The Problem with People is a gently paced comedy that suits as breezy Sunday afternoon entertainment: British Film Festival Review

Even though something like The Problem with People is a film that very much plays by a certain rulebook, you can’t help but still feel the charm of Chris Cottam‘s dramedy across its breezy 100 minutes. Co-written by Paul Reiser, the Mad About You alum layers a certain American view to the Irish countryside that…

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Dirrayawadha

Book Review: Dirrayawadha is Anita Heiss’s latest thought-provoking historical novel

Prolific Australian author, Anita Heiss, published her ninth novel in August, following the success of her 2021 historical fiction book, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams). Her latest book, Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) once again looks at Australian history from the perspective of First Nations characters, this time examining the Frontier Wars in Bathurst of the 1820s…

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Sonic X Shadow Generations is a worthy celebration of the iconic blue speedster

Back in 2011, the Sonic series was celebrating its 20th anniversary with a fusion of both new and old Sonic games in Sonic Generations, where the two would come together and you could get the best (or worst) of both worlds. It quickly became a fan favourite thanks to its nostalgia of Sonic’s origins and…

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Photo Gallery: Coldplay – Accor Stadium, Sydney (06.11.24)

Coldplay brought their Music of the Spheres World Tour to Accor Stadium in Sydney last night. The stadium was a riot of colour and overflowing with love, making for a spectacular night out. Three more shows are to come in Sydney, but they are all sold out. A full review is on its way. Bruce…

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Film Review: Red One; festive family flick is, unfortunately, forgettable

For a movie centred around the festive season and attempts to drive home the importance of joy, there’s very little on offer when it comes to the unnecessarily long 122 minutes of Red One. Less outright bad than it is bland – which can often be worse – Jake Kasdan‘s potential-filled holiday actioner creates a…

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Interview: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and the cast and creatives of Red One on their hope of making a new Christmas classic

The mission to save Christmas is on. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Red One is a must-see action-comedy event that delivers a fresh twist on Christmas for the holiday season. Directed by Jake Kasdan, who has previously teamed with Johnson on the blockbuster Jumanji movies, this multigenerational global spectacle features such megawatt stars as Chris Evans teaming…

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Pixies announce intimate live shows in Melbourne and Sydney

Alternative indie legends from Boston, USA, Pixies have announced exclusive intimate live shows in Melbourne and Sydney this November. Pixies are in Australia supporting Pearl Jam on their current East Coast Australian tour. Image by Pete Dovgan Fans will be treated to hearing live their latest album release The Night The Zombies Came (2024) plus…

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Photo Gallery: Viagra Boys + C.O.F.F.I.N. – Enmore Theatre (05.11.24)

Sweden’s punk rock legends Viagra Boys totally destroyed Sydney’s Enmore Theatre with a performance some are already hailing as “gig of the year”. Lead singer Sebastian Murphy was fierce, lively, charismatic and backed equally by the band. Superbly supported by local Sydney punk outfit C.O.F.F.I.N. (Children of Finland Fighting in Norway). Pete Dovgan brings your…

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Widow Clicquot; Haley Bennett takes centre stage as “the Grand Dame of Champagne” in rousing drama: British Film Festival Review

There’s a certain period-piece sexuality billowing through Widow Clicquot that brings to mind other such similarly-set efforts as Atonement and Pride & Prejudice.  And given that those films’ second-unit director, Thomas Napper, is at the helm here, it makes perfect sense that such detail and intimacy is adhered to; fittingly, Joe Wright, director of the…

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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered serves the ultimate way to experience this established masterpiece

In 2017, developer Guerilla Games took a huge swing after their work on the Killzone series and to craft an open-world RPG, with the release of Horizon Zero Dawn. The game was a huge success spawning a sequel, an upcoming LEGO spin-off, a VR game, an upcoming third instalment and finally, a spin-off TV series…

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Film Review: Audrey; Australian black comedy revels in its own bad attitude

Whether you actually want to admit it or not, there’s something admirable about a comedy that revels in the fact that it doesn’t play well with others.  Audrey is very much that bitch. It delights in being psychologically grotesque, and despite the fact that it features the type of teen mean girl embodiment that would’ve…

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Interview: Audrey creators, director Natalie Bailey and writer Lou Sanz, on embracing the dark side of humour

After impressing festival audiences with its acerbic humour, Audrey is a twisted, razor sharp film, both gloriously absurd and strangely relatable. Its black comedy at its best, inspired by modern classics like Muriel’s Wedding and Jennifer’s Body. With New Zealand’s funniest export leading the charge, alongside Australian screen veterans and emerging stars, Audrey is far from your average mother-daughter…

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Interview: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor on fighting for his character in Audrey, comedic complexities, and the necessary, terrifying reality of social media as an actor

Known primarily for his dramatic work across our screens for over three decades now, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor is embracing a new comedic persona in the audacious Audrey, a twisted, razor sharp film, both gloriously absurd and strangely relatable. Its black comedy at its best, inspired by modern classics like Muriel’s Wedding and Jennifer’s Body. As a husband and…

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Andr performing live at SXSW Sydney

Interview: Taiwanese singer / songwriter Andr chats about her SXSW Sydney performance

Andr is a musician from Taiwan that we caught up with recently at SXSW Sydney for the Taiwanese Beats Showcase. She shares her excitement about performing at Sydney and the enthusiastic crowd. She discusses her musical journey, starting with learning guitar in junior high and writing songs at 15. Her upcoming album, “Under Your Bed,”…

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Beam of Light

Book Review: John Kinsella’s Beam of Light: Stories is an ethereal collection

It’s hard to summarise Western Australian author John Kinsella’s latest book – Beam of Light: Stories, save for describing the way it feels: a little uncanny, a little haunting. An anthology of short stories – most of which are extremely short, even for the genre – its atmosphere and thoughtfulness makes for a fascinating read,…

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The Order is a fascinating insight into a real crime story: Adelaide Film Festival Review

The Adelaide Film Festival presented the Australian Premiere of director Justin Kurzel’s movie The Order at the Piccadilly Theatre last Wednesday evening. Based on a true story, it stars Jude Law as world weary FBI agent Terry Husk, who is sent to investigate a series of armed robberies in the Pacific Northwest in 1983. Nicholas…

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Hayley Mary

Live Review: Hayley Mary + Sans Rival – Waywards, Sydney (01.11.2024)

Historically Hayley Mary has never failed to deliver. One of the best vocalists of the past 15 years or so, she has always crushed a live show. Heading out on her own on the back of her debut solo album Roman XS, she brought the goods once more to Sydney’s Waywards club. After a couple of…

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard makes for an incredibly enjoyable RPG adventure

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since the last Dragon Age game? For as decent as Dragon Age: Inquisition is, I can understand the hesitation that many would feel when it comes to diving back into this, given developer BioWare’s recent track record. Mass Effect: Andromeda was average at best, while Anthem barely had…

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The Plucky Squire is a fun, laidback action adventure experience that leaps off the page

There’s always a gamble when picking up a game aimed at younger audiences—wondering if it will transcend the typical “kids’ game” boundaries to captivate players of all ages. Classics like Super Mario, Spyro, and Crash Bandicoot have found this balance, creating worlds that invite a younger and older crowd. However, new releases often raise the…

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Thom Yorke was the scariest thing in Sydney this Halloween

A sinister wall of synths and strings shoots from the tiny Sydney Opera House forecourt stage. One of music’s most formidable creatives is cheering himself on as the flickering orange glow illuminates his half-cocked cackle, making him look like a mad scientist as he fiddles away with his equipment and twists his arms into the…

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Photo Gallery: The Jungle Giants + The Moving Stills – Dee Why RSL, Sydney (31.10.24)

The Jungle Giants took their regional tour to Dee Why RSL on the Northern Beaches of Sydney on Thursday night.  It was a fantastic show, and the crowd were well and truly up for it. There were plenty of Halloween costumes, and the band was on fire.  There were some uber-fans present, plenty of love…

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Cold Chisel remain at their timeless best at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on The Big Five-O Tour (30.10.24)

The poison chalice of rock and roll superstardom is the seductive, yet false, promise of eternal youth. Like lightning in a bottle, the volatile mix of youth and adolescent rebellion—capturing the pulse of a generation at precisely the right moment—feels unstoppable. Immune to time. But inevitably, that image cracks, and even the greats confront the…

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InnBuffalo Review: A picture perfect Bed and Breakfast experience you didn’t know you were missing

On a recent visit to Buffalo in New York, right by Niagara Falls, I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in a historic 1898 mansion, InnBuffalo. This building is now a quaint Bed and Breakfast (or “BnB”) that sits within Buffalo’s vibrant Elmwood Village. It was as typical a BnB as you could expect…

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Photo Gallery: Thom Yorke – Sydney Opera House Forecourt (01.11.24)

Thom Yorke is on his debut solo tour of Australia, and tonight was his first Sydney show, at the iconic Sydney Opera House Forecourt.  It was a brilliant set to a packed audience, with a number of Radiohead songs thrown into the mix. Bruce was there to bring you these images. Review is on its…

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Win an exclusive piece of framed concept art for The Wild Robot and a Digital Access Code to view the film at home

To celebrate the home digital release of The Wild Robot, thanks to Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Organic. we have an exclusive piece of framed concept art to give away to one lucky reader, as well as a Digital Access Code so you can view the film at home. The film comes from a new…

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From Electric Playhouse to AREA15, Las Vegas is re-inventing the party space – for adults

As a kid who grew up in the 90s – between the US and Australia – I was gifted with a potpourri of ever-evolving options to celebrate a birthday with friends. Since the 1970s, there’s been all-you-can-eat pizza places with arcades and playhouses, from Pizza Hut to Chuck-E-Cheese. In the mid-1980s, laser tag entered the…

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Interview: Connie Nielsen on returning for Gladiator II, further exploring her character’s complexities and collaborating with Ridley Scott

Following on from our red carpet chats with the cast and creatives of Gladiator II at the Australian premiere, Connie Nielsen sat down with our own Peter Gray to further discuss her return as Lucilla after over 2 decades, if she saw a change in Ridley Scott’s directing after this time, and if she could…

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Sarah Blasko

Interview: Sarah Blasko on rebuilding, the push and pull of the Church, and upcoming national tour

Today Sarah Blasko has released her sixth studio album, the beautiful I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain. It’s a deeply personal and cathartic album, as Sarah reflects on goodbyes and new beginnings. I had a chat with Sarah about the genesis of the album and it’s influences, her upcoming tour and much more. Links for…

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Interview: Paul Mescal and the cast of Gladiator II at the Australian premiere in Sydney

Ushering in a new generation of heroes, legendary director Ridley Scott continues the epic Gladiator saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome with Gladiator II. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his…

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New Music Discoveries 1st November: Delivery, JACOTÉNE, Davey Lane, and more

We’ve slipped into November and are barrelling towards Christmas at an alarming speed. In between gorging on leftover Halloween treats we’ve added ten more tracks to our Discovery Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. Along with two singles we exclusively premiered earlier in the week, we also have “Only A Fool”, our Track of the…

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