Year: 2015

Good Game Live returns to Sydney in September

The hosts of ABC2’s wildly popular video games review program Good Game are once again putting their collective wits to the test in front of a live audience. The live quiz show features personalities from the show, interactive trivia and many IRL lols.

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Official trailer released for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new film The Revenant

Academy award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest  feature film  The Revenant has just released its official trailer. Featuring an impressive ensemble cast,  this immersive depiction of the human spirit will be shown in cinemas from January 7th. Inspired  by real events, the film tells the tale of one man’s epic adventure of survival and redemption. In…

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CinéfestOZ Film Prize Finalists Announced

CinéfestOZ has announced the five finalists who will be in the running for the second annual Film Prize worth $100,000. The Film Prize encourages excellence in filmmaking in Australia, and supports the nation’s film industry. The Film Prize goes to the producer of an Australian feature film or feature-length documentary and this year there were more…

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Stumbled Upon #064 – Lex (Brisbane)

In our 64th instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Lex , the re-incarnation of Brisbane’s Lex Rüsten, chat about reforming as a three piece, the mental health release of rock’n’roll and get a sneak peak of their latest EP, Cactii. Band Name: Lex Website / Social Media: lexlikesyou.com Facebook / Triple J Unearthed / Twitter…

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We get a taste of the new 8K Radius series coming to Hawthorn’s Lido Cinemas

Following the success of the Classic Cinema’s first 8K Radius series, Hawthorn’s newly minted Lido Cinema will be getting its own 8-part series of these five-minute film portraits of Hawthorn locals who live and work within an eight kilometre radius of the cinema. Directed by Clayton Jacobson (Kenny), the films are a rich and varied…

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TV Review: Penny Dreadful Season 2 (USA, 2015)

A fun blend of period piece and gothic horrorshow, the first season of Penny Dreadful wasn’t quite the slam-dunk Showtime might have hoped it would be – but it still managed to be solid debut for a show refreshingly different to much of the prestige and genre drama on offer these days. Season 2 is…

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Total War: Warhammer gets first “in-engine” cinematic trailer

Fans of the tabletop strategy game Warhammer have a lot to be excited about in Total War: Warhammer. Developer The Creative Assembly have released the game’s first “in-engine” trailer to give fans a taste of what the game will look like.

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Watch a whole hour of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate in action.

Ubisoft have released the hour-long playthrough of their July 15 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate livestream onto YouTube. The video shows off the developer’s E3 demo in full.

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The Witcher 3 gets massive new 1.07 patch

CD Projekt Red have released the 1.07 patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt over the weekend. The patch fixes a staggering number of bugs and issues and also adds an alternate control scheme.

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Kriv Stenders’ Kill Me Three Times to tour Australia with Q&A screenings this August

Most films get a cinematic release and then, a couple of months after their run, are released to DVD for viewers to purchase and keep. In a different take on the release strategy, the new film Kill Me Three Times from Kriv Stenders (Red Dog) and starring Simon Pegg will receive a unique press tour and release…

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Live Review: RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa Day Nine ft. Bahamas + Dropkick Murphys + Dear Rouge and more! (17.07.15)

Pictured: Dropkick Murphys. Photo by Mark Horton. Though Friday marked the ninth day (of eleven) of the 21st RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa, it would also mark our last. And with a focus on bands more suited to a traditional Bluesfest – accompanied by the sort of rainy weather that our own Byron Bay Bluesfest is…

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Tremor is the next Mortal Kombat X character, arrives Tuesday

Arriving Tuesday for Kombat Pack owners, Tremor is the latest character to be added to the Mortal Kombat X character roster. Check out his absolutely brutal move list in the brand new character trailer.

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Album Review: Adam Lambert – The Original High (2015 LP)

Adam Lambert, the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol, returns; following the success for his first two albums For Your Entertainment and Trespassing and now, the commercial success of his latest single “Ghost Town”. I take a listen to his third album The Original High.

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Nine things we learnt from our first ever Calgary Stampede

Last week, the AU headed to Calgary in Alberta, Canada for the Calgary Stampede. Now in its 103rd year – though with origins dating back to the 1800s – the event is steeped in tradition and an icon of the Canadian Summer. It’s the sort of festival you have to attend to fully comprehend, and,…

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The Iris’ Weekly Film and TV News Round Up! (17th July 2015)

In our new weekly feature, we take a look back at some of the biggest stories in the world of film and TV this week… just in case you missed it. Suffice it to say, it’s been a great week of film and TV news, thanks in part to the annual San Diego Comic Con event,…

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Game of Thrones leads nominations for the 67th Emmy Awards

Getting a huge 24 nods for the 67th Emmy Awards, HBO smash hit Game of Thrones once again leads the nominations which were announced this week (last year the show received 17 nominations). The awards will be handed out at the traditional ceremony on September 20th 2015, which is this year hosted by Andy Samberg…

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Film Review: Insidious Chapter 3 (USA, 2015)

Making the third film in the Insidious series a prequel was the smartest move this franchise could have pulled; a respectable decision that could completely be overshadowed if a fourth one is ever released. Cutting the franchise off as a trilogy would be a good idea; the second Insidious was underwhelming and came nowhere close…

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Win a double pass to see Ingrid Bergman as part of the Scandinavian Film Festival!

The 2015 Scandinavian Film Festival is currently underway at cinemas around Australia, bringing audiences together to view some exemplary pieces of film from the other side of the globe. Continuing through until July 29th, the festival has already premiered some true highlights from some great European directors. One on the program’s exciting features this year…

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Stumbled Upon #063 – The Pinheads (Wollongong)

In our 63rd instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Wollongong’s The Pinheads, and chat about ten pin bowling, sitars and other possible fabrications, but best of all, we get a listen to the title track off their upcoming debut EP, I Wanna Be A Girl. Band Name: The Pinheads Website / Social Media: Facebook /…

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Live Review: RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa Day Seven ft. The Gaslight Anthem + Current Swell + Run The Jewels and more! (15.07.15)

Photo: Run The Jewels. Captured by Mark Horton. North American Hip Hop was a dominating force on the 7th day of the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa, though a last minute cancellation from De La Soul may have disappointed some (this writer included! They always put on a great show). US powerhouse Run The Jewels, Canadian…

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Arcade Fire’s The Reflektor Tapes to hit theatres worldwide this September

The first look trailer for the first feature film about Grammy award winning band Arcade Fire has just been released and it’s so short it will leave you wanting more. The Reflektor Tapes provides an insight into the making of the band’s critically acclaimed 2013 album Reflektor, documenting their creative journey. Directed by 2013 Sundance…

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6 tips to quickly building a competitive Hearthstone deck

Hearthstone is technically a free-to-play game but it can be a pretty tough grind when you get started. It can be tempting and far too easy to splurge a bunch of cash on card packets, chasing the legendary cards needed to give your deck the edge over the competition. Here we have 7 tips to…

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Disney is working on a live-action prequel to 1992 classic Aladdin

Well this should be interesting. Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that animation giants Disney are working on a live-action comedy prequel to their 1992 classic Aladdin. Titled Genies the film will be produced by Tripp Vinson (exec producer of San Andreas) with a script written by Damien Shannon and Mark Swift (the writers behind…Freddy…

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Official trailer released for David O. Russell’s new film Joy starring Jennifer Lawrence

The official trailer for David O. Russell’s new film Joy, with a familiar yet fantastic ensemble cast,  has just been released.  The film will hit Australian cinemas on Boxing Day.  Like David O. Russell’s previous films, Joy defies genre to tell a story of family, loyalty, and love. Jennifer Lawrence stars with Bradley Cooper (again with the pairing of these…

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First games line up announcement for EB Expo promises Star Wars Battlefront and Fallout 4

EB Games have released the first official games line up for this year’s EB Expo and it’s a doozy. Headlining the announcement is the news that both Star Wars Battlefront and Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be playable at the PlayStation 4 stand. But that’s not all. Also on hand will be titles like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Rainbow…

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Benjamin Burnley of Breaking Benjamin (USA) talks ‘Dark Before Dawn’, new band lineup, and more!

After reaching Number One on the Billboard 200 with their new record Dark Before Dawn, Breaking Benjamin are dominating the rock scene. No road was ever easy with this band as unfortunate legal affairs led to the band’s hiatus back in 2010. Since then, a new lineup of members as well as a record that signifies a solid…

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Photo Gallery: Ottawa Bluesfest Day Six ft. Edward Sharpe + Lynyrd Skynyrd + John Butler Trio + Mama Kin and more… (14.07.15)

We head to the sixth day of Bluesfest in Ottawa, and bring you some photos of Australia’s own Hamish Anderson, John Butler Trio and Mama Kin who played alongside the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Dan Boeckner’s new project Operators, METZ, Black Lips and many more. Enjoy these photos and…

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Arts Review: Energies: Haines and Hinterding – MCA, Sydney (Free Entry – Until 6 September)

Currently taking over the first floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney is Energies, a new (and free) exhibition that brings together the works of Australian artists David Haines and Joyce Hinterding, in what is the first comprehensive survey of their combined works from the last twenty plus years, curated by the MCA’s…

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Scandinavian Film Festival Review: Paris of the North (Iceland, 2014)

Paris of the North is director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson‘s second feature film. His first feature was the Icelandic comedy Either Way, which was remade into the US film Prince Avalanche, directed by David Gordon Green. The film was written by Icelandic script writer and novelist Huldar Breidðfjörð. Long time actor and musician Helgi Björnsson plays the father (an unwanted guest); previously…

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