A lot of your enjoyment of Eddington will be based on how much you’ve recovered from that undeniably bleak period of time. The film successfully ties in so many elements of the wildness that swept the world then. These include conspiracy theories, government over governance and the big bad that lurks behind all unexplained plot points in films such as this. It’s an intoxicating medley.

Set in a small, downwardly mobile town in New Mexico, Eddington has seen better days. The current mayor, Ted Garcia, played against character by Pedro Pascal, has high hopes of bringing the town back to life by building a massive tech centre out in the scrub. His COVID mandates and the impact the centre will have on the community have divided the population. The uncertainty of the times has also created a militant attitude among the local teens.

The film mines so many of the extremes of that period of time, it would seem to struggle to have a unified theme, but as things progress, it trades sense for overkill and just gets more and more extreme. This gives Phoenix the platform to do what he does best and match the mania, note for note. The ironic ending when it lands feels just about right, filtered through the sensibilities of our current state of the world.
Rob Hudson
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Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix as small-town sheriff Joe Cross, who runs for mayor when progressive incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) attempts to modernize their dusty hamlet by attracting a new artificial-intelligence data center. Aster’s fourth feature takes the form of a classic showdown between two opposing forces over the future of Eddington, New Mexico (population 2,345), as spiraling conspiracies and standoffs derail a citizenry pushed to the brink.

Featuring an ensemble supporting cast of townspeople grappling with a changing world, EDDINGTON also stars Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Amélie Hoeferle, Cameron Mann, and Matt Gomez Hidaka.

More than anything, the film is driven by the absurdity of everything that came out of that summer and the five years that followed. EDDINGTON frequently plays out as a dark comedy, be- cause after all, if you can’t laugh at today’s American circus, you’ll surely cry.

Eddington will be released in Aussie cinemas August 21!
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EDDINGTON stars Joaquin Phoenix as small-town sheriff Joe Cross, who runs for mayor when progressive incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) attempts to modernize their dusty hamlet by attracting a new artificial-intelligence data center. Aster’s fourth feature takes the form of a classic showdown between two opposing forces over the future of Eddington, New Mexico (population 2,345), as spiraling conspiracies and standoffs derail a citizenry pushed to the brink.

Featuring an ensemble supporting cast of townspeople grappling with a changing world, EDDINGTON also stars Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Amélie Hoeferle, Cameron Mann, and Matt Gomez Hidaka.

More than anything, the film is driven by the absurdity of everything that came out of that summer and the five years that followed. EDDINGTON frequently plays out as a dark comedy, be- cause after all, if you can’t laugh at today’s American circus, you’ll surely cry.
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Set in and around a faded old cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, it follows Hilary (Olivia Colman) a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Micheal Ward), a new employee who longs to escape this provincial town in which he faces daily adversity.

Both Hilary and Stephen find a sense of belonging through their unlikely and tender relationship and come to experience the healing power of music, cinema, and community.

Written and directed by Sam Mendes, Empire of Light stars Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, with Toby Jones and Colin Firth.

The film is produced by Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris’ Neal Street Productions, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures.
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Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema from Academy Award® winning director Sam Mendes.

EMPIRE OF LIGHT features a stellar cast led by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, BAFTA winner Micheal Ward, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, with Toby Jones, and Academy Award winner Colin Firth.

The film is produced by Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris’ Neal Street Productions, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures. The film will release in Australian cinemas on February 2, 2023.
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