Year: 2014

All Our exes live in Texas. Mandolin, guitar, ukulele, accordion. All girls. All singers. Traditional sort of music. Hotel yorba cover That thing you do I’m not that lonely yet Our love won’t die – beautiful! Tell me you don’t love me anymore – high energy! Powerful stuff. Ends! — The Morrisons six piece Double…

When I first heard of River Sessions a couple of months ago, I was positive it must have been a new festival. Even in the regional festival circuits I feel I have a pretty good idea of what’s happening around the country. But lo and behold, River Sessions has not only been running since 2008,…

Brad Pitt seems to be fighting Nazis in a lot of his movies in recent years. However, from the look of Fury we’re not going to be seeing an bad Italian accents or light hearted art chasing this time around. Set in April 1945, the film centres around a battle-hardened and world weary sergeant who…

One of our favourite bands over the last few years has been Husky, whose debut Forever So still gets plenty of play here at AU HQ. So it comes with much excitement that the band are back, and are officially releasing the first single from their as yet untitled sophomore LP on Monday! But you…

John Goodridge chats to Dominic Philips of Irish band Bell X1 about their sixth album Chop Chop and their upcoming trip to Australia. Hi Dominic, it’s John calling from the AU Review. John, how you doing? Good thanks, how are you? Not too bad, thanks very much. Excellent. Now you’re touring your album Chop Chop…

This Saturday, River Sessions – a boutique regional festival – returns to Mackay in Queensland, bringing with it an incredible lineup of Australian and even USA based talent. From Art vs Science to Illy, Rüfüs to Megan Washington and The Amity Affliction to New York artist Sweater Beats, the event is sure to keep all…

This is it, we have finally reached the end of Noah Hawley’s black comedy-crime-drama Fargo, inspired by the Coen Brothers film of the same name. Without further ado, let us launch into a recap of the episode and a little discussion, beware there’s thin ice and spoilers ahead. We open with a long tracking sequence,…

In the lead up to this year’s Tropfest, Tropfest Australia is holding the fourth annual Tropfest Roughcut event on July 26th in Sydney. The engaging and interactive film industry event will include networking sessions, panel discussions, and conversations with industry greats, such as actor John Jarratt (Wolf Creek) and comedian Dan Ilic. The full day…

In a move that will make the dictator appear even crazier, Kim Jong Un has threatened violent retribution if Seth Rogen and James Franco’s latest film, The Interview, is released. The plot of the movie is pretty simple – a talk show host and his producer are given the opportunity to conduct a rare interview…

In a particularly clever marketing ploy, the advertisements for the third instalment of The Hunger Games franchise are going far beyond stock standard trailers and movie posters. Instead, an immersion tactic has been employed by releasing propaganda posters that address the fictional citizens of Panem. In these posters, different districts are “saluted” in an attempt…

“Run For Your Life”, the new single from Bertie Blackman triggers the very sensations Bertie Blackman is singing about: feet pounding the pavement, the air rushing into your lungs, the blood pumping through your veins. Referencing the stylistic choices of the 80’s and all the things that made Bertie happy growing up, Vanessa Ronan-Pearce had…

It’s sad about the Big Day Out, but all these “RIP” posts on social media today, when the event is still owned by a company – albeit an American one – seems a bit premature. What comes next for the brand could be an exciting thing. C3 run some of the best festivals in the…

Before they hit the stage at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney over the weekend, Geelong’s The Evening Cast gave us an exclusive acoustic performance of their latest single – and reason for their tour – “Questions”. The tour continues in Byron Bay tomorrow night and at Rics in Brisbane on Saturday before moving onto…

Michael Bay’s typical grandiosity has spilled over into the classic tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; it would be a cause for concern if the first official trailer didn’t make the film seem so incredibly fun. Detailed and very polished, the modern take on the anthropomorphic fantasy looks to be a visual feast for…

Heart Of A Lion (Leijonasydän) is a Finnish drama that asks the question, “Should you be ruled your head or by your heart?” It’s an age-old conflict and yet, this film manages to deal with this along with two sensitive and timely topics (racism and nationalism). Directed by Dome Karukoski, Heart Of A Lion is…

Dean O’Gorman may as well be an Australian citizen, let’s be real. The NZ born actor who is currently making The Hobbit fans’ hearts melt alongside Aidan Turner as ‘Fili’ has had a long-running connection with us over the pond, having starred in McLeod’s Daughters back in the day, which saw him stationed just outside…

The Hollywood Reporter broke the story earlier today that Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Channing Tatum (22 Jump Street) and Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) have signed up to appear in the next film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Hail, Caesar! The Coen Brothers, whose films include Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Best…

This past weekend saw the release of two sequels of much loved originals, with 22 Jump Street and How to Train Your Dragon 2 finally being released on Australian screens. Both of the original films have gained a strong fanbase in the years since they were released, so the sequels were always going to be a big deal. 22…

Saturday night saw Fremantle’s Mojos play host to the third and final Little Bastard show of their album launch tour through Western Australia with a large rowdy crowd braving the stormy winter weather for an evening of good times and good music. Kick-starting it all was, the brilliantly named, Aborted Tortoise. It’s pretty safe to…

Following a smash-hit national tour and back by popular demand the unforgETTAble sounds of Vika Bull and the Essential R&B Band will grace the stages of Bendigo, Ballarat and Subiaco (WA) this July to delight audiences with the story of one of the most influential soul singers of all times – Etta James. With a…

Hello Asia! talks to Taiwan’s reggae lion – Taitung born and bred musician Matzka, while in Toronto for Canadian Music Week. We get to know him and his music, his experiences in Toronto and find out what’s coming next. And much more! Questions in English, answers provided in Mandarin and translated into English by HanYu…

Michael Bay has managed to somewhat redeem himself with Transformers: Age of Extinction with a too long but well worth it rollercoaster ride. Just remember, it’s Hollywood, it’s Bay, it’s not really supposed to make sense and you’re really going to watch the giant robots and cars and see things blow up. Firstly, lower your…

Documentary Keep On Keepin’ On is rather naive in the way it was made. Director Alan Hicks and his cinematographer Adam Hart had never really worked on any similar projects before, so they just kept on shooting until they could piece together a film. It took five years for them to make Keep On Keepin’…

There is always this uncomfortable inner-conflict when I finish watching a Happy Madison production (otherwise known as ‘another Adam Sandler movie’), like I just witnessed something profoundly confusing and I don’t know whether to love it or to hate it. Nowadays, it seems most critics are quick to jump on the ‘hate side’ too often,…

The Iris’ Larry Heath sat down with Director Christopher Houghton, Producer Julie Byrne and Actors Matt Day and Leeanna Walsman of the 2014 Australian film Touch ahead of its Sydney Film Festival Premiere.. In the first part of our interview with the cast and crew of the film, we discuss how the SA FilmLab made…

The AU is proud to bring you the exclusive Australian premiere of the new single from Danish Folk Artist Bastian Kallesøe aka The New Spring, “The Hours of the Day”. The stunning track is the first single off the new record Late Bloomer, due out on September 15th. Enjoy the premiere here:

American actress Yvette Nicole Brown is the latest guest to join the massive Oz Comic-Con lineup for Melbourne this July! Brown, known for her role as Shirley on the NBC hit Community, also has a strong fan base with younger television viewers from her days on Drake & Josh. Brown’s addition to the Oz Comic-Con…

We may be on the opposite side of the world, but that doesn’t mean that Australia can’t enjoy the Scandinavian Film Festival, which will be premiering across the country in July. The inaugural festival is being presented by Palace Cinemas and the will be screened exclusively in their locations across the country. Attendees will be…

The late, French fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent will be the subject of two different biopics this year. The first is the eponymously-titled one from actor-turned-director, Jalil Lespert and is perhaps the most authentic film, as it had the full support of Saint Laurent’s lover and business partner. Pierre Bergé lent original outfits, designs, and…

For anybody who thinks that going to a Keith Urban concert is going to be littered with a country-hoedown-experience, they’re way off the mark. It’s a fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza with some notable guest-stars hopping on stage and some fine showmanship from one of the nicest guys in the music business.