What happened to Zoe Jacobs? In the returning season of Black Snow, Detective Cormack (Travis Fimmel) tackles two separate missing persons cases. One is professional, as he investigates the disappearance of Zoe Jacobs (Jana McKinnon), who disappeared from her own 21st birthday party in 2003. And the other is personal, as Cormack searches desperately for…
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The year that was 2024 in film. Gladicked wasn’t quite Barbenheimer 2.0. Scary movies ruled all (wait, is horror back?). Audiences weren’t Kraven’ superheroes – unless they were Hugh Jackman. Nicholas Hoult quietly emerged as the year’s most reliable leading man. And, like last year, originality was far more satiating. Here at the AU Review…
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Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia, we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Robert Eggers’ acclaimed new gothic horror film Nosferatu, starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe, in Australian cinemas from New Years’ Day, January 1st, 2025. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a gothic tale…
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Given the astronomically high bar set by director Paul King and co-writer Simon Farnaby with 2017’s Paddington 2, the 7-year wait for Paddington in Peru only adds to the film’s overall anticipation and, due to both King and Farnaby sitting out their directorial and screenwriting duties, slight trepidation. It goes without saying that very few…
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After plenty of acclaim this year, it seems Dometic is poised to dominate the category of outdoor essentials. Planning a big camping trip? You might want to look into this incredibly well-considered device, which is aimed squarely at big groups who spend days or even weeks soaking up the great outdoors and don’t necessarily feel…
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The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Omni represents a significant leap forward in the evolution of robot vacuums. It introduces a suite of advanced features that enhance cleaning efficiency and user convenience. That’s the promise on paper and it’s more or less delivered here with stunning results. And while it may not be pushing the envelope, I’ve…
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Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton in The Room Next Door, the full-length English language debut from Almodóvar, exclusively in Australian theatres from December 26th, 2024. Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) were close friends in their youth, when they…
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Despite the fact that Juror #2 is directed Clint Eastwood (reportedly, also, his last feature as a filmmaker) and contains an extended ensemble including, but not limited to, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons and Kiefer Sutherland, you’d be rightfully under the impression that such credentials hold no weight given the absolute mistreatment of this…
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Everyone knows the UE speakers as soon as they see them now. I don’t think there’s a sharehouse in Australia that doesn’t have at least two of these sitting around the lounge room, always ready to blast some Fred Again when the mood strikes. Such familiarity also leads to complacency at times. It’d be just…
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Arguably one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing has always left me with complicated feelings. While, like many, I consider the repartee between Beatrice and Benedick to be some of the best in classic literature, the disgusting mistreatment of Hero is something I have become increasingly uncomfortable with. Falsely accused of infidelity…
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Based on the popular film of the same name, Elf: The Musical brings the magic of the 2003 festive favourite written by David Berenbaum to the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House. Elf is the tale of Buddy, an orphan who is mistakenly taken to the North Pole and consequently raised by elves. Upon…
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Set to entertain audiences from December, Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time; you can read our full review here. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the…
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Whether you loved him or hated him as part of Take That or on his own accord as a brash soloist, Robbie Williams, particularly in the 1990s, was a figure you couldn’t escape. Similar to the cultural impact of Geri Halliwell exiting the Spice Girls or Zayn Malik bidding adieu to One Direction, Williams’ exit…
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It’s too easy to claim that writer/director Sean Baker makes inaccessible films due to the fact that so many of his narratives centre around the society underrepresented, chief among them being sex workers. As we saw in such previous works as Tangerine and Red Rocket, Baker seeks to remove such a stigma around pornography performers, prostitutes…
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There’s a famous story surrounding when Jim Carrey approached Tommy Lee Jones at a restaurant one night during the production of Batman Forever in 1995. On the eve of the duo filming “their biggest scene together” on the Joel Schumacher sequel, Carrey popped into a diner where Jones happened to be eating. The maitre noted…
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If you’re looking for an active Maldivian adventure with all-inclusive benefits, then it’s hard to go past Club Med Kani. I think I’ve fallen in love with Club Med. Only a year ago, I’d never been to one. Almost by chance my family and I stayed at Club Med Bintan Island and we had such…
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As we rapidly approach the end of the year, the AU Books team have been desperately sorting books, rating and re-rating, choosing and re-choosing as they try to narrow down their favourite reads of 2024. It’s never an easy to task to choose just one, so we at least let them put forward a couple…
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Matthew Hooper’s heart-wrenching debut A Cold Season doesn’t shy away from the realities of rural life in a bitter post-WW1 winter. Narrated by 14-year-old Beth, the book is set in the foothills of Mount Kosciusko. Isolated and vulnerable, the story opens as a harsh winter is rolling in, bringing with it flash storms and heavy…
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The time has rolled around once again for us to wrap up the year that was and summarise 2023’s best games. It never gets any easier, but we’ve had to extend this year’s list out to 10 games as opposed to the usual 5. That being said, let’s hit the ground running and jump straight…
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Every Australian knows something of the colonisation of Australia; of the ships that were sent and the convicts that arrived. But, there are some parts that are left out of the wider narrative, unnoticed or undiscussed in conversations about Australia’s history. It’s one such element that Santilla Chingaipe delves into in her latest book Black…
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Look up… As the DCEU suits up for a brand new iteration under the guidance of director James Gunn, our first taste will fly into theatres from July 2025 in the form of Superman. Embodied by rising star David Corenswet, the Man of Steel will be reintroduced to fans and newcomers alike, and the first…
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Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fans will be over the moon to hear that Dungeons & Dragons: Twenty-Sided Tavern is now playing at the Sydney Opera House, straight from New York. We had the pleasure of attending the premiere night on Wednesday 18 December. As a long-time D&D lover, it was a unique opportunity to see…
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The 16th annual AU review countdown of the 40 best albums of the year has arrived. This year, as always, our contributors bring together a mix of artists from Australia and around the world. Hopefully your favourite album(s) made the cut – and maybe you’ll discover a few new ones along the way, too. Read…
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Thanks to Kismet Movies and ThinkTank Communications, we have 3 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the acclaimed new dark comedy from director Sean Baker (Red Rocket), Anora, starring Golden Globe nominee Mikey Madison, in Australian theatres from Boxing Day, December 26th, 2024. Step into the wild world of Anora, a hot Oscar contender…
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Invasion is imminent! Hostile forces have overtaken a remote moon and are in the midst of uncovering a secret base that holds the key to a delicate intergalactic alliance. It is up to superhero Anvil Liza to thwart the enemy’s plans and in the process maintain balance in the universe. Launched via Kickstarter, Stellarlands is…
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I love Twelve South’s range of changing stands and still use the HiRise Deluxe 3 today. The HiRise Deluxe 2 follows in the footsteps of its slightly larger predecessor while bringing some new and interesting features to the fold. The new Qi2 charging certification certainly helps your services charge quicker, while the premium finish and…
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Today, the AACTA Festival announced over twenty new sessions have been added to the 2025 program, which returns to the Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, from February 5 – 9 2025. Celebrated Australian music icon Paul Kelly will perform live at the festival alongside Meg Washington, Brendan Maclean, Beddy Rays and other special guests at the How to Make Gravy – Live…
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Shifting away from the sibling rivalry at the centre of the modern-set dramedy Scrap, writer/director Vivian Kerr moves into gothic horror territory for her sophomore feature-length project, Séance, a dramatic tale that still admittedly utilises the mentality of rivalry, but does so in a different, more psychological manner. Grief, obsession, and both the fragile and toxic…
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Ten years ago, Australian musician Pepa Knight released his debut album, the cross-cultural and entrancing Hypnotised Vol I. At long last, the sequel is in the midst, and a couple of weeks ago, Pepa released the first single – “Superman”. Today, we are thrilled to be premiering the video for this beautiful new track. Hypnotised…
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Continuing our extensive Nosferatu coverage in the lead-up to the film’s New Year’s Day release here in Australia (you can read our review here), Peter Gray spoke to Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult about their roles in Robert Eggers’ gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her,…
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