Trading the parched open spaces of The Dry for the wet, dense and almost claustrophobic environment found deep in the Victorian mountains helps to redefine the story here. It revolves around a group of women who are on a company hiking retreat when things spiral dramatically out of control. There is also a back story that one of the female participants is a whistle-blower helping the Feds.

The new storyline is intertwined with scenes that put a focus on the events that made Falk the agent that he became and goes some way to explain his obsessive nature in this case. Connolly uses a slow burn approach and it puts the cast’s acting chops under the microscope as opposed to relying on action set pieces. Some might bemoan the lack of activity but that is misguided.

This is a human tale that builds suspense from subtlety and nuance. As the title suggests the power of Mother Nature is ever present and adds to the building of tension. Filing this under the “best-laid plans” as its original release date was postponed out of solidarity with those affected by the Writer Strike taking place in the US. Regardless of the delay, the finished results are more than worth the wait.
Rob Hudson
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Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is directed by Robert Connolly and stars Eric Bana, Anna Torv, Deborra-lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Tony Briggs and Kenneth Radley.

Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is coming to Australian cinemas on August 24, 2023.
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In Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is directed by Robert Connolly and stars Eric Bana, Anna Torv, Deborah-lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Tony Briggs and Kenneth Radley.

In Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is coming to Australian cinemas on August 24, 2023.
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The film is based on the bestselling novel by Jane Harper with Eric Bana reprising his character, Aaron Falk. Robert Connolly returns to direct the movie.

Bana is joined by cast members Anna Torv (The Last of Us), Deborra-lee Furness (Jindabyne), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat), Lucy Ansell (Utopia), and Jacqueline McKenzie (Romper Stomper).

Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor is back in the role of Erik Falk, alongside Richard Roxburgh (Rake), Tony Briggs (Cleverman) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog).

Produced by Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories, alongside Eric Bana for Pick Up Truck Pictures and Robert Connolly for Arenamedia. Ricci Swart, Meryl Metni, Andrew Myer, Robert Patterson, Andrew Bassat, Joanna Baevski, Hayley Baillie, James Baillie, and Roadshow Films’ Joel Pearlman and Edwina Waddy are executive producing.

In ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’, when five women take part in a corporate hiking retreat and only four come out on the other side, Federal Agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head deep into the Victorian mountain ranges to investigate in the hopes of finding their whistle-blowing informant, Alice Russell, alive.

Joel Pearlman, CEO Roadshow Films said, “We are delighted to announce that ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’ will come to cinemas this year. We know that audiences are going to embrace this film as much as they did with ‘The Dry’, and we can’t wait for them to see it on the big screen.”

Producers Papandrea, Matterson and Hutensky said: “After watching audiences fall in love with The Dry, we’re so excited to bring this next instalment in Jane Harper’s thrilling Aaron Falk series, ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’, to big screens across Australia alongside Roadshow Films. Audiences are going to be blown away by the tour de force performances of Eric Bana and this assemble of terrific Australian actresses”.

Director Robert Connolly said, “Adapting Jane Harper’s remarkable ‘Force of Nature’ for the cinema has been an exciting adventure, a rare privilege to be able to revisit the world of detective Aaron Falk and to work again with Eric, an extraordinary supporting cast and a wonderful team of creatives and crew. Jane’s novels evoke the often-terrifying beauty of the natural world, and in this sequel to ‘The Dry’ we take audiences into a new landscape to solve entwining crimes in the remote Australian wilderness.”

‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’ received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with VicScreen.
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The suitably named actor, Daisy Axon is wonderful as the red haired, freckled faced Candice Phee. Her overabundant optimism sees her brush off almost every obstacle in her way except the one that really matters. That one might take more than just positive thoughts. Her parents are stuck in survival mode after a family tragedy and Candice will stop at nothing to raise their spirits.

Along the way, her jubilant nature never falters and she will have an uplifting effect on all those around her. With every character, even the mean girls, failing to dent her cheerfulness, there is not really an emphasis on reality but so what? It makes for a nice change of pace to live in such a simple world, if only for ninety-eight brief minutes.

Made for the young and the young at heart, H Is For Happiness is that rare film that succeeds at entertaining without resorting to adult innuendo or profanity laden dialogue. It’s warm hearted and sets the harsh realities of life aside, yet makes no apologies for utilising that approach.

Rob Hudson
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This retelling of the Karate Kid storyline with its mentor/student dynamic is set in the world of go cart racing and delivers it message in a very angst free way. There are no surprises in store and that makes for a nostalgic experience.

Jack Hooper (William Lodder) is a young man who is morning the loss of his father and dealing with the move to a new town. His mother Christine (Frances O’Connor) is trying her best to help with the transition more as a friend than a dominant parent and Richard Roxburgh is cast as the mentor Patrick.

The acting is inconsistent amongst the youth but the adult cast members carry the day. The go cart racing scenes are well choreographed and this helps as the nomenclature of the cart racing is very inaccurate. Racing only provides the backdrop for this coming of age tale. Go! is a straightforward film that is easy to like.

Rob Hudson
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Jack’s got natural talent but must learn to control his recklessness. To do that, he’ll need the help of aspiring engineer, Mandy, wise-cracking best mate Colin and mysterious mentor, Patrick. Together, the team will endeavour to overcome all odds and defeat ruthless racer Dean to win the National Go Kart Championship. GO! is a high-octane Australian family film with heart.

GO! is directed by Owen Trevor and stars William Lodder, Anastasia Bampos, Darius Amarfio-Jefferson, Dan Wyllie, Cooper Van Grootel, Damian De Montemas with Richard Roxburgh and Frances O’Connor.

GO! releases in Australia in theatres on January 16, 2020.
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The tension created rarely subsides and in the few moments of relative calm, there is an overriding sense of impending danger. Even the most benign actions seem to carry colossal consequences. Living in peace time, it’s hard to comprehend how the young troops (most of them in their early twenties) could cope with such intense pressure.

The film is very effective at making the audience feel the close proximity to death as the bullets fly and the dread never subsides. We get to know the boys that make up the 1st Australian Task Force and it provides a small window into their lives and reinforces just how normal their existence was before the war.

This informs how it becomes even more tragic that their deaths will leave a permanent absence in the families that were left behind. The battle of Long Tan is remembered as a victory by both sides but does more to reinforce the idea of the futility of war. That so many misfortunate souls lost their lives in a war that had no real positive outcomes is the saddest take away.

Rob Hudson
www.dangerclosemovie.com

Starring an outstanding Australian cast including Travis Fimmel, Luke Bracey, Daniel Webber, Nicholas Hamilton, Stephen Peacock, and Richard Roxburgh, DANGER CLOSE: THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN is directed by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog), from a script by Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Australia), and is inspired by true events.

The dramatic new trailer follows Major Harry Smith (Fimmel) as he leads a dispersed company of 108 young and mostly inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers as they fight for their lives, holding off an overwhelming enemy force of 2,500 battle hardened North Vietnamese soldiers. Finding strength in each other amid a furious battle, the trailer shows the heroism, mateship and sacrifice made by Delta Company at the Battle of Long Tan, one of the most savage and decisive ANZAC engagements in Australian military history.

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan is releasing in Australian cinemas August 8, 2019.

To enter this great competition simply fallout the form below. Please note – these tickets are for a specific event only and can not be exchanged or refunded. The winners will need to be available on Monday August 5 at 6:30pm in Brisbane to be able to attend this event at Palace Barracks Cinema.

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Competition will be drawn 1 August 2019, winners will be notified by email.

Starring an outstanding Australian cast including Travis Fimmel, Luke Bracey, Daniel Webber, Nicholas Hamilton, Stephen Peacock, and Richard Roxburgh, DANGER CLOSE: THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN is directed by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog), from a script by Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Australia), and is inspired by true events.

The dramatic new trailer follows Major Harry Smith (Fimmel) as he leads a dispersed company of 108 young and mostly inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers as they fight for their lives, holding off an overwhelming enemy force of 2,500 battle hardened North Vietnamese soldiers. Finding strength in each other amid a furious battle, the trailer shows the heroism, mateship and sacrifice made by Delta Company at the Battle of Long Tan, one of the most savage and decisive ANZAC engagements in Australian military history.

“DANGER CLOSE: THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN is an Australian epic, inspired by an incredible ANZAC story. This trailer showcases the dedication of the filmmaking team to this story and we can’t wait for audiences to embrace the film when it’s released in cinemas,” said Transmission Films Joint Managing Directors Andrew Mackie and Richard Payten.

“After the overwhelming response to our first teaser trailer, we are very excited about releasing this new trailer and poster. Our cast and crew have put their hearts and souls into the making of this important film and we are all eagerly counting down the days until audiences can see and experience it for themselves,” said Producers Martin Walsh, John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz.

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan is releasing in Australian cinemas August 8, 2019.
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