Following a sold-out European tour and shows in Russia and Japan, global sensation, Red Bull Flying Bach is set to land in Australia for the first time next March. In the ultimate clash of cultures, Red Bull Flying Bach fuses breakdance crew, Flying Steps and their unrestricted and explosive dance style with the elegant music of visionary 18th century composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. We chatted to Artistic Director Christoph Hagel and Choreographer Vartan Bassil about the event and here's what they had to say:

The love of celluloid (whether it be at home or in an actual movie theatre) continued onwards in 2012. Did it actually ever feel in danger of dying? No, if these films are anything to go by. Our AU Review writers henceforth were polled on what they thought were the best films of 2012. What we get is a curious mix of action, drama, comedy and horror. All the elements of a greatly rich year for the film world.

The love of celluloid (whether it be at home or in an actual movie theatre) continued onwards in 2012. Did it actually ever feel in danger of dying? No, if these films are anything to go by. Our AU Review writers henceforth were polled on what they thought were the best films of 2012. What we get is a curious mix of action, drama, comedy and horror. All the elements of a greatly rich year for the film world

For those who’ve not heard of them before, Steel Panther are a heavy metal comedy act who’ve been peddling their gross-out tribute to 80’s glam metal under a few different names for close to 10 years. As Metal Skool, they gained notoriety with a weekly residency at LA’s Key Club, which gained a celebrity following - and with a name change - they’ve come out for world domination and a few sell-out tours.

As we return to Middle Earth, exactly 9 years after Peter Jackson delivered the Academy Award winning climax of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, it goes without saying that a fair few things have changed.

The Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum is a celebration of inventors and a cheese loving one from Wigan and his dog, in particular. The armchair inventors we know from the stop-motion, claymation TV series and films are in town and they’re encouraging us all to think creatively. And thinking outside of the box is not a new thing for us; we are the nation that has introduced lawn mowers, baby capsules, Vegemite and Hills hoists to the world.

"So my last image was as the first. A sleeping youth cloaked in light, who opened his eyes with a smile of recognition for someone who had never been a stranger." - Patti Smith

Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe... how would they have written their stories, had they not written them together?

“Sometimes bad things create good things for you in the future,” says Shihad frontman John Toogood, “and sometimes the bad things create nightmares.” Welcome to Shihad: Beautiful Machine, the gritty, funny and often-heartrending documentary about the New Zealand rock band.

Charlie Pickering’s show at the Sydney Comedy Store was the final gig as part of the “Spring Sessions”. This series has proven a real hit due to the excellent bill (the fine Aussie talent has included the likes of: Hannah Gadsby, Denise Scott, Dave Thornton and Merrick Watts, among others). It was unfortunate that Pickering’s show – while good – was missing some of the punch you’d expect from the all-important, last one.

I love music documentaries. If my annual Sydney Film Festival coverage is anything to go by, by and large I'm first in line for the latest release. Lemmy definitely ranks high on the list of Sydney Film Festival favourites, a man who would count himself as good mates with another man named Mr. Dave Grohl - they even made some music together in Probot. The reason I bring up the Foo Fighters frontman is that he's been hard at work on a documentary of his own: Sound City, based around the rise and fall of legendary Los Angeles recording studio of the same name, where Nevermind was recorded amongst many other legendary records. Many others.

Polisse is a gripping French doco-style film that explores the lives and characters of Paris’ CPU (Child Protection Unit.) It is at times confronting and typically French in its naturalistic crudeness, though Polisse is devastatingly real. Perhaps it is for this reason that it was the winner of the Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for 13 César Awards - well deserved.

“I’m not sure if you’re here because you like comedy or air-conditioning”. This was the line that comedian, Dave Thornton, chose to open his stand-up show with (and yes, it was a blisteringly hot, Sydney night). The gig went for an hour and had lots of clever (and thankfully no puerile) jokes that were consistently witty and self-deprecating. And if that wasn’t enough, he also riffed off the audience and provided fantastic, observational material and more.

The Japanese Film Festival arrives in Australia for its 16th year with an outstanding line up of films of all genres. Directed by talented fashion photographer Mika Ninagawa and closely adapted from Kyoko Okazaki's page turning manga of the same name, Helter Skelter was one of the must see films of the festival.

The Japanese Film Festival celebrates 16 years of bringing Australian audiences the latest and greatest films the country has to offer. Amongst the diverse program is mind-bending comedy Thermae Romae, based on Mari Yamazaki’s popular manga. It tells the strange tale of a Roman bathhouse architect who travels through time to modern Japan in search of inspiration.