Articles by Luke Buckmaster

Last drinks have been called for The Hangover franchise. The bar tab hasn’t completely ran dry, but it’s time for everyone to go home.

Over zealous trailer editors reveal the best bits in movies well before you cough up your hard-earned to see them. But can a trailer really spoil the cinematic experience? I invented a way to find out.

What do Klingons, bikini babes, legendary film directors and Tom Cruise have in common? All feature in this fortnight’s The Parallax Podcast. Tune in to listen to myself, co-host Rich Haridy and cult film guru Zak Hepburn discuss a variety of cinema and DVD releases.

At first blush, provocateur Harmony Korine’s new film doesn’t have much in common with The Great Gatsby. Under the bonnet, and away from the bikinis, it may echo the themes of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal work more powerfully than Luhrmann’s movie.

Derek Cianfrance’s follow-up to his 2010 head turner Blue Valentine has guns, shoot-outs and Ryan Gosling — but it’s also a daring and unconventional work. There was plenty to talk about.

Writer/director Derek Cianfrance’s follow-up to Blue Valentine is extraordinarily bold and compelling, and one of the pedigree American films of 2013.

Star Trek Into Darkness is more than an elaborate dress rehearsal for J.J. Abrams’ next movie, Star Wars: Episode VII. It is a stunningly realised blockbuster.

Mads Mikkelsen is perfectly cast as a man unfairly accused of child abuse in writer/director Thomas Vinterberg’s cautionary tale about small town mob justice. But like the film, there is something cold and clinical about it.

Marlon Wayans isn’t known for critically acclaimed work. But comedy is subjective and sometimes — as he says of the critical populace — “you guys have got a thumb up your ass.”

As The Great Gatsby’s release date quickly approaches, new revelations emerge about Baz Luhrmann’s blockbuster. Cinetology lifts the lid.

The most interesting thing about Iron Man 3 isn’t the movie itself, but the return of legendary screenwriter Shane Black.

Zach Braff has snubbed the Hollywood studio system and launched a remarkably successful Kickstarter initiative to finance his new film. In the resulting commotion and commentary, some important factors have been neglected.

Terrorists storm the White House. Aliens roam the surface of a ravaged earth. A comedian sleepwalks and Hugh Jackman sings. Listen to myself and Rich Haridy discuss Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion, Sleepwalk With Me and more in this fornight’s The Parallax Podcast.

The nerve centre of American political power is pulverised in Olympus Has Fallen. Whether it intended to or not, the movie represents a turning point for Hollywood blockbusters.

A fresh batch of Paul Hogan related headlines reminds us that while the Crocodile Dundee star might have a large knife, he may also have a limited capacity for smart business decisions.

Tom Cruise and the director of Tron Legacy teamed up to make a US$100+ million art movie. It didn’t quite go to plan.

Director Danny Boyle’s new thriller is more psychotic than psychological — a wallop to the senses that comes on like gangbusters and never relents.