Year: 2016

As Lights Out continues its surge through the box office, now accumulating as much as US$27 million in domestic sales since its July 22nd release, New Line Cinema have already ordered a successor to the film. David F. Sandberg and his wife Lotta Losten are reportedly both to return to work on Lights Out 2,…

It’s not very often a film will change my perspective on life, but after viewing Taryn Brumfitt’s documentary Embrace it was a completely different story. The roots of this inspiring documentary stem from a post of Brumfitt’s that went viral in 2013, depicting Taryn in an unconventional before and after photo – from having a…

Welcome to a brand new month and a new set of TV picks that will glue you to your seat.

Written and directed by Maren Ede, Toni Erdmann is a meandering delight. By turns hilarious and poignant, it concerns the ageing Winfried Conradi’s frequently maladroit attempts to re-establish some sort of a meaningful relationship with his adult daughter, Ines, in the course of a spontaneous trip to visit her in Bucharest, the Romanian capital. Unkempt,…

Continuing an amazing run of celebrity visits over the last couple of months, the stars of Bridget Jones’s Baby are coming to Australia. Bridget Jones herself, Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger and McDreamy (Grey’s Anatomy) himself, Patrick Dempsey – who joins the franchise for the first time – will both be in Australia to promote…

From August 4th, IMAX Darling Harbour will be screening the latest DC Comics blockbuster Suicide Squad. With an all-star cast including Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Jared Leto, Suicide Squad is about a group of supervillains who accept a secret government mission that will likely results in their deaths. Watch the film trailer here IMAX…

Biographical films, especially ones that revolve around triumphs of the human spirit, can range from the truly inspirational The Pursuit of Happiness to award-bait films like the dull and manipulative The Blind Side to unmitigated disasters like the agonizing Patch Adams. However, very few of those films show the comedic side of life and this is where Eddie the Eagle…

The fashionable Pullman Sydney Hyde Park teams up with equally fashionable Australian interiors and homewares brand Matt Blatt to create a unique Matt Blatt-themed suite. Pullman Hotels and Resorts, hotel group Accor‘s higher-end hotels, offers mostly business travellers and visitors a combination of efficiency and wellness. Pullman has over 108 hotels and resorts in 31…

Well. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not going to be the easiest thing to review. Not only was the play itself a complete sensory overload, its plot was so intricate that I almost feel like I can’t reveal anything without giving the die hard fans a clue as to what happens. Suffice to…

The Beast that is Eddie Perfect’s debut play had its premiere at the Sydney Opera House on Friday the 29th of July. The playwright joins the endowed cast of seven on stage, bringing to life a tale of three city-slicking partners and their journey through to the Yarra Valley after three mates and their skipper encounter…

Oh how this year is flying by! August is now here! While it is raining and freaking cold in many places around the country there is a bunch of fascinating shows, exhibitions and other arty stuff around the country for you to peek at. Here are our picks: The Beast Murder! Lies! Cows! The Beast…

Director Kevin Jackson freely admits Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters is his favourite play of the last century and you can certainly feel the love in Sport For Jove’s production of the classic work, now playing at the Seymour Centre, Chippendale. The three sisters are Olga, Masha and Irina, who we follow over a period of five…

The team behind Sydney’s big, bold Bowery Lane thinks its about time they joined in on the popular weekend brunch scene, extending some of their best menu items to that forever vague pocket of time between breakfast and lunch that has become just as popular as the traditional meal times, bringing more of a chance…

Dimly lit New Orleans themed small bar The Swinging Cat are moving in a healthier direction with their inventive new cocktail menu, experimenting with the techniques of cold-pressed juicing and crafting cold-pressed spirits, infused and pressed with dried fruits, seeds, and spices. Dark Rum that has been infused with dried banana is used for new…

Lollapalooza in Chicago hit its stride on its third day with just about everything anyone could want. The festival, known for its eclectic line-up, provided something for everyone with its Saturday night headliners and all the acts absolutely crushed it. The excitement from Saturday didn’t just include the headliners as the entire day was stocked full of…

In 1991, Perry Farrell had an idea to create something no one had tried before. 25 years later, Lollapalooza has been perhaps one of the most influential things ever to happen to live music. Over 160,000 people flock to Grant Park in Chicago to catch singers and bands from all over the world spanning every…

Late July for non-Splendour goers means just one thing- side shows, one of which being UK double-header Jake Bugg and Blossoms at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre. Blossoms took to the stage with authority and, despite the still filling room and seated crowd (a side effect of Melbourne’s severe lack of mid-sized venues), were impressive from their…

Mobile gaming success story/genuine phenomenon Pokémon GO has received its latest update today. Version 1.1.0 brings a number of changes to the altered reality Pokémon hunting sim, including avatar customisation and the removal of those inscrutable Nearby footprints.

Though long rumoured and assumed based on interviews with the creatives behind the hit TV series Game of Thrones, today HBO made it official. According to Variety, HBO’s programming chief Casey Bloys has confirmed that the 8th season of the show will be its final bow. The confirmation came during the Television Critics Association press…

Californian based artist Colette Miller was recently in Australia as part of an event to promote travel to Los Angeles, showing off her iconic “Angel Wings” artworks – one of which she painted at a special event in Sydney. While she was there, I spoke to her about the origins of the piece, which she’s now painted…

World Press Photo 16 is now at the Brisbane Powerhouse from 29th July to 21st August. This travelling exhibition showcases the accumulation of journalistic and documentarian photography all around the globe. 2016 marks the 59th year of this travelling cache of insights. 82,951 images were submitted this year. Before we discuss the winner we must…

Everyone’s favourite splash hit musical is now in Sydney, singin’ and dancin’ on its way through its Australian tour. We caught up pre-show with Jack Chambers, who plays the blindingly bright ray of sunshine Cosmo Brown, to chat about the production, musical theatre, and jamming to 90s hits in your dressing room. You’ve been in…

This review should probably be premised with the fact that I am a huge fan of the Indiana Jones series (the first three – don’t even get me started on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). These films formed an intrinsic part of my childhood and are potentially where my love of history steamed from. So…

A list of food pop-ups from some of Sydney’s finest establishments are about to help Sydney’s iconic Queen Victoria Building turn into a temporary gourmet food marketplace as a celebration of and refelection on the building’s founding years. From Wednesday 3rd August to Sunday 7th August, QVB’s southern precinct will become a showcase of guest…

With 19 years hospitality experience and a resume that reads with the likes of Quay and 3 Weeds, Chef Darryl Martin is well-equipped to be bringing a distinctive new dining experience to Sydney’s inner-west, opening up Barzaari in Marrickville, a stone’s throw from inner-west landmarks Enmore Theatre and Factory Theatre. We recently posted up news…

The Harpoon Harry kitchen is sure going to be crowded on Sunday 7th August as resident chef Morgan McGlone presents the latest in his “Friends of Harry’s” series, which has already seen the likes of legendary pitmaster Rodney Scott attract wild queues. For the third in the collaborative series, Morgan will be dishing up with…

Sydney’s five-star Sheraton on the Park has refocused The Gallery, their modern dining option that now draws inspiration from the leafy surrounds of Hyde Park to acknowledge the property’s central location. A dramatic three-dimensional artwork adds a bit of theatre of the dining space, featuring roots of trees and sprawling branches that overlook diners, marking…

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to try out Hotel Realm’s “Buvette Bliss” package, a current deal which includes a two course meal at Buvette Bistro & Wine Bar, the five-star property’s fresh French dining option. The package’s set menu is specially designed by the Executive Chef Fabian Wagnon, and also comes with…

When one thinks winter dining, images of heavy cuisine that leaves no room for enjoying anything post-meal are often cited; big, hearty meals designed to help you insulate against the cold. This isn’t necessarily the case for Niji Restaurant & Bar (which means “rainbow” in Japanese), Double Bay’s answer to Japanese fare. They’ve developed a…

The lower north shore has welcomed in a new concept restaurant, MediTrainean, and it’s a combination of the flavours and fun of tapas dishes, the heartiness of a made-to-order grill menu and the stylish service delivery of a moving train, not dissimilar to that of a classic Sushi Train. Suited for relaxed dining experiences, MediTrainean’s…