Year: 2016

Win a double pass to see Red Dog: True Blue

If you’re not familiar with Red Dog, the original film is the story of a charismatic kelpie who roamed the West Australian outback in the 1970s, hitching rides, adopting people and uniting communities along the way. The original film was beloved by Australians of all ages. Red Dog: True Blue is a prequel set in…

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Adventure Time is getting a live show and it’s coming to Australia!

For the very first time, Adventure Time fans will be treated to an interactive, live audio-visual event featuring members from the all-star cast of the hit Cartoon Network series. Adventure Time LIVE will see cast members from the show take part in a moderated discussion, live readings of classic scenes from the Emmy Award-nominated series, audience Q&A…

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Win a copy of Secret City: Season 1 on DVD

Featuring an all-star cast including two-time Academy Award® nominee Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook,Animal Kingdom), Anna Torv (Deadline Gallipoli, Fringe), Alan Dale (NCIS, Entourage) and Dan Wyllie (Offspring, The Code), Secret City is an Australian political thriller about a journalist who uncovers a secret city of interlocked conspiracies, putting innocent lives in danger and threatening…

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Monster Fest Film Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (USA, 2016) is a must see for the non-squeamish

The best thing I can say about The Autopsy of Jane Doe, “Best International Feature” at this years Monster Fest, is that it is a welcome, fresh new take on the horror genre… until it isn’t. Jane Doe follows Tommy and his son Austin (Brian Cox & Emile Hirsch, respectively) who work in a family run morgue beneath their home….

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Hacksaw Ridge and Rake among first winners of 6th AACTA Awards

Although the 6th Annual AACTA Awards are to be held on Wednesday, a special luncheon yesterday saw 30 categories release their winners. Mel Gibson‘s acclaimed war biopic Hacksaw Ridge, has 13 nominations across the awards, including Best Film and Best Director, and yesterday took home four: Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography and Best…

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TV Review: Ash vs Evil Dead continues its stellar run with Season 2, Episode 9 “Home Again” (USA, 2016)

Holy fan service Batman! What an episode! After a weeks break the streak continues as the second season of Ash vs Evil Dead continues to churn out a host of stellar episodes. But none of them are quite as special as this one. The crew return but are unfortunately much more disheveled than when we…

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The Iris’ Weekly Australian TV Picks: 6 – 12 December

From Lucifer to Vampires, fashion shows to great Australian comedies, this is a look ahead to your week on free-to-air and Foxtel: Tuesday, 6th December The A Word, BBC First, 8:30pm AEST The Hughes family reunite to celebrate Joe’s 5th birthday. But tension ensues when Eddie and Nicola point out that the boy has communication…

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TV Review: The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 7 “Sing Me a Song” sets things up nicely for the mid-season finale

Ratings are sliding for The Walking Dead and a big chunk of viewers are sounding off on social media; while it’s far from a consensus, it’s safe to say many have been disappointed with the way this uneven season has been flowing (remember Ezekiel? You’d be forgiven for forgetting already). A stubborn insistence on overlong…

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United Polaris International Business Class officially begins roll-out on United Airlines’ fleet

This past week, United Airlines‘ new Polaris International Business Class began its roll-out, with the launch of a new inflight food and beverage experience, bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue, new amenities from Soho House & Co’s Cowshed Spa and the first Polaris lounge, which opened at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Saks Fifth Avenue’s new bedding…

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The Craft & Co is hosting a big European style Christmas Market this weekend (Melbourne)

With Christmas a few mere weeks away, the team behind The Craft & Co are hosting their very first Christmas market on December 11, to be held in the multi-faceted Collingwood space, which is regularly used as an eatery, distillery, brewery, and a coffe roaster among many others. With the motivation of ‘paddock to plate’…

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Single of the Day: Jordan Ireland with Purple Orchestra “East Coaster” (2016)

Jordan Ireland with Purple Orchestra has had us hooked with “East Coaster”, the first cut we’ve heard from the band’s forthcoming album of the same name, due out next month. While we’ve heard music from Ireland since The Middle East’s disbanding (Temperate Touch & Tropical Tears, as Stolen Violin), this new album of music is sure…

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I Prevail to make Australian touring debut with Lifelines in March

I Prevail will be out in the country for the first time early next year with their debut album Lifelines, taking in shows out on the west and east coasts. The album has enjoyed a great response in Australia, debuting at #8 on the ARIA charts during its release week and remaining within the Top 20…

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Live Nation Entertainment adds Splendour in the Grass and the Falls Festival to Global Festival Portfolio

Huge news for the Secret Sounds Group today, with the news that Live Nation Entertainment has acquired a huge 51% share in the Aussie company led by Paul Piticco and Jess Ducrou. Of course, the biggest shift to come out of the announcement is that beloved Australian festivals Splendour in the Grass and the Falls Music and Arts Festivals are…

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Troye Sivan on music, marriage equality and being a role model

Troye Sivan‘s recent win at the ARIA awards doesn’t mean he hasn’t remained the humble artist that he has always been. He had a lot to share in a recent interview at the ARIAs about his music, his thoughts of the marriage equality plebiscite in Australia and his thoughts of being a role model to…

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Grime heavy hitters Krept and Konan announce Australian shows for January

Get ready to welcome the new year with menacing grime beats and furious street-minded rhymes as UK duo Krept & Konan plan a visit down under. The underground South London heavy hitters will be charging into the first week of 2017 with a whirlwind visit that’ll see them play two shows: one in Sydney and…

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Live Review: The Jezabels – Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York (01.12.16)

The Jezabels played to an adoring crowd on a freezing cold night, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York. Going to see The Jezabels is something I associate with summer. Both because I’ve only seen them at summer festivals in Australia – Falls Festival, Homebake, and Laneway Festival – and because I remember…

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Monster Fest Film Review: The Hollow Point (USA, 2016) is a perfect blend of suspense-filled drama and action

Spanish Director Gonzalo Lopez Gallego has only helmed a handful of Hollywood films in his career. The Hollow Point is proof though that given a solid cast, a taut narrative and all the tools necessary to create some gritty action sequences, the man can hang with the best of his American cohorts. The Hollow Point…

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The Mummy reboot gets its first trailer as the Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe officially launches

Another year, another new franchise reboot. This time it’s for The Mummy, following on from the Brendan Fraser fronted trilogy of the same name. Directed by Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us), this time around the series will star Tom Cruise as our lead, Nick Morton, with Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek…

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Video Games Review: Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS, 2016) stands as one of the finest in the entire series

Niantic’s Pokemon Go quite obviously paved the way for the next installment in traditional handheld Pokemon games to make a big impact on the video game market. We are now in the seventh generation of the irresistible RPG series and, as expected, dual titles Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon have been breaking sales records since…

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West-end star Kit Esuruoso cast as lead in Australian feature film Akoni

From the stage to the screen, Britsh West-End star Kit Esurusoco (Show Boat) is about to debut in the new Australian film Akoni, to be released in next year. Directed by and co-starring Genna Chanelle Hayes (Rake, Wurinyan), Akoni follows the story of a Nigerian refugee who finds his way to Australian shores after a terrorist…

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Video Games Review: Final Fantasy XV (PS4 Pro, 2016) is a welcome return to form for one of gaming’s most beloved franchises

Malcolm Gladwell once said that anyone could perfect a talent or work with 10, 000 hours of practice. Those 10, 000 hours can take years to accrue, depending on how often life gets in the way. Imagine then (should to believe his assertion to ring true) what the result would be if you filled an…

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A photographic journey to the Pacific Ring of Fire: My Ford SUV Experience in the Philippines

Named after Prince Philip II of Spain in 1543 by Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, The Philippines is a collection of over 7000 islands, situated on the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire; an area prone to earthquakes and typhoons. It was this beautiful tropical land that was chosen by Ford to showcase…

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UNESCO’s “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” provides a remarkable blueprint to global culture

Last week, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage added 12 new inscriptions to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. These are forms of expression that “testify to the diversity of intangible heritage and raises awareness of its importance”. You can view all 366 items…

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Delta and Virgin Australia are partnering with the 6th AACTA Awards; launch massive competition

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced a brand new partnership with Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines, with the strategic alliance partners now sitting as the Exclusive Airline Partners of the 6th Annual Awards in Sydney as well as the AACTA International Awards in Los Angeles. The partnership will see…

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Hotel Review: Hilton Brisbane brings five star accommodation and dining to a whole new level in Brisbane’s CBD

Situated in the heart of the Brisbane CBD, the Hilton Brisbane is a five star hotel which has served the city for some thirty years. It’s a rather grand – yet unassuming building – nestled in the skyline and offering quite a skyline of its own inside; an open lobby and a glass elevator looking…

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Theatre Review: Bare at The Depot Theatre is a rare opportunity to see the beautifully written musical live

Bare is, in my opinion, one of the most underappreciated musicals. Ever since I first heard it it has been a favourite but I always knew the chance of seeing it live was going to be small. So when I read The Depot Theatre in Sydney were producing it I was extremely excited. I had some trepidation though,…

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Burger Watch: Bar Luca get cheesy with new Beverly Hills Cop burger (Sydney)

Welcome to Burger Watch, where we acknowledge the constant creativity bursting from all sides of the epic burger wave that sweeps Australia every week. The highest of high demand is reserved for this timeless food staple and just about every interpretation of it, whether it to be an over-the-top glutton-fest or a focus on simple…

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More than 40 craft brewers announced for Ballarat Beer Festival (VIC)

The annual Ballarat Beer Festival is just over a month away, and the program which will be spread across a Saturday is promising their biggest showcase of independently Australian owned craft brewers to date. Set for City Oval on Sat 21st January, the massive showcase will be stacked with over 150 styles of beers and…

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Edible Cocktails: classic drinks reimagined as food at Loch & Key this month (Melbourne)

The team behind Bottoms Up Bartenders (who earlier this year made headlines with plans for a Ron Burgundy bar only to be shut down by Paramount Pictures) have returned just in time for one final event before Christmas, one that thankfully won’t bring up any copyrights issues. It’s a continuation of their successful “Edible Cocktails”…

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Review: Devon Cafe brings their award winning food to Barangaroo (Sydney)

A few years ago, Surry Hills’ much awarded Devon Cafe expanded to include a spin-off a few suburbs over, gifting Waterloo Devon on Danks, an enormously popular venture that allowed for some bigger turns into the flavour-rich world of Asian fusion. As an essential brunch destination, the cafe dominated Danks street right up until it…

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