It’s been far too long since we sat in a dark movie theatre, losing popcorn to impossible crevices while smearing melted choc-tops liberally across our best out-of-the-house outfits. And we couldn’t be any happier for this gloriously cinematic mess.
We're getting you ready to return to the movies by getting you up to scratch on the hottest new releases. Here are five of the biggest movies you can catch in Sydney’s cinemas right now.
Recommended: The best cinemas in Sydney.
No Time to Die
OK, OK, we’re cheating a little because Daniel Craig’s final mission as Bond, James Bond doesn’t open until November 11, but tickets are already on sale and it’s all anyone is talking about already. Word to the wise, avoid the internet for the next few weeks if you don’t want any spoilers. But you can rest assured our reviewer LOVED 007’s swansong, hinting, “There are big, unprecedented storytelling decisions.”
You can read the full review here
Nitram
The biggest Australian release of the year took home Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for star Caleb Landry-Jones. The controversial film is a powerful and remarkably sensitive reckoning with the days that led up to the Port Arthur massacre and that terrible day that led to a complete overhaul of Australian gun laws. Our reviewer said, “The film does not glorify his murderous act or even depict it. Nor does it name him. What it does, with bone-shuddering brilliance, is reinforce why those reforms were necessary.”
You can read the full review here
Respect
Jennifer Hudson sang at Aretha Franklin’s funeral, and so has a better claim than most to step into her incomparable shoes and those soaring songs. And her performance is worth it for the ticket alone, even if the film around her isn’t quite up to the same calibre. Our reviewer said, “Hudson sure steps up to the challenge, dazzling with the song that lends its name to the film’s title.”
You can read the full review here
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel is back on the big screen with its first film to centre an Asian-American cast and working the kind of magic Guardians of the Galaxy did for lesser-known characters. Led by Simu Liu alongside Awkwafina, it’s heaps of fun. Our reviewer said, “This comic book hero also-ran has the potential to be a major player in the MCU.”
You can read the full review here
Free Guy
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds teams up with Killing Eve villain Jodie Comer in this comic knockabout spun off the idea of what would happen if disposable non-playable characters took control of their own destiny in shoot ‘em up games. Our reviewer said, “Guy has just enough heart to keep him the right side of glibly annoying and Reynolds’ charm never quite wears off.”
You can read the full review here