Day: 25 March 2015

Watch Hong Kong band Noughts and Exes perform their track "Seasons" for the AU sessions!

the AU review presents Hong Kong band Noughts and Exes performing their track “Seasons” for the AU sessions. The track is taken from their album And So It Goes…. The band is made up of members from around the world: Joshua Wong, Guitar/Vocals (Australia), Gideon So, Keyboard (Canada), Alex Bedwell, Drums (UK) and Alix Farquhar,…

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Paul McCartney and Metallica headline Lollapalooza 2015; Tame Impala lead the massive Australian charge.

With SXSW at an end, the music world is looking ahead to the rest of the major festivals to take over America this year. Following the announcement of Outside Lands in San Francisco earlier this week (see that lineup HERE), it’s now Lollapalooza’s turn – the iconic Chicago festival set to take place from July…

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The 2nd Annual AU Review SXSW Music Awards!

As we fly back to Australia from our sixth annual week of coverage at SXSW in Austin, Texas, we’ve spent some time reflecting on our experiences and now present to you the second annual AU review SXSW Music Awards – acknowledging the bands who made the biggest impressions on us at the event. These awards…

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SXSW Live Review: Hype Hotel presents Wolf Alice + Best Coast – Hype Hotel (18.05.15)

Put together each year by the popular music aggregation site The Hype Machine, Hype Hotel has become a mainstay of the annual SXSW music festival. Every time the Hotel returns, it gets bigger and better, and this year was no exception, taking over a massive warehouse on the East side of town. One of our…

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SXSW Documentary Short Review: Born To Be Mild (UK, 2014)

A film about The Dull Men’s Club doesn’t scream “entertaining” but Born to Be Mild is the exact opposite of everything you think it is. The documentary short revels in celebrating the ordinary and mundane. And it’s packaged in such a warm and optimistic style and along with an upbeat soundtrack, this means it is…

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SXSW Documentary Short Review: Love Has No Age (USA, 2014)

Love Has No Age should be renamed “Love Has No Boundaries”. The documentary short is a blissful romance story spanning over four decades. It’s also a beautifully-shot film and a warm slice of pure joy. The film is directed by Eli Born who has previously directed music videos for the likes of: Jack White, Iggy…

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SXSW TV Premiere Review: UnREAL Season 1, Episode 1 (USA, 2015)

UnReal is a TV series that will appeal to fans of Frontline or Ben Elton’s Chart Throb or Dead Famous books. The series looks at the chaotic world of filming a fictional reality dating program. It’s an insightful and honest account of the depths of manipulation that are employed by a reality show’s production staff…

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SXSW Film Review: Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove (USA, 2015)

Doug Sahm lived and breathed Texas music. But he was also largely unknown outside of that particular American state. Until now. The documentary film, Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove looks at the chameleon musician and gets at the heart of all of his layers of complexity. Sahm was a charismatic bloke who…

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Film Review: Insurgent (M15+) (USA, 2015)

Last year’s Divergent introduced us to Beatrice (later known as Tris) Prior (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) in a post-“war” Chicago split into factions which are organised around the different character traits of its citizens. You can read our Divergent review here. Still hot on the heels of the YA post-apocalyptic phenomena, Insurgent hits our screens as the much-anticipated part…

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SXSW Red Carpet Interview: Colin Hanks talks about directing the film All Things Must Pass

“No one else had done it, so I figured…well I’ll do it!” Colin Hanks laughs, then adds: “he said naively.” Standing on the red carpet moments before the premiere of his documentary on fallen powerhouse record chain Tower records, All Things Must Pass, Hanks is characteristically calm, dressed down in a bright red checked shirt…

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SXSW Film Review: All Things Must Pass (USA, 2015)

  For nearly 40 years, Tower Records stood as the largest and most successful record store chain in the world, regularly raking in the millions of dollars in profit per year. In 1999, they managed to pull in a staggering $1 billion dollars. Five years later, they went suddenly bankrupt. It was an astonishing rise…

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SXSW Film Interview: Samantha Futerman, Ryan Miyamoto, and Anais Bordier on Twinsters

“Family is what you make of it”. This sentiment, by Twinsters co-director Ryan Miyamoto, is somewhat of a mantra for reunited twins Anias Bordier and Samantha Futerman. The two women were both born in South Korea and adopted to two different families on two different continents. They found each other over social media, and have…

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SXSW Film Interview: Rebecca Johnson, Writer and Director of Honeytrap (UK, 2015) talks about cast and experiences on set!

Having worked on housing estates in London for over a decade, Rebecca Johnson is no stranger to the world portrayed in her feature film, Honeytrap. Starring Skins actress Jessica Sula as Layla, a young girl who has recently arrived in London from Trinidad, Honeytrap examines one young woman’s determination to maintain her new-found power in…

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SXSW Film Interview: Aubrey Plaza and Hal Hartley discuss Ned Rifle

After just finishing up after seven seasons on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Aubrey Plaza certainly hasn’t slowed down. Not only does she star in another SXSW film, Fresno, she also stars as Susan in writer/director Hal Hartley‘s film Ned Rifle. The AU Review spoke to the film’s star and writer/director about religion, Kickstarter, and all…

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Second full trailer for Entourage raises expectations and reveals cameos

Loved TV series Entourage has always been a hot spot for celebrity cameos, and it’s looking like the film won’t be any different. With everyone from Kid Cudi and T.I to Liam Neeson and Kelsey Grammar set to appear in the film, Entourage is beginning to look like a whole heap of fun. Main cast…

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It’s Official The X-Files Is Back!

There have been rumblings for months about The X-Files and whether the cult hit 90’s TV series would be making a comeback. Well, Fox (the network, not the character) has made it official. On their website Fox made a bold statement “The next mind-bending chapter is coming!” and stated that six episodes have been confirmed…

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