Year: 2015

Like every genre of storytelling on the big and small screens, LGBT narratives are not without their cliches. Unfortunately, the strongest trope in queer media seems to misfortune – whether it’s bullying, unrequited love, parental disapproval or greater tragedies. But All About E seems determined to shatter every preconceived idea about both the stories of…

Rosemary’s Baby gets the micro budget lesbian remake it deserves in Lyle, an unsettling domestic horror that wins in its grand ambition and unfailing earnestness – despite being somewhat lacking in genuinely terrifying scares. Leah (Gaby Hoffmann) and her partner June (Ingrid Jungermann) move to New York with their adorable toddler Lyle (Eleanor Hopkins) –…

Attempting to intersect race, sexuality, religion and small town values, Patrik-Ian Polk’s Blackbird is a coming out and coming of age drama that’s an enjoyable watch, but ultimately proves too conventional to be truly special. Randy (Julian Walker), a devoutly Christian choirboy from small town Mississippi, is plagued by a host of personal problems –…

Kimberley suggests we get laughing this week, and recommends both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala and also Eric Bana hosting a documentary analysing the Australian comedy landscape, read on for more … Monday 23rd March 2015 The Odd Couple – Ch. 10 – 7:30 pm AEST Tune into the pilot episode of The Odd…

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced the Audience Award winners from the Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Headliners, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Visions, Midnighters, Episodic, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal, Festival Favourites and Design Award categories. Among the winners was Australia’s own Josh Lawson for his film The Little Death….

Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) and Laura’s (Isild Le Besco) friendship is not that unique. Having met when they were young, they had grown up together, and forged a relationship that would see them through school, first love, first heartbreak, marriage and children. Their friendship is like any between two women who grew up together as little girls. When Laura dies…

The name Danny Fields may not mean much to some people but to those in the know he is “The coolest man in the room”, a number one fan and groupie and even the “Mayor of New York City”. The man seems to have seen and done it all in music, having fully immersed himself…

Le Pédophile is a confronting short film about a young girl’s abuse. It is Montreal writer and director, Ara Ball’s third short film. Ball has been previously nominated for Canada’s annual cinema award, the Jutra. But this film is much darker and harder than his previous work. The short is provocative in its portrayal of…

From the Rubble is the first work in the latest theatrical season for Perth Theatre Company. Based on the work of West Australian journalist Sophie McNeill, From The Rubble, is an unflinching and timely examination of the impact of war, conflict and extremism on innocent lives, both young and old. From The Rubble, as I…

Following on from the venue’s opening day with an electronic curation, Thursday marked the day Pandora dedicated their SXSW venue to hip hop, with iconic artist Wyclef Jean closing out the stage. As part of his epic 90 minute set, Wyclef took the audience on a musical (and somewhat educational) trip down memory lane, not…

Nestled in what we can only assume was the ground level of a car park on the west side of Austin’s downtown, UK electronic outfit Hot Chip tonight played the third and final night of the Samsung Milk Music Lounge as part of the 2015 SXSW Music Festival, following on from sets by Australia’s Iggy…

Damien Leith first came onto our radar taking out the title of Australian Idol back in 2006. It’s been almost a decade since – and this ARIA-winner sure has been busy recording a total of 7 studio albums and publishing 2 novels. This month saw Damien release his 8th studio album Songs From Ireland –…

In the 31st installment of ‘Stumbled Upon’, we meet Brisbane ‘s Steve Grady, and chat about his upcoming EP, A Year’s Gone By and his latest track, ‘Go Away & Miss Me’. Musician: Steve Grady Website / Social Media: www.stevegradymusic.com Facebook / Soundcloud / Bandcamp Genre: Singer/Songwriter Members & their roles: Steve Grady – Guitar…

Rock icon Billy Idol and Illinois band Cheap Trick brought the house down at Qantas Credit Union Arena in Sydney last night. Pete Dovgan brings you this full photo gallery for the AU.

Highlighting influential women may be the focus of Neiman Marcus’ “Make Some Noise” activation at SXSW this week, but it was New York duo The Knocks who had the privilege of helping kick the three day event off in style yesterday. The duo were joined, however, by Liz Nisitico, who fronts the ever-growing-in-popularity electro-pop duo…

Wednesday at SXSW marked the first of four days of the Pandora Discovery Den, an annual party held at The Gatsby on 6th Street – featuring a mix of well established and up-and-coming artists from around the world. Australia’s own Peking Duk helped kick off the celebration with a day focused on electronic music. Closing…

Image captured at Austin City Limits 2013 by Larry Heath As SXSW approaches – taking over Austin, Texas for some 10 days with music, film, interactive and video game components – we wanted to take a moment to address the fact that this isn’t the only festival that brings droves of people to Texas. And…

The Iris is proud to support the In The House series at Event Cinemas on George Street in Sydney – helping bring classic films back to the big screen. This week, Little Shop of Horrors was screened, and the trivia question was: Before Steve Martin featured as The Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors, what other on…

Teaming up with Yellowcard in July, Mayday Parade are coming back to Australia to do a leg of shows whilst showcasing their tug-on-your-heartstrings kind of songs that have made fans fall in love with the band around the world. The alternative rock band from Tallahassee, Florida have gone through challenge after challenge but it’s safe to say that they’ve…

Providing a sense of hope and inspiration with their 2014 release, Cavalier Youth, English alternative rock band, You Me At Six have achieved world-renowned success with stellar tracks such as “Lived A Lie”, “Cold Night” and “Room To Breathe”. Good news for Australian fans as the band are coming back to our shores in April/May to do Groovin’ The…

Anticipating her performance at this month’s AU session taking place March 31, the AU review caught up with Rowen who is hot on the heels of a new EP. We talk about learning instruments, musical influences and the future. Further information about the performance below. How old were you when you started writing your own…

In the penultimate episode of this season, Mindy finally faced something that she hasn’t faced since, arguably, way back in season one: a complete and total loss of confidence. She’s definitely pregnant, and starting to show, and her confidence has completely been drained by the fact that she no longer fits into her pre-pregnancy clothing. This episode has…

This April, both Perth and Adelaide will be getting up close and personal with on-screen siblings Tyreese and Sasha from ACM’s monster hit The Walking Dead as both Chad L Coleman and Sonequa Martin-Green head down for Oz Comic-Con. Both actors have starred in some of TV’s greatest shows, including The Wire (where Coleman portrayed…

Whilst at the SXSW premiere of Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River, Larry Heath caught up with actor Rob Zabrecky who talks about working on the film, how he got involved, and more. Having been friends with Gosling for five years, Zabrecky talks about how it made sense for them to work together, “it’s always…

While walking the red carpet at SXSW, Lost River Executive Producer Gary Michael Walters talks exclusively to The Iris about his love of Australia, Ryan Gosling as a ‘singular visionary’, and more. Having worked with Ryan Gosling twice before, Walters wanted to support his new venture and fully financed the film. As a studio head, Walters says,…

With Get Hard currently being released in cinemas, Larry Heath caught up with Director Etan Cohen about the dynamic between writing and directing. He also catches up with actor-comedian Kevin Hart, who discusses his friendship with co-star Will Ferrell. Get Hard is scheduled for release in Australia on March 26, 2015. You can also check out our exclusive…

Earlier we brought you Part One of our interview with Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury from SXSW. In Part Two, the composers for sci-fi thriller ‘Ex Machina’ discuss how they matched music with film in detail, future projects, and lots more. Check out the full interview below. Ex Machina is out now in cinemas. ———-…

Larry Heath caught up with Geoff Barrow (of Portishead) and Ben Salisbury to talk about the music they have composed for Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller ‘Ex Machina’. Both musicians discuss in depth about how this project originated. their creative process, and more. Ex Machina is out now in cinemas. ———- This content has recently been…

Paul Feig, famed director and the man behind new action-comedy Spy catches up with The Iris’ Larry Heath at the film’s SXSW premiere to talk about tone, Melissa McCarthy, and his favourite James Bond. On what he wants people to take away from the film, Paul says: “I just want people to have a really good…

While at SXSW for the debut of ‘Spy’, The Iris’ Larry Heath spoke to veteran action star Jason Statham about the style of the film, his role, and more. On working with Melissa McCarthy, Statham says: “She’s just an exceptional talent at whatever she puts her hand to” and as for comedy: “I tried not…