Book Review: Annie and Maeve are Definitely Not Friends is definitely a great middle grade read

It’s clear that disabled author Olivia Muscat knows just how frustrating and inaccurate some portrayals of disability (and especially blindness) can be. Equally as clear is her passion for telling a more accurate narrative, with all the real-life frustrations and unexpected aspects that can come with it. It’s that own-voices approach that makes her new…

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What to Read Next: Our Most Anticipated Books for April – June 2026

The colder weather is setting in, and with it, perfect reading weather. But with so many amazing new releases hitting the stands all the time, it can be hard to know where to begin. Never fear, as the books team from the AU Review are here to tell you all about the books you may…

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Kingswood hit the open road on Midnight Mavericks (2026 LP)

KINGSWOOD’s seventh album Midnight Mavericks is a love-letter to country rock and all things Americana.  The album kicks off with “Two Lovers”, a solid opener that features Steph Greenwood on vocals alongside lead singer Fergus Linacre. The rhythm guitars paired with a slide-guitar riff show off the band’s country-rock style, and sets the scene for…

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Everything you can watch on Prime Video this June!

June on Prime Video arrives with a packed slate spanning live sport, romance, fantasy, horror and prestige drama. Leading the month is every match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 streaming live, exclusive and free for Australian audiences from June 13, while BookTok-fuelled romance adaptations Every Year After and Your Fault: London promise…

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Melbourne favourite Tommy’s Booze introduces Kiwi: A limited-edition Italian liqueur with a fresh twist

Melbourne’s favourite makers of boozy Italian good times are back with a new flavour that’s impossible to ignore. Tommy’s Booze – the locally made liqueur brand born from friendship, hospitality and a whole lot of fruit – has unveiled Kiwi, a limited-edition release that might just be its boldest concoction yet. Sweet, tangy and unapologetically…

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The Spanish and Latin American Film Festival unveils full program for 2026

The 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival is ready to sweep Australian audiences away on a vibrant cinematic journey this winter, returning with a line-up bursting with passion, rhythm, heartbreak, suspense and soul. Running across Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas from June to July, the festival’s 29th edition brings together…

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New Music Discoveries 22nd May: Swapmeet, PASH, JACOTÉNE, and more

The latest update to our Discovery Playlist is here; with ten new tracks added across Apple Music and Spotify, including one exclusive premiere from earlier in the week. Our Track of the Week is Swapmeet’s “2 C U”, with the Adelaide outfit delivering a hazy, lofi slice of restrained infatuation that instantly got under our…

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Film Review: Passenger is a road trip to nowhere

André Øvredal has proven himself capable of delivering horror with atmosphere and restraint. Whether it was the creeping dread of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the gothic ambition of The Last Voyage of the Demeter, or the gateway scares of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, his work usually contains at least a few…

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Interview: Josh Heuston on Off Campus and the comfort of truly being seen; “The ultimate form of chemistry is comfortability.”

For Josh Heuston, romance is less about grand gestures than the rare comfort of being fully seen. It’s a sentiment that feels fitting for Off Campus, the buzzy new Prime Video college drama that has quickly become the internet’s latest obsession. Based on the bestselling book series, the show blends the heightened emotion of a…

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Katy Denney

Exclusive Single Premiere: Katy Denney “Flowers in My Hair” (2026)

Back in February, the AU review premiered Katy Denney’s “Bad At This”, introducing readers to a songwriter whose blend of indie folk intimacy and emotionally rich storytelling immediately struck a chord. Now, we’re thrilled to once again be showcasing new music from the Sydney artist, premiering her latest single “Flowers in My Hair” ahead of…

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The Insta360 Flow 2 Pro gimbal provides solid value for money

Don’t get me wrong, there are some really good cameras out there, and a purpose for every type of camera. But for most of us, you might not be so surprised to find there’s a decent option in your pocket. That’s the one, your phone. If you have a smartphone that’s generally receiving new apps…

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We’re getting another huge PlayStation State of Play in June

PlayStation have just announced via a recent PlayStation.Blog post, that we’ll be getting another State of Play on the morning of Wednesday, the 3rd of June. The whopping 60-minute showcase will supposedly focus on several new and existing releases, with a fresh look at Marvel’s Wolverine kicking things off. We’ve outlined all the Australian times…

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A night of wit, wonder and melody: Split Enz live in Sydney

At 9.05pm, the lights dimmed and giant orange silky moving ‘blob-ject’ made its way up a short set of stairs and onto the stage. Feet jumbling along with just enough skill to remain upright, before ‘woosh!’ the big reveal! Eat your heart out Taylor Swift, no elaborate pully systems required – this is how the…

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Audrey Hobert captivates Melbourne’s Forum

Last night, Audrey Hobert packed out Melbourne’s Forum for her first of two sold-out headline shows on her first proper Australian tour, Staircase To Stardom. There’s been a recent trend of international acts not having an opener, and while this is definitely disappointing, it felt fitting for a midweek concert on a freezing night. The…

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Film Review: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu; fans-only adventure mistakes familiarity for momentum

For a franchise built on cinematic awe, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives with surprisingly small ambitions. Expanded from the enormously successful Disney+ series The Mandalorian, the film technically delivers everything fans have come to expect: dusty space-western imagery, blaster-heavy action, adorable Grogu reaction shots, and endless lore connective tissue. What it struggles to…

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Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a delightful journey with plenty of replay value

When Nintendo first revealed Yoshi and the Mysterious Book for the Nintendo Switch 2, it sparked a lot of curiosity. As I noted in my hands-on preview last month, what seemed like a simple romp has proven to be an engaging evolution for the series. Now that I’ve spent significant time fully exploring Mr E’s…

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Move My Way: Ezra Collective, Freddie Gibbs, Kokoroko and Sampa the Great to headline new Astral People festival

Astral People have announced Move My Way, a brand new twin-city festival set to arrive this October, taking over Carriageworks in Eora/Sydney on Saturday 3 October and PICA in Naarm/Melbourne on Sunday 4 October. Headlined by Ezra Collective, Freddie Gibbs, Kokoroko and Sampa the Great, the inaugural festival is a community-focused gathering grounded in comfort,…

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World of Warcraft EP Holly Longdale to feature at PAX Aus 2026 as Storytime speaker

PAX Aus has announced that globally renowned game developer and MMORPG leader Holly Longdale will headline PAX Aus 2026 as this year’s Storytime speaker, sharing stories about shaping some of the world’s most defining games. With more than 20 years of experience, she’s an absolute veteran in the field and has had a hand in…

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Interview: Lamorne Morris and Karen Rodriguez on grounding the heightened world of Spider-Noir: “Play the story, and add your own version to it.”

In the world of Spider-Noir, shadows stretch longer, dialogue crackles with old-Hollywood rhythm, and even the city itself feels suspended somewhere between pulp detective fiction and comic-book mythology. But for stars Lamorne Morris and Karen Rodriguez, grounding that heightened world meant focusing less on stylisation and more on humanity. Based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man…

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Interview: Spider-Noir showrunner Oren Uziel on building a story that’s equal parts hard-boiled noir, comic-book pulp and melancholy character study

Ben Reilly’s version of Spider-Man has already lived through the kind of disillusionment most superhero stories spend entire trilogies building toward. By the time Spider-Noir begins, the idealism is gone, the city has worn him down, and what remains is a weary private investigator muttering lines like, “With no power, comes no responsibility” – a…

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I Don’t Care at 25: Appreciating Delta Goodrem’s teen-pop origins

There’s a certain poetic irony in the fact that Delta Goodrem‘s true debut single – “I Don’t Care” – is the one that rarely gets invited into the conversation. Overshadowed by the seismic impact of “Born To Try” and the era-defining success of her debut LP Innocent Eyes, this 2001 release has long been treated…

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Forza Horizon 6 hits another gear as the best entry in the series

For what it’s worth, I’ve never been to Japan, but have certainly fallen in love with their cars over the years. Growing up, the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) scene was massive in the early 2000’s here in Australia, and I actually knew a fair amount of people, be it family or friends, with these cars…

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Directive 8020 is a bold new direction for the Dark Pictures series

Since the launch of The Dark Pictures Anthology games, developer and publisher Supermassive Games has taken us through ghost ships, witch trials, and ancient temples. But with their latest entry, Directive 8020, the series finally blasts off into the dark, unforgiving vacuum of space, and the result is definitely worth checking out. With small, dark…

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Photo Gallery: The Great Escape – Day 4 ft. Ngaiire, sleepazoid, Salarymen & more (17.05.26)

The weather remained foul for the final day of The Great Escape, but spirits were high as we headed into the home stretch of another brilliant week on the south coast. Saturday belongs to the Australian contingent at the beach stages, with artists taking over all three venues and flying the flag in style. One…

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Photo Gallery: Split Enz + Vika and Linda – TikTok Entertainment Centre (18.05.26)

Split Enz returned to Sydney with original members Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn and Noel Crombie to play live at TikToc Entertainment Centre Sydney on their The Forever Enz Tour. The first of two nights. A nostalgic night from New Zealand’s greatest export playing the classic hits from their back catalogue including “History Never…

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Saplings at the Sydney Opera House exposes the injustice of the youth justice system

In NSW, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make up over 56% of those in youth detention, but only around 4% of the youth population. Presented by the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), Saplings at the Sydney Opera House sheds light on the youth justice system. Written by Yuwaalaray playwright Hannah Belanszky and directed…

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Film Review: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War; confident thriller works as both a continuation for fans of the series and a satisfying standalone for newcomers

There’s always a risk when a successful streaming series makes the leap to a feature film that it will feel like an extended episode rather than a cinematic evolution. Fortunately, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War threads that needle with confidence, delivering a slick, character-driven thriller that works both as a continuation for fans and…

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Film Review: Finding Emily; refreshingly sincere romantic comedy is a reminder of the joy of watching two people fall in love

Romantic comedies live and die by chemistry, sincerity and the audience’s willingness to believe two people are destined to collide at exactly the right moment. Finding Emily, the charming new feature from director Alicia MacDonald, understands that formula completely. Rather than trying to reinvent the genre, the film leans into what has always made these…

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Interview: Alicia MacDonald on favouring romantic optimism in cynical times with her romantic comedy Finding Emily

There’s a moment early in Finding Emily where sensitive musician Owen locks eyes with a stranger across a crowded student union, and suddenly the world feels charged with possibility. It’s a feeling director Alicia MacDonald spends the entirety of her warm, witty and deeply heartfelt romantic comedy chasing – that intoxicating blur between adolescence and…

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Interview: Angourie Rice and Spike Fearn on building chemistry through their opposing acting processes for Finding Emily

Romantic comedies have always thrived on grand gestures, chance encounters and impossibly perfect timing, but Finding Emily is more interested in the messy uncertainty that exists between those moments. Produced by Working Title Films, the warm and disarmingly sincere new film follows sensitive musician Owen (Spike Fearn), whose attempt to reconnect with a girl he…

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