stand directly in its blast radius.

The biopic covering the first half of the King of Pop’s rise to superstardom offers electrifying concert performances, true to life actors, and not much else. 

The long anticipated sequel to the financially successful and critically middling 2023 Super Mario Bros Movie is out now and improves on its predecessor in almost every way. By a little.

For viewers who want a tight, thoughtful sci-fi horror mixture, Cold Storage will undoubtedly frustrate, but for those in the mood for messy, gory fun, its lead chemistry and gleeful commitment to splatter-comedy make it an entertaining - if imperfect - midnight snack for genre fans.

The Drama reminds viewers that they are not what they almost did, and to give each other a chance to start over.

The line between satire and imitation can often become blurred, but rarely does an example come around so blatantly unaware of this distinction as the latest Scream entry.

When the audience is living in a crappy world with an even crappier near future on the horizon, Project Hail Mary is a warm hug fuelled with hope.

Goat is a fresh and feel-good take on the sports comedy genre, weaving standout voice acting performances and cultural references into a great family film.

Overall, Crime 101 is a welcome surprise, and a must watch for fans of thoughtful, entertaining and intelligent crime-thrillers.

With all of the nuance of the story removed, all we are left with is a toxic romance between two hot Australian actors. It’s Bridgerton with world-class cinematography and a funky soundtrack by Charli XCX.

In an era of horror films that strain for prestige, Send Help feels refreshingly unconcerned with respectability. It is messy, funny, cruel, and wholly entertaining.

Horror, at its most existentially terrifying, is not about answers; it is about the discomfort of not having them. In trying to return to Silent Hill, the film loses its way before it even arrives.

Is This Thing On? ultimately finds its strength in the emotional nuance of its central relationship, anchored by convincing performances from Arnett and Dern.

Marty Supreme is a bombastic and intense ride from start to finish.

Song Sung Blue is sure to be the crowd-pleasing film of the New Year. It really is “so good, so good, SO GOOD!”. 

My expectations were on the ground, and now they’ve got a bit of altitude.

Christy is an engaging and moving biopic about an incredible woman.

Most apparently, Hamnet is a showcase for some incredibly committed performances.

Nouvelle Vague is Linklater’s answer to the credence that all directors must one day make a film about filmmaking. This is an absurd thing to believe.

Sweet but not saccharin, Rental Family (2025) is a solid feel good film despite its slightly confused final message.