Month: September 2023

Game Review : Fae Farm is a magical farming experience

If, like me, you are a fan of farming sim games like Stardew Valley, Story of Seasons and Disney’s Dreamlight Valley, expect to lose a bunch more of your time in Phoenix Labs’ new game Fae Farm. It is not only visually stunning but also boasts an expansive farming system that integrates a magical element…

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Perfect-ish

Book Review: Perfect-ish is the perfect read for your weekend switch-off

It seems that the Australian publishing industry’s hunger for anti-rom-coms (or as I like to call them, Sad Girl Lit) is showing no signs of abating. The perfect successor to the Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes heyday of the last decade, today’s heroine is stressed out and has major FOMO. Prue, the heroine of Jessica…

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Game Review: NBA 2K24 takes smaller, yet confident steps forward

While I appreciate each yearly NBA 2K iteration, it’s usually for something different each and every time. Be it a new and exclusive mode, deeper customisation and progression or new and enhanced gameplay mechanics, there’s generally something that keeps me around for the year to come. NBA 2K24 certainly provides enough in terms of variety…

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Baby Velvet

Exclusive Video Premiere: Baby Velvet “Wild Cherry Tree Drive” (2023)

Last year, singer/songwriter Baby Velvet released her stunning debut solo album, the exquisitely titled Please Don’t Be In Love With Someone Else. The album was nominated for an AIR Award for Best Blues and Roots Album, and in our opinion, justifiably so. Baby Velvet tomorrow releases her first single since the album, the wistful “Wild…

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Rex Orange County

Review & Photos: Rex Orange County woos the crowd at Adelaide Entertainment Centre (19.09.23)

After sold-out shows in The USA and hometown London, Rex Orange County started the Australian leg of his Pacific tour in Adelaide. Alexander James O’Connor, as his mother calls him, released Bcos U Will Never B Free in 2015 and began his set with “Rex (Intro)” from that mixtape, seated in low red light at…

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Film Review: Retribution; Disbelief suspension abounds in (another) Liam Neeson action outing

There’s something rather amusing about the fact that even though Liam Neeson has a vast career of playing everything from a Jedi master to historical figures, it’s the not-always-an-average-man-with-a-certain-set-of-skills archetype that he’s become synonymous with.  Ever since Taken proved that the then-56-year-old was a force to be reckoned with, the now 71-year-old has settled into…

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Brisbane International Film Festival unveils full program, including the Australian premiere of Next Goal Wins

The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF), presented by MINI, has announced its 2023 program with an incredible line-up of Queensland and Australian premiere features, with Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, starring Michael Fassbender, serving as the Australian premiere and Closing Night event. BIFF’s program is further brimming with Queensland premieres from highly acclaimed and visionary…

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Win a double in-season pass to witness the eye-popping return of Jigsaw in Saw X

Thanks to StudioCanal we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Saw X, the eye-popping new entry in the hit Saw franchise. John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most chilling instalment of the SAW franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of SAW I and II, a sick…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Jack Anthony “Call My Name” (2023)

It’s hard to believe that Dharug/Western Sydney-based indie-rock artist Jack Anthony only released his debut single, “On My Own” in July this year. Today we are thrilled to have the premiere of the follow-up, “Call My Name” and it’s an absolute belter. “Call My Name” is a rollicking slice of indie rock. The emotive lyrics are…

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The first ever Bluey game is coming later this year

Developer Outright Games has announced that in partnership with BBC Studios, they will be bringing the first ever Bluey video game to consoles and PC later this year on the 17th of November. Aptly titled Bluey: The Videogame, players will be able to take control of the titular Blue Heeler dog Bluey, along with Mum,…

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Rachel Louise Snyder

Book Review: Rachel Louise Snyder’s Women We Buried, Women We Burned is a moving tale of perseverance and tolerance

Rachel Louise Snyder’s most recent memoir – Woman We Buried, Woman We Burned – is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed book No Visible Bruises. The book is an account of Synder’s journey from teenage runaway to award-winning journalist. The often heartbreaking account begins with the death of the author’s mother, when Snyder was eight years…

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Film Review: In spite of Hilary Swank’s committed performance, The Good Mother can’t maintain its narrative grit

Though it isn’t based on a true story, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte‘s drama The Good Mother has an air of “real world” grit to it.  Of course, once the film commits to a certain narrative twist around the 1-hour mark it feels less organic, but its down-trodden location of Albany, New York, and the fact that its…

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Exploring the benefits of townhome living

Since 1976, Metricon has been at the forefront of the homebuilding scene. With a strong presence stretching across Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales, Metricon has played a pivotal role in creating a diverse range of homes for Australian families. With Australia’s soaring housing market prices, young couples and first-time homebuyers are seeking…

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Yours & Owls

Set times released for 2023 Yours & Owls, and there is a new stage!

It’s not long to go now before Wollongong hosts one of our favourite festivals, the mighty Yours & Owls. The festival will be held on the weekend of the 14th and 15th October, having relocated to the grounds of the  University of Wollongong. The already impressive lineup was bolstered last week by the addition of…

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Two unmissable films added to the AFF 2023 program

Two exciting new UK films have just been added to the Adelaide Film Festival Program for 2023, Poor Things and Saltburn. Poor Things is by director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favorite), generating Oscar buzz after its premiere at Venice Film Festival this year. The Australian premiere is to be screened in Adelaide this October….

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Interview: Retribution director Nimród Antal on contained action, working with Liam Neeson, and the films that inspired him

As a filmmaker Nimród Antal has effortlessly aligned himself within the action-thriller genre space.  Whether he’s terrorising Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale in the snuff-film horror Vacancy, or  exercising the limits of predator and prey in the science-fiction sequel Predators, the Hungarian director knows his way around a thrilling set-piece; something that came in handy…

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John Floreani of Trophy Eyes talks Suicide and Sunshine, solo projects and upcoming regional tour

Aussie alternative rock group Trophy Eyes have had a massive year. after releasing their fourth studio album, Suicide and Sunshine – an absolutely stellar piece of work – and embarking on a capital cities tour, they’re back and ready to set off on their regional tour with pals Dear Seattle. I had the absolute pleasure…

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Heaps Good 2023/2024 lineup announcement includes Flume, Foals and The Avalanches

Heaps Good Festival have just dropped the first lineup announcement for the New Year period and it’s a cracker. Acts include Flume, Foals, The Avalanches, SBTRKT, Basement Jaxx (DJ set), Declan McKenna, Griff, Holly Humberstone and more. After Adelaide’s incredible debut last year, Heaps Good Festival now includes Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on New Year’s Eve…

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Fears and overcoming: a moment with NZ musician you need to know, Reb Fountain

For Reb Fountain, music has been innate to her since childhood. “My parents emigrated to New Zealand (from Southern California) and we’d always have music in the family,” the enigmatic performer explains. “Music was the way that we connected to other migrant families, particularly ….My dad would make up a songbook and we’d sing along….

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Game Review: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a solid, yet shallow retro shooter

I’ve never really been into the Warhammer 40,000 universe, aside from a few video game entries here and there; but would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in the lore. Big, hulking soldiers equipped with chainswords, battling waves of enemy aliens? Sign me up. It is in that same thought that Warhammer 40,000:…

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Laurie Steed

Book Review: Laurie Steed’s Love, Dad is more than a parenting memoir

Laurie Steed‘s second book, Love, Dad, came out just in time for Father’s Day. It was not, as you might expect, a treatise on how to be a good father. Instead it’s a memoir of one man’s experience of fatherhood, along with a collection of musings on how to be a good father, a good man, and…

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The National

The National to return to Australia in 2024

The National are heading back to Australia, for their first tour since 2018. In exciting news for fans of the iconic Cincinnati band, they will be accompanied by very special guests, Fleet Foxes and Annie Hamilton. The National will be playing at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Brisbane’s Riverstage, Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre, and Perth’s…

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How to introduce colourful rugs to your space

At its very fundamental level, interior design can be just as important to your well-being as meditation and a nice, long walk. While that may sound overly dramatic to some, we think it’s been well-documented just how much designing your own space impacts your level of comfort and even your confidence. Take the phrase “house…

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Captivating artist MANE reveals Caught In The Undertow EP, led by empowering single “We Run”

It’s been a busy week for Adelaide based queer performer MANE, with the release of single, EP and a tour announcement. The single, “We Run” is a tribute to her fiancé, capturing the essence of love, while embracing inclusivity. It celebrates their unwavering bond amid personal struggles, and pays tribute to the wider queer community….

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Yorke

Interview: Move Over Marvel – The Yorke Cinematic Universe is Here

Let’s be honest: at some point, we’ve all yearned for a personal soundtrack to our everyday lives. To be able to capture the crescendos and lulls of a musical piece, attaching them to the scenarios unfolding before our eyes. When a melody perfectly aligns with a specific memory, we embark on a theatrical voyage that…

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Widow Clicquot is a tastefully made drama enhanced by the intoxicating presence of Haley Bennett: TIFF 2023 Review

There’s a certain period-piece sexuality billowing through Widow Clicquot that brings to mind other such similarly-set efforts as Atonement and Pride & Prejudice.  And given that those films’ second-unit director, Thomas Napper, is at the helm here, it makes perfect sense that such detail and intimacy is adhered to; fittingly, Joe Wright, director of the…

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Fitting In explores gender, identity, and how medicine can play such an affecting role in both facets: TIFF 2023 Review

Described as a “traumedy” and navigating a narrative I have no personal connection to – or even a right to comment on in all honesty – Molly McGlynn‘s Fitting In has the same footprints as a coming-of-age comedy, but laces such with a queer mentality and the potential dehumanising reality of when your body “rejects”…

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The interesting concept behind Tautuktavuk (What We See) isn’t quite realised through muddled execution: TIFF 2023 Review

Whilst the mass hysteria and government control surrounding COVID-19 has subsided, the trauma of the pandemic itself is still something that lingers for many.  Tautuktavuk (What We See) is a semi-autobiographical drama that looks at such an effect, furthered by the already isolated reality of the Inuit culture, co-directed by Lucy Tulugarjuk and Carol Kunnuk….

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Here’s every announcement from PlayStation’s September State of Play

While PlayStation’s September State of Play felt a little shorter than what we’re used to, the lineup of quality content on the way is certainly not slowing down. We’ve compiled all the latest trailers and announcements from this morning’s show below. Enjoy! FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH LOOKS FANTASTIC WE GOT ANOTHER LOOK AT NEW YORK…

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Here’s everything announced at September’s 2023 Nintendo Direct

September’s Nintendo Direct certainly did not disappoint, throwing trailers for some of their biggest upcoming exclusives and tried party titles. We’ve covered all the trailers for everything announced in the 40-minute stream below. Enjoy! PRINCESS PEACH: SHOWTIME! REVEALED AS THE TITLE FOR HER NEW SOLO GAME PAPER MARIO: THE THOUSAND YEAR DOOR IS BEING REMADE…

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