Imagine the photo shoot for Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ or concerts like: Woodstock, Johnny Cash’s gigs at Folsom and San Quentin, and The Beatles’s last official show at Candlestick Park. Most of us would trade our left hands to have been there. But if you were Jim Marshall, you could boast that you went and shot…
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I haven’t watched the movie School of Rock in maybe 10 years, but from memory there’s a scene where Jack Black’s character talks about sticking it to the man, as well as singing a song with lyrics “you’re not hard core, unless you live hardcore.” While Stella Donnelly may not be a middle aged man…
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With the sun pelting down as you walked in, Download Festival was off to a hot one in Melbourne. Luca Brasi helped kick things off, with a set on one of the two main stages. I Prevail were an early highlight, too, as punters piled into the Flemington Racecourse. Eric Vanlerberghe’’s vocals punched through the air and drew a…
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The Titanic had the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Texas meanwhile, had the unstoppable Molly Ivins. This tall, flame-haired woman was an outspoken, political commentator with a razor-sharp wit. Raise Hell is a documentary that covers every inch of this larger-than-life character. This film is the first documentary to be made about this formidable subject. It’s hard…
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Underdog is a collection of short stories, collected from upcoming and unpublished Australian YA fiction writers. Edited by (and featuring contributions from) Tobias Madden and Sarah Taviana, Underdog celebrates a uniquely Australian genre, one as diverse and emotive as the country in which it is written. Featuring twelve short stories, Underdog is the first #LoveOzYA…
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If there’s a bias I have as a film critic, it is that I have an affinity for seeing established actors give unhinged performances in film that accommodate said performance. Most of these performances are usually in thriller genres, like the psycho-logical subgenre. Yes, the use of the hyphen is intentional, as those films delve…
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Brisbane band Sweater Curse have been making many waves in the Australian music scene over the past few years, with support slots for major artists, Triple J Unearthed support and a growing list of performances. Now, with their new EP See You, the band offer up a full showcase of just why they’ve become so…
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Some acts come as a package deal. Bert and Ernie. Batman and Robin. Tom and Jerry. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy AKA comedy duo, Laurel & Hardy, can be added to this list. The two comedians made over a hundred silent and talking films. They entertained audiences with their funny antics and slapstick for decades….
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The year is 1936 and inside the Buckingham Hotel’s Grand Ballroom, the party is in full swing. But it’s more than dancing partners and waiters armed with fresh champagne doing the rounds here. With Britain keeping one eye firmly on the rising European fascists, the business of buying and selling secrets is booming – and…
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Films that are for adults that revolve around children are becoming more uncommon these days. So much so that people have to differentiate films that are for children with films that are about children. Case in point, the 2004 fantasy drama Bridge to Terabithia. While the film does show a fantasy world and the story…
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It’s hard to believe but at this present time, whenever you ask young people who Liam Neeson is, they often tend to quote his action films and then not know or forget about his critically acclaimed films like Schindler’s List, Michael Collins, Rob Roy and others. But ever since the 2008 action film Taken, Neeson…
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No one is really sure how it started. Random attacks. Censored news reports. Curfews and evacuations. The internet stopping. And then there’s Rhea and Jojo’s mother going missing. Band members Dee, Poppy, Zufan, and Jack’s creative retreat cut short by power outages. And an unnamed teen facing down her own family, who are literally about…
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With a career that already spans half a decade, the evolution of American indie duo, Girlpool, is second to none. For five years, Harmony Trividad and Cleo Tucker have composed music that captures your attention and implores you to listen by tugging at your heartstrings rather than invading your personal space and screaming in your face….
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An Open Book, published late last year, is the eleventh collection of poetry from David Malouf, and his third in the last ten years. Prior to this collection I only really knew of Malouf in his capacity as a writer of prose and short stories. As it turns out he is equally adept in many…
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While it is often true that Wednesday nights are relegated to early evenings or an easy night in at home, those who ventured from the safety of these homes were rewarded earlier in the week by a mammoth live performance of nostalgia and music with some of modern music’s famous artists spanning the course of…
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It’s quite amazing to know that there are many films out there that have been inspired by the story of the Arthurian legend. On the top end of the scale, we have the Disney flick The Sword of the Stone, the John Boorman cult classic Excalibur and of course the comedic parody Monty Python and…
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In the summer of 1968, Evelyn Lynden and her husband Lenny move to Evergreen Valley, California so that Lenny can work as an orderly in an asylum- part of the agreement he has made as a conscientious objector, so that he does not have to go over and fight in the Vietnam War. Their arrival…
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The Beatles’ last official live concert was in San Francisco in 1966. They also did one last impromptu appearance on the rooftop of Apple in 1969 to bemused onlookers. This means that many of the band’s more experimental and expansive songs from their studio years have only been performed by tribute acts. The All You…
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The Transformers film franchise has been in devastating lows these past years. Although one can expect that from a franchise that is based on a line of toys, any film based on a toy can be a good film like the LEGO films. Aside from the 1986 cult-classic animated film (which featured Orson Welles as…
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Jeanne Little entered the world of Television with for her fabulous outfits and wigs, boisterous laughter, make up, false eye lashes and her trademark saying: “Hello, darrrrlliiinnggs”! Jeanne’s story is a classic one. Tired of boring maternity dresses, she made her own, which caught the attention of the local newspaper. An assistant producer saw the…
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Tasmania lies just below mainland Australia like a hidden jewel, with its rainforests still standing, cooler temperatures, a treasure for the foodies and art and culture are found on nearly every corner. Island Story: Tasmania in Object and Text provides a juxtaposition of text and images, allowing both elements of shine, but neither to dominate….
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He loves a sunburnt country; a land of sweeping plains. Okay, that was actually Dorothea Mackellar. But the same also applies to Peter Spearritt. This historian, emeritus professor and author shows a real enthusiasm for the wonderful land of Oz in Where History Happened: The Hidden Past of Australia’s Towns & Places. This is one personal, colourful and…
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Jacob Diamond, who was also a member of Stella Donnelly’s band for the tour, was the opener for the evening. Much like his fellow band member Stella, Diamond’s music has a strong focus on the meaning behind his lyrics. In fact this was a theme for the evening, with each of the evening’s artists presenting powerful…
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Gang of Youths‘ epic stories of victory, tragedy and hope have been bringing young Australians a new appreciation of classic feelsy rock. The charisma, insightfulness and passion of lead singer Dave Le’aupepe has been at the front of most of this success, rendering comparisons to legends Bruce Springsteen and Michael Hutchence. I saw Gang of Youths perform…
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What do you get when you take a World War II action movie and smash it together with some monster horror Nazi-sploitation? You get the wild, bloody, gory ride that is Overlord. A film that has clearly defined good guys, bad guys, a hefty dose of patriotism and some reanimated super powered super soldiers to…
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When you think of zombie comedies, it’s difficult to look beyond the witty brilliance that is Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (2004). Whilst we’ve had our share of interesting takes on the walking dead in the years since, the arrival of Anna and the Apocalypse stands as the choreographed high-kick the genre needed. Not…
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Friday night saw the South Lawn of the Fremantle Arts Centre play host to the penultimate night of Xavier Rudd’s Storm Boy Australian tour, joining Rudd for the evening were Victoria’s The Teskey Brothers. Having never seen The Teskey Brothers before, nor heard any of their output, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Even…
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It was an evening of fun in Brunswick as Baker Boy brought the excitement to The Howler, along with two wonderful openers in Kalea and Dallas Woods. Baker Boy’s spirit was electric and was quickly transferred into the assembled crowd, making the night even more pumped. The night opened with the smooth vocalisations of New…
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Everybody’s favourite flaming 90’s mascot is back (again) in Spyro Reignited Trilogy, a collection of the first three entries in the franchise (and the only ones worth playing). Charting Spyro’s adventures across the Dragon Kingdom, Avalar and the Forgotten Worlds, the trilogy is presented in shiny remastered format, breathing life back into what had become…
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Thursday night saw Didirri’s Measurements Tour hit Fremantle, for the first of two shows across in the West. Joining the Melbourne singer-songwriter were fellow Victorian Merpire and Brisbane’s Emerson Snowe. Merpire, tasked with kicking off proceedings, did a good job of warming up an already substantial crowd. It was a wholly stripped back affair with…
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