Year: 2021

Exploring Tokyo’s Tsukiji and homemade sushi with ‘Tours By Locals’

Tokyo and all of its food, culture, nightlife and more can be challenging to explore on your own. And if you’re a traveller passing through, there’s also the added pressure of wanting to maximise each moment of your limited time in the big city. Local guides are a great way to experience immersive travelling. Tours…

Read More
EJ Worland

Album of the Week: EJ Worland’s No One Left To Blame will be one of the best debut EPs of 2021

Ever heard an artist you instantly connected with? Like, from the first time you heard their music you just knew they were red hot? Having grown up in a household where I was force fed your 60s, 70s and 80s classics, I’ve developed a strong appreciation for acts who sound like they don’t belong in…

Read More

Film Review: Voyagers sacrifices its macabre energy for a melodramatic personality

Marketed as “Lord of the Flies in space”, Voyagers – whilst occasionally leaning in to that description – is a confused genre effort that feels like a more reflective, psychological film has been edited down to a tween crowd who may appreciate its melodramatic personality. Written and directed by Neil Burger, his first original script…

Read More
Diablo 2 Resurrected technical alpha codes

Win a code for the Diablo 2 Resurrected technical alpha!

The Diablo 2 Resurrected technical alpha kicks off this weekend and everyone wants codes. We, however, might be able to help you out. Stay a while and listen. We have five Battle.net codes for the Diablo 2 Resurrected technical alpha up for grabs. All you have to do is fill out the form below and…

Read More
Women of a Certain Rage

Book Review: Exploring a world of anger in Women of a Certain Rage

The Australian Psychological Society writes that anger is triggered when a person believes “their wellbeing and social status are either not being respected or are under threat”. It seems timely then to be reading this book amongst the current climate of Australian politics. Women of a Certain Rage is a collection of short stories and…

Read More

Film Review: Ascendant harnesses its strength through its ability to surprise with both its story and psychology

Ascendant is one of those films that’s equally as difficult to write about it as it is deceptively simple.  A film that banks entirely on the fact that it unravels and reveals its narrative in an unexpected manner, Antaine Furlong‘s ambitious sci-fi-leaning action/thriller is a testament to the first time Australian filmmaker’s bold vision and…

Read More

Cruella Australian release details revealed: When and where you can watch Disney’s next film

Academy Award® Winner Emma Stone brings the legacy of the wicked Cruella de Vil to life in the new trailer for Cruella, ahead of its Australian release in both theatres and Disney+ with Premier Access* on May 28th, 2021. Set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, Cruella follows a young grifter named Estella (Stone),…

Read More
Diablo 2 Resurrected technical alpha

Diablo 2 Resurrected gets its first technical alpha this weekend

Keep an eye on your Battle.net account: the first Diablo 2 Resurrected technical alpha begins this weekend. It will be the first opportunity for fans to go hands-on with one of the most hotly anticipated remasters in video game history. The technical alpha will be single-player only, and will be exclusive to PC. It kicks…

Read More

Right Now, Kong Then: The Retrospective Worthy Of A King

What is it about cinematic advanced primates which makes them so fascinating? Is it the similarities they have with us homo sapiens? Is it because they are cute? Is it because they have such engagingly primal instincts that we cannot look away? Is it because they satisfy our need to see city-wide destruction? Or can…

Read More

Interview: Neil Burger on directing his space-set thriller Voyagers

Neil Burger‘s 30-year career as a filmmaker has taken the director on a varied journey.  From his beginnings as a music video director and faux documentarian, Burger became a staple name in mainstream cinema thanks to such commercial and critical successes as The Illusionist, Limitless, and Divergent. Now working off his first original script in…

Read More

Don’t worry, the 1996 Space Jam website is still online

One of the true gems of the internet has been the fact that Warner Bros. have maintained one of the earliest interactive HTML movie websites – their 1996 Space Jam website. With a new Space Jam film out this year (no less than 25 years later…), many were worried this joyous site would be taken…

Read More
JESSIA

Interview: JESSIA on “I’m Not Pretty”, TikTok and Ryan Tedder

2021 is the year of JESSIA. The TikTok phenomenon uploaded a semblance of a song hook on January 1st, only to have the Internet demand to hear more. Now her hit single “I’m Not Pretty”, birthed through the platform and its power for collaboration, sits at over 46 million Spotify streams, 10.9 million TikTok views…

Read More
Paulina

Exclusive Single Premiere: Paulina “Lonely Drives” (2021)

Brisbane-based singer/songwriter Paulina is about to drop her latest single, “Lonely Drives” and we are thrilled to have its premiere today at the AU. Paulina may only be sixteen years old, but the emotional intelligence in her songwriting is outstanding, and her voice is hauntingly beautiful. The opening verse, which begins with “I’m faking my…

Read More

Win a pair of JBL Quantum 200 Gaming Headphones

JBL have taken their reliable headphone prowess into the gaming world with the Quantum line-up, and we’ve got the slick JBL Quantum 200 Gaming Headphones to give away to one lucky winner who wants to experience this. With a flip-up mic, these headphones and 50mm drivers, these offer far more than the sub-$100 price point…

Read More
HEN

Track of the Week: HEN “Devil’s Sound” (2021)

“Devil’s Sound” is the latest synth-led slice of dark pop from Brooklyn’s HEN. HEN, who’s real name is Henry Kaye, is a rising Queer star, producer and singer-songwriter.  Last year saw him release his debut EP Velvet Rage and the stand alone single “Roll Back”; and now he’s teamed up with experienced producer Yoad Nevo…

Read More

Black Widow Australian release details revealed: When and where you can watch Marvel’s next film

Marvel’s long awaited Black Widow has finally landed on a release date after being shifted around the last year (thanks COVID).  Marvel Studios have announced July 9th for Scarlett Johansson‘s solo outing as Natasha Romanoff as she confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued…

Read More

Film Review: Hunter Hunter is an emotionally rousing and gut-wrenching horror experience

It goes without saying that the ending of a film is as crucial to its success as any other major component.  And in horror films especially, the satisfaction element of its climax is one the genre often lives or dies by.  Hunter Hunter, from writer/director Shawn Linden, is such a film that almost relies entirely…

Read More

Interview: Jonny Pasvolsky on the impressive production of Ascendant and working with a first time filmmaker.

Once a staple of Australian television – having worked on such notable homegrown series as McLeod’s Daughters, Underbelly, and Home and Away – Jonny Pasvolsky has since been making ground for himself across the Pacific, starring in such profile productions as Mortdecai opposite Johnny Depp, The Front Runner with Hugh Jackman, and the acclaimed series…

Read More

US festival Bonnaroo sets new dates and lineup for 2021 with Tame Impala and King Gizzard set to join Lizzo, Foo Fighters and more

The past year has been hard on the world and especially tough to live music fans. But as vaccines start to roll out and Covid-19 numbers go down the hope for a return to normal gets stronger. As Bonnaroo unveiled its 2021 lineup, it started to feel like the world might be slowly looking familiar…

Read More

Bose Sleepbuds II Review: Helping you get those eight hours

Inconsistent battery performance and some design flaws lead to Bose discontinuing their first iteration of the Bose Sleepbuds a few years ago. Which was disappointing. It’s an incredible concept – having some buds designed and in complete dedication to getting quality sleep, as opposed to music -playing in-ear phones that also threw in a bunch…

Read More
The Paris Affair

Book Review: Pip Drysdale’s latest thriller The Paris Affair explores the deadly side to the city of love

The protagonist of Pip Drysdale’s third novel, The Paris Affair, would be a difficult woman to get along with in real life. By her own admission, she only keeps one friend close, claiming that all other people are “fake and they try to make her ‘fake’ too.” Yet for someone who supposedly hates phonies as much as…

Read More

JBL Quantum 800 Review: The perfect mid-range gaming set?

JBL’s recent focus on gaming is long-overdue and so very, very welcome. The brand has been at, or at least near, the very top when it comes to professional-quality headphones, with an obvious love to big, meatier sounds that still retain plenty of detail. That’s replicated over on the Quantum series, which tackles just about…

Read More

Australia’s first Fairmont hotel to open in Port Douglas

Plans have been announced for Australia’s first ever Fairmont hotel, adding more than just a touch of luxury on the fringes of both the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The $300 million Fairmont Port Douglas will be the first new-build hotel from Accor’s legendary Fairmont brand, which is inextricably tied to the railroad…

Read More

Live Review: The Presets at Factory – Metro City, Perth (01.04.21)

Summer may be long gone but Perth’s Factory Summer Festival has been rolling the past few weeks, delayed due to the WA government’s restrictions, with The Presets the latest to grace the stage at Metro City. Factory has traditionally attracted a younger crowd with its inviting outdoor set-up and trendy image, so this year’s forced…

Read More

Film Review: Blithe Spirit is one visitor you’ll be summoning the Gods to return to its resting space

So much of Blithe Spirit‘s ingredients point to signs of a tasty meal, and yet one can’t help but feel entirely ready to return this flavourless chaff to the kitchen within minutes of its arrival. Adapted from Noel Coward‘s 1941 play and boasting the appealing quartet of Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Judi…

Read More

Oya, the Japanese City that turned to stone

It’s not often that pebbles and rocks are the main feature of an attraction, but here in Oya, the proverbial gold really does lie at one’s feet. Oya, known as “Stone City”, sits on the fringe of Utsunomiya. This low-key town has seen a small resurgence in popularity, with a number of modern cafes and…

Read More

Film Review: The Courier is an emotionally fraught thriller balancing its emotional and educational mentality

British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) doesn’t have the most suave persona.  And it’s because of this very reason that MI5 and the CIA have collaborated in their bid to maximise the potential of an insider during the time of America and Russian intensifying their nuclear arms race. “You drink too much and you’re not…

Read More

Interview: Ascendant director Antaine Furlong on being a first-time filmmaker and taking a hands-on approach for his ambitious debut

With Australian cinema exceeding expectations at the box office in 2021 alone, now feels like as a perfect a time than ever for homegrown productions to thrive within their own country.  Founding his own company to pursue his passion of filmmaking, Dublin-born Antaine Furlong had followed his dream to technical fruition as his debut feature…

Read More

Interview: Mali-Koa on Hunger, her 5SOS family and social movements

Western Sydney-born, London-residing Mali-Koa is best known as the older sister of Calum Hood – the bassist of global sensations 5 Seconds of Summer. However, she’s been cutting through the industry and making a name for herself outside of her family ties. In 2020, she released her debut album Hunger, featuring collaborators such as Grammy-Award…

Read More

5 albums you may have missed in Q1 2021

We’ve been blessed (musically) with a killer opening quarter to 2021, with plenty of stellar and groundbreaking albums and EPs already released, many of which have received our Album of the Week. From Shame to Arlo Parks, Julien Baker, Genesis Owusu and Middle Kids, 2021 has so far seen a variety of albums released that…

Read More