Month: May 2016

Six things we learned at the Hunt for the Wilderpeople Q&A at Palace Cinemas

Taika Waititi‘s New Zealand-set and produced Hunt for the Wilderpeople releases this week and we were lucky to be in attendance at the film’s Sydney premiere. Alongside getting to see the film itself (look for our review later in the week), we were also treated to a short Q&A with director Taika Waititi and cast members Julian…

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Blu-Ray Review: Deadpool (MA15+, USA, 2016)

For a while there it looked like the only version of Deadpool we’d ever see on the big screen was the somewhat cringe-inducing one we saw in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Studio execs at Fox were unsure about how to move forward with the character and make it a viable film. But when some test footage…

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DVD Review: Goosebumps (PG) (USA, 2015)

The Goosebumps novel series was one I read religiously as a child growing up – in fact I don’t know many 90’s children who weren’t invested in this wonderfully ghoulish series – so the idea of a (long overdue) cinematic adaptation of R.L. Stine’s classic tales was one I embraced wholeheartedly.  The type of subject matter…

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TV Review: Legends of Tomorrow, Season 1 (USA, 2016)

Given its status time-travelling superpowered team adventure, it feels safe to say Legends of Tomorrow is probably the most ambitious effort yet in the CW’s ever-growing lineup of superhero TV shows. Set around the time-travelling Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), who snatches various DC heroes and villains out of the present to go on a sprawling…

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Tigerair Australia offer one-way fares from $29 across 15 domestic and 3 international routes

Dubbed the “It’s Not Our Birthday, But The Party Is This Way” sale, the latest in Tigerair Australia’s regular sale offerings has 15 of their most popular domestic routes, as well as the airline’s three Bali routes cut-down to some very affordable prices. Until midnight (AEDT) tonight, Wednesday 25th May, one way fares will drop…

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Carnival Cruises Launches New WiFi and Social Media Plans

Let us not beat around the bush: in 2016, the only reason anyone actually travels anywhere is to Instagram the hell out of it. Of course, this is sometimes met with debilitating challenges involving poor/no (!!) Wifi connection, and ludicrously expensive data plans that can mean your casual ‘grams rack up hundreds of dollars in fees….

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Hotel Review: Twin Room at Ibis Perth (Western Australia)

Smack dab in the middle of Perth’s busy West End – sitting just 300m from the Murray and Hay Street shopping malls – is the Ibis Perth‘s 192 room hotel. Though only listed as a three star establishment, it seems unfair to throw it in the same category that many seedy motels around the country…

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Playwrite Rachel Coopes on working in Katherine and writing ATYP’s Sugarland.

Sugarland is currently heading around many regional venues of Australia after doing a short run in Melbourne and other Australian cities to some already-stellar reviews. The story follows the lives of five teenagers, documenting the unlikely friendships, but also of the difficult situations, that come with living as a teenager in the Northern Territory. We…

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Arts Review: Ships in the Night #13 – Paper Mountain, Perth (19.05.16)

Ships in the Night is Perth’s bi-monthly celebration of words and music, bringing together and showcasing new writers and bands. Last week’s event was the first since a successful outing at the Perth Fringe World. Instalment #13 was a certainly a mixed affair. Ultimately I found it to be disappointing and a little disorganised – though…

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Theatre Review: The Sound of Music – Regent Theatre (performances until July 30)

Melbourne was alive with The Sound of Music on Thursday night as the who’s who of the social elite came out for the opening night. With the thought of Julie Andrews prancing through hills conjuring up beautiful memories in my mind, I sat down delighted to see this long running show. It was a packed…

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Book Review: Don’t Hit Me! by Vanessa de Largie (Booktrope Books, 2016)

Trigger warning: This post includes information about domestic violence and may be distressing for some readers. Vanessa de Largie’s book will leave you torn. It’s a diarised account of the domestic violence she suffered from 2001–03. On the one hand you wish this book didn’t exist (and that de Largie didn’t have to live through…

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Theatre review: The Taming of the Shrew – Sport for Jove, The Seymour Centre (Performances until 28 May 2016)

The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s tale of a woman “tamed” by a man, has seen many adaptations over the years, but perhaps none so clever as the latest offering from Sport for Jove. Set in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1920s, a time of strong women – both on the silver…

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Ze Pickle announces kitchen takeover at The Oxford Tavern (Sydney)

After recently expanding to Sydney, QLD-originated burger joint Ze Pickle is now firmly established on the local scene thanks to their go-hard-or-go-home approach to the inescapable food trend. Their Surry Hills location isn’t too hard to get to, but just to make their burgers a bit more accessible they have announced a special one-day-only kitchen…

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Gourmet Cinema to pair Noma in Tokyo documentary with dinner at The Bridge Room (Sydney)

With interest in René Redzepi and his culinary perfection still at an all time high in Sydney, thanks to the recent Noma Australia pop-up, a documentary focusing on the highly regarded chef being included in Sydney Film Festival’s program this year works perfectly. As part of the annual festival’s Gourmet Cinema concept – which pairs…

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Cockle Bay Wharf’s finest to channel Vivid Sydney into exclusive cocktails

Throughout this year’s highly anticipated VIVID Sydney, the water-side precinct of Cockle Bay Wharf will once again be bringing back their exclusive food and drink offerings to meet, and surpass, the success of their involvement last year. The renowned dining and entertainment hub will be drawing on some of their best venues to absorb inspiration…

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Amaro Montenegro relaunches in Australia with stylish soiree at Melbourne’s Fall From Grace

Melbourne is one of those brilliant cities where you can literally get lost for hours down little alleyways, and with the right knowledge can find yourself in one of many hidden bars. Fall From Grace is one of those said hidden bars, accessible only by pulling out a book in a secret bookshelf and thus…

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Single of the Day: Bec Sandridge “You’re A Fucking Joke” (2016)

Bec Sandridge has continued to captivate with her latest single, “You’re a Fucking Joke”. Her vocals have a quality about them that is attention grabbing in the way that Kimbra, Regina Spektor and Kate Miller-Heidke have also been synonymous with – commanding, quirky and electrifying, Bec is just a joy to listen to. Her new single…

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SKIES (Adelaide) on their first ever international shows at The Great Escape & their effect on the band looking to the future

For any emerging artist, the concept of your first international tour is nothing short of exciting, daunting, nerve-wracking, all the above. Showcasing festivals aimed at bringing thousands of artists, industry members and music fans together for a concentrated period of time for musical discovery pulls all these feelings into one bubble and can be overwhelming…

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Skepta announces Australian and New Zealand tour dates for September

After only making his debut in Australia earlier this year through a series of NYE festivals and, UK grime emcee Skepta has announced an epic return to this side of the world with seven shows across Australia and New Zealand. The man, who just released his long-awaited 4th LP Konnichiwa, has marked a monumental push…

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Method Man and Redman announce Australian tour dates

There are few duos in hip-hop as dynamic as the classic pairing of Wu Tang’s Method Man and Def Squad’s Redman, two formidable emcees who have endeared across music, film, TV. Their trips down to Australia have been much too far and few between, but they have always hit hard with their off-the-wall live shows…

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Purple Sneakers announces tenth birthday celebration event as part of Vivid Sydney

As part of the forthcoming Vivid Sydney, Purple Sneakers have announced they will be throwing a huge party to celebrate their tenth birthday, which has been dubbed Ten Years Of Taste. Alongside FBi Radio and UNDR Ctrl, the birthday bash will be happening at The Lord Gladstone, with free entry all night (with RSVP) and…

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Kris Roe (The Ataris) on song writing, sincerity and staying power

Kris Roe is The Ataris. That’s not a schmaltzy fan-boy comment, it’s the truth. Ever since he began writing songs on his four-track and drum machine in his bedroom in 1995, he has written and recorded almost every part of every Ataris album. The line-ups that punk rock fans came to know and love were…

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Happy Overwatch Day, everyone

Cavalry’s here, loves. It’s May 24, which means Blizzard’s long-awaited team shooter Overwatch is now available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and the servers are live.

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Civil War villain Daniel Bruhl in talks to join J.J. Abrams’ The God Particle

Captain America: Civil War star Daniel Bruhl is in talks to join the cast of J.J. Abrams sci-fi thriller The God Particle, directed by Juliuis Onah. Bruhl will join David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, John Krasinski and Elizabeth Debicki who have all been cast to play a team of astronauts. The sci-fi thriller will be set…

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The Iris’ Weekly Australian TV Picks: 24 – 31 May

The Iris here with this week’s picks to make your relationship with the small screen captivating and special. Tuesday  Catalyst, ABC, 8:00pm AEST Biomedical engineer Jordan Nguyen and 13 year old Riley with cerebral palsy work together on a technology that grants Riley superpowers. Lincoln, One, 8:30pm AEST Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis) struggles to…

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TV Review: Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 5 “The Door” (USA, 2016)

Just because Benioff & Weiss are somewhat free from George RR Martin’s murderous ways in Game of Thrones’ source material, doesn’t mean the showrunners are any less capable of bringing us to tears. In what will be one of the most talked about scenes of the year when this season is over, a simple phrase…

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Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Review: Mad Tiger (USA / Japan, 2015)

Mad Tiger is such a strange and brilliant film it’s hard to know where to begin. Donning Power Rangers-inspired costumes and describing themselves as a “Japanese Action Comic Punk band”, Peelander-Z are a band you’ve probably never heard but aren’t unlikely to forget once you encounter them. In their own words, their performances are probably…

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Interview: Jess Scully teases VIVID Ideas 2016 lineup and talks House of Cards and Jenji Kohan

This year’s upcoming VIVID is set to be Sydney’s biggest yet. For VIVID Ideas, in particular, it’s hard not to call this year’s lineup their most ambitious effort with over planned 180 events and over 400 unique speakers including the House of Cards writer Beau Willimon and Orange is the New Black showrunner Jenji Kohan.  We caught up with the curator of…

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Live Review: Violent Soho + DZ Deathrays + Dune Rats + Gooch Palms – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (19.05.16)

Violent Soho’s WACO Tour was already in full swing with its Adelaide date, having already torn through a stack of sold out shows in Brisbane and Melbourne. Joined on-stage by some of their best and most rowdy mates, the crowd was in for a treat. Newcastle duo Gooch Palms opened the show with their unique…

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Resort Review: One Bedroom Sunset Apartment at The Point Resort (Bargara, Queensland)

The Point Resort sits beside a beautiful coast and town in Bargara, Queensland. But is location the only thing this resort has going for it? Lachlan brings us this review. Situated only a few metres from crashing waves and picnic tables, The Point Resort in Bargara is an ideal choice for families and couples on…

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