Cinema Effect

Join us this week as we check out one of 2023's biggest comedies, Bottoms. What's it about? Well in essence, two unpopular and ugly teenagers go on a quest to get laid which involves deception, a school sanctioned fight club, and cartoonishly villainous football players. While some of us couldn't help but crack a smile, some other hosts (and viewers) found themselves firmly lacking a s...

Over two years since our first trip to IMAX for the first half of this epic cinematic experience, it is finally time to return to Arrakis and the big screen with Dune: Part Two. Directed by one of our absolute favourite filmmakers, Denis Villeneuve, this sequel takes us even deeper into Frank Herbert's sci-fi world. Perhaps to no one's surprise, there's much to say about the breathtaki...

This week we dive headfirst into the filmography of Jayden's favourite Paul Anderson, with his 2014 film, Pompeii. In this ancient disaster flick, we witness the epic romance between a gladiator (played by an absolutely shredded Kit Harrington) and a noblewoman amidst the impending eruption of Mount Vesuvius. With fiery action, comets falling from the sky, and some acting as questionable as th...

Gross Pointe Blank may be one of the more obscurer films we've reviewed on the channel however that doesn't hold it back from being an incredibly digestible movie. John Cusack plays a hitman returning to his home town for the first time in 10 years for a high school reunion hoping to have a weekend free of killing. His job, unfortunately follows him there. We discuss the comedic hijinks th...

We're very excited to continue our sometimes leisurely, sometimes emotional stroll through the Before trilogy with Richard Linklater's 2004 sequel, Before Sunset. Jesse and Celine's second encounter takes them through the streets of Paris and the complexities of love, time, and missed connections. The film maintains the top notch chemistry between its leads and witty banter bordering o...

Get ready to have your mind blown as we delve into 'The Creator' (2023) on our latest episode. In this mind-bending sci-fi flick, we're pondering whether our kitchen appliances might soon develop a conscience. As we journey through the mesmerizing visuals and jaw-dropping special effects of this AI-infused adventure, we'll explore the ethical dilemmas of robot overlords and contemp...

Society of the Snow is a new Spanish film based on the true story of the 1972 crash of a Uruguayan airplane in the uninhabitable Andes mountains. The event has had multiple adaptations over the years, but perhaps none quite as realistic as this. The film makes a strong effort to pay respect to the real-life victims, and features an incredibly horrifying depiction of the crash itself, which makes f...

Our first franchise of 2024 is a beloved trilogy which we all get to experience for the very first time over the next couple of months. And that begins this week with Richard Linklater's 1995 romantic drama, Before Sunrise. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy exhibit fantastic on-screen chemistry as Jesse and Celine, young travellers who meet on a train in Europe and form an instant connection. The tw...

Praise the lord! Cinema Effect has finally returned! And we're kicking off 2024 in a big way with one of 2023's most hated movies. The first half of Zack Snyder's original sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon. Now there's no denying there are a lot of elements to this story that feel very familiar (you can clearly tell it had been pitched as a Seven Samurai / Star Wars movie). And we know Zaddy...

With Liam away this week, there's no better time for Jayden and Zac to crash the show with way too much Star Wars talk. Ahsoka finished up its season run a couple of weeks back, and as fans of the character for over 15 years, we had to debrief and record a spiritual follow up to our Clone Wars episode released three years ago now. And now that it's over, was Ahsoka the Star Wars Rebels seq...

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the most prestigious evening in podcasts. The fourth annual edition of the Cinema Effect Awards! We present a true evening ceremony with the top 2023 film and TV picks most likely to influence the Academy and Hollywood heading into awards season. But that's only the beginning, as the celebration really kicks off when we look back to the best and worst of every s...

There's no better final movie to review this year than a brand new 2023 (please ignore the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival) Australian horror film which has taken the world by storm this year. Talk To Me is the first feature film directed by twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, aka Aussie YouTubers RackaRacka. Set in South Australia, a group of teenagers begin to communicate with, and be pos...

Netflix recently dropped a new animated movie called Leo. In it Adam Sandler (with a stupidly gravelly voice) plays a talking Lizard psychiatrist, and Bill Burr is his Turtle mate. It features musical songs and important life hacks for kids. And while your mileage may vary on its effectiveness, we can all agree this movie does indeed feature attempts at comedy. Never before did we think that a har...

The first Hunger Games film in eight years has arrived at your local cinema, and it has the very long title of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This standalone prequel set 64 years prior to the original saga follows the rise of our favourite evil tyrant Coriolanus (not Cornelius) Snow as he pursues power, and exhibits crucial influence over the tenth annual Hunger Games. For w...

For the second time in the history of Cinema Effect, we have the pleasure of reviewing a brand new film from one of our most talked about directors on the show. The one and only David Fincher. After an attempted hit goes terribly wrong for a (usually) highly skilled modern day assassin (played expertly by Michael Fassbender), a globe trotting mission ensues. Since we've discussed a vast array...

Move over Marty! It's time to dive into the highest of cinemaaaaa in the form of prime Arnie's sci-fi action flick, Total Recall. Mr. Arnold starts the film trying to play a totally regular construction worker who wants more from his life. This is the least believable thing ever put to screen (have you seen how massive this dude was?!). So thankfully we learn pretty quickly he is actually...

Cinemaaaaaa is saved! Friend of the show Martin Scorsese returns with a 200 million dollar historical epic that has been universally praised up until now. The film follows what is probably the grimiest gold digger in history through Leonardo Di Caprio's Ernest Burkhart, fiending after Lily Gladstone's Molly and her oil money. The film is massive and through the central relationship examine...

Before we go all the way back to the beginning in the new prequel releasing next month, we must first bring the current Hunger Games saga to a close with the epic finale, Mockingjay Part 2. The film finally sees the sparks of revolution started by Katniss culminate in full scale war between the Districts and the Capitol. And while our main characters travel into the heart of the city in an attempt...

The Prince of Egypt is a classic 1998 DreamWorks Animation film, and acts as an adaptation of the Book of Exodus. You probably know this already, but the gist is that Moses (Val Kilmer) is tasked by God with leading and saving his fellow Israelites after learning his true identity. It's an absurdly stacked cast. Rendered in still stunning 2D animation, the film represents the end of an era for...

We hope your thoughts and prayers are with us as we endeavour to tackle our first ever quadruple feature on the show! In the past few weeks, four short films written and directed by auteur filmmaker Wes Anderson have released on Netflix. All of which are based on stories by Roald Dahl. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher, and The Swan each possess strikingly similar approac...

As we return to the world of Panem this month for the beginning of the end to The Hunger Games saga, we find it in even more of a mess than usual. Having arrived at District 13, Katniss has become the face of a revolution in open war against The Capitol. And as we discuss in this very podcast, it has become clear that the approach of the rebels is increasingly scummy. We're basically on Team S...

This week Liam and Zac venture to a far, far away land where hell smells real bad, and David Bowie himself presides as the Goblin King. This is Jim Henson's Labyrinth, a cult classic family/horror movie from 1986. Starring a young Jennifer Connelly as she traverses a fantasy land and meets a fellowship of diverse characters, the story actually does somewhat resemble the Wizard of Oz. A key dif...

We're back for the second week in a row covering a Damien Chazelle joint. That's really no bother because his films are pretty damn good. But also because First Man marks a significant departure for Chazelle's filmography. The 2018 film is a biopic about Neil Armstrong and the triumphs and tribulations proceeding the Apollo launch in the 1960s. And I think it's fair to say that sto...

La La Land is not only one of the most popular and well regarded films of the last decade, but also marks Damien Chazelle's second go around on Cinema Effect this year (with more to come next week). Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, the movie plays as an idealistic whimsical musical, with some strong character drama still inserted throughout. The story believe it or not takes place in Los...

Detective Pikachu is not only the first live action Pokémon film, but also Jayden’s favourite movie of all-time!! So we had to review it on the show. Tim (Justice Smith) teams up with a very adorable talking Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) on a case to find his missing father. Seeing many fan favourite Pokémon beautifully brought into the real world on screen is an absolute joy. And while it is...