Month: May 2016

Blu-Ray Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (M15+) (USA, 2015)

As we celebrate #MayThe4thBeWithYou, we sat down with the two disc Blu-Ray release of the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. First, we look back at Ryan Champion’s review of the film, before we get neck deep in the disc of special features that fans can enjoy! So, is the release worth the purchase?…

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Sydney Film Festival combines fine foods and film for gourmet cinema event

The Sydney Film Festival, nearing one month from its starting date, continues to make additions to the eleven-day event. This time pairing with Sydney restaurant The Bridge Room for a screen and dine event. The gourmet cinema event will run from the 14th-15th of June and start with a screening of Ants on a Shrimp:…

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Vikings, Warcraft star Travis Fimmel to attend Supanova Expo in Sydney and Perth

Australian actor Travis Fimmel will attend local Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney and Perth in June. The Aussie thespian from country Victoria has garnered international praise for his portrayal of Ragnar Lothbrok in critically acclaimed historical drama Vikings, created and written by Michael Hirst. He also stars as Sir Anduin Lothar, the main hero…

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Video Games Review: Star Fox Zero (Wii U, 2016)

It’s been a while since I went back and forth on a game the way I have with Star Fox Zero. For those who would consider themselves veterans of the series, it’s a confusing experience from the moment it begins. It looks like the Star Fox you know and love. It sounds like the Star Fox you know…

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Presto graffiti Melbourne to celebrate the release of Empire season one

Celebrating urban oeuvre and series release, Empire and Presto are encouraging Australians to submit their hip-hop pseudonym to Presto on Facebook for a chance to have their name painted by the center of Melbourne’s CBD. Graffiti artist Vanderlism will paint submitted names during an exhibition at the Empire shrine, on the corner of La Trobe…

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Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell’s Bad Moms gets a trailer

The new comedy from the writing duo behind The Hangover has received its first trailer and it looks like that Jon Lucas and Scott Moore magic has been rekindled. Starring real life moms Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Christina Applegate, Bad Moms is about three mothers departing from the formal customs of work and PTA…

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Supanova patches June lineup with Vikings and Deadpool stars

Bad news for Wonder Woman fans – Gal Godot has had to postpone her upcoming appearance at Supanova Pop Culture Expo’s Sydney and Perth events due to filming commitments for the Justice League film. However, the expo has traded one legendary warrior for another with Aussie-actor-turned-Viking Travis Fimmel added to the  lineup. With the premiere…

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Martin Scorsese in talks for George Washington biopic

Oscar Award winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Departed) is in early talks to direct the gritty George Washington biopic The General from Red Granite Pictures. The script is the work of Assassin’s Creed writers Adam Cooper and Bill Collage. Red Granite’s Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland will be producing. The story centers around General…

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Human Rights Arts & Film Festival Review: Hooligan Sparrow (China, 2016)

There are a LOT of crazy, yet infuriating stories that happen in Communist China. Some of the stories include an annual dog-eating festival to its catastrophic levels of pollution to hundreds of dead pigs in rivers and many others – but none of them had prepared me for this hard-hitting and shocking documentary. When I first…

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Human Rights Arts & Film Festival Review: GTFO (USA, 2015)

It’s no secret that nerd culture has a problem with sexism. From last year’s #gamergate to the more-recent controversy around Allison Rapp, discourse in the games industry has been dominated by this ugly cultural intersection between woman and video games. For those who haven’t been keeping tabs on things, GFTO is a reasonably effective primer as…

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Interview: Our exclusive with Pixar’s Sharon Calahan

With Inside Out‘s Best Animated Feature win at the Oscars behind us and the release of Finding Dory creeping up on us, it’s a good time to be a Pixar fan. We caught up with Sharon Calahan, one of the studios most prolific cinematographers and talked about her work, The Good Dinosaur and the culture of a…

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Flight Review: Norwegian Airlines (New York JFK to London Gatwick) DY7016 – Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner

Last Year, as we flew from New York City’s JFK to London’s Gatwick to make it to The Great Escape, AU Abroad’s Larry Heath tried out the service of Norwegian Airlines for the first time. It also marked his first flight on the new Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner. A budget airline along the lines of Jetstar,…

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Travel Diary: Queensland’s Selahphonic take on House Parties in LA, Canadian Music Week, Rehab in San Jose and more!

Last year, Sunshine Coast’s Selahphonic enjoyed house parties in L.A, had a “rad” three days at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, headed to to Dive Bars and Rehab in San Jose, not to mention big water falls and big bridges… And they treated us all to their experiences in this exclusive Travel Diary. This one’s a…

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Resort Spotlight: It’s Safari Meets the Sea at The Elandra Mission Beach in North Queensland

”Chris, we need you to fly up to Cairns and travel to a private resort near Mission Beach where you’ll stay the weekend”. Never have I heard a sentence so sweet. A unique blend of safari and suave, The Elandra, Mission Beach sits pretty in the middle of a tropical rainforest, approximately two-hours drive from…

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Professor Brian Cox returns to Australia in August with a new stage show

Former keyboardist, and current superstar physicist Professor Brian Cox OBE is returning to Australia in August with a brand new stage show; A Journey in to Deep Space. Once again teaming up with Lateral Events, Cox over the course of the show will be exploring some of the unanswered questions that abound about deep space; drawing…

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Seven new Melbourne bars you really need to know about

Melbourne’s bar scene is perhaps the most influential in the country, and it’s a constant reference point for creativity and culture, always moving forward. That forward movement has resulted in some pretty epic openings in the past few months so from Fitzroy to Cheltenham we bring you seven of our favourite new and new-ish bars…

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What to do for Cinco de Mayo in Sydney for 2016

Tomorrow, May 5th, will bring Cinco de Mayo around once again, celebrating Mexican culture around the world, and you can be sure some of Sydney’s best are getting involved with various specials, events, and more. We’ve put together a guide for the best happenings in Sydney tomorrow so get across these and you’ll soon be…

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David Thompson to open Long Chim in Martin Place (Sydney)

Mid-way throughout August this year Sydney will be getting a brand new Thai street food restaurant from world-renowned Chef and restaurateur David Thompson, a man who has long been considered as an authority on Thai food. Thompson has confirmed that he’ll be bringing his famed Long Chim restaurant in Sydney, adding it to his list…

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Review: The Swanson Hotel – Erskineville (Sydney)

When we first arrived at The Swanson Hotel, I almost had to double check we were in the right place. The funky wallpaper, animal print stools and mounted zebra head on the wall was highly contrasting to the red-brick exterior and terraced houses that we’d left outside. Having passed the pub a few times on…

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Our top picks for Australia’s Top Restaurants dining program in each state

May has become one of the most exciting months of Australia’s culinary calendar thanks to the massive dining program that aims to celebrate The Australian Financial Review’s Australia’s Top Restaurants presented by Qantas, highlighting the best of the best with exclusive events and special offers in each state set to showcase what makes this country’s…

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Make way for some Space Jam 2

Another sequel we’re actually okay about – Space Jam is returning! Justin Lin (Fast and the Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond) is co-writing with Andrew Dodge (Bad Words) and Alfredo Botello (Hollywood Adventures, Crickets) to bring some ’90s hoops back. Replacing Michael Jordon is the Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, who recently made an appearance in Amy Schumer’s…

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Live Review: Philadelphia Grand Jury – The Producers Bar, Adelaide (30.04.16)

The Producers Bar, situated down the east end of Adelaide’s city district, is not a venue I would’ve associated with a bustling live music and entertainment environment. It’s a venue that has seen shut down to then be rebranded, to then be shut down again, a few times; a venue that has always shown potential, but…

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Our first thoughts on the new Radiohead track “Burn The Witch”

The song told us not to react. But we just couldn’t help ourself. “Burn The Witch” is… incredible. Remember that production for that rejected Bond track with all the strings? It seemed they didn’t let those strings to go to waste. Or at the very least were inspired to keep working with the higher string production…

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Desert Trip Festival confirmed: The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan & more to appear

Recently, when there were reports of a ‘mega festival’ featuring some of rock and roll’s most beloved names (think: The Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who…) swirling, it seemed to good to be true. Well, doubters, think again: the Desert Trip Festival has been officially announced and it’s coming out of the gates blazing with some MASSIVE names….

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Music Video of the Day: Horror My Friend “PB Remains” (2016)

Adelaide trio Horror My Friend today announced that they’re UK bound – heading out to Brighton, England in a few weeks for The Great Escape, where they’ll be performing some showcase sets including a spot on the always-popular Aussie BBQ line up in London. Before they leave however, the boys have dropped their latest music video, this…

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Aussies at CMW: Spotlight on 2016 Showcase Artist, DARTS!

Melbourne five piece DARTS are set to make their Canadian Music Week debut tomorrow and before they hit Toronto’s music scene, we get to know a bit more about the group and their approach to the 2016 event! Lead vocalist and guitarist Ally Campbell takes the reins for this ‘Getting to Know You’ rundown… Have you played CMW…

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Single of the Day: The Tambourine Girls “Police” (2016)

Sydney’s The Tambourine Girls have been making some decent impact through impressive live shows with the likes of Holy Holy and The Preatures recently, and in their new single “Police”, the group have continued the momentum. The single is the band’s first from their forthcoming debut album and its release comes with the news of The…

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MS MR talk us through the “Wrong Victory” music video & their plans for 2016

While in Sydney for an unforgettable headline Groovin’ the Moo sideshow, MS MR caught up with Larry for a chat. While the first part of the interview saw Max and Lizzy reflect on their last year or so on the road, here, the band looks ahead to the rest of 2016. Following their Australian tour, MS MR head back to the United States,…

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Karnivool hitting the east coast with ‘The Pre-Animation Tour’ this June & July

Karnivool are bringing the noise back to fans on the Australian east coast this winter, the only tour dates the band will be doing before they finish up recording album number four. April saw Karnivool road test some new material over some shows in Western Australia and in June and July, the WA natives are…

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Summer Flake’s ‘Hello Friends’ tour kicks off in Hobart this Friday

Summer Flake are soon to be on the road with their new album, Hello Friends, with the tour starting in Hobart this Friday night! The album has already been reaping in much praise and acclaim from press since its recent release, showcasing songwriter Stephanie Crase‘s continuously developing talent as a lyricist and musician. Vibrant, broody in places…

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