Year: 2015

For those who’ve never made the trip to Austin for SXSW, our best advice is to go with the flow; follow the crowds, take chances, give yourselves the ability to stumble across bands you’ve never heard of, in locations you don’t expect. It’s the best way to discover something new. But it doesn’t hurt to…

Andrew Droz Palermo is no stranger to Austin, bringing and being a part of films premiering at the SXSW Film Festival in the past. This year however, he makes his narrative feature directorial debut with One & Two, a film revolving around a family unit isolated and mysterious, and the children of which who demonstrate special gifts….

Following its midnight screening at the Stateside Theatre, the AU sat down with actor and producer Jeremy Sisto to talk about Hangman, Sisto’s new film that sees him working as both lead actor and producer. Directed by Adam Mason, the horror flick sees a normal family return from vacation to find their house has been broken into….

John Hughes’ iconic coming-of-age film The Breakfast Club celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and to celebrate the release of a completely restored version of the movie, Universal and SXSW Film hosted the World Premiere and a special Q&A session with two of the movie’s stars, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. The Paramount Theatre was crammed early with fans of the…

Boxeadora, a short 16-minute documentary by American filmmaker Meg Smaker, starts with a brief foreword, “Since Castro’s revolution, Cuba has won more Olympic Gold Medals in boxing than any other country in the world”. Pretty mean feat for a small country, considering most of their opponents would be from nations with a lot more financial backing in sports….

“I’m the luckiest human being in the world,” says Eugene ‘Gene’ Cernan. In December 1972, he was the commander of the Apollo 17 mission, the final moon landing. Leaving behind his footprints and his daughter’s initials in the dust, Cernan returned to Earth. From this simple and yet extraordinary premise, director Mark Craig weaves together Cernan’s story, from his…

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Bob and Linda have a life, one that doesn’t always revolve around their kids or the burger shop. Like all busy parents they need some ‘us time’ and “Adventures in Chinchilla-sitting” explores their kooky, cute relationship whilst setting the stage for the kind of shenanigans that children get to…

Earlier tonight, the upcoming Action-Comedy Spy, reuniting Melissa McCarthy and Australia’s Rose Byrne with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, premiered at SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. We were lucky enough to be on the red carpet at the screening, and briefly caught up with star Melissa McCarthy to talk about being an action star in…

The Iris’ Larry Heath briefly caught up with Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn while on the Red Carpet at the North American premiere of his new film Lost River, directed by Ryan Gosling. Ben talks about getting to know Ryan on The Place Beyond The Pines, leading to him being a part of this project, the experiences of…

Well that was..intense. After a few relatively calm episodes of slow bubbling tension and co-existence it’s beginning to look like Rick’s group and those inept, naive fools of Alexandria are speeding towards a collision, fueled by shockingly horrific deaths on both sides and a really frustrating betrayal from cowardly Father Gabriel. As I wrote in…

Ahead of its US release on June 5th, the new action-comedy Spy had a special unofficial world premiere at SXSW tonight, with actors Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale joining writer/director Paul Feig to show off the film to the Austin, Texas crowd. The room was filled with laughter from start to…

The Iris’ Larry Heath caught up with Ryan Gosling on the red carpet at the North American Premiere of his Directorial Debut Lost River last night. We asked Ryan about assembling a team of familiar faces for the project; people he’s worked with before – from Australia’s own Ben Mendelsohn to composer Johnny Jewel –…

This morning at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, a packed out Paramount Theatre enjoyed the World Premiere of the new music documentary Mavis!, telling the story of the legendary Mavis Staples. Making her feature length documentary debut with the film was Director Jessica Edwards, who joined Mavis and other members of the crew…

The two main characters in The Foxy Merkins are not foxy ladies in the Jimi Hendrix sense. Smart? Yes. Sassy? Sure. But smouldering, not so much. The film is in fact, a fictional comedy based on the misadventures of two homeless, lesbian hookers. The film was directed by Madeleine Olnek who doubles as a writer…

They say the eyes are like a window to the soul. And the story of Big Eyes and specifically artist, Margaret Keane would show one sad and sinister tale. The latest film by director, Tim Burton (a Keane fan) throws his familiar clutch and styles away to instead present a biopic that is rich, honest…

Created by Defiant Development, an indie studio in my home town of Brisbane, Hand of Fate strives to be different. It combines elements of a deck-building CCG, a roguelike dungeon crawler and action RPG’s to come up with something entirely new and, while it doesn’t always completely succeed, there’s still a lot to like here.

In January 2013 musician, Wilko Johnson was told he had ten months to live. In The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson, English filmmaker Julien Temple (The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, The Filth & The Fury) chronicles Johnson’s humble farewell tour and album as well as how the patient refuses chemotherapy treatment in order to live…

A surprise appearance from Eva Mendes and a wedding proposal helped make for a memorable Q&A at the SXSW Film Festival tonight following the North American Premiere of Ryan Gosling’s film Lost River. Following a disappointing response to actor Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut at Cannes last year, it proved to resonate better with American audiences…

It’s not a new concept by any means, but films about artificial intelligence can still cut deep into the human psyche. Ex Machina is no different – following the narrative of Caleb, a computer programmer who wins a mysterious competition at his work, and is rewarded with a week long stay in the secluded and…

Kimberley gives us her take on what to watch in the coming days, including a couple of drama shows, and some thought provoking films… Monday 16th March 2015 Sherlock Holmes: Elementary – Ch. 10 – 10:00pm AEST Have you been watching Sherlock Holmes: Elementary? In a modern twist on the classic British detective story, it takes…

To the untrained eye, Petting Zoo presents itself as your typical coming-of-age story told through the perspective of a pregnant teenager – a trope that has been documented countless times in today’s cinema. However, this film explores the issue of teenage pregnancy through an impoverished Texan youth, delivering a perspective that is separated entirely from…

Two young women from two continents live apart for a quarter of a century. Twinsters is the story of these two identical twin sisters who were separated at birth, adopted by different families and their subsequent reunion. This documentary is heart-warming, emotional and unique. In February 2013 LA-based actress, Sam Futerman received an odd Facebook…

For the love of food. For Grace is a documentary that follows world-acclaimed chef, Curtis Duffy as he embarks on a journey to open his dream restaurant called Grace. The film is an insightful look at the highs, lows and the meticulous and determined attention-to-detail that is required in opening a fine dining establishment. It…

Ned Rifle is the final instalment in an American, satirical trilogy by writer and director, Hal Hartley. It fails to stand up as its own separate film and it is difficult for newcomers to follow (as Hartley gives little away and it has been so long between the release of this and the earlier instalments,…

How do you look at someone that’s committed a reprehensible act? Can they be forgiven, are they the devil and what do you do if they’ve achieved great success prior to this event? These are the sorts of questions that are raised in the documentary short, unmappable, which is about Denis Wood. The film is…

It’s dark, dynamic and infectiously catchy. Alternative rock band Nantes are back with another addictive EP that’s sure to be on repeat for the rest of the week. Produced in Sydney, mixed in Glasgow and mastered by Frank Arkwright of the famed Abbey Road in London, Limbo is the exceptional product of tireless work.

It’s important to remember that Presidents are people too. From time to time, Jimmy Kimmel gives celebrities a chance to read some of the mean things people tweet about them. And tonight, he extended that same courtesy to America’s Commander in Chief. Please enjoy the all President Obama edition of “Mean Tweets.” ———- This content…

Famously known for acclaimed tracks such as “Dare You To Move” and “Meant To Live”, Switchfoot are coming back to Australia in a few weeks to touch the hearts and souls of many with their empowering rock music. The band have explored many avenues that have helped their music connect with many people around the world,…

In the 29th installment of ‘Stumbled Upon’, we meet Perth’s HYLA and chat about their second EP and working towards a full length album. Band Name: HYLA Website / Social Media: Facebook / Soundcloud Genre: Garage, shoegaze, dream noise pop Members & their roles: Rob -bass, Mike -guitar, Darren-drums, Alex -guitar/vocals What music or artists…

Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion has seen some stellar line ups over the years, and they can certainly add this incredible concert to the top of the list. Highly sought after UK trio London Grammar brought along with them two very rapidly rising acts in Wet and Until The Ribbon Breaks, delivering an incredible concert to attendees….