Month: December 2021

Nova Onas, Clayton Watson, Suzan Mutesi, Nasser Sultan

Clayton Watson attends The Matrix Resurrection screening with local celebrities in Sydney

Clayton Watson, ‘The Kid’ in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions attended the red carpet screening of The Matrix Resurrection at United Cinemas Opera Quays along with local celebrities Nasser Sultan, Emma Roche, Kamahl and others last night. Nathan Atkins was there to bring us these photos.

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Film Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife heavily winks to fans of the original in its bid to conjure up nostalgia

There’s a lot of DNA shared between Jason Reitman‘s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the 1984 original that his father, Ivan Reitman, helmed to fruition.  But it’s not just a familial bond that links the respective films, with several portions of the film’s plot and its character line-up clearly based off what came those near-four decades prior. …

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Full Series Review: The Wheel of Time crafts its own successful version of Robert Jordan’s enthralling fantasy world

The last episode of The Wheel of Time season one was released on the 24th of December, capping off the agonisingly slow weekly wait (who decided to re-introduce that?) for new episodes of the epic fantasy series. For the uninitiated, the show is based on the well-known novels by Robert Jordan – although fans of…

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Film Review: Delicious will sate audiences with its sumptuous and heart-warming tale

Many of us have probably never contemplated a world where restaurants didn’t exist. The French film, Delicious traces the origins of those humble establishments with a heart-warming story involving French nobility. The result is a visual feast that will warm the cockles and sate the appetite just like a fine Christmas dinner. Éric Besnard directs…

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Film Review: Licorice Pizza is joyously subversive look on nostalgia; led by a star-making performance by Alana Haim

Set in 1973 San Fernando Valley, California. Licorice Pizza tells the story of Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), a TV show actor and high schooler who is smitten with the school photographer/volunteer Alana Kane (Alana Haim). The two are aware of the elephant in the room in terms of them being together; being the vast 10-year…

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Grado GW100 Wireless Series Headphones review: Open-back design has been vindicated

Although most headphones on the market – especially those concerned with noise-cancelling – sport a closed-back design, there are some out there that get by just fine with the opposite. We’re talking a closed-back design, which has its own advantages and disadvantages, putting the focus almost entirely on audio performance and not much else. Brooklyn-based…

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Interview: Director Joachim Trier on the messy process of creating The Worst Person in the World

A shortlisted title for Best International Feature at next year’s Academy Awards and currently sitting 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, The Worst Person in the World is undoubtedly one of this year’s most celebrated films.  After a successful run at film festivals across the globe, it arrives in Australian cinemas on Boxing Day. To coincide…

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Film Review: The Worst Person in the World finds the soothing comfort in one’s own discomforting outlook

As much as The Worst Person in the World adheres to many of the standard ingredients of the “romantic comedy”, to refer to Joachim Trier‘s as one would be doing it a massive disservice. Detailed over 12 chapters (and both a prologue and epilogue), the film gives us a look into a certain period of…

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Interview: Nat’s What I Reckon talks rock ‘n’ roll, trivia and his latest book Death to Jar Sauce

Since exploding over the internet with his isolation cooking videos in early 2020, Sydney comedian, musician, YouTuber and now award-winning, bestselling author Nat’s What I Reckon has been riding the wave of success with style. The swearing tattooed rocker has been creating content for almost a decade, uploading tongue-in-cheek criticisms of cultural norms and societal…

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Interview: The Matrix Resurrections production designer Hugh Bateup on working with The Wachowskis and executing their unique vision

Are you ready for another trip down the rabbit hole? The Matrix Resurrections (you can read our review here) is returning such iconic characters as Neo and Trinity to the technological fray, with visionary director Lana Wachowski further suspending her audience’s perception of reality. With such intricate and expansive design sprawled across the screen, Wachowski…

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Interview: Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy on creating costumes for Sing 2

As world-famous designers and founders of acclaimed brand Rodarte, sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy have been at the forefront of fashion since the label’s inception.  Not just content dominating their own avenue, the sisters have branched out into the world of film, both as designers creating pieces for the Oscar-winning Black Swan and as directors…

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Film Review: The Matrix Resurrections toes the line between familiarity and freshness as it reconsiders reality

Few movies from 1999 can boast as much as The Matrix.  A groundbreaking effort, both in terms of its special effects and its allegoric mentality, The Wachowski‘s post-apocalyptic, philosophical action film pushed the boundaries of modern cinema, exceeding audience expectation in the process. Maintaining a cultural relevance in the decades since essentially allows such a…

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Interview: Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jessica Henwick on The Matrix Resurrections

Nearly 20 years after it was released, The Matrix still remains a culturally relevant blueprint for which other genre films are based on.  Breaking boundaries and expectations in the decades since, with such bold efforts as Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending, director Lana Wachowski has returned to the very IP that launched a phenomenon with…

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Interview: Sing 2 director Garth Jennings on classic comedy, dream casting and working with a “melting pot of creativity”

Having a background in live-action comedy films has evidently paid off for director Garth Jennings with his animated aspirations.  The acclaimed helmer of such features as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Son of Rambow, Jennings moved into animated fare with 2016’s jukebox-musical success Sing. Now back to reunite his scrappy crew of musical…

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A King Room at Hyatt Centric

Hotel Review: Hyatt Centric, Melbourne – A true reflection of the city’s vibrancy

In a semi post-pandemic world, scratching even the tiniest travel itch serves serious relief. However, my latest hotel stay went beyond such relief… I’m talking euphoric non-stop eye-rolling action. Allow me to indulge you in paradise on Melbourne’s Downie Street, Hyatt Centric. I’ll start with standard housekeeping: 277 rooms, 25 floors, indoor pool, a gym,…

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Halo Infinite Multiplayer Review – Hail to the Chief

Previous Halo games have always served as a single-player experience for me. While I did attempt to get into it in the previous title Halo: Guardians, There were way too many other MMO games at that time that had my attention. After a bit of a dry spell this year, I jumped into Halo Infinite…

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Michael Hili

Interview: Paul Kelly catches his Christmas Train, making gravy and Nina Simone

“…flour, salt, a little red wine, and don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang.” is a phrase that is ingrained in so many of us. Paul Kelly‘s “How To Make Gravy” has become synonymous with the festive season since its release in 1996. Not only that, but the 21st…

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Film Review: Being the Ricardos is a narratively disjointed, though enjoyably acted biopic about the unmatched Lucille Ball

Much was said about Being the Ricardos before it even screened for critics, with the fact that stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem were somewhat controversial casting choices to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  Neither looks considerably like the legendary comedic performers, which left a certain sour taste in the mouths of those wondering…

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Win over $1,000 worth of Belkin gear just in time for Christmas

Christmas is approaching and you haven’t gone out and filled your sack with stocking-stuffers yet, right? Whether it’s the (reasonable) trepidation about heading out in the lead up to family time or general forgetfulness, it’s safe to say there are more than a few people out there who treat their Christmas shopping like they would…

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Cold Coast

Book Review: Walk in Wolstadt’s footsteps in Robyn Mundy’s Cold Coast

It was a blissful relief to be reading Robyn Mundy‘s latest novel, Cold Coast, over a humid Perth week. The novel is set on Svalbard in 1932, and follows a year in the life of Wanny Wolstadt (pronounced Vanny Voldstadt), who was Norway’s first female trapper. Wolstadt, a young widow, is already unconventional for a woman of…

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Photo Gallery: Hiatus Kaiyote + Baro Cura x Silent Jay – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (18.12.21)

A beautiful summer night at Enmore Theatre with the return of Melbourne based Hiatus Kaiyote to Sydney on their worldwide Mood Valiant tour in all the style and colour we expect from one of the coolest bands in the world. Supported by Baro Cura x Silent Jay. Images brought to you by Pete Dovgan.  …

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Film Review: Sing 2 is a harmless, uplifting family outing that wins over with its charm and soundtrack

For better or worse, Illumination will always be known as the studio that gave an extended life to Minions.  Originally something of a throwaway gag to provide easy laughs within the Despicable Me films, they took on a force of their own and seemed to pull focus from any other studio property.  One such charmer…

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Film Review: West Side Story is the most alive Steven Spielberg has felt as a director in over a decade

Even for a filmmaker of Steven Spielberg‘s stature, it’s safe to say that taking on a property such as West Side Story would still be a daunting task.  The 1961 cinematic adaptation of the 1957 Broadway production was awarded 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, and has remained something of a cultural criterion in the decades…

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Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum explore The Lost City in first-look trailer

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try…forget it! The adventure is real but the heroes are not in the first trailer for the new romantic action adventure film, The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe. Brilliant, but reclusive author Loretta Sage (Bullock) has spent her career writing about…

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The 40 Best Albums of 2021

It’s that time of year when our team of music writers and editors get together to count down the 40 best albums of the year. And while this has been no usual year, the quality of music that has been released has been incredibly high. Suffice it to say, this has been a very difficult…

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Interview: Isabelle Fuhrman on training for The Novice and revisiting her role in Orphan; “You don’t realise what you’re biting off until it’s really hard to chew”

Winner of Best Narrative Feature and Best Actress at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, as well as recently earning nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards, The Novice, director Lauren Hadaway, and actress Isabelle Fuhrman are more than receiving their fair share of accolades for one of this…

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Film Review: The Novice is unrelenting in its depiction of striving for physical perfection

Though presented in the guise of a character drama, The Novice is very much a psychological thriller detailing the compulsive, obsessive need one can hone in their attempt to perfect their field of interest.  For the central figure in Lauren Hadaway‘s dark effort, Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to the role, both physically…

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The Best Games of 2021

2021 has been a special year for gamers and non-gamers alike. For reasons we won’t dive deeper into, this year has forced us to stay inside. Away from those we love, places we cherish and experiences we usually take for granted. This time around, the games and technology team here at The AU Review have…

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Best Books 2021

The Best Books of The Year: 2021

2021. We had high hopes. But it’s been another year of uncertainty and upheaval – albeit perhaps not as bad as last year. It has been another strong year for books and publishing, with some big names returning with new books: Colson Whitehead, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Sally Rooney to name just three.  It’s also…

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Expo 2020 nighttime

Expo 2020 Dubai: What you’ll find in Australia Pavilion during the Middle East’s first World Expo

2020 was the year everyone was excited about. It was a new decade, a new beginning. Instead, the world came to a complete standstill. Organisers delayed competitions and exhibitions that planned to celebrate the new decade. Now, at the end of 2021, the world has been on a slow path to revival. We enjoyed the…

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