There are prestige gigs in the acting game, and being part of a Paul Thomas Anderson film must rate high on that list. His filmography is impressive, as is the list of amazing actors who have worked with him. His newest film, One Battle After Another, illustrates that he has lost none of his considerable powers and that he continues to set his sights on having a relevance to the world at large. 

The story that underlies One Battle After Another is the extreme actions that governments (and the clandestine groups behind them) will resort to to ensure that their vision for the world is the dominant one. The overview is of the firebrands that fuelled opposition to the status quo and were unafraid to use any means necessary to restore their version of a fair and equal society.

There are a few things to consider with the amazing performances by lead actors Sean Penn and Leonardo DiCaprio. You have to admire the moment when Penn read the script for his absolutely repugnant character, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw and thought, yeah, I’m in. DiCaprio as well for taking the risk with his lost stoner father figure, who eventually rises to the occasion. Their faith in PTA being absolute.

This perfectly paced thrill ride of a movie utilises two of the current best, DiCaprio and Penn, at a zenith moment of their careers. Paul Thomas Anderson has never been better, and his choice of subject matter has never been more relevant and needed as well. This is a work that comfortably resides amongst his other stand out works, yes, it’s that good.
Rob Hudson
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Oscar and BAFTA winners Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn also star alongside Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, as well as Wood Harris and Alana Haim.

Anderson directs from his own screenplay, and produces alongside Oscar and BAFTA nominees Adam Somner and Sara Murphy, with Will Weiske executive producing.

The creative team behind the camera includes several frequent collaborators, among them directors of photography Michael Bauman and Anderson; Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning production designer Florencia Martin; BAFTA-nominated editor Andy Jurgensen; Oscar and BAFTA-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood; casting director Cassandra Kulukundis; and with music by Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated composer Jonny Greenwood.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Ghoulardi Film Company Production, A Paul Thomas Anderson Film, “One Battle After Another.” Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film will be in cinemas nationwide on September 25, 2025.
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The story is almost entirely built around the strange life of Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) and he features in nearly every scene. He is a rich and powerful industrialist with a bent moral compass. Through a lifetime of questionable dealings with friends and foes alike, he has acquired a large number of enemies whose attempts to assassinate him drive the film’s comic overview.

Most of these attempts happen while in flight so it’s a given you wouldn’t want to find yourself in an aeroplane with him. After so many attempts on his life, he considers his mortality and seeks an heir. He ignores his nine sons and names his only daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who happens to be a nun to be his sole heir. After spending most of their lives completely apart, their reunion underlines most of the plot points. Michael Cera as the mysterious Bjørn Lund also features prominently.

With Anderson’s ever-growing filmography, most fans develop favourites and rate any new work against them. In that respect, The Phoenician Scheme fits solidly in the middle. In the Wes World, it’s a comforting addition and while it offers few outright surprises, it still takes a unique look at family dynamics and the acceptance of the quirks that underline almost every clan. It’s a worthy addition to an eclectic canon.
Rob Hudson
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Starring Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe; Mia Threapleton as Liesl, his daughter/a nun; Michael Cera as Bjorn, their tutor.

With Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis.
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Oscar and BAFTA winners Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn also star alongside Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, as well as Wood Harris and Alana Haim.

Anderson directs from his own screenplay, and produces alongside Oscar and BAFTA nominees Adam Somner and Sara Murphy, with Will Weiske executive producing.

The creative team behind the camera includes several frequent collaborators, among them directors of photography Michael Bauman and Anderson; Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning production designer Florencia Martin; BAFTA-nominated editor Andy Jurgensen; Oscar and BAFTA-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood; casting director Cassandra Kulukundis; and with music by Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated composer Jonny Greenwood.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Ghoulardi Film Company Production, A Paul Thomas Anderson Film, “One Battle After Another.” Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film will be in cinemas nationwide on September 25, 2025.
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

Made up of several chapters all told under the guise of being included on the pages of a fictitious publication called The French Dispatch, Wes gets to satisfy his stated claim of always wanting to do a series of short stories. He also gets to include another of his favourite storytelling mediums, animation, this time a hilarious car chase scene.

Not a single frame goes by without a look or feel of his unique art and it fills the screen with amusement even when the story being told loses its focus slightly. Not every story hits its mark completely and one, in particular, could have used some judicious editing as it runs a bit long.

Transporting one to a unique environment is one of cinema’s greatest charms and Wes Anderson is one of the industry’s most assured partitioners. As the final credits roll you are left with the feelings of having just visited a wonderful and enchanting world. One that pales in comparison to the reality we almost all live in.

Rob Hudson
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It stars Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet, Léa Seydoux, Owen Wilson, Mathieu Amalric, Lyna Khoudri, Stephen Park and Bill Murray.

The French Dispatch will be released in Australian cinemas December 9!

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Dendy insiders have confirmed that a complimentary glass of French Sparkling will be served on arrival to all citizens. Our sources have also confirmed that a complimentary French Martini will be served to any citizen attending the Premium Lounge session.

It is also confirmed and reported here that a free limited edition of “The French Dispatch” magazine will be distributed to all in attendance (while stocks last). In addition to this, distribution of said magazine will continue for those purchasing opening day tickets for the 9th of December.

All citizens should be aware that tickets for this special event are now on sale along with tickets for the opening week.

Bookings can be made at www.dendy.com.au

Described as a love letter to journalists and the written word, The French Dispatch brings together an all-star cast including Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Léa Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Mathieu Amalric, Lyna Khoudri, Stephan Park, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Liev Schrieber, Elisabeth Moss, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Lois Smith, Saoirse Ronan, Christoph Waltz, Cécile de France, Guillaume Gallienne, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Revolori, Rupert Friend, Henry Winkler, Bob Balaban, Hippolyte Girardot, and Anjelica Houston.

The French Dispatch Red Carpet Preview Screenings
30 November 2021
Dendy Cinemas
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The film stars Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour, with Ray Liotta, Jon Hamm, Amy Seimetz, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Craig muMs Grant, Julia Fox, Frankie Shaw, and Bill Duke.

Curt Goynes (Cheadle) is down on his luck. Recently released from prison, Curt is dogged by a missing “code book” and his questionable history in the underbelly of Detroit’s African-American crime syndicate. Approached by a shady go-between known only as Jones (Fraser) to do a babysitting job on the family of a low-level auto executive, Matt Wertz (Harbour), Curt sees an opportunity to climb out of the hole he’s in. But it’s not that simple. Turns out, it’s a three-man job as Jones recruits two more petty criminals, Ronald Russo (Del Toro) and Charley Barnes (Culkin) to sit with Matt’s wife, Mary (Seimetz), and two kids (Jupe, Holt) in their middle-class neighborhood while Matt plays the unlucky pawn for Jones’s mysterious boss.

Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, leading Curt and Ronald through a maze of Detroit’s midcentury criminal elite vying for interest in an ever-growing scheme of complexity and danger involving competing figures of the local crime world, like Frank Capelli (Liotta), his wife Vanessa (Fox) and Aldrick Watkins (Duke), who is often mentioned but rarely seen. Their activity draws the attention of the State Police, in particular Detective Joe Finney (Hamm), who throws yet another monkey wrench in the works as he navigates the deceptions on both sides of the law, blurring the line between them.

All of this over a piece of paper. Locked in a safe. But not the safe where it’s supposed to be. And the information on this document clearly has implications for a much broader conspiracy that entangles the myriad paper chasers in a web of double-crossing, deceit and shifting loyalties as everyone attempts to get in on the action in hopes of a mounting, monumental payday. And just like every high stakes game, there are winners and losers on both sides.

Soderbergh directed the film from a screenplay written by Ed Solomon and produced by Casey Silver, both of whom he collaborated with on his HBO series Mosaic. Julie M. Anderson executive produced.

The director’s creative team behind the scenes included Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler (Black Panther) and costume designer Marci Rodgers (BlacKkKlansman), with music by David Holmes (Baby Driver, TV’s Killing Eve).

No Sudden Move will be released in Australian cinemas August 26!
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This is a modern day tale of drug running and Mexico/America border politics and it draws you in with bold strokes. It then details the character’s action in such a way as to illustrate the horrors that both the innocent and guilty have to endure during these drug wars.

The screenplay leads you to make certain assumptions about the main protagonists actions and it’s to its satisfying complexity that right up until the end of the last reel there are still surprises left in store.

In our house, bookending Sicario between the binge watching adventure that is Narcos has lead to a lot of exposure of a certain subject matter and it’s to the credit of both the movie and the TV series that we still can’t get enough.

Rob Hudson
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