Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is a mousey office worker who tries the patience of all her co-workers with her clumsy attempts at connection and over-the-top positivity. This hides a deeply lonely person who lives by herself, with her only real friend being a pet bird. When the patriarch of the company she works for passes away and she is overlooked for promotion in favour of the arsehole son, her world becomes that much dimmer.

With the establishment of that situation, the things that happen from that point on are a joy to behold. Since this is a Raimi film after all, the humour resides in both the gore and the situational comedy. As Lidddle comes into her own, you cheer her on the entire way. Seeing the emergence of the strength of her actual character charges the film with an energy that is hard to resist.

This girl power work is wildly compelling, and seeing the men in Lidddle’s life receive the comeuppance is totally satisfying. That the film goes through so many changes in mood and temperament and never loses its forward momentum shows Raimi working at the peak of his substantial powers. It’s a great date night film, but only for those with a strong sense of how powerful women can be.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudiosAUNZ/

On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s an unsettling, darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. “Send Help” is directed by genre-bending visionary Sam Raimi and stars Oscar® nominee Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien.

The film is produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi, executive produced by JJ Hook and written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift, with original music by Danny Elfman. The all-original darkly comedic psychological thriller from 20th Century Studios releases in Australian cinemas on January 29, 2026.
www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudiosAUNZ/

Join us at Dendy Coorparoo or Dendy Portside on Friday, January 30 @ 8:30pm for a Fright Night Screening of SEND HELP, starring Rachel McAdams with a Stone & Wood beer on arrival.

Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.

Send Help – Fright Night Preview
Friday , January 30 @ 8.30pm
DENDY COORPAROO | DENDY PORTSIDE
www.dendy.com.au

A new trailer for 20th Century Studios’ “Send Help,” the upcoming darkly comedic psychological thriller from genre-bending visionary director Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man,” “The Evil Dead”) has been released. 

The all-original film stars Oscar® and Tony Award® nominated actress Rachel McAdams (“Spotlight,” “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.,” “Mean Girls”), Dylan O’Brien (“Twinless,” “Saturday Night”), Edyll Ismail (“La Brea”), Dennis Haysbert (“Far from Heaven”), Xavier Samuel (“Elvis”), Chris Pang (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Thaneth Warakulnukroh (“Thai Cave Rescue”) and Emma Raimi (“Happy Pills”) and releases in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on January 29, 2026.

In the trailer, audiences get a first look at Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), two colleagues who find themselves stranded on a deserted island after they are the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it is an unsettling and darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.

“I’ve always loved stories where interesting, dynamic characters are pushed to extremes,” says director Sam Raimi. “In our story, the power shifts create an escalating situation that’s brimming with unexpected turns and suspense.”

“Send Help” is produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi (“65”), executive produced by JJ Hook (“The Amateur”) and written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift (“Friday the 13th,” “Baywatch”), with original music by Danny Elfman (“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Batman”).
www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudiosAUNZ/

“The Multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little.”

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” opens in Australian cinemas on May 5, 2022.
www.facebook.com/MarvelAUNZ/

The humour comes out most strongly when Becky become desperate to raise the show’s ratings and deal with the old school curmudgeon Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) who as a link to the real news reporting of the past stands firmly in the way of her plans. The reel where those plans come to fruition in the film’s funniest twenty minutes.

The film has strangely uneven pacing and sometimes lacks direction, so there are times when your interest wanes in the proceedings but then it will hit its stride and become very effective. These moments are directly proportional to its success in making you laugh.

It’s great to see another girl power film where a woman succeeds by being smart and hard working and McAdams is very charming on-screen. More the shame she is let down by the patchy script. All is not lost though and the film is worth a look especially for those hilarious middle moments.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU

The film also provides further proof (if any more is actually needed) on how fine an actor Jake Gyllenhaal has become. His take on the lead role, that of boxer Billy Hope is absolutely mesmeric. His time in the gym and time spent training to learn the techniques of boxing have paid real dividends.

Gyllenhaal fills the screen with electricity and menace and he makes the most out of what is a rather pedestrian screenplay. Sutter’s ability to plumb the depths of emotion is slight in this instance but as populist entertainment it hits most of the right marks.

This isn’t a story that challenges the viewer but one that can be completely enjoyed by the transformative nature of the performances. Don’t miss this film even if you are not that much of a fan of boxing. As an insight into the human will as told through superlative acting it is throughly engaging.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/roadshow

Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) is a New York based photographer whose father’s untimely death draws her back home to England and the Hasidic community that she grew up in. She had become an outcast from behaviour that was unacceptable in the tightly controlled world of the faith and her homecoming is not a welcome one.

Upon arriving home, she stays with childhood friends Dovid Kuperman (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife Esti (Rachel McAdams). Her return is an uncomfortable one and it’s mostly left to the viewer to figure out why. When the father’s will is read and Ronit is not even mentioned, it rips open old wounds.

Religion is shown as the controlling entity that it can be and when David is challenged by Esti to believe in her happiness more that the religious hard line, there is a surprise waiting for the viewer. This is a slow paced film with a message that is told with subtle strokes of the brush.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/DisobedienceMovie

It throws so many jokes your way, that even when some fall a bit flat, you know more successful ones are just around the corner. The cast is well chosen and the fresh faced Rachel McAdams and the ever sardonic Jason Bateman have good chemistry together and the always weird and wonderful Jesse Plemons plays the creepy cop next door neighbour perfectly.

You can’t tell too much of the story without giving away some of the delicious surprises in store, so the best one can do is just describe it as a game night gone mad. Just know that isn’t your typical game of Scrabble or Monopoly.

It will more than keep you entertained during its 100 minute running time but probably not linger much after that. And in the gift that keeps giving department, make sure to stay until the very end of the insightful credits for an extra laugh.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/GameNightWB

It’s about yet another rich, narcissistic, egotistical twat whose circumstance dictates a seachange to superheroism. It is heavily styled along the lines of Christopher Nolan’s Inception but lacks his clever script to make the minutiae work. There are puzzling continuity errors – did nobody proof watch this movie? Equally puzzling are some of the action scenes that are extremely difficult to follow. Other scenes seem clunkily truncated – no doubt to be later expanded upon in a Blu-ray extended edition. Strange seems to go from mystic atheist to devout cultist to defeating an intergalactic multidimensional villain in the space of, oh, 1 hour and 55 minutes. And it even includes the dreadful clichés, “forget everything you think you know” and “it’s complicated”. Ugh! But in spite of itself, Dr Strange remains cracking fun.

Its ideas of sorcery and the magic held therein take Marvel films in a different direction yet still dovetails with the existing cinematic canon in interesting and comedic ways. And these new CGI spells allow for some compelling effects and some thrilling interactions when it comes to combat.

The film is also aided immensely by its cast. Benedict Cumberbatch can do no wrong at the moment and this role won’t spoil his winning streak. His performance here being more at the Khan end of his range than Alan Turing.

Similarly with Tilda Swinton, who also never fails to impress, as an ancient mystical master reminiscent of The Last Airbender. Her performance is a delightful mixture of sass, cheek, mystery and wisdom.

Chiwetel Ejiofor seems to be reprising his role as The Operative from Joss Whedon’s Serenity. Indeed, he seems to be the exact same character, perhaps in a parallel universe. But these reflections of a former great role for him are fun to watch even if they are unintentional – and I’m not sure that they are.

Rachel McAdams, sadly, does little more than look pretty which, admittedly, she excels at. And Mads Mikkelson only need stare coldly at the camera and mumble to be worthy of watching. One day he’ll get a leading role in Hollywood instead of being the villain. One day.

Although Doctor Strange can’t help but be a disappointment, just thinking of what it could have been – and it could have been two much better movies – it remains a great big bag of fun regardless. Naturally, there’ll be more.

Stuart Jamieson
www.facebook.com/DoctorStrangeOfficial