I am autistic and I am tired. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when I was 8 years old. Although I have always had a love of film, it was not until my late teens…
Sean Coates
Sean Coates
Sean is a recent film school graduate and aspiring film critic based in Melbourne, Australia. He is MovieBabble's unofficial and self-appointed Australian correspondent and you can read his musings on Australian cinema his fortnightly column, The Babble Down Under. Sean is also the creator/host of Another Bloody Movie Podcast.
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Being an Australian writer for a US-based website, I have always strived to review and promote Australian cinema ever since I started at MovieBabble. And now, Our wonderful CEO has given me my own special…
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Another Bloody Movie PodcastPodcasts
An Interview with Paul Komadina, Director of ‘Abduction’
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesRecently screened online at North Bend Film Fest as part of Nightstream, Abduction is a new Australian science fiction short from director, Paul Komadina. The film follows a young woman that wakes up in a field after…
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AnalysisFeatures
Nightstream – A Sneak Peak into a New Online Genre Film Festival
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesThe Global Film community has been hit hard by COVID-19. Productions stalled, cinemas closed, release dates postponed. Even as cinemas are now gradually starting to reopen, several safety and security concerns with physical exhibition still…
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Another Bloody Movie PodcastPodcasts
Fantasia Film Festival 2020: An Interview with Quinn Armstrong, Director of ‘Survival Skills’
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesQuinn Armstrong’s Survival Skills has proved to be an audience favorite at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival. A parody of police training videos of the 1980s, Armstrong’s film delves deeper into the outmoded teachings of these…
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Action/AdventureReviews
Fantasia Film Festival 2020 Review: ‘Crazy Samurai Musashi’
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesA renowned philosopher and swordsman of the early Edo period, the life of Miyamoto Musashi has been told onscreen countless times since the late 1920s. Most notably in Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy, where the legendary…
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DocumentaryReviews
Fantasia Film Festival 2020 Review: ‘Feels Good, Man’
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesBack in 2005, American cartoonist Matt Furie created the popular webcomic, Boy’s Club. A re-creation of his halcyon days with his college roommates, Boy’s Club was composed of deadpan comic vignettes of 4 anthropomorphic humanoid…
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AnimationReviews
Fantasia Film Festival 2020 Review: ‘The Old Man Movie’
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesGenre festivals like Fantasia do incredible work in programming an eclectic variety of cinema that is proudly and unapologetically so far from the norm. Whether it’s films with bold and transgressive storytelling, films that are…
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Another Bloody Movie PodcastPodcasts
MIFF 2020: An Interview with Allison Chhorn, Director of ‘The Plastic House’
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesCambodian-Australian, Allison Chhorn is an artist of many talents. A skilled photographer, painter, composer, and filmmaker, Chhorn is a bold and intriguing new voice in Australia’s artistic landscape. Her latest experimental cinematic effort, The Plastic…
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There’s something about micro-budget, social realist, mumblecore adjacent independent films with an emphasis on naturalism and a kind empathy for deeply flawed and troubled characters that feels so invigorating. Canadian director, Kazik Radwanski’s deeply uncomfortable…
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DocumentaryReviews
2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival: Virtual Edition Mini-Reviews – Part 2
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesRead part 1 of our 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival coverage here. The Wheels of Wonder Play is a very important aspect of every child’s development. It gets them moving, stimulates their imagination, and helps…
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ComedyReviews
‘Babyteeth’: A Vibrant, Yet Bittersweet and Transgressive Take on the Teen Cancer Dramedy
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesAs MovieBabble’s unofficial and self-appointed Australian correspondent, it is my obligation to pounce on any Australian film that falls into the lap of the MovieBabble staff to review. My ears especially prick up when I…
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Reviews
2020 Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition Mini-Reviews – Part 2: Documentaries
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesThis is part 2 of my 2020 Sydney Film Festival Coverage. To read Part 1, click here. Part 1 covered the narrative features, and now we are here to focus on the documentaries screening online…
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Reviews
2020 Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition Mini-Reviews – Part 1
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesLike most good things in life that were put on hold or canceled due to COVID-19, the 67th Sydney Film Festival cannot go ahead in its traditional form in 2020. But thanks to the tireless…
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Melbourne and Sydney cinephiles craving cinema that is bold, subversive, unconventional, or just plain bizarre have rejoiced with the inaugural Fantastic Film Festival Australia. Over 2 weeks in late February and early March, the festival…
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ReviewsRomance
‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ is Passionate, Soul-Stirring Romance at its Finest
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesWhen it comes to films with a heavy focus on artists and art in general, it is difficult to not be a little apprehensive. It can often be a slippery slope leading into shallow self-indulgence…
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DramaReviews
‘True History of the Kelly Gang’: A Subversive Dismantling of Masculinity and an Australian Icon
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesThe infamous Victorian Bushranger, Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly is arguably Australia’s most controversial historical figure. A 19th-century outlaw, thief, and murderer that in equal measure has been both condemned as a villain and mythologized as a…
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Action/AdventureReviews
‘The Gentlemen’ is a Disposable, Yet Welcome Return to Guy Ritchie’s Comfort Zone
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesGuy Ritchie has had quite an interesting career. Making a name for himself in the late 90s and early 00s with the critical and financial success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, movie-goers were…
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ReviewsThriller
‘Parasite’ is Bong Joon-ho’s Masterpiece and The Best Film of 2019
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesIf there is any nation on this earth that is truly overdue for awards attention due to their amazing output of quality cinema, it is South Korea. Shockingly, South Korea has never had a film…
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DocumentaryReviews
“Racism Stops With Me” – The Adam Goodes Story as Told by Two 2019 Documentaries
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesFootballer. Advocate. Champion. Hero. Inspiration. All of these words could be used to describe former Indigenous Australian Footballer, Adam Goodes. A remarkable man whose work both on and off the football field has been an…
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Reviews
Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) 2019 Mini Reviews – Part 2
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesClick here to read Part 1. MIFF 2019 keeps on going, and so do the mini reviews. Let’s dive right in! Sorry We Missed You At the sprightly age of 83, two-time Palme d’Or winner…
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Reviews
Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) 2019 Mini Reviews – Part 1
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesIf you are a film fan in the great city of Melbourne, August is the most wonderful time of the year. The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is in full swing and for the cinephiles…
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Spontaneously going to films you know nothing about is risky, but they can be the most rewarding cinema experiences you have. Flashback to last December when I attended ParaCinemaFest, a week-long festival at my local…
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Another Bloody Movie PodcastPodcasts
Melbourne International Film Festival 2019 Preview (Another Bloody Movie Podcast)
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesThe Melbourne International Film Festival is just over 2 weeks away. Celebrating it’s 68th year, the program for MIFF 2019 was unveiled last week, announcing the largest line-up in the festival’s history. Over a massive…
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It’s that time of year again. The 66th annual Sydney Film Festival has just kicked off for another year. Screening from June 5-16, The 2019 program boasts an impressive lineup of over 250 of the…
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After Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 film Children of Men, the Science-Fiction Fertility Thriller is a sub-genre rarely seen in cinema. But leave it to the mistress of the cinema of the body, Claire Denis to tackle…
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This is Part 2 of MovieBabble’s French Film Festival coverage. If you missed Part 1, click here to read. The 30th annual Alliance Française French Film Festival is now in full swing. Here are a…
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Another Bloody Movie PodcastPodcasts
Breaking Down the 2019 Melbourne Queer Film Festival
by Sean Coatesby Sean CoatesIn its 29th year, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival has become an institution as the largest queer film festival in the Southern Hemisphere. The festival continues to grow with over 120 features and shorts, panels,…
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2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the Alliance Française French Film Festival, bringing the best of contemporary French-language cinema to Australia since 1990. Screening at Palace Cinemas locations all across Australia, this year’s festival hosts…
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Expectations are very interesting to examine when it comes to film. Seeing a filmmaker’s name attached to a movie often gives you an idea of what you’re in for. However, whenever you see the words…