Year: 2021

Adelaide Fringe Review: Hugh Sheridan’s HUGHMAN hits the right notes

The open-air MOA mini stadium at the rear of Gluttony was literally packed to the rafters. A dedicated crowd of followers of Hugh Sheridan were there to watch him strut his stuff in HUGHMAN. Bursting onstage, Sheridan soon spotted a Crows-guernsey-wearing man and pulled him on stage. Surprise. He’s one of the plethora of dancers…

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Culture Check: 5 unmissable Sydney events in autumn 2021

Think now that summer is over Sydney goes into hibernation? Think again. With the exception of last year, moving into autumn is often a time when the city’s dynamic cultural scene comes alive, and 2021 will be no exception, with some of the best things to do in Sydney. Particularly after the year that was,…

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Outriders

Outriders Demo Impressions: A Strong Start

On the surface, Outriders may seem like your average looter shooter. In many ways, it is. Outriders feels like an iteration of recent looter shooter RPG titles like Destiny 2 or The Division. It’s filled with mechanics and systems we’ve seen many times before. In saying that, there is still plenty to love about Outriders’…

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Interview: Ruby Rose and Tom Hopper for SAS: Red Notice, the comforts of the action genre and their character’s morality

Arriving March 16th in the US on demand and digital, SAS: Red Notice (read our review here) is a slick actioner led by Australian actress Ruby Rose.  In the lead-up to the film’s debut, Peter Gray chatted with Rose and her co-star, Black Sails actor Tom Hopper, about the comforts of the action genre and…

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Film Review: SAS: Red Notice is a disposable but supremely entertaining actioner

Perhaps something of an unofficial audition for the next post on the 007 roster – or maybe that’s second audition, given he was a name suggested around the same time as Daniel Craig secured the role – Sam Heughan does his best secret agent impression in SAS: Red Notice, a disposable but supremely entertaining actioner…

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MQFF Film Review: Cicada tackles uncomfortable subjects in an organic, understated manner

Given how authentic this “based on real events” tale proves to be, it’s safe to assume that writer/director/actor Matthew Fifer is baring a healthy portion of his soul and experiences in Cicada.  Likely to ring true with queer audiences – especially gay men – the film tackles uncomfortable subjects and presents promiscuous sex in an…

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Oppo announces Find X3 Pro, Neo & Lite: Australian pricing and availability

Oppo, which has just overtaken Huawei as China’s number one smartphone brand, is looking to keep their recent score of wins rolling with their new flagship Find X3 series. Much like the X2 series before it, the forthcoming release will be split into Lite 5G, Neo 5G and Pro 5G models – Pro obviously sitting…

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Barry's Bootcamp Surry Hills

Barry’s Bootcamp and Chin Chin link up for the ultimate fitness feast in Sydney

Fancy your HIIT with a side of scrummy Thai food? I’m not talking overly-sauced takeaway pad see ew after you’ve just flurried your way through sprints and burpees either. The team behind global fitness favourite Barry’s Bootcamp has teamed up with pink-hued contemporary Thai restaurant Chin Chin for just that. HIIT with a side of…

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MQFF Film Review: My Fiona is an emotionally excruciating navigation of mourning and self-discovery

The framing of My Fiona‘s opening scene is laced with a certain tension that very much clues the audience in on the fact that the film’s protagonist, Jeanette Maus‘s Jane, is about to have her life horrifically shattered.  It’s an emotional, painful way for us to bond with a character, but it immediately establishes a…

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Review: You’re Not Special at Kings Cross Theatre is insightful and thought provoking

The average Australian spends close to 40% of their waking hours on the internet. That’s over 6 hours a day scrolling, liking, searching and connecting to other people. But what happens when your screen time begins to take up all your time. What happens when the connections you make online become more real than the…

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Film Review: Come True is ambiguous, menacing material undone by an unearned climax

The type of indie horror flick that has a lot of promising-enough elements for it to earn audience investment, Come True may ultimately culminate in disappointment – in fact, it’s downright frustrating – but an atmospheric dread and hauntingly effective score keep Anthony Scott Burns‘s intense feature on a more upward trajectory overall. At the…

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Interview: Raissa on HEROGIRL, Mark Ronson and sci-fi

When Mark Ronson‘s taking you out for macarons and tea while begging you to join his label, you know you’re onto a winning recipe. That’s exactly the story for Raissa (pronounced “rye-sah”), your newfound sci-fi pop fantasy and Zelig Record’s recent newcomer who’s touted to be the next King Princess. Growing up in London, Beijing,…

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Neil Frances

Track by Track: Neil Frances take us through their new EP Stay Strong Play Long

Los Angeles duo Neil Frances (Jordan Feller and Marc Gilfry) have today released their new six-track EP, Stay Strong Play Long. The EP includes the mega-hit “Music Sounds Better with You” which has been streamed over forty million times. Jordan and Marc have put together a track-by-track breakdown of the songs which make up the…

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Sydney Writers Festival

Sydney Writers Festival comes back strong for 2021

After having to cancel last year’s festival due to COVID, Sydney Writers Festival is coming back stronger and bolder in 2021.  According to Artistic Director Michael Williams, who joined the Festival last year, the theme for the 2021 Festival is “Within Reach”, and will highlight the writers who are shaping Australian literature right now.  “It…

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How to get your hands on rare 19-year old whiskies from Lark Distillery

Ever-busy Tasmanian whisky heroes Lark Distillery have just released a sub-$2,000 19-year old whisky as two casks. The inaugural “Legacy” and its expressions, HHF582B (AKA “Topaz”) and HHF585A (AKA “Rich Toffee), boast the distinction of having been distilled by Bill Lark himself, during his tenure as Head Distiller, which has since been a role filled…

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Contemporary Korean fusion opens in Chippendale with Jung Sung

Contemporary Korean restaurant, Jung Sung, has opened its doors and is taking up residence in Chippendale. Set on the third floor of the Old Rum Store on Kensington Street, the restaurant captures a modern industrial interior with dark metal, stone and copper accents. On the menu, head chef Insup Kim, takes inspiration from traditional Korean…

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What to do if you want to re-kindle your love for Sydney in 2021

We’re lucky to live in Australia. That phrase – as common as it is – has never been more accurate. We haven’t beaten this ongoing global pandemic by a long shot, and it would be foolish to be complacent about something that could very well rear its ugly head at the drop of a hat….

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The Lamplighters

Book Review: A real world disappearance and fictional secrets combine in Emma Stonex’s The Lamplighters

Cornwall, December 1972. Three lighthouse keepers vanish from a remote offshore lighthouse. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. And, the Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm that never happened. This is the set-up for Emma Stonex’s The Lamplighters. The Lamplighters is inspired by real events, despite its…

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PAX Aus 2021 tickets

PAX Aus will return to Melbourne in October

After several days of social media teases, PAX Aus confirmed yesterday that it will return to Melbourne as a live, in-person event. The convention will return to its long-time home at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and will run from October 8-10. As of this writing, tickets are limited. This is due to the…

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Sammy Honeysett

Exclusive Single Premiere: Sammy Honeysett “I C UR LIPS” (2021)

Sydney-based singer/songwriter Sammy Honeysett is on the cusp of dropping her debut EP, Queen of Wands. We are thrilled today to have the premiere of the lead single, “I C UR LIPS”. The percussive beats and swelling basslines lay the groundwork for what’s to come. Honeysett’s vocals show great restraint, dialling back the volume before…

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Los Angeles’ Academy Museum to launch pre-opening virtual program for a worldwide audience

Ever since The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was announced – a state of the art new complex in Los Angeles – cinephiles around the world have been anticipating what is set to be the most comprehensive and star-studded look at the history, and making of cinema. The Museum, which was set to open last…

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obviously

Album of the Week: Lake Street Dive – Obviously (2021 LP)

There was a study done in the past couple of years that showed the likelihood of you not listening to new music or styles increases exponentially the closer you get to thirty years old, and then going off the chart once you past the milestone. Now, I grew up in a house that mostly played…

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Yas Queen

Adelaide Fringe Review: Yas Queen belts out the show tunes in Leather Lungs

My closing memory of Yas Queen is a rousing rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” with the audience standing and cheering a stunning performance. The journey along the way was a roller coaster ride of emotion. The opening number was also strong, but a number of factors threatened to derail the show. There was the…

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Makarrata Live

Photo Gallery WOMADelaide Day 4, feat Midnight Oil and First Nations collaborators: Makarrata Live

Day four of the WOMADelaide festival opened with Adelaide duo, Siberian Tiger. Their soulful and heartfelt tunes were a beautiful accompaniment to a sunny afternoon. The Teskey Brothers hit the stage next. The brothers have built quite a following from their festival appearances over the years and were a popular addition to the lineup. There…

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The longlist for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction has arrived

Early this morning the longlist for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction was announced. This year’s sixteen strong longlist honours and celebrates a selection of both new and well-established writers. The list also draws from across a range of genres, and the sixteen novels explore a variety of themes, from family and motherhood, to themes…

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New Victorian initiative to finance the stories of under-represented screenwriters and filmmakers

Film Victoria, SBS and Arenamedia are teaming up to launch a new initiative that will support low-budget feature films by Victoria’s most creative and diverse filmmakers. Originate is a program designed to turn early draft scripts by diverse and underrepresented voices into production-ready screenplays. The program involves a three-part process delivered by internationally renowned UK-based…

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Film Review: Judas and the Black Messiah delivers with heart and valorous conviction

After proving a formidable plot point in last year’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 – however secondary it may have been – the killing of Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton in 1969, at the age of only 21 years, is given the right, timely treatment in Shaka King‘s equally impactful (perhaps even more so)…

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Review: All About Women at the Sydney Opera House addresses inclusivity and your right to be angry

It’s an interesting time to be a woman right now. The news coming out of Canberra of harassment, assault and rape is shining a light on the fact that the “boys club” in this country is still alive and well – and women are, rightfully, angry. Angry that it is 2021 and we are still…

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Dan Sultan to play an exclusive show this month at the Enmore Theatre

Six-time ARIA winner Dan Sultan will grace the stage with an exclusive, one-off performance at Sydney’s iconic Enmore Theatre. In a one-off show on Saturday March 27th, Sultan will entertain audiences with an evening of stories, reflection and music. Sultan is a brilliant raconteur so fans can expect laughter as well as all the heartfelt…

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Tash Sultana

Photo Gallery: WOMADelaide 2021 Day 3 – Feat. Tash Sultana, Kaiit and Miiesha

Tash Sultana finished off day three of WOMADelaide in typical brash style. Sultana has a certain way of cajoling, enticing and threatening sounds from their plethora of instruments. They are surrounded by these instruments but is in no way confined by them. As they soar and float around the stage, they set each one off…

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