Could Your Smartwatch Change Moviegoing Forever?
In this month’s news, we’ll tell you how you can help out scientists by hooking your brain into the latest Marvel blockbuster (really!), share which movie one reader called “the best film in years” and reveal probably the best film festival award statue ever.
good.film
24 days ago
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Our Streaming Picks of the Month
Spoiled for choice? Let’s narrow it down for you. We’ve cast our eyeballs across all the streaming platforms on Earth (well, nearly) and these fine shows are our picks of the bunch.
Something futuristic…
The best show on Netflix? We wouldn’t argue. And the anthology series famed for its dark take on modern technology is finally back. This season boasts a super starry cast (Rashida Jones, Awkwafina, Paul Giamatti) and a long-awaited sequel to the Emmy-winning USS Callister episode. If there was a “last prison meal” of streaming, we’d make it Black Mirror.
Something stellar…
Brilliant writing. Hilarious Hollywood takedowns. Undeniable chemistry between its fierce female leads. We’re yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love Hacks, and season 4 hasn’t lost a single bit of steam. It’s flat-out delicious watching the backstage feud unfold between Deborah and Ava – one a showbiz veteran, one a newcomer, both equally determined. Catch the new episodes weekly on Stan.
Something homegrown…
The Narrow Road to the Deep North: Miniseries
How do you follow up playing Elvis? If you’re Jacob Elordi, you sign onto this powerful WWII romance-drama. Set in a Burmese POW camp, and adapted from Tassie writer Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel, it’s pulled a perfect 100% score from critics so far. Plus, it’s an Amazon Prime miniseries, so you know there’s big bucks on the screen.
And keep your eyes peeled for…
Who misses Tina Fey? She’s back to TV with this comic-drama about three married couples who take holidays together… until a divorce turns the mai-tais a bit sour. Co-starring Steve Carell and Colman Domingo, the first episodes of The Four Seasons drop on Netflix tomorrow!
Small Things is making a BIG impact
With its emphasis on bravery and standing up to abusive power, we knew immediately that Small Things Like These is a film that would really speak to the good.film community.
We’ve been flooded with comments and reactions from audiences after leaving the cinema, who perhaps weren’t quite expecting the subtle power of the film. Words like honest, faithful and beautifully made kept coming up, and we’re right with you. Here’s a smattering of some of the real reviews and feedback we saw from good.film readers:
“This was by far the best film of the year” - M
“A lovely novella and a fantastic movie” - Joseph
“The ugly face of power revealed so brilliantly… it drives home the sense of triumph over evil” - Farida
“It's a breathtaking adaptation” - Verma
“It’s the best film I’ve seen in years. Bill Furlong is the epitome of courage and decency. It’s so rare to see a character like that in film” - Shauna
Audiences love Small Things Like These so much that it’s still playing in cinemas everywhere, and it’s truly worth your while. Why not make a movie date with Cillian this weekend?! To go deeper behind the film’s history and themes, check out our guide at the link below:
Small Things Like These is a True Superhero Movie
Your movie emotions… captured in real time
Okay, now THIS is a cool idea! From heart-pounding action to those “I’m not crying, you’re crying” moments, we all feel the feels at the cinema. But have you ever wondered what’s actually going on in your brain as you’re watching?!? The legends at Movie Health did, and they created an app called “Immersion SIX” to track every synapse firing.
They’re hosting a screening of Marvel’s highly-anticipated Thunderbolts to show off the tech, and this isn’t your average movie night. It’s a live, neuroscience-powered cinematic experience that proves one thing: movies are emotional.
Just wear your smartwatch or fitness tracker to the movie, and you’ll connect to the Immersion SIX App, which builds a neuroscience-powered “Immersion Score” for everyone in the audience. At the end, you’ll get your personalised score, showing which moments moved you the most.
The event’s taking place on Thursday 15 May at Dendy Cinemas Newtown, with a special pre-film talk discussing how movies can be so much more than entertainment — they can be catalysts for healing, empathy, and of course, connection. But tickets are limited, so grab yours and find out more at the link below.
Experience your emotional journey during a screening of Thunderbolts
Adding our voice to social impact entertainment
We don’t pat ourselves on the back that much here at good.film (our hands are usually busy rustling around a bucket of popcorn), but this is a win we can’t keep to ourselves. Recently, we were invited to publish a clutch of our latest and greatest guides at the esteemed sievoices.com, ready for a whole new (largely) American audience to discover. We’re going global folks!
The organisation’s website boasts over 500 resources on all facets of SIE, including playbooks, impact reports and other deep-dives, and we’re proud to have our work among their comprehensive collection.
Check out our work on SIE Voices
Can you handle the heat? Get into The Kitchen
Your next cinema feast is about to be served. La Cocina (“The Kitchen”) opens in two weeks, and the film hit our radar thanks to its nuanced look at migrant workers in a hectic New York kitchen. To get an idea of what that’s REALLY like, we chatted with Juan Carlos “JC” Negrete, a Sydney based Mexican restaurateur who once worked in a NYC restaurant just a stone’s throw from the one in the film. We’ll drop the full interview next week, but here’s a little taste (sorry!) of what JC thought of La Cocina:
“I feel like the movie definitely offers a different point of view, a different reality of migration. There's a clear kind of rupture of your roots or disconnection from your original culture. It's not an easy thing to do. It takes a lot of courage. With La Cocina, it's a good movie to understand that we all come from different walks of life, and understanding different perspectives to others gives us a bit of tolerance; brings people together. We all have a story to tell, and La Cocina just opens up on that.”
If you’re a Sydneysider, stay tuned – we’ll be sharing more details soon about a special deal with JC and his restaurant Maiz, as well as a hospitality screening at Palace Central Cinemas. And if you’re keen to secure your La Cocina tickets early, you can grab a great deal at the link below! All tickets to La Cocina purchased through good.film include a 50% donation to Raising the Bar, supporting fantastic mental health initiatives for hospitality workers across Australia.
Buy tickets to La Cocina. Support Raising the Bar Foundation.
Melbourne, your Persian Film Fest is here
After highlighting the Oscar-nominated Seed of the Sacred Fig earlier this year, our eyes are well and truly open to the brilliance of Iranian and Persian-speaking cinema. So we just had to squeeze in a mention that the 11th annual Persian Film Festival is opening tomorrow night at Melbourne’s Palace Como!
The program includes the liberating Reading Lolita in Tehran (pictured above), the 100% critics rated My Favourite Cake, and Oscar-winning short In the Shadow of the Cypress. After the official competition, the festival jury will present the Golden Gazelle Award – inspired by an ancient Persian fable, signifying “vitality and intuition in artistic practice”. Beautiful!
