Year: 2015

The Iris’ 10 Favourite Spy TV Series

Soon our cinema screens will once again be host to enormous explosions, high tech gadgetry and sneaky secretive spies. With the release of the new trailer for Spectre and Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation opening in cinemas this week, plus The Man From U.N.C.L.E. only a few weeks away – we’re taking a look at some…

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Go behind-the-scenes with The Griswolds in this new Vacation featurette

The next generation of Griswolds are at it again. New Line Cinema’s Vacation stars Ed Helms (The Hangover films) and Christina Applegate (the Anchorman films) taking their family on the road  for an ill-fated adventure.  A grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) decides to follow his fathers footsteps  and, desiring some much needed family bonding, surprises wife Debbie (Applegate) and…

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Live Review: Florence And The Machine – Channel V Secret Gig – Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, Sydney (24.07.15)

When it’s Splendour In The Grass time of the year we’re often graced with phenomenal sideshows. Or in this case bonus promotional super secret gigs put on by the awesome Channel [v]. And this one was no exception, the dreamy Florence + The Machine were to perform a short set for us at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, right…

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everything everything

Live Review: Everything Everything + Urbane Cone – Metro Theatre, Sydney (23.07.15)

Coming all the way from Stockholm, Sweden, openers Urban Cone brought a delightful set that came by surprise. With influences coming from both Two Door Cinema Club and Satellite Stories, the band brought out an infectious set list that was all-too-short-lived. People around the room were tapping their feet to the rhythm of the tunes, connecting with the band’s music…

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the AU interview at Canadian Music Week: Selaphonic (Queensland) on their love for North America and EP release

Tim and Jamie from Selaphonic caught up with Larry at the Aussie BBQ at Canadian Music Week earlier this year. Describing the city as “Melbourne on heat upon heat upon heat”, half of the electric indie-pop band sum up their time so far in Toronto and reveal their future plans. Click through to find out…

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Live Review: Wolf Alice – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (24.07.15)

Every few years, a great rock band emerges from England and comes to our shores around Splendour In the Grass. This time, it’s Wolf Alice. Their no-nonsense set put music at the forefront and a lack of theatrics complements the dysphoria in many of their tracks. In the underground Oxford Art Factory, it felt like…

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Stumbled Upon #065 – Redlands (Denver, USA)

In our 65th instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Denver’s indie rockers Redlands, and chat about recording in Phoenix, standing up for fans and have a listen to ‘Leather Boots’ off their latest release Adventurer. Band Name: Redlands Website / Social Media: redlandsmusic.com Facebook / Soundcloud / Instagram / Twitter Genre: Indie Rock Members &…

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The Iris’ Weekly Film and TV News Round Up! (24th July 2015)

First up for our weekly news round up, we’d like to wish a happy birthday to the late, great Robin Williams, who would have turned 64 on July 21st this week. You are missed! In movie news, this week saw the bashing of Adam Sandler film Pixels by MovieBob that has been doing the rounds on…

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Could Space Jam 2 actually be a thing?

I think all self-professed 80s and 90s kids are rejoicing right now. First, we got Jurassic World. In December, we can feast our eyes on the new Star Wars film. And as if this year couldn’t get any better, there is word now that Space Jam 2 could be in the works. So what has sparked these rumours? On Wednesday, LeBron…

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Album Review: Normie Rowe – Frenzy! The 50th Anniversary Collection (2015 LP)

There’s two ways you can look at an album like Frenzy! The 50th Anniversary Collection when you plan to review it – either as an album for fans of Normie Rowe‘s music or as an opportunity to expand his music base. Whichever way you look at it, he’s music royalty with an amazing career behind…

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Photo Gallery: Jenny Lewis + Fraser A Gorman – Metro Theatre (22.07.15)

Wow, did Jenny Lewis stun at the Metro in Sydney! Supported by Fraser A. Gorman, Lewis definitely won all the hearts in the room. Gwen Lee shot the show – check out the full gallery within!

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Live Review: Porter Robinson – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (22.07.15)

Cartoons and confetti on a weeknight sound like a child’s dream and Porter Robinson’s Worlds show at the Enmore Theatre was a dream of sorts. He moved through the new record almost seamlessly with striking visuals and festival-sized effects that made it feel like there was more than one young producer up on stage. Porter…

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 trailer lands!

“We march TOGETHER!” The moment all fans of The Hunger Games  franchise have been waiting for – the official trailer release for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2!  Due out in theatres this November, the film is set to be a thrilling ride as the series comes to an end with heroine Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) coming up against higher…

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The Grand Tournament is Hearthstone‘s next big expansion

Blizzard have revealed that the next expansion for their wildly popular online card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft will be called The Grand Tournament. Packing over 100 brand new cards, the expansion is set to release in August.

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Box Office Report: He may be small, but Ant-Man goes big at the Box Office

Well technically that’s true; Ant-Man has continued that classic Marvel tradition of clutching the top spot in its opening weekend, earning $5.3 million in Australia and $57 million in the US. Impressive yes, but given the unstoppable nature of the MCU, it doesn’t exactly live up to expectations. The first Avengers movie for instance made…

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Here’s 11 of the most entertaining fights from last weekend’s EVO 2015 tournament

The biggest three days of the year for fighting game fans, the Evolution Championship Series, went down in Las Vegas over the weekend and was packed with everything you want out of a good fighting tourney – upsets, thrilling comebacks and many displays of technical wizardry. In case you missed any of the action from…

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Photo Gallery: Johnny Marr + Flyying Colours – Enmore Theatre (20.07.15)

Johnny Marr and his band played a brilliant set at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney, supported by Flyying Colours! Gwen Lee was down there to grab these amazing shots!

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Wii U version of Project CARS cancelled

Hyper-realistic racing sim Project CARS launched back in May on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC with a Wii U version supposedly coming in the hazy, indistinct future. Today, developer Slightly Mad Studios has confirmed in an interview with Nintendo Life that the Wii U version has been cancelled.

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Watch the exciting new trailer for James Bond film SPECTRE

Set for release in Australia on November 12th, the latest James Bond venture, Spectre, is looking to carry on the huge success of 2012’s well-received Skyfall, which made $1.1 billion worldwide and us currently the biggest Bond film of all time. Now we a bit of a closer look, with the film’s most revealing and…

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Video Games Review: Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series – Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers (PC, 2015)

A Nest of Vipers is the fifth and penultimate episode of Telltale’s Game of Thrones adventure game and uses its time wisely, placing all four of the disaster-prone Forrester children where they need to be in preparation for the finale.

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What to Watch: The Iris Weekly TV Picks (22nd – 28th July)

Simon brings us his weekly picks for the best on Australian free-to-air TV and Foxtel! Read on for the best in entertainment over the next seven days…

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Last Chance Entries for the 2015 BOFA Filmmaker Competition

The BOFA Devil Awards is one part of the Launceston event which examines the changing screen landscape through master classes attended by makers, actors and technicians. This year’s BOFA Festival will run from November 4th to 8th with industry master classes and Award presentations on Saturday, November 7 and submissions for the Filmmaker awards are closing soon.

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First look at The Good Dinosaur trailer

The creators of Disney and Pixar have teamed up once again for the upcoming release of The Good Dinosaur, which is expected to be out at the end of this year (November 25). The trailer showcases snippets of the film that resonates a story filled with adventure and friendship with a little boy being protective…

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Film Review: The Gallows (USA, 2015)

Another entrant in the found-footage genre of horror that might have reached its expiry date. The Gallows would have had to do something exceptional (and exceptionally different) to tear it apart from the usual suspects. This all started with Blair Witch Project, reprised by the Paranormal Activity franchise, and many many others that never saw…

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Video Games Review: God of War III Remastered (PS4, 2015)

Just as he did five years ago, Kratos, the patron saint of temper tantrums that would make a two-year-old go “Dude, relax”, has embarked on his latest unstoppable butchery spree and, as usual, anything that gets in his way – from animals to the gods themselves – will receive a profound thrashing.

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the AU interview at Ottawa Bluesfest: Max Kerman of Arkells (Ontario) on crowd reception at live shows & more!

the AU review’s Larry Heath had the opportunity to speak with frontman Max Kerman of Canadian alternative rock band, Arkells at Ottawa Bluesfest. He spoke highly of his fan base and made an interesting observation on the crowd ratios. Since their release of their third studio album, High Noon, their music has been well-received by…

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Album Review: Jasmine Rae – Heartbeat (2015 LP)

Jasmine Rae has accomplished a lot in her career since taking out the top prize at Telstra Road to Tamworth in 2008. As a fan of the three-time ARIA-nominated and two-time CMC Music Award winner’s previous albums; Look It Up, Listen Here and If I Want To respectfully, I was excited to hear the new…

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this wild life clouded atmosphere edition

Album Review: This Wild Life – Clouded: Atmosphere Edition (2015 LP)

At the beginning of this year, the pop-punk acoustic duo of This Wild Life made an appearance at Soundwave Festival and needless to say – they held a fantastic set! I remember coming across one of their acoustic covers of A Day To Remember’s “If It Means A Lot To You” and the brilliance of the acoustic vibes that resonated in…

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Our ten favourite performances and discoveries from the 21st Annual RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa

Last week we flew to Ottawa, Canada, to cover the 21st annual RBC Bluesfest (you can view our coverage HERE), featuring some of the world’s finest artists – alongside a selection of great Australians too! Along the way we had our highlights, in addition to our favourite discoveries! Here now are our five favourite from…

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Film Review: Self/Less (M, USA, 2015)

Mankind’s eternal search for the fountain of youth has seen Hollywood explore more than one scenario where immortality is a reality, always at some morally reprehensible dystopic expense. Films such as Elysium,The Island, Transcendence or more recently Chappie have approached the idea from different angles with great success. Whether director Tarsem Singh’s (The Fall, Immortals,…

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