Sense and Sensibility: Movie Review

Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, George MacKay, Esme Creed-Miles, Caitriona Balfe, Fiona Shaw, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum
Director: Georgia Oakley

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility has already had a movie that saw its stature boosted - the 1996 adaptation with Emma Thompson and Colin Firth.

So you could be forgiven for wondering what a 2026 version under the eye of Blue Jean director Georgia Oakley could bring to the cinematic table.

But in truth, this lavishly shot, lush rendition of the oh-so-familiar tale of the Dashwood sisters after they're evicted from their family home brings plenty of vicarious pleasures, sumptuous shots and clever, witty dialogue to help it sparkle when it needs to.

Older sisters Elinor (Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (a standout Creed-Miles) have aspirations beyond their run-down Devonshire cottage when the family falls on hard times - but their respective quests for love are stymied by circumstance and nature when not everything goes to plan as they venture to the capital in pursuit of their heart's desires. 

The 2026 version of Sense and Sensibility is imbued with a bucolic charm in its opening moments as one Dashwood sister lies in the long grass, with not a care in the world to trouble her. As Oakley's camera lingers over her, there's a sense of setting and of cinematic sensibility that instils a calm in audiences worried that yet another Austen adaptation may not hit the mark.

And while Edgar-Jones feels a little too wispy and wistful in the role of the eldest sister Elinor, the life and sparkle of this adaptation belongs to Creed-Miles' Marianne, the feisty sister who wants affection but who bats away suitors with cutting remarks and elegant observations. In the role, Creed-Miles excels, bringing a vibrancy into proceedings that very occasionally saunter towards wafting and inert in their unspooling.

But the film's sense of direction and handsomely shot world of the countryside and its sensibilities gives this latest a feeling of place, of time and also of timeliness. Something which is a stark contrast to the world of London that comes to life later on.

Fiona Shaw is a scene-stealer with her boorish Mrs Jennings, whose penchant for gossip and crassness cuts through the high-faluting moments of class within. 

If the romance between MacKay and Edgar-Jones feels a little muted, that's to be forgiven - there's the usual side looks, chaste and almost handtouches to satiate the swooners of the audience, but Sense and Sensibility's heart lies with its more lively elements.

Mixing humour and tart observations serves the stuffiness well - and while purists may bristle in some parts, Blue Jean director Georgia Oakley has more than modernised this tale - and audiences will rightfully wallow in the results.

Silent Hill: Townfall: PS5 Review

Developed by Screen Burn
Published by Konami
Platform: PS5

The latest nightmare to emerge from Konami's long-running franchise proves to be a horrifically diabolical entrant into the world of Silent Hill.

Set in 1996 in a spooky Scottish town of St Amelia (are there any other types?), the game puts you squarely in the footsteps of three protagonists, Simon, Zoe and Richard and sets them on a collision course.

It begins in a very familiar way with Simon waking up on the shores of St Amelia with no idea how he got there or what he's doing With just a hospital ID tag and an IV drip hanging out of him, it doesn't look good as he stumbles through the fog - but as his own personal mist clears, he finds a TV set that delivers him a message and sets him off on a quest. However, before too long, monsters emerge from Silent Hill: Townfall to quicken the pace and your own heartbeat.

Putting the game in a first-person perspective adds an element of horror to Silent Hill: Townfall which is hard to escape. The claustrophobia feels real and the sense of atmosphere is wired throughout the game.

What works about this game is the sense of unease that drifts through the fog, permeating every moment of uncomfortable horror - Screen Burn's done much to revitalise the game's concept  and the fact there are multiple endings means that every playthrough feels warranted and worthy - even if it is nerve-shreddingly haunting.

Body horror, medical traumas and general unease all settle in alongside the Scottish setting and what's clear about this gameplay is that Screen Burn has used some pretty familiar tropes to ensure that it makes a superlative entrant into the franchise.

Mixing retro with the unconventional pays dividends here and the game's desire to uproot some of the horror conventions and place them into a disturbing Scottish setting means that what plays out is stellar - if terrifying - stuff.

All in all, Silent Hill: Townfall is the kind of horror game that's perfect for Halloween - just don't be surprised if you leave the lights on at the end of the night.

SiN Reloaded: PS5 Review

Developed by Nightdive Studios
Published by Atari
Platform: PS5

The concept of the FPS genre really got a shot in the arm with the likes of Quake and Doom.

That was the start of many people's obsession with these kinds of games, and in fairness to SiN Reloaded, perhaps those titles somewhat overshadowed Ritual Entertainment's foray into the world of point and kill.

The remasters of SiN and the Wages of SiN (bundled together for this package from 1998) offer much vicarious enjoyment to those just wanting to relive that point and press kill streak. Though in truth, once again a title like this is all about the fleeting pleasures, rather than the continual hours of gaming.

It's a very simple premise, simply step into the boots of security consultant Colonel John R. Blade as he battles the bio-engineered mutant army of CEO Dr. Elexis Sinclaire across a near-future dystopian city. The plot's not really the point here and it follows the usual mantra of avoiding the marauding hordes as they charge toward you.

Perhaps it's the simplicity here that's appealing and certainly once the game's somewhat overblown opening titles and premise have finished, it's upto you to hurtle around rooms delivering carnage among the kills - rocket science it ain't. But bloody good fun it kind of is.

Enemies are suitably dumb and take a few attempts to kill, but when you start off the game pointing a massive gun from a helicopter at those enemies as they circle on a roof as you spin by, subtle it ain't in many ways.

Essentially given a spit and polish for the 21st century, SiN Reloaded and its sequel offer fleeting pleasures and continue to mine the kind of frustrations any Quake or Doom player would have with enemies being blocked, being ambushed or simply unsure of where to go to next - credit needs to be given to the developers for not washing it over with current sentimentalities.

Occasionally the graphics wobble and you may dismiss that as a part of the retro charm, but SiN Reloaded feels like coin-op style entertainment at its peak - it does what it says on the tin and nothing more.

Terror-Fi Film Festival celebrates 10 years

The first batch of films for the 2026 version of the Terror-Fi Film Festival has been revealed - including the New Zealand premiere of Kiwi horror film sequel, Black Sheeps.

Wellington, Auckland, and Christchuch Fan Badges on sale now! Several headline films too!

Terror-Fi celebrates it's 10th Anniversary, with a killer line up of 15 feature films - including BLACK SHEEPS, the first Terror-Fi Films films!

Ticket prices - $19.50 Adults and $17.50 Students, Seniors, and Guilds.

You can also buy a Fan Badge to see all 15 screenings for just $195 - that's only $13 per film!

Announced films

Black Sheeps

They're baaaack! Don’t miss the New Zealand Premiere of BLACK SHEEPS.

Returning to its world of creature effects, gore and irreverent humour, this is both a sequel to Jonathan King's 2006 comedy-horror hit, BLACK SHEEP and farm-fresh thrill ride for new audiences

A dangerous new pathogen leads a young scientist to a rural New Zealand town. There, she must take on a bizarre cult, a property developer with a dangerous secret and a mysterious loner who haunts the forbidden pastures known as The Zone – where terrifying creatures lie in wait.

Cast and crew will be present at these special premieres!

Wild Horse Nine

Don’t miss this special advance preview of WILD HORSE NINE.

Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi in a film by Martin McDonagh (‘In Bruge’, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’) … need we say more!?! 95% on Rotten Tomatoes too!

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris and Lee (are dispatched from Santiago to Easter island by their bureau chief, MJ. Amongst the Island's iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways.

It Ends

A group of recent grads head out on a late night drive for grub, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two lane hellscape surrounded by untold horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding.

Victorian Psycho

Be the first to see the twisted period horror/thriller VICTORIAN PSYCHO at the New Zealand Premiere!

After wowing the crowds at Cannes, the film hits our shores – with a delightfully unhinged performance from Maika Monroe and our own Thomasin McKenzie in support.

In the Year of our Lord 1858, an unusual governess named Winifred Notty arrives at the gothic manor known as Ensor House. Winifred's responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family history -- all whilst hiding her own psychopathic tendencies. But as staff members begin disappearing, the owners of the estate start to wonder if there may be something amiss with their new governess... Victorian Psycho invites us into the mind of a psychopath -- ttrapped in a world she cannot control, living on the border between insurrection and madness.

Crawlers

Guaranteed to make you squirm in your seat more than once, this is a must see in a dark cinema.

A catastrophic infestation of venomous and deadly spiders sends an apartment building into lockdown. Trapped inside by a police-mandated quarantine, building manager Serena and her residents battle to survive as the creatures multiply by the second. Armed with her intimate knowledge of the complex, Serena may be the only one who can keep them alive—if she can confront her deepest fear.

The Terror-Fi Film Fest runs 

Wellington

24 Oct + 27 Oct - 1 Nov

Auckland

27 - 30 Oct + 5 - 8 Nov

Christchurch

26 - 30 Oct + 12 - 17 Nov

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger: Disney+ Movie Review

Directors: Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern

How you'll feel about the latest Oasis movie will largely depend on how you feel about the band itself.

There's already been one Oasis documentary - 2016's Supersonic - which focused on the band's meteoric rise to fame in the heady days of 90s Britpop in the UK before fraternal frustrations caused the group to implode.

The latest documentary, written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, is more of a celebratory piece, heralding the return of the Gallagher brothers Noel and Liam and their triumphant return to stadium shows last year.

A flurry of images from the band's tumultuous past open proceedings, black and white shots of Liam's scornful and blistering stage presence, Noel's older brother ethos and bristling tensions between the pair. It all culminates in the infamous backstage fight at the 2009 Rock en Seine festival that scuppered the band, scattering them as they imploded.

Leapfrogging to the time the world was stunned they'd seemingly buried the hatchet and were about to embark on a series of tour dates where nobody knew if they'd come to blows again, Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger doesn't really hold back on piling on the sentiment and plying everything with a degree of nostalgic sentiment and occasionally trite platitudes.

Whether it's Noel or Liam bigging each other up or pompously praising the band's back catalogue or fellow musician Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, the film's got a kind of later-in-life approach to reflection on the bonds that draw po-faced people together and push them apart, albeit it through rose-tinted glasses.

If you're going in wanting a film that leads to their reconciliation, this is not the movie for you. And in fact, one scene sees them reveal nothing led to a reunion, they just did it - it's an almost dismissive approach to the meteoric rise the group had before their implosion.

Strangely, the film shifts to being a piece about what music means to their masses - and specifically, Oasis themselves. Whether it's the fan who survived the Manchester Stadium bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in 2017 and who's seeing them live for the first time (one of the more bizarre additions to the hagiography through fans' vignettes) or the Japanese fans who've bonded over Acquiesce, the myriad of outsiders portmanteau approach forms the basis of the periphery of this film.

It's not an entirely new conceit that Knight has dreamed up for the politely earnest movie and in truth, it sags in parts with the trite bon mots of "music saving lives" which are repeated throughout. Every generation has its band (and perhaps that's what the doco's trying to achieve here) but to those unaware of Oasis and their music, there's little to open up the flood gates as to what causes them such mass appeal.

IT's also a chance to see Noel at his most vulnerable as he reflects on how seeing fathers and sons unite at concerts affects him (a nod to his own past perhaps) and how Liam continues to be the consummate frontman who believes he cares because he doesn't give a flying f**k about everything around him. His swagger lives on and it's a relief to see that for him, nothing has changed at all. 

And yet, there are some astoundingly funny moments. 

From the arrival of frontman Liam Gallagher to the first day of rehearsals after others wonder what will happen (Liam simply storms in, shows no interest in banter, rouses the band off their seats, delivers his vocals and then promptly leaves to everyone's surprise and relief) to some genuinely touching and laugh-out-loud moments between the pair, Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger does capture some of the reasons why their live shows have been so acclaimed in amid a continuing trend of nostalgia bait tours. (Another more surprising sequence touches on the death of Gary "Mani" Mountfield of the Stone Roses, leading to a few sage words from Liam about why none of the past actually matters.)

It's surprisingly cathartic and the music performances showcase the band at their blistering best (and give access to all of us who weren't able to see them in 2025) as well as demonstrating the multi-generational appeal of the Manchester natives.

Central to it all though is a universal approach to how time and music heal all. 

The handsomely shot doco chooses not to grill Liam and Noel on why and how it went wrong way back when (which is both its strength and a nagging annoyance given how guarded they largely feel on the important matters), instead preferring to offer a tale of redemption and reunion, all wrapped up in a message of forgiveness and all-access emotion and the power of music to its fans, visceral live performances and a sense of mid-life release.

It's not entirely clear what the rock'n'roll bad boys of the 90s would make of themselves - or this - now because unless you're a fan of the band and their raucous past, it's hard to see this has a wider audience - no matter how many fans espouse the group's brilliance or claim their reunion is like the Second Coming.

But for fans,it's an unmissable big screen experience. 

Leviticus: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewan Leslie
Director: Adrian Chiarella

The idea of the horror of coming out in a small rural backwater is not a new one. 

But in director Adrian Chiarella's claustrophobic and upsetting drama Leviticus, pouring it through a prism of conversion therapy and aching first love makes this truly memorable.

Talk To Me's Joe Bird plays teenager Naim, who's recently moved to the industrial town in Victoria in Australia with his mum (Wasikowska, one of the film's more upsetting villains of the piece). Fostering an attraction to classmate Ryan (Clausen), a love blossoms.

But when the religious-heavy elements of the town get wind of what's happened, the pair's thrust before a hell-and-brimstone priest, who subjects them to a level of attempted therapy to pray the gay away. However, something else emerges and Naim finds himself hunted and haunted by a violent Ryan who's determined to harm him. And as if that wasn't terrifying enough, Ryan claims Naim is hunting him...

Leviticus does much with little.

From an oppressive soundtrack to a gaping chasm of industrial vistas promising nothing but nihilism, the film does much to seize hope from the most hopeless of settings. 

But by adding in an element of It Follows (albeit one whose internal logic becomes more fuzzy as time goes on) and some genuinely troubling one-on-one scenes that crackles with uncertainty and intensity, Chiarella constructs something that feels both timeless and timely.

It's fascinating that the demons that are released by the religious intervention are ones that those affected most want - Chiarella seems to be interested in making real the allegory of the idea that it's the thing you want most that will hurt you, but by holding off on any kind of didactic and overt messaging, his film's more powerful for it.

It plays deeply to the idea that youngsters are told romance is bad - and gay romance even more so. Something which seems unheard of in these modern times, but is becoming more common and in the small-town backwater Australian setting where family and church make most of the decisions, it's utterly terrifying.

All in all, while Leviticus relies on the occasional pernicious jump scare, the horrors are more psychological and troubling - with a strong cast and a universal theme, it emerges as one of the most upsetting and searing dramas of the year.