Month: March 2022

The Cow; A slow burn thriller with a wild reveal that asks more questions than it answers: SXSW Film Festival Review

For such a scrappy little feature, Eli Horowitz‘s The Cow has some impressive calibre that will no doubt help earn it some extra eyes beyond the unique indie crowd this seems tailor made for. Headlined by Winona Ryder (always a treat to see taking charge these days) and a suitably disarming Dermot Mulroney, The Cow…

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Carriageworks unveils incredible music line-up for Vivid Sydney 2022, including Perfume Genius, CHAI, TOMM¥ €A$H, and more!

We can finally welcome international stars back to our shores, and Carriageworks has bagged some of the brightest for their Vivid Sydney line-up. The Carriageworks precinct will come to life over two weekends in June, celebrating theatrical live performance and honest self-expression from across the globe. Visitors can expect incredible live music, large-scale light installations,…

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PlayStation’s upcoming State of Play will focus on Hogwarts Legacy

Gameplay footage from the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy will be shown off at this Friday’s PlayStation State of Play Stream. This will mark the first time gameplay footage has ever been revealed, with the game first being announced during Sony’s PlayStation 5 showcase, way back in September of 2020. According to PlayStation’s Official Blog, the 20-minute…

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Ziva

Exclusive Single Premiere: Živa “Dualism” (2022)

  Živa is a Croatian-born Melbourne-based avant-garde artist and we are thrilled today to be premiering her latest single, “Dualism”. The track is an exciting and quixotic blend of hypnotizing vocals, synths, industrial percussion. It’s filled with drama and theatre, with the blend of lightness and darkness in the vocals, which switch between English and…

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Adelaide Festival Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray paints a convincing picture of a timeless message

The recent renovations to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide have been in keeping with the charm of the old building, while modernising it to a current standard. More room in comfortable seats, an additional dress circle, better bar facilities; these all add up to a sympathetic improvement of a classic theatre. What better place to…

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Close up image of two women carrying All About Women tote bags.

Review: All About Women at the Sydney Opera House will make you uncomfortable – and that’s a good thing

There has been a lot of discussion around International Women’s Day this year, with many expressing strong concerns the day has become tokenistic. Big corporations, largely still run by middle aged white men, throw a morning tea (often organised by the women in the office) and lament lyrically about the organisation’s commitment to inclusivity and…

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Interview: Fergus James on self-expectation, stadium shows and A Slow Separation EP

Fergus James already boasts a co-sign by Justin Timberlake, a stadium tour support slot for Ed Sheeran, opening the amphitheatre at Splendour In The Grass. Now he can add a sophomore EP to that resume, with the release of A Slow Separation. The top tier Australian collaborators who helped the collection come to life is…

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The Cat Empire

Live Review and Gallery: WOMADelaide Day 3 featuring The Cat Empire, Electric Fields, Goanna and more

The weather slowly warmed up over the Adelaide Cup long weekend, making Sunday a perfect day at Womadelaide. Rugs marked meeting spots under the trees. Lines formed at the free water stations. Some visitors discovered artist workshops and Planet Talks. Kids had plenty of zones and activities to keep them busy. The lifting of some…

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The Prank is an uneven black comedy kept afloat by the wicked Rita Moreno: SXSW Film Festival Review

A somewhat standard high-school comedy and a campy dark mystery are fused together in Maureen Bharoocha‘s ambitious offering The Prank.  Whilst much of the film rides on the fact you have to root for unlikeable archetypes – either outcast students Ben (Connor Kalopsis) and his feisty bestie Tanner (Ramona Young) or their evil-incarnate teacher (a…

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Interview: Thomas Headon on TikTok, teenage independence and his Victoria EP.

Thomas Headon is one of TikTok’s rising stars, going viral on the platform with tracks “Grace” and “Clean Me Up“, all while a life-size cutout of Harry Styles strategically lurked in the background. It’s easy to see that Thomas draws inspiration from Styles, from his pearl-wearing aesthetics to boyish charm, though sonically it’s a little…

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TV Review : Upload S2 sticks to its weird and wacky formula, diving deeper into the digital afterlife

It’s been two years since the first season of Upload, an off-beat comedy set in the future where the wealthy can upload their consciousness to a digital afterlife and continue living in a perfect world of their creation. The first season was the perfect blend of comedy mixed with drama exploring themes of loss, love…

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Everything Will Be Alright is a bleak yet soul-stirring drama that speaks to our universal determination: SXSW Film Festival Review

A pandemic story without exclusively being as such, Everything Will Be Alright has an everyman-type quality to it in how it presents the dilemmas the Coronavirus inflicted upon the world.  Director Farhard Pakdel fuses his narrative with a heightened sense of drama though, injecting a potentially triggering additive that further highlights how people’s realities were…

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Courtney Barnett

Live Review and Gallery: WOMADelaide Day Two featuring Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Motez and Courtney Barnett

With such and incredible range of music on offer at Womadelaide, it can be easy to forget that there is much more available. HEXADECA music-making playground and roving performers entertain the families. There’s Eddie Betts story time in the KidsZone. Yoga from Human.Kind studios for the early risers. The Taste the World sessions have moved into…

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Bosh! On A Budget

Cookbook Review: BOSH! on a Budget makes cooking delicious vegan dishes achievable and affordable

In the past, my cookbook shelf has been guilty of the ultimate home cooking sin: being purely inspirational and decorative. I find many cookbooks have insanely long ingredient lists packed with obscure and expensive items, so I often stick to my old favourites or Google specific ideas. But BOSH! on a Budget is different. The…

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Taikoz

Live Review and Gallery: WOMADelaide opens Friday night with a massive lineup including Baker Boy, Taikoz, and L.A.B.

Celebrating thirty years of presenting world music, WOMADelaide has weathered COVID restrictions to put on a massive show for 2022. As international travel uncertainties played out, the focus this year has been on highlighting Indigenous and Pacific Island acts. After the traditional Kuarna Welcome to Country, Cairo-born oud virtuoso, Joseph Tawadros played with the Adelaide…

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Pretty Problems comedically indulges in the unpleasantness of the privileged: SXSW Film Festival

When watching Kestrin Pantera‘s Pretty Problems, if such titles as This Is 40, Wanderlust, The Invitation, White Lotus, and/or Schitt’s Creek come to mind, you can sit comfortably knowing that was somewhat deliberate.  Though there’s evident inspiration from such vast titles, Pretty Problems is still very much its own being; it just helps it has…

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Sissy is a gross and darkly funny horror that explores the dangers of the social influencer: SXSW Film Festival Review

Whether we like them (or follow them) or not, influencers – sorry, “content creators” – are a cultural mainstay in our society that often extends beyond the environment of social media.  In Australian horror effort Sissy, co-writers/directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes seem all too aware of the faux importance influencers place upon themselves, a…

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Slash/Back thrills with both a genuine terror and its youthful energy: SXSW Film Festival Review

Unless you’re already an established name in the industry – and even then, to some degree, getting a film off the ground can have its challenges – the process of seeing a film through its production stages is never without its hurdles.  So you can only imagine how it was for a first-time director like…

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ARIA 2021

Live Review: Genesis Owusu + 1300 + Bukhu – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (09.03.22)

It has been rapidly coming together for Genesis Owusu. After releasing an EP in 2017, and some singles in the following years, everything was set and bubbling, on the threshold of an explosion; a big, dramatic and impossible to miss kind of explosion. With the release of his debut studio album, Smiling with No Teeth,…

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WWE 2K22 Review: A Rey of sunshine

After a much needed year off, the WWE 2K franchise has returned with the hopes of providing a high flying, hard-hitting recreation of the iconic sport. While we won’t talk about the state the franchise has been in the past few years, it’s worth noting that WWE 2K22 marks a triumphant return for wresting games…

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Chris Rock has announced an Australian visit for his Ego Death world tour

Unstoppable comedian, actor and all-around talented individual Chris Rock is set to return to Australia as part of his Ego Death world tour. Recently announced, the dependable stand-up will be trotting around the world to take his apparently very personal and intimate new material to his many fans. And Aussies will get to experience it…

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Interview: Director Bianca Poletti on her SXSW short film Radical Honesty; “I love stories that have subtle, dark, awkward humour”

Premiering at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, Radical Honesty is a new short feature from director/photographer Bianca Poletti.  In the lead-up to the film’s premiere, our own Peter Gray spoke with her about the inspiration behind its unconventional take on relationships, her own personal attachment to the idea of non-monogamy, and which filmmakers she personally…

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Get ready for An Exclusive Evening with Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams returns to Melbourne next month with an exclusive evening at Rod Laver Arena on the April 30th. With Williams heading to Australia to film his upcoming biopic Better Man, the night is set to feature more than just his incredible back catalogue. Frontier Touring and Chugg Entertainment are presenting the special event, set…

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Interview: Steve Aoki on death, competition and the A0K1VERSE

Steve Aoki is one of the most prolific EDM artists of the past two decades. He boasts Grammy Award nominations, multiple Guinness Word Records including most traveled musician for 2014, a hugely successful record company Dim Mak, and, more recently, he’s become one of the most important figures in the Web3 and NFT spaces. Fresh…

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New Music Discoveries 11th March: Aldous Harding, OLI, Kate Miller Heidke and more

This week we have nine additions to our Discovery playlist, including one exclusive premiere. Our Track of the Week goes to New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding and her new single “Fever”. This is the second single off her forthcoming album, Warm Chris which will be released on the 25th March.  “Fever” features some sparkling jaunty piano,…

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Shadow Warrior 3 Review: As safe as crazy can be

I have fond memories of the Shadow Warrior franchise. Having played the original a little over 20 years ago on the old family PC, I was fairly certain I was prepared for the insanity the rebooted franchise would throw at me. This rebooted trilogy has indeed proved serviceable if a little safe. Make no mistake;…

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Film Review: Turning Red is a fantastical family film that speaks to the tribulations of growing up

If it wasn’t for the fact that she turns into a giant red panda, the life of Turning Red‘s protagonist Meilin Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) would be considered normal.  She gets good grades at secondary school, has a trio of respectable besties, helps her mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), in running the family temple –…

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Code Breakers: Women in Games exhibition arrives at Yarra Ranges Regional Museum

A free ACMI touring exhibition is currently running at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum. Titled Code Breakers: Women in Games, the exhibition aims to highlight the impact and numerous achievements of women working within the games industry. From Saturday, March 5 to Sunday, May 15, the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum will be transformed into an…

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Walking Who

Exclusive EP Premiere: The Walking Who – Mr. Cornelius (2022 EP)

Originally from Wollongong, Rohin Brown fronts the psychedelic outfit, The Walking Who, and from his current home in Prague. A singer/songwriter and now film-maker, he entered his debut film into Cannes World Film Festival. On his first attempt, he managed to pull off the win in three categories, Best New Wave, Post Modern Film; Best…

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Adelaide Fringe review: Daniel Muggleton is white and wrong (but mostly white)

Daniel Muggleton is an Australian stand-up comedian wearing a tracksuit. His trademark comedy is poking holes at bogans, racism, and almost anything else he can think of. He has a regular podcast and is a comedy club regular. On this chilly Tuesday night in the open-air Piglet Theatre at Gluttony, he wasn’t fazed by the…

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