Month: December 2013

VideAU Games Feature: Best 13 Video Games of 2013!

2013 marked a lot of firsts for us at the AU, and one of the new additions to the site we’ve been most excited about has been our new video games section “VideAU Games”. We asked our new team of contributors to tell us their favourite games of 2013, and from that, we bring you…

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the AU interview: Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth (USA) on his Sydney Festival premiere performance "Hurricane Transcriptions"

Earlier this month, Larry caught up with Lee Ranaldo from the iconic group Sonic Youth, who will return to Australia next month for the local premiere of his new work Hurricane Transcriptions (Last Night on Earth) exclusively at the Sydney Festival. We talk about the composition, his recent work with his band The Dust and…

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The Iris’ 13 Best TV Shows of 2013

We asked the contributors of The Iris to tell us their favourite shows of 2013, and here now are the top thirteen they voted! Only three new series make the list, with the other ten proving that the best only get better as the seasons continue… 13. Person of Interest – CBS, USA This continues…

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Film Review: August: Osage County (MA15+) (USA, 2013)

It’s almost become cliché to say it now, but Meryl Streep dominates yet another film. August: Osage County is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, with original playwright Tracy Letts penning the screenplay for The Company Men director John Wells to helm. A darkly comic drama, the film begins…

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Box Office Report: Ron Burgundy still kind of a big deal.

The release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues has sent Ron Burgundy and his News Team straight to the top of the Australian box office over the past week. The comedy sequel made an impressive debut, especially considering that the original Anchorman only made $1,669,440 in its entire Australian run back in 2004. David O. Russell’s American Hustle and animated sequel Cloudy With…

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TV Review: Doctor Who – The Time of the Doctor (UK, 2013 Christmas Special)

If you’re a Doctor Who fan, “The Time of the Doctor” was more than just your usual Christmas Special. It means the end of the Matt Smith era and the beginning of our time with Peter Capaldi. Before we get to those eyes who appeared quickly in “The Day of the Doctor” (the 50th Anniversary…

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The Iris Interview: Greg 'Freddy' Camalier – Director of Muscle Shoals (USA, 2013)

The new documentary Muscle Shoals tells the story of a little town of the same name in Alabama, USA, where an incredible amount of iconic music was recorded at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios. We’re talking tracks by everyone from The Rolling Stones to U2 and Aretha Franklin (all of whom appear in the film)… to…

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The Iris Interview: Greg ‘Freddy’ Camalier – Director of Muscle Shoals (USA, 2013)

The new documentary Muscle Shoals tells the story of a little town of the same name in Alabama, USA, where an incredible amount of iconic music was recorded at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios. We’re talking tracks by everyone from The Rolling Stones to U2 and Aretha Franklin (all of whom appear in the film)… to…

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Film Review: Frozen (PG) (USA, 2013)

The Little Mermaid. Beauty and the Beast. Aladdin. The Lion King. These animated musical classics were all released within a 5 year period (1989-1994) when Disney animation was at its high point. This fruitful period, known as the Disney Renaissance, continued until the end of the century and also included films such as Mulan (1998) and Tarzan (1999). However, during the…

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the AU interview: Pez (Melbourne) talks Big Day Out

He’ll be representing Aussie Hip Hop in a big way at next month’s Big Day Out festival, so we took some time out to chat to the man known as Pez to talk about the BDO, his recent appearance at the Queenscliff Festival and much more… read on! How did your performance at the Queenscliff…

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The Iris Interview: Patrick Riester from Computer Chess (USA, 2013)

Back during the AU review’s Sydney Film Festival interview series for 2013, we sat down with Patrick Riester, one of the actors from the low budget film Computer Chess, directed by Andrew Bujalski. We talk about the unique filmmaking style, the story, being a part of the film and his usual role: editing. The film is screening…

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Film Review: The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug (M) (New Zealand/USA, 2013)

There’s a lot riding on the second installment in The Hobbit trilogy. The first film, An Unexpected Journey, did fairly well (if grossing over a billion dollars worldwide is your definition of “fairly well”) but received some less than favourable reviews, primarily due to its length and some issues with the High Frame Rate technology. Though…

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Film Review: Philomena (UK, USA & France, 2013)

Catholic guilt can be one pervasive beast and if ever there was a film to embody this phenomena it’s Philomena. This is the tragic drama/comedy that is inspired by a true story. It crosses three nations, several decades in time and shows the misdemeanours of an institution that should’ve protected its vulnerable charges. The film…

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the AU interview: Curator Rachel Kent on the Yoko Ono exhibition "War Is Over (If You Want It)" at the MCA in Sydney.

As we all celebrate the holiday season, there are bundles of must see attractions to keep families busy around the country. One such destination is the Museum of Contemporary Art’s exhibition Yoko Ono: War is Over (If You Want It). It’s as much as look back at her life in work as it is a…

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The Iris Interview: Jed Brophy of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (USA/New Zealand, 2013)

While at Supanova in Sydney all the way back in June, Larry Heath sat down with one of the dwarves from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy to talk about the films, New Zealand based actor Jed Brophy who plays Nori. We address some fan disappointment in the first film, how that might be addressed in the future, and what…

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The Iris Interview: Dean O’Gorman of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (USA/New Zealand, 2013)

Back in November, Supanova took over Adelaide for another year, drawing the pop culture geeks out in force for three days of pure awesomeness. As well as sitting in on some great panels and avoiding being stalked by Chewbacca, I had a chat with Dean O’Gorman, one of the ‘Supa-Star Guests’. O’Gorman, as many of you will…

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Film Review: Computer Chess (USA, 2013)

While Computer Chess is spruiked as a ‘hilariously offbeat comedy’, it only draws a few tepid chuckles, most of which don’t make the trip from brain to mouth. But assuming it’s one of those comedies where you’re not supposed to laugh, it’s still enjoyable. I’m just not sure if it’s enjoyable enough to invest your hard earned…

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Film Review: Muscle Shoals (USA, 2013)

The Muscle Shoals documentary is as soulful as the music that came out of the Alabama County of the same name. The documentary is filled to the brim with the rich musical history of the town that gave the world The Swampers, and countless hits from The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and way too many others…

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The Doctor Is In: A Doctor Who Podcast (Episode 001)

The Iris is proud to present, in anticipation of the final Matt Smith episode of Doctor Who later this week – the annual Christmas special – the first ever episode of our new Doctor Who Podcast “The Doctor is In” featuring Larry Heath and Sosefina Fuamoli. Larry, a newer fan, gets all the information from…

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Film Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (USA, 2013)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a film, which thrives in the visual first, and the story second. But the story is a very close second. Based on a short story in the New Yorker magazine by James Thurber – but not completely following it – we see Walter Mitty – played by Ben…

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Live Review: Pond + Doctopus – Metro Theatre, Sydney (20.12.13)

Pond has built themselves a reputation as one of Australia’s top live acts, and it’s not hard to see why, delivering a whole lot of noise on par with the depth of the album recordings. Support band Doctopus did a good job of warming up the crowd – with plenty of electric guitar, stage banter…

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Film Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (M) (USA, 2013)

Ask anyone under the age of 30 what they think is the funniest film ever made, and 9 out of 10 of them will say Anchorman. Hardly a success when released in 2004, the film became a hit on DVD and has since become the most frequently quoted film amongst members of Generation Y. Who among us has…

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The 10 Best Aussie Songs of the Summer (2013 Edition) – Brought to you by UE Boom

As we all start to look towards a week – maybe even two or more away from the office – it’s that time of year when many of us hit the road with our friends and families and get away from anything that reminds us of work. We head to the beaches, we head to…

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the AU interview: Adrian Fitipaldes of Northlane (Sydney) talks Big Day Out and their 2014 World Tour!

Earlier today I caught up with Adrian Fitipaldes from Sydney five piece Northlane to talk about their massive year, their plans for 2014 – new music, Big Day Out and a world tour – and I find out what his favourite record of 2013 was. Listen on! The full list of announced Northlane dates for…

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Top 40 Tracks of 2013: Part Four – The Top 10!

The time has come for us to reveal out top ten songs of the year… here we go! 10. Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams – Lose Yourself to Dance Chris Singh: The dream-team that began with ‘Get Lucky’ get even more rhythmic on ‘Lose Yourself to Dance,’ ending up with the funkiest modern disco jam…

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Top 40 Tracks of 2013: Part Three – 20 to 11

It’s time to enter the top twenty of our favourite tracks of 2013, as voted exclusively by the writers and photographers at the AU review. So strap yourself in, there is some damn fine music enclosed… 20. Jagwar Ma – Come Save Me 19. Savages – She Will Pete Dovgan: A post punk classic. Intense…

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22 Jump Street gets a Hilarious Red Band Trailer. Watch it here!

The Iris presents the new trailer for 22 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Note: this is the uncut, red band trailer and it contains coarse language and adult themes. In the action-comedy 22 Jump Street, after making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah…

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First trailer released for Blended, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

The first official HD trailer for Blended has been released and we have it for you here on The Iris! Blended marks the third comedy collaboration between stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, following their successful onscreen pairings in the hit romantic comedies 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer. After a disastrous blind date,…

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The Iris Interview: Adam McKay – Director of Anchorman 2

Released today in Australian cinemas, The Iris meets Director and Comedian Adam McKay on the red carpet of the Sydney premiere of Anchorman 2 to talk about the unlikely return of Mr. Ron Burgundy. ———- This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may have formatting errors – images…

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