Dr Luke Buckmaster

The brilliance of Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Rose Byrne detonates the screen in this blistering, uneasy, darkly comic character study that grips like a vise and refuses to let go.

Rose Byrne detonates the screen in this blistering, darkly comic character study that grips like a vise. Me on the amazing If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Train Dreams is one of the great films of 2025 Joel Edgerton has drawn widespread acclaim for his performance in Netflix’s beautifully composed meditation on work, wonder, and lives that slip quietly through history’s cracks.

A beautifully composed meditation on work, wonder, and lives that slip quietly through history’s cracks. My review of Netflix's superb drama Train Dreams

Predator: Badlands is the right kind of worldbuilding With Predator: Badlands, director Dan Trachtenberg turns franchise pulp into genuine worldbuilding—giving the franchise new moral terrain and unexpected softnesss.

Predator: Badlands turns franchise pulp into genuine worldbuilding, giving the franchise new moral terrain and unexpected softnesss. My review

Pluribus rewrites the end of the world with a blissfully strange twist What if the end of the world felt…kind of lovely? The new show from the creator of Breaking Bad creates a truly genre-breaking apocalypse.

What if the end of the world felt…kind of lovely? My review of the genre-breaking new show from the creator of Breaking Bad

Death by Lightning is a wildly entertaining ride through historical chaos Netflix’s four-part drama dives into the messy events leading up to the assassination of U.S. President James A Garfield. With excellent performances and a cracking script, his ain’t a dry history les...

Netflix’s new drama dives into the messy events leading up to the assassination of U.S. President James A Garfield. With excellent performances and a cracking script, this ain’t a dry history lesson.

Why A Scanner Darkly is Keanu Reeves’ most underrated movie With Keanu Reeves back on the big screen in Good Fortune, it’s the perfect time to revisit his most under-appreciated film: a mind-bending, visually unique sci-fi.

I revisit Keanu Reeves' most under-appreciated film: A Scanner Darkly. It's a visually unique sci-fi that makes a powerful message about the futility of the war on drugs

Deeper review – extreme cave diving documentary offers drama but lacks a little oomph Following a group of divers – including Richard Harris, rescuer of the Thai schoolboys – this doco is interesting but not exactly visually stunning

My review of Deeper - an entertaining and quite well-made film about a team of cave divers exploring New Zealand’s Pearse Resurgence cave system

Journey Home, David Gulpilil review – an elegant celebration of one of Australia’s great actors This illuminating, buoyant documentary traces the 4,000km trip to return the legendary Yolŋu actor to remote East Arnhem Land

It says something about the eternal qualities of the late and great David Gulpilil that he continues to be at the centre of remarkable stories, even after his death. My review of Journey Home, David Gulpilil

Wolfram review – Warwick Thornton’s sequel to Sweet Country never quite comes together Set four years after Thornton’s blistering neo-western, this film is impressively atmospheric and has strong performances, though Deborah Mailman is criminally underused

Warwick Thornton's sequel to Sweet Country has pacing issues and an emotional throughline that never quite takes hold. My review of Wolfram - a minor work from a major talent

This documentary was directed by an acclaimed filmmaker and person of colour. It was not made by Netflix; it was bought by them at Sundance. It was made according to the wishes of the deceased woman's family, and dedicated to her children. It pursues the path of justice and exposes systemic racism.

The Perfect Neighbor turns bodycam footage into a gut-punch documentary Part true crime and part social study, Netflix’s hit documentary uses police bodycam footage to explore how fear and racism fuel tragedy.

There's never been a documentary quite like The Perfect Neighbor, which uses police bodycam footage to explore how fear and racism fuel tragedy. My review

What a weird name for a dog. But sorry for their loss.

Star Wars: Beyond Victory review - flashes of ingenuity After playing Star Wars: Beyond Victory, I’m convinced that a mixed reality racing game will one day come along and knock our socks off—but this one isn’t it. There are some lovely embellishments, inc...

After playing Star Wars: Beyond Victory, I’m convinced that a mixed reality racing game will one day come along and knock our socks off—but this one isn’t it

Netflix’s The twits plays tug-of-war between nasty and nice Netflix’s The Twits looks gloriously off-kilter—crooked, colourful, and cheeky. But the script swaps Roald Dahl’s delicious cruelty for something sweeter.

Netflix’s The Twits looks gloriously off-kilter—crooked, colourful, and cheeky. But the script swaps Roald Dahl’s delicious cruelty for something sweeter. My review

How Tron: Ares reimagines the Tron universe Tron: Ares reinvents the iconic science fiction franchise, bringing its burningly bright virtual world crashing into ours. There are some surprises – and lots of “look, shiny!”

While this bumpily plotted ride is far from a masterpiece - with a couple of scenes (including a soapy epilogue) deserving of immediate deletion - it’s got fun ideas and several surprises, says @lukebuckmaster.bsky.social

The Idea of Australia review – an ambitious but overstuffed series that will make you shout ‘slow down!’ Marcia Langton, Bruce Pascoe, Grace Tame and Kerry O’Brien are among more than 60 names wrestling with the national identity in this frenetic SBS series, presented by Rachel Griffiths

The question at the heart of this four-part series is problematically vague; no nation can be reduced to a single unifying idea. My thoughts on The Idea of Australia

Forgive Us All review – a dead-boring zombie film? That’s unforgivable Handsome cinematography and New Zealand landscapes can’t revive this dreary movie – and where on earth is Richard Roxburgh’s accent from?

Handsome cinematography and beautiful landscapes can’t revive this dreary film – and where on earth is Richard Roxburgh’s accent from? My review of the NZ zombie movie Forgive Us All

October is a cracking month for action movies Action movie lovers, rejoice! This month a handful of adrenaline-charged movies light up our screens—from fiery rescues to criminal capers and wartime terror.

It's rare to have this many cracking action movies premiering in the same month. Here's five adrenaline-charged new releases - from fiery rescues to criminal capers and nuclear terror.

The Travellers review – sentiment smothers Bruce Beresford’s heartfelt film Bryan Brown, Luke Bracey and Susie Porter give great performances in this story about a theatre-maker returning home to Australia from Europe to farewell his dying mother

The new film from veteran director Bruce Beresford feels old-fashioned and simplistic, and while it’s told from the heart, sentiment smothers the story. My review of The Travellers

Netflix drama Steve breathes new life into the ‘school of hard knocks’ genre Cillian Murphy burns slow and bright in Steve, a bruising but cathartic portrait of care, chaos, and collapse inside an English reform school—now streaming on Netflix.

The “school of hard knocks” drama must deliver students in need of help; a more interesting question is what to do with the teachers. Me on Netflix's excellent new film Steve

The Lost Bus is a terrifyingly immersive disaster movie Matthew McConaughey steers through an inferno in this pulse-pounding film, which showcases the intense, famously restless style of director Paul Greengrass.

Matthew McConaughey plays a school bus driver barrelling through hell-on-earth wildfire in The Lost Bus, a pulse-pounding disaster movie from director Paul Greengrass. Here's my review

Play Dirty is exactly what you want from a Shane Black action movie Mark Wahlberg sneaks, shoots, and connives in Shane Black’s twisty new heist thriller—an action flick that thrives on flipping expectations.

Mark Wahlberg sneaks, shoots, and connives in Shane Black’s twisty new heist thriller—an action flick that thrives on flipping expectations. My review

The time I accidentally pissed off Paul Thomas Anderson There’s the old saying “never meet your heroes.” But what about “never piss off your heroes”? Luke Buckmaster remembers the time he upset one of his favourite directors.

There’s the old saying “never meet your heroes.” But what about “never piss off your heroes”? Me on the time I upset one of my favourite directors www.flicks.com.au/features/the...

Spinal Tap’s geriatric comeback rocks harder than expected Spinal Tap II: The End Continues reunites rock’s most pathetic legends – who are now older, slower, but more endearing than ever.

Did This Is Spinal Tap accidentally give us Donald Trump? Just kidding. Kind of. Here are my thoughts on their new movie—and the tangled extension cords of pop culture

Kangaroo review – furry family feature is hard to hate Made by the director of Looking for Alibrandi and co-written by Melina Marchetta, this children’s film gets a little cheesy – but it’s also full of very cute joeys

Ah yes: the opportunistic city slicker who exits the fast lane and rediscovers the important things in life. My review of new Australian film Kangaroo

The electric energy of One Battle After Another Violent, funny, and unnervingly real, Paul Thomas Anderson’s exhilerating new film crafts a jittery vision of America unraveling.

There’s an electric energy to Paul Thomas Anderson’s #OneBattleAfterAnother, says @lukebuckmaster.bsky.social, who calls it "an exhilaratingly well-made, teeth-gnashing action thriller that unfolds on the ground, close to the gutter"

Mystery Road: Origin season two review – outback sleuth Jay Swan’s latest outing is classily executed but a little hackneyed It’s as though Mark Coles Smith has always played the role – the highest of compliments given that he’s filling Aaron Pedersen’s very big cowboy boots

Critic like me simply must grumble about the glut of sequels and spin-offs clogging up our screens. But I’ll always have time for new adventures from outback sleuth Jay Swan.

The perilous prettiness of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey Every frame is like a painting in Kogonada’s beautiful romantic drama. But, asks Luke Buckmaster, do we really feel this work or admire it from behind glass?

Every frame is like a painting in Kogonada’s beautiful romantic drama. But, do we really feel this work, or admire it from behind glass? My thoughts

Australia 3D review – the world’s most majestic tourism ad This Imax documentary features stunning landscapes and images of Australia’s varied fauna – that wouldn’t be out of place on the back of a plane seat

The title "Australia 3D" brings to mind two equally terrifying possibilities. The first: a smorgasbord of stereotypical Australian images. The second: another version of a terrible Baz Luhrmann movie. Thank god this film is neither.

The terrible irony at the heart of KPop Demon Hunters Flicks lead critic Luke Buckmaster puts his fingers in his ears and tries to comprehend the incredible success of KPop Demon Hunters, which is now Netflix’s most streamed movie.

The great irony about this film is that its characters save the world by using the devil’s music. I put my fingers in my ears and attempt to understand its phenomenal popularity