Month: September 2022

The Son is emotionally manipulative in its interrogation of teenage depression: TIFF 2022 Review

The claustrophobic and emotional resonance Florian Zeller created with 2020’s The Father is unfortunately nowhere to be found in The Son, a prequel of sorts based off another of Zeller’s stage plays. A chamber piece on the subject of dementia that rightfully won Anthony Hopkins his second Best Actor Academy Award, The Father expressed subtlety…

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a playful experience that speaks to Rian Johnson’s ease as an intricate storyteller: TIFF 2022 Review

Rian Johnson had far too much fun paying homage to the works of Agatha Christie in 2019’s star-studded crime comedy Knives Out.  To say he executed it perfectly would be putting it mildly, but whilst a sequel to such a set-up seemed like a given, how anything secondary would be navigated was another mystery in…

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Crowds walk out of the main theatre at the Sydney Opera House.

Review: Antidote at the Sydney Opera House raises more questions than it answers but it will make you hungry for change

Antidote at the Sydney Opera House is marketed as a ‘festival of ideas, art and change’ and the 2022 line-up presented a diverse and intriguing list of topics from climate change to the war in Ukraine. Over the last few years, it feels as if the stability we have so long expected and taken for…

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Film Review: Bodies Bodies Bodies proves to be as sharp as the murder weapon with its dark comedy and stellar filmmaking

Bodies Bodies Bodies tells the story of a group of exuberant 20-something youths who plan to party for the weekend in a remote mansion. Partygoers include Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), a rich kid who has a dark backstory involving drug use, her partner Bee (Maria Bakalova), a working-class reticent young woman, David (Pete Davidson), an unruly…

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Unwrapping PlayStation’s September State of Play

Sony PlayStation released a surprise State of Play stream yesterday, revealing a closer look at some upcoming titles like Hogwarts Legacy and the anticipated PlayStation Stars rewards program. But he studio also took the time to grace us with some brand new reveals, some even from older franchises, making their way back onto a new…

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Velcro Dog

Exclusive Single Premiere: Velcro Dog “Cone of Shame” (2022)

This week sees the release of “Cone of Shame”, the third and final single from Velcro Dog’s forthcoming debut album, Misanthropology. Ahead of its official release tomorrow we’re pleased to bring you this exclusive first listen to the dark and folksy track.  The emotive track is a stripped back affair, with a minimal acoustic arrangement…

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Book Review: J.M. Miro launches stunning new fantasy series with Ordinary Monsters

The Cairndale Institute isn’t like other schools. Taking in children with specific skills, known as Talents, it’s not only a chance to grow and learn; but also a refuge from a world not ready for their powers. Charlie Ovid can heal himself from just about any injury. Komako can manipulate dust to do extraordinary things….

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Chvrches

Falls Festival Victoria makes exciting location change as we edge closer to summer

Summer is on its way and who isn’t excited after a cold and wet winter!? And while we wait, Falls Festival has dropped some juicy news about its 2022/23 Victorian location. After recently revealing their new Birregurra location, which was lovingly accepted by the local community and council, a small group has filed an application…

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Film Review: George and Julia keep Ticket To Paradise a satisfactory destination

Few actors possess and exude as much movie star wattage as George Clooney and Julia Roberts.  And it’s his attractive gruffness and her screen-lighting smile that keep Ticket To Paradise from being a destination you’d request a refund for. Local audiences – predominantly those based in Queensland – are sure to get a thrill from…

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Pearl takes pride in being a demented character study over slasher genre thrills: TIFF 2022 Review

If X was Ti West‘s homage to classic 70’s horror effort The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then Pearl could almost be aligned with The Wizard of Oz, just with, you know, a lot more blood and dry-humping scarecrows. The fact that X was an initial singular success story was enough of a win for independent horror…

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Unwrapping September’s Nintendo Direct Stream

This September, Nintendo Direct was jam-packed with games, release dates, trailers and news about what’s coming to the system over the next year. The Zelda: The Breath of the Wild sequel is coming, Goldeneye with online multiplayer will be available soon, Kirby‘s 30th anniversary celebrations, Pikmin 4 and a slew of Nintendo 64 games are…

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Splatoon 3 Review: more than just a new paintjob

You may be wondering what new grounds Nintendo could explore with Splatoon 3, especially when Splatoon 2 is already such a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I was too. Yet, what may initially come across as laziness in minimal core changes to multiplayer soon becomes an experience of wonderful re-identification of the Splatoon series. Splatoon 3 is…

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Chymes

Exclusive Single Premiere: Chymes “See You In Hell” (2022)

Sometimes you fall for someone, irrespective of the consequences. You know that perhaps it isn’t the smartest thing you’ve done, but you do it anyway. Alt-pop artist Chymes has encapsulated this feeling perfectly in her latest banger, “See You in Hell”. We’re thrilled to be premiering it today, ahead of its release on Friday. About…

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Interview: Kaitlyn Dever on Ticket To Paradise, working in Australia and what she learned from George Clooney and Julia Roberts

At only 25 years old, Kaitlyn Dever is already over a decade into her career. From Bad Teacher(‘s pet) to Booksmart by way of Beautiful Boy, the Golden Globe-nominated actress is now navigating a genre she has yet to tackle; the romantic comedy. Starring alongside Julia Roberts and George Clooney in Ticket To Paradise, where…

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Causeway is a quiet drama anchored by a stripped back Jennifer Lawrence: TIFF 2022 Review

A low-key slice of independent cinema that you imagine wouldn’t be given as big of a spotlight had it not been for lead Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway nonetheless deserves its attention as it’s a determined and moving picture about one’s healing, both emotionally and physically. Adhering to the stripped-away mentality that drove her to her first…

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Interview: George Clooney, Julia Roberts and the cast of Ticket To Paradise

Putting together two of the biggest movie stars is always going to come with a certain electric dynamic.  When it’s George Clooney and Julia Roberts? Chaos! And that’s meant in the best possible way. Ahead of the release of their anticipated romantic comedy reunion Ticket To Paradise, where they play a duo of exes who…

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Walking the Path of Wolves: the volunteer expedition protecting the wolf population of Lower Saxony

It’s 4:30 am and cold in my tent. I slowly emerge from the early morning brain fog and reach blindly to silence my phone alarm. Numbly, I pull on jeans, boots, and my new Biosphere Expeditions t-shirt, then half fall out of my tent into the brightening dawn. We congregate up at the hotel, in…

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Film Review: Moonage Daydream is a headfirst dive into the unmatched, other-worldly psyche of the one and only, David Bowie

A feast for the eyes and the ears, Brett Morgen‘s Moonage Daydream is a headfirst dive into the unmatched, other-worldly psyche of the one and only, David Bowie.  In some aspects Morgen – who is no stranger to the musician-centred medium, having helmed the Nirvana doco Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck – has adopted an…

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Budjerah

BIGSOUND ’22 through the eyes of a first-timer: The four acts to watch

Attending BIGSOUND 2022 for the first time, Naarm-based writer and creative Selin Ruby Kaya hit the venues of Fortitude Valley to soak up the best in new Australian music. Here, she names the four artists who struck a particular chord, as she reflects on highlights from the largest music conference in the southern hemisphere. BUDJERAH …

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How Brisbane’s LÂLKA proved the hometown hero of BIGSOUND ‘22

When I meet multi-hyphenate creative LÂLKA in Fortitude Valley’s Bakery Lane, the first thing I notice is her outfit. More specifically, I notice the handmade jacket with huge safety pins on either side of the collar and a linen panel neatly hand-stitched to the back — the panel features an illustration of LÂLKA in the…

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My Five Highlights of BIGSOUND 2022

BIGSOUND descended onto Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley for its twenty-first year as the southern hemisphere’s biggest celebration of new music. With over 180 artists performing across 21 venues in just three nights – the festival can be a little overwhelming to first-timers and seasoned attendees alike. There are so many incredible showcases put together by venues,…

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Disney Cruise Line to (finally) sail in Australia and New Zealand for a limited season in late 2023

Families and Disney fans have a reason to celebrate today, because after two and a half decades of operation, the Disney Cruise Line is finally set to arrive in Australia and New Zealand in late 2023. The only bad news? It’s for a limited time only. In operation since 1998, the Disney Cruise Line has…

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Interview: Director Brett Morgen on his David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream; “Chaos and fragmentation were his through line”

Moonage Daydream is not a documentary.  It is a genre-defying cinematic experience based on one of the most iconic and global rock stars of all time: David Bowie. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen, director of Cobain: Montage of Heck, and featuring never-before-seen concert footage, Moonage Daydream is an immersive cinematic experience; an audio-visual space…

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Sisu is a shamelessly playful and violently unpredictable exercise in modern exploitation cinema: TIFF 2022 Review

There’s both a sense of adhering to the temperaments of action films gone by and embracing the current and future state of the genre present in Jalmari Helander‘s Sisu. Matching its dark sense of humour (and I mean dark) with a violently bloody mentality (and I mean bloody!), Sisu manages to present the simplest of…

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Photo Gallery: Jessica Mauboy + Becca Hatch – Night At The Barracks, Manly (09.09.22)

The opening night of the inaugural Night At The Barracks kicked off at North Head, Manly on Friday night. The headliner for the night was the fabulous Jessica Mauboy, supported by Becca Hatch. As always, Jess performed a high-energy set. What a voice! The series runs until the 9th of October, with performances to come from…

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Budjerah

Photo Gallery: BIGSOUND 2022 – Day 3 ft. Budjerah + The Terrys and more (08.09.22)

Day 3 of BIGSOUND 2022 continued to deliver. A highlight of the conference was the keynote speech from Jaguar Jonze. To say it was moving is a gross understatement. She told the story of her youth, a series of struggles as the Australian court system refused residency to her Taiwanese mother. It’s not possible to…

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Unwrapping all the major announcements from the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase 2022

D23 has rolled around for 2022, highlighting some of Disney’s biggest upcoming projects, from Pixar films to Marvel epics and everything in between. This time however, we got a look at the first ever Disney and Marvel Games Showcase, giving gamers, Marvel fans and Disney lovers alike a glimpse at the future of their interactive…

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On The Come Up harnesses a strong, fierce voice that cuts through narrative familiarities: TIFF 2022 Review

Author Angie Thomas has become something of a contemporary prose lyricist for the new wave of young coloured youths through her breakout novels The Hate U Give and On The Come Up.  Breathing a certain life into their own coming of age stories, her words prove a promising soundboard for actress Sanaa Lathan‘s foray into…

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Photo Gallery: The Church – The Metro Theatre, Sydney (08.09.22)

The Church showcased songs from the band’s forthcoming 26th studio album, The Hypnogogue plus all their jangly guitar classics including, “Unguarded Moment”, “Under The Milky Way” and “Almost With You” at the Metro in Sydney last night. The fans were treated to a two-and-a-half-hour set. Steve Kilbey the only original member left and long-time collaborator…

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New Music Discoveries 9th September: Hailey Beavis, Conrad Sewell, Surf Shop Cops and more

Another ten tracks have been added to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, including two singles we exclusively premiered earlier this week. Our Track of the Week is “Crow” from Scottish indie-folk artist Hailey Beavis.  The release of “Crow” accompanies the announcement of Beavis’ debut album i’ll put you where the trombone slides,…

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