Month: May 2014

the AU interview at CMW: Deon (Singapore) talks about Australia and working with Melbourne's Dru Chen on his debut album!

the AU review sits down with Singapore artist DEON at Canadian Music Week in Toronto to talk about his Australian plans and experiences, on working with Melbourne artist Dru Chen, recording a track together on DEON’s debut album… plus he talks about his band!

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Reflecting on Canadian Music Week 2014 in Toronto

2014 marked a series of changes for the annual music conference and festival, Canadian Music Week (CMW). Usually held in March, the week after SXSW (though when I first attended in 2011, it was held before the Austin event), organisers moved the event to May this year to combat the much-dreaded SXSW week-long hangover as…

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Festival Review: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2014 – Part Three ft. Alabama Shakes + Arcade Fire + Christina Aguilera & More!

We’ve already covered some of the smaller stages at the event, as well as our discoveries, but as for the rest, Bruce Springsteen wasn’t the only highlight among the main stages during the three days I was at the festival. Let’s kick things off with another of the five bands we recommended to catch at…

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Here’s the first official look at Batfleck and the new Batmobile

Ever since it was announced last year that Ben Affleck would be taking over the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman from Christian Bale in Zack Snyder’s untitled Batman vs. Superman film, fans have experienced a complex set of emotions. While many were not hugely happy with the casting choice, everyone has been holding out for a…

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Box Office Report: Bad Neighbours takes the top spot again

After taking the top spot last weekend with $2.6 million from advanced screenings, it is not a surprise that Seth Rogen / Zac Efron comedy Bad Neighbours took the top spot again this past weekend, raking in another $4.7 million. The film has been a huge hit so far both here and in the US,…

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A look at the music films screening at the upcoming Sydney Film Festival

The 61st Sydney Film Festival is coming up next month (June 4th to 15th), and the full program announced last week boasts an incredible array of exciting films. Included in the program is a great selection of music films, both documentaries and features. Below is a rundown of the music films screening at the Festival….

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 5 “The Runaways” (USA, 2014)

Critics and fans of this current age of television are quick to wax lyrical over the current crop of shows we have to enjoy; “The Golden Age of TV” and “TV is the new cinema!” are two phrases that get bandied about often. Yet for all of the past decade or so of television’s ‘cinematic’…

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TV Review: Unplanned America – Episode 2 “Family Matters” (SBS2, Australia)

In Episode 2 ‘Family Matters’ the boys travel to two vastly different events in different cities to discover that family doesn’t have to be about blood relatives and can come in the most unlikeliest of places and forms. The first is the Gathering of the Juggalos in Southern Illinois, a music festival dedicated to fans…

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TV Review: Unplanned America – Episode 1 “When Fantasy Meets Reality” (SBS2, Australia)

Unplanned America is not your conventional reality series. We meet three Aussie blokes, Tim ‘Gonzo’ Ryan, Pawel ‘Parv’ Jarecki and Nick Maher, who have decided to take a break from their lives and go on an epic road trip across America to discover the weird and wonderful side of the Land of the Free; the…

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Watch Riley Blakeway’s new short film Someplace Else, presented by Corona Extra

With the release of Someplace Else, the new short film directed by Riley Blakeway, we celebrate the subcultures that sit hand in hand with the breezy Corona Extra lifestyle. Here you will find the joys encompassed in one week, lost and found, in the unique area of Mexico. Presented by Corona Extra, Someplace Else is…

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Film Review: The Zero Theorem (UK, 2013)

Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam has always stood out for his eccentric and distinctive style of filmmaking; always full of imagination, his films take you on an unusual, yet mostly enjoyable journey. His latest effort, The Zero Theorem, is no exception. In dystopian London, where everyone dresses like Lady Gaga and you’re asked to worship…

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Film Review: The New Black (Sweden, 2014)

The Next Black is a fashion documentary that doesn’t look at what’s in style now; nor does it examine what will be fashionable in a year’s time. Instead, it looks around the corner at what is coming next by interviewing the pioneers and innovators within the industry who are using technology and new ideas to…

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Exclusive Interview: Director Riley Blakeway speaks on Someplace Else

Presented by Corona Extra and Directed by Riley Blakeway, Someplace Else features Ozzie Wright, Dylan Graves, Hanni El Khatib, Rose Ashton, Jeff Canham and Andrew Brophy. Corona Extra pulled together this eclectic group of individuals for the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7…

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Live Review: Michael Buble + Naturally 7 – Allphones Arena, Sydney (09.05.14)

It’s evident that Michael Buble has a special place in his heart for his Australian fans, as this is where he got his first big break in 2000, just before he almost gave up on music. Thankfully he didn’t, as his popularity and success over the last 14 years has only grown, and with good…

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Album Review: Play It Again – Classic Hollywood (2014 LP)

For any nostalgia driven Hollywood movie buffs, and lovers of the grand music scores from classic movies, this album is a little slice of heaven. Each track transports the listener to another time and place, swept away in magnificent and timeless orchestrations, with the only down-side of leaving you a little jarred upon returning to…

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Exclusive Interview: Jeff Canham speaks on his experiences in Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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Film Review: Belle & Sebastian (France, 2013)

Belle and Sebastian is a remake of the much-loved 1960s French TV series in which a six-year-old boy befriends a wild mountain dog on the pastoral slopes of the French Alps. Since this version incorporates an additional story of Jewish fugitives attempting to cross the border into neutral Switzerland, the film comes off like a…

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Film Review: Transcendence (USA, 2014)

It’s a film which has been mostly panned by critics, but Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, the Johnny Depp-fronted Transcendence doesn’t fail to at least keep engagement consistent until the very end. Although clunky at times, and full of half-excellent performances, the film finds it’s feet in cinematography, speaking highly for Pfister’s unquestionable talent. Though visuals…

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TV Review: Game of Thrones – Season 4, Episodes 4 “Oathkeeper” and 5 “First of His Name” (USA, 2014)

These episodes are being welded together as they both serve the purpose of re-arranging the show after Joffrey’s shocking death in “The Lion and The Rose.” While we are seeing Dany get a bit more innovative with her “roam around freeing slaves” shtick, “Oathkeeper” gave us one of her weaker sequences. It was a grand,…

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TV Review: Fargo – Season 1 Episode 3 “A Muddy Road” (USA, 2014)

With the episode titled ‘A Muddy Road’ this is bound to lead us down an even more twisted and precarious path as we delve deeper into the mysterious and crooked goings-on in Minnesota as one by one our characters become more inter-twined within this dark evil web. We start by taking a trip back to…

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TV Review: The Feed – Season 2, Episode 52 – 8th May 2014 (SBS2, Australia)

Even as the fine journalists at Fairfax walk out in protest of impending cuts, nothing can stop The Feed. It was this story that opened the episode of May 8 2014, and it really just serves as another depressing chapter in the miserable book that ‘old media’ has become- yet you can’t help but feel…

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TV Review: Fargo – Season 1, Episodes 1 “The Crocodile Dilemma” and 2 “The Rooster Prince” (USA, 2014)

From the opening scene right through to the closing credits Fargo emulates its film forebear with the same intriguing plot, twisted dark humour and spectacular cinematography. With the original Ethan and Joel Coen brothers as executive producers and writing credits the series was destined to have a similar tone. The series commissioned for a limited…

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What to expect from the new SBS 2 series Unplanned America, premiering May 12th at 9:30pm

Premiering Monday 12 on SBS 2, a new six-part Australian series will follow three friends – Gonzo, Nick, and Parv – on the road less travelled in the expansive United States of America. Unplanned America is about the in-depth exploration that evolved from a lack of travel books, an aversion of backpacker guides, and seemingly…

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Film Review: Healing (M) (Australia, 2014)

In Victoria, the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary has been conducting its Bird Rehabilitation Program at nearby Won Wron Correctional Centre for nearly two decades. One morning, whilst reading The Age, director Craig Monahan stumbled upon an article about the facility; it’s been ten long years since he read that article, and in that time, Healing has…

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Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt chase tomorrow right to the edge with epic Edge of Tomorrow premiere event

Well this is pretty impressive. In order to promote their upcoming sci-fi film Edge of Tomorrow, stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt will be taking part in a groundbreaking event that has never before been attempted. They will be attending three premieres in one day (July 28th). But the catch is, each premiere is in…

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 4 “The Monolith” (USA, 2014)

‘The Monolith’ – what a title for an episode of anything not directly related to 2001: A Space Odyssey. The one shot that recalls 2001 comes early is blink-and-you-miss-it quick; a shot of the SC&P elevator doors, black and imposing against a white background. And like the monolith in 2001, this doors represent all the…

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Film Review: Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants 3D (France, 2014)

Anyone who’s chuckled madly at the 4 minute animated slices of goodness that make-up Minuscule, will no doubt be welling with excitement at the thought of a full length feature delving into this charming insect world. French creators Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo have taken the plunge, writing and directing a film crammed with action…

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Exclusive Interview: Dylan Graves talks us through his experience on Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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Festival Review: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2014 – Part Two ft. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!

Though our last two articles looked at some of the lesser known acts at Jazz Fest, let’s face it – it’s the headliners that get us through the door at these events. It’s their incredible and anticipated sets that we spend the day holding our breath for, while we enjoy weeks of anticipation in the…

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Complete program announced for the 61st Sydney Film Festival

The program for the 61st Sydney Film Festival was officially launched today by Tony Grant, the NSW Minister for the Arts. The Festival will run from the 4th to the 15th of June and will showcase a wide and exciting range of incredible films. This year the Festival consists of 183 titles from 47 countries, including 15 World Premieres (including 6 World Premiere short…

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