Month: September 2021

You are not my mother

You Are Not My Mother is an extremely effective horror flick that blends filial drama and powerful frights: TIFF 2021 Review

You Are Not My Mother tells the story of Char (Hazel Doupe), a struggling teenager who is living a self-sheltered life, drifting through school with good grades despite the bullies, all while having to take care of her mother Angela (Carolyn Bracken) and grandmother (Ingrid Craige). Her relationship with her mother is distant, after a…

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Track of the Week: Foster feat. Chelsea Collins, “run away” (2021)

If you like your lazy summer vibes with a side of sharp lyrics and personal growth, you can’t go past the latest from Foster. “run away“, featuring Chelsea Collins, is our Track of the Week, and we think you’re going to love it! Hailing from a musical family and growing up in Nashville, it makes…

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Jem Cassar-Daley

Exclusive Video Premiere: Jem Cassar-Daley “Letting Go” (2021)

At only twenty years old, Brisbane’s Jem Cassar-Daley is impressing all with your powerful voice and magnetic stage presence.  She recently released her debut single, “Letting Go”, and we are thrilled today to be premiering the video for this outstanding first-up release. The track shows great maturity and has a beautiful upbeat vibe. The production…

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Wine Journey is Australia’s newest intrepid service bringing the world’s best regions to your door

Having a wine subscription service curated and deliver you new and exciting wines regularly has become one of the most popular ways to discover the local and international growing regions during lockdown. Although there are also similar services that have been popping up lately, again focused on curation but without locking people into any ongoing…

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Interview: David Arquette on wrestling, redemption, and surviving Scream; “I really wanted to find that balance of what’s human and what’s my personal struggle”.

The documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette (read our review here) presents the titular actor in a manner many audiences will be unprepared for.  Opening himself up to the very masses that shamed him upon his attempt to infiltrate the world of wrestling, David Arquette‘s personal and professional struggles are laid out at the core…

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The Ghan has launched its first ever day-trip to Clare Valley

Australian icon The Ghan has been roaming Australia’s countryside for decades now, but for the first time ever the train will be leaving on a special epicurean adventure to the world-renowned Clare Valley. Straight from October 8, the single-day itinerary will be a complete food and wine-focused adventure, designed to showcase a new railway journey…

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Murina is an assured feature-length directorial debut from Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic: TIFF 2021 Review

Murina follows Julija (Gracija Filipovic), a 16-year old girl living with her parents on an island that many would consider to be a heavenly paradise. With an endless summer maintained by daily chores of fishing in beautiful vistas, it sounds like the perfect place to live. But underneath the façade lies something that is anything…

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iHeartWine is a new app showcasing independent winemakers and connecting them directly to drinkers

Smaller producers have been profoundly impacted these past two years as the devastating triple punch of bushfires, Chinese tariffs, and the global pandemic has shaken the local wine industry. I don’t even need to tell you important it is to support your favourite winemakers at a time like this, so the arrival of a new…

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Interview: Comedienne Emma Zammit on Waltzing Jimeoin; “He was the reason I wanted to do stand-up”

After 30 years of doing comedy all around Australia, famed comedian Jimeoin is finally embarking on a tour on his own terms.  With his new program Waltzing Jimeoin (screening now on the Ten network), the loveable larrikin is surrounding himself with some of the industry’s funniest performers and performing stand-up wherever the roads of Australia…

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Rita B

Rita B: My Top 5 favourite venues to play when touring Australia

Sydney singer/songwriter Rita B, recently released her second single of the year, the delightful “Travel Companion”. It’s a track that reflects the life of a modern-day troubadour, telling their story on the road as they tour the country. This beautifully stark yet vivid song should garner favour with fans of Stella Donnelly and Julia Jacklin….

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Whoop 4.0: Everything you need to know about the new digital fitness and health coach

Health-coaching fitness bands have been competing nicely with more specc’d out smartwatches for a few years now, and Whoop has been the main driver of that. It’s then no surprise that the next iteration in the company’s range, Whoop 4.0, is getting plenty of hype thanks to a heavy list of features helping boost value…

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Planning a Sydney picnic? East 33 are now offering their spring season oysters fresh from the farm to your door

Right now, with relaxed restrictions regarding small outdoor gatherings, Sydneysiders have one thing on their mind. Picnics. And some of the city’s best restaurants are moving quickly to adapt, introducing picnic hampers, having bake sales, and putting together produce to make picnic planning that much easier. Although not much can rival getting produce direct from…

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This $150 limited edition food box proves Porcine is one of the best new restaurants in Sydney

With Shane Delia’s recently launched Providoor Sydney has been going off lately, locked-down Sydneysiders have been getting used to getting food boxes delivered from some of the city’s best restaurants. Pre-proportioned ingredients are all ready to cook up into a hearty, restaurant-quality meal. It was only a matter of time before other restaurants hopped onto…

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Concrete Surfers

Track by Track: Brisbane’s Concrete Surfers take a deep dive into their Calamities EP

Brisbane rockers Concrete Surfers today dropped their latest EP, Calamities, a well-crafted four-track collection of high-octane surf-rock. With grungy vocals, a driving beat and songs addressing issues that relate to the youth of Australia, it’s another winner from the boys from Brisbane. They live-tracked the EP, capturing the energy of their renowned live shows. It’s…

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NBA 2K22

NBA 2K22 Review: Consistency, and the art of being a team player

NBA 2K22 couldn’t have arrived at a better time. It’s been a rough couple of seasons for the NBA. A global pandemic, postponed games, bubble playoffs, shortened seasons and play-in tournaments have charted a new future for the sport. The lone beacon of consistency: that the NBA 2K franchise will smash out its annual instalment,…

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H3000

Interview: H3000’s Luke Steele on their debut album, collaborating with Jarrad Rogers and what a H3000 live show might look like

H3000 is a collaboration between Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun, The Sleepy Jackson and DREAMS fame, and Jarrad Rogers who has written songs for and produced for the likes of Charli XCX, Rita Ora, Lana Del Ray and so many more. Today they release their debut self-titled album, a cosmic collection of songs…

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Moneyboys is a respectful depiction of homosexuality in mainland China: Taiwan Film Festival in Australia Review

Films dealing with queer thematics are few and far between in mainland China.  Due to the government’s strict regime on censorship, stories detailing the LGBTQ communities are a rarity, which is why a feature like Moneyboys is all the more curious.  Though set in China, it was filmed in the neighbouring Taiwan, co-financed with European…

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Billie Eilish talks the music of James Bond in latest No Time To Die: The Official Podcast Series episode; “I wanted to give the song something I’ve never done before”

Launched on September 9th on all major podcast platforms, No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast features unrivalled behind the scenes access to one of the world’s most successful franchises. Hosted by British film critic James King, the six-part series features interviews with director Cary Joji Fukunaga, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara…

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James Vincent McMorrow

Album of the Week: James Vincent McMorrow – Grapefruit Season (2021 LP)

I still remember the first time I saw James Vincent McMorrow live. It was the inaugural leg of Falls Festival Byron Bay and it was disgustingly hot. Just days away from releasing his second album, Post Tropical, McMorrow played a mid-afternoon slot and proceeded to crush his set, all the while struggling with the Australian…

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Rustler Review: a not-so-perfect medieval homage to classic Grand Theft Auto

Rustler has been on Steam’s Early Access since February of this year, but has only recently fully-launched. You’re thrown back into the good ol’ medieval days as Guy, who just wants to join the Grand Tournament. Well, his buddy, Buddy, has forced him to want to. Now, Guy’s also forced to commit all sorts of…

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OzAsia Festival announces new writing and ideas program, In Other Words

More than 40 Asian and Australian writers will come together for In Other Words, a new writing and ideas program from the OzAsia Festival team. Curated by Laura Kroetsch, Benjamin Law, and Roanna Gonsalves, the program will run from November 5th to 7th, with guests able to attend either in person at the Dunstan Playhouse…

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Film Review: Pig is one of the best films of 2021 thanks to its gripping emotional honesty and a fantastic Nicolas Cage

Pig tells the story of Rob (a wonderfully subtle Nicolas Cage), a former renowned chef turned truffle hunter who resides in a cabin deep in the forest who makes a living by hunting for truffles with the help of his valuable foraging pig. He sells the truffles to young supplier and friend Amir (a stellar…

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Saloum

Saloum blends action, comedy, horror and drama into a satisfying thrill-ride: TIFF 2021 Review

Saloum tells the story of three mercenaries Chaka (Yann Gael), Rafa (Roger Sallah) and Minuit (Mentor Ba) who are tasked to extract a Mexican drug dealer Felix (Renaud Farah) and his cargo of gold and drugs away from the chaos of the government overthrow of Guinea-Bissau and transfer to Dakar, Senegal. But when their means…

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The Rescue is an emotionally rousing & suspenseful documentary about the Tham Luang cave rescue: TIFF 2021 Review

“There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” This is a quote from the 1999 sci-fi hit The Matrix by the Wachowskis. Why is this being quoted, you ask? This quote was stuck in this critic’s mind as he was watching the latest project from documentary filmmakers by Jimmy Chin and…

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Lakesedge

Book Review: Lyndall Clipstone sets the bar high in moody YA fantasy Lakesedge

Leta has heard the rumours about Rowan Sylvanan, the monster who drowned his entire family as a boy. But the dangerous young lord of Lakesedge might be the only one who can help her brother Arien, afflicted by a dark and violent magic that threatens to overtake him. But upon entering the grounds of Lakesedge,…

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Film Review: Disclosure is a tense and all-too-raw drama that delights in its ambiguity

Opening with particularly confronting sexual imagery – something that appears unwarranted for gratuity sake before its bookend re-appearance – Disclosure is an unbearably tense and all-too raw drama that leans into the notion that adults can still very much act like children when provoked. And provoked the quartet at the centre of Michael Bentham‘s film…

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Tony Birch

“Whatever you’re writing about, the story has to work. It has to be a good story.”: Author Tony Birch talks about his latest collection Dark As Last Night

Professor Tony Birch is the bestselling and award-winning Australian author of The White Girl, Ghost River, Blood, Shadowboxing, Father’s Day, The Promise and Common People. In 2017 he was awarded the Patrick White Literary Award. An activist, historian and essayist, Birch’s latest short story collection Dark As Last Night was released by the University of Queensland Press in August 2021. We caught up…

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Film Review: Die In A Gunfight is tragically dead on arrival

Just because a story has been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be told in a manner that offers something new.  In the case of Die In A Gunfight, a supposedly romantic thriller influenced by Shakespeare’s classic tale Romeo & Juliet, its intent on bringing flare to proceedings is so chaotic and desperate that it…

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Zalava is an engaging mix of genre thrills, social commentary and potent drama: TIFF 2021 Review

Set in 1978, the film tells the story of a mountain village of Zalava in Kurdistan that is supposedly plagued by an ancient curse. The villagers are so drawn into the story of the curse that they have been driven into the ways that veer into levels of superstition, involving the use of metals as…

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Track of the Week: FANGZ “I Don’t Like Me” (2021)

Keen for some solid skate-punk to get you through Wednesday? We got you! “I Don’t Like Me” is the latest from Sydney’s FANGZ, and we can’t get enough of it! It’s loud, catchy, and exactly what we needed to hear today. Frontman Joshua Cottreau said: “‘I Don’t Like Me’ is about the version of ourselves…

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