Year: 2023

Yard Act

Live Review: Yard Act + The Sunday Estate – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (02.02.23)

On a warm summer night in February, a small English band lit up a small Sydney stage in a display of class, wit and banter. This could be the start of a joke, but Yard Act are no joke; they’re the real deal. In the country for Laneway Festival, Yard Act put their debut album…

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Interview: Frank Grillo on Little Dixie, trusting his director, and the importance of removing ego from the action genre

When a deal goes wrong between a corrupt governor and a ruthless drug lord, ex-special forces operative Doc (Frank Grillo) is caught in the crosshairs. Now, with his family in danger, Doc must take down the Mexican drug cartel and do whatever it takes to protect the one good thing in his life – his…

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Film Review: Brendan Fraser’s rich performance keeps The Whale from sinking under its own shaky commentary

Darren Aronofsky has always been one to push the extremities of his characters’ limit throughout his career.  Whether it be physical or psychological, they have all suffered past their breaking point – often to their own demise – and The Whale similarly submits to this trend, looking at an eating addiction spurned from depression. From…

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Interview: Jessica Watson and the cast and crew of Netflix’s True Spirit

At the age of 16, Jessica Watson attempted solo global circumnavigation.  Departing in Sydney on October 18th, 2009, and returning on 15th May 2010, her incredible, untapped journey saw her cross the equator in the Pacific Ocean before crossing both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. A Young Australian of the Year Award recipient and awarded…

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Photo Gallery: Yard Act – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (02.02.23)

Yorkshire quartet Yard Act are in the country at the moment for the Laneway Festival, and have managed to sneak in a few sideshows along the way. We’ve been massive fans at the AU since their debut album The Overload dropped early last year. They turned up the heat in the Oxford Art Factory last…

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Slow Readers Club

New Music Discoveries 3rd February: The Slow Readers Club, BLESSED, Slim Loris and more

As we roll into February we’ve added another ten tracks to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. Our track of the week belongs to Manchester’s Slow Readers Club, with “Lay Your Troubles on Me”. The track is from their forthcoming album, Knowledge Freedom Power, which is to be released on the 24th of…

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Polite Society is a fun, spirited and charming genre mash-up: Sundance Film Festival Review

Polite Society tells the story of two Pakistani-Muslim sisters in London; plucky Ria (Priya Kansara), who dreams of being a stuntwoman, and Lena (Ritu Arya), her world-weary older sister who wants to be an artist. With Lena recently returned home after dropping out of art school, Ria constantly goads her into helping her make YouTube…

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Film Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin is as tender as it is terrifying as it navigates the end of days

If the horror genre has taught us anything it’s that cabins are never going to be the cosy, safe getaway that each inhabiting character tends to think it will be.  But even in the realms of the horror genre, Knock at the Cabin, the latest from genre auteur M. Night Shyamalan, has a few tricks…

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Forspoken Review: A middling mashup

Forspoken is a fantasy adventure with a lot of heart and soul at its core. While some of its magic gets lost in translation, the expansive open world, unique controls and intriguing combat system help the game feel fresh more so than not. The cinematic scope of the story and main missions give it a…

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Friends of Friends interview each other ahead of their national tour

Brisbane indie-rock quartet Friends of Friends are quickly proving themselves as ones to watch this year. After touring with Slowly Slowly in 2022 and releasing their latest single “Morphine” on 24 November, the band will be embarking on an East Coast tour tomorrow to celebrate the new song. The Morphine Australia Tour will see them…

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Dublin Literary Award 2023

Aussie books garner international attention at the 2023 Dublin Literary Awards

Five Australian authors have had their work recognised in the 2023 Dublin Literary Award Longlist; an award that saw 84 libraries across 31 countries nominate worthy recipients. With a prize of €100,000 for the winner, the award is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English. The last time…

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Interview: Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge on navigating the intensity of Knock at the Cabin and how being openly queer influences their performance

  The combination of the dangerous uncertainty of M. Night Shyamalan’s narratives and Dave Bautista’s imposing stature is something very few of us would care to endure. Especially if it’s at the supposed end of the world! In the apocalyptic thriller Knock at the Cabin, Shyamalan invites his audience on an intense thrill-ride, detailing a…

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Groovin the Moo 2023 announces stellar line up

Get ready to go bush because the huge line up for Groovin the Moo 2023 dropped today and it’s a corker. The regional touring festival will take place over six dates in April and May, stopping at Wayville (SA), Maitland (NSW), Canberra (ACT), Bendigo (VIC), Sunshine Coast (QLD) and Bunbury (WA). Featuring international stars Fatboy…

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Interview: M. Night Shyamalan on Knock at the Cabin, authentic casting, and making it a family story

Based on Paul G. Tremblay’s acclaimed 2018 novel “The Cabin at the End of the World”, Knock at the Cabin is the latest white-knuckle thriller from genre maestro M. Night Shyamalan. While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family…

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Arty Ziff

Exclusive Single Premiere: Arty Ziff ft. Lemonade Baby “Rockstar” (2023)

If you need to get dancing again after the rigours of January then have we got just the track for you. Today we have the premiere of “Rockstar” from Melbourne-based producer Arty Ziff. The track features the dreamy vocals of alt-pop artist, Lemonade Baby.  “Rockstar” follows on from their previous release “ByeByeBaby” that featured Jade Alice….

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Dead Space Review: A sci-fi horror epic returns for a new generation

The original Dead Space, released in 2008, still holds up as one of the greatest sci-fi horror games of all time. But 2008 also feels like a long time ago in gaming terms. As a result, Dead Space’s remake feels like that same relevant experience, made all the more satisfying thanks to minor gameplay choices…

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PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo will be skipping E3 2023

It’s not the news we may have wanted to hear, but Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will all be skipping E3 2023. Originally reported by IGN yesterday, the first physical E3 event in four years will feel a little empty for some, with major releases from all three platforms likely reserved for streams, events and showcases…

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Teen Wolf

Film Review : Teen Wolf: The Movie is back for one more bite!

It’s been five years since we said goodbye to the residents of Beacon Hills and the majority of its cast moved onto bigger projects allowing them to become household names. Bringing all these characters together again and having them moved from teens to adulthood was a big gamble to see if fans would return and…

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Comedy Review: Rory Lowe – Highs & Lowes – Perth Fringe World (27.01.23)

Geordie-accented, WA-raised, Sydney-based comedian Rory Lowe is all action. Time flies when watching Rory, a non-stop comedian, with ready-made jokes and quick wit to keep the crowd on its toes. Scruffy-haired Rory is currently performing his Highs & Lowes show at The Rechabite‘s downstairs Goodwill Club as part of Perth’s Fringe World. George Zacharopoulos, who is…

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Fire Emblem Engage Review: Round up the rings

The Fire Emblem series has seen consistent success for its various gameplay implementations and winding narratives that seem to steer the franchise forward in both new and exciting directions. Fire Emblem Engage might be the latest entry in the franchise, but makes dedicated choices to bring the series back to its roots, instead focusing primarily…

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Film Review: Little Dixie is a dirty actioner elevated by the vulnerable masculinity of Frank Grillo

Director John Swab, a gritty aesthetic, and the gruff likeability of Frank Grillo have proven a welcome parcel over the last few years, and following on from both Body Brokers and Ida Red is Little Dixie, a formulaic but no-less investing thriller that exists in a rough, dirty reality. Though there’s plenty of genre tropes…

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Fancy Dance is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama about family bonds and the trials of Indigenous women: Sundance Film Festival

Set in present day Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma, Fancy Dance follows Jax (Lily Gladstone), a Native American swindler who hustles for a living while caring for her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), taken in following the sudden disappearance of her mother. With every spare moment spent trying to find the missing parent, time is running out…

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Planet Talks

WOMADelaide 2023 Planet Talks: The Legal Rights of Nature, The Seaweed Revolution and Establishing a Voice to Parliament

WOMADelaide is just around the corner, kicking off in Adelaide on the 10th of March. As well as an incredible lineup of musicians and dancers, a key feature of the festival is the Planet Talks program. Planet Talks is a forum that runs over three days, featuring some of the brightest thinkers exploring the issues…

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Interview: Skeet Ulrich on new horror film Blood, the everlasting fandom of Scream, and how being a father affects his choices

The horror genre and Skeet Ulrich go hand-in-hand.  Or do they? As Peter Gray spoke with the actor for his latest project Blood, a horror/thriller following Michelle Monaghan’s Jess, who moves her two children back to her childhood home where their lives quickly deteriorate into terror after the family dog bites her son, giving him…

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Film Review: Blood is a dark, metaphorical look at addiction, wrapped up in the guise of a vampire-themed horror film

Vampirism has often been utilised in genre features as a metaphor for an addiction of sorts.  In Brad Anderson‘s Blood, screenwriter Will Honley (Escape Room: Tournament of Champions) furthers not only the addiction thematic, but blends it with the notion of chronic illness, what that can do to the afflicted’s caretaker, and a mother’s instinct…

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Talk To Me shocks and lingers with dread as it submits to the cruel and comedic capabilities of the horror genre: Sundance Film Festival Review

Whilst it’s fair to be tired of the “elevated horror” tag that so many genre pieces aim for nowadays, and the attachment of the-little-studio-that-could A24 only fans the fire, one needn’t worry with Talk To Me, an Australian-made horror effort that’s been acquired by the aforementioned studio for US distribution following wild reactions out of…

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QT hotels around Australia are putting the focus on throuples this Valentine’s Day

In modern dating culture, anyone would be lucky enough to even have one valentine to spend February 14 with. Got two? Count your blessings, because QT Hotels & Resorts are doing something rather unique to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year and it involves you, plus two. Instead of encouraging couples to come in for an…

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Other People’s Children is an affecting French drama about the complexities of motherhood: Sundance Film Festival Review

There’s complexity within the rather simplistic narrative of Other People’s Children, Rebecca Zlotowski‘s affecting French drama about a certain definition of motherhood. Headlined by a captivating Virginie Efira, last seen dominating Paul Verhoeven’s controversial Benedetta, Other People’s Children focuses on her Rachel, a 40-year-old teacher – single and childless – whose blossoming relationship with Ali…

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Interview: nothing,nowhere. talks Australia tour, next album and writing honestly

Vermont alternative artist nothing,nowhere. (aka Joe Mulherin) is one of our generation’s most interesting and prolific creative minds. With a musical style that might be distilled to guitar-driven emo trap, he refuses to adhere to any one genre and has amassed a loyal following through his honest lyrics. Since his sensational 2021 album TRAUMA FACTORY,…

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Live Review: The Purple Rabbit – Perth Fringe World (25.01.23)

  The Perth Fringe World started last weekend and often as a casual punter it can be hard to know what to go and see, but The Purple Rabbit (showing January 25 to February 5) stands out early as a must for keen audiences. The AU Review was lucky enough to be invited along for…

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