Year: 2017

It turns out that Aussies like having the crap scared out of them, as for the second week in a row, It sits at no. 1 at the box office, this week taking in $4.99m.  It has made $14.71m since it’s opening week, the best double weekend earnings since Spider-Man: Homecoming. Having said that, it looks like…

Although I am a fan of all film genres, I have an affinity for the human-fantasy friendship trope. Whether it’s between a human and a horse (War Horse), a human and a robot (The Iron Giant), a human and a mutant super-pig (Okja) or a human and a Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro), a strong bond…

The Xbox One X has been met with a bit of bemusement by Australian gaming hobbyists so far. First we couldn’t pre-order the machine but could instead go on a waitlist. Then it was announced that the unit was cost Aussie punters a whopping $649.95 AUD. Then pre-orders for the machine finally opened but the…

So you managed to snag a preorder on the Xbox One X before they sold out. Fantastic effort, great job! But what the hell are you going to play on it, and which games will allow you to take advantage of all that raw power? Xbox Australia invited us to a hands on event in…

Riding on their wave of festival success, filmmaking couple Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein’s debut feature film That’s Not Me shows just what you can achieve with a low budget and bucket loads of passion. Shot on a budget of $60,000, That’s Not Me follows the day to day slog of Polly (Alice Foulcher), a…

Villainess doesn’t waste any time, giving the audience exactly what they came for; a full on, bloody action movie. And boy does it deliver exactly what it promises. The whole premise – a story about an assassin out for revenge – comes with big expectations of huge action sequences and lots of knives, and with…

The most irreverent and eclectic music and art festival, MONA FOMA (MOFO), is coming back to Australia in January 2018. The festival will return to Hobart, as well as launching an exciting Mini Mofo addition in Launceston. The full festival line up is not expected to be released until Friday 13 October 2017, but organisers…

The first Bluesfest announcement dropped today, with some impressive names from Australia and abroad named as being Byron Bay bound next Easter. Leading the roster is Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, while the likes of Lionel Richie, Tash Sultana, The John Butler Trio and more all set to appear. Bluesfest will once again be taking place at the Tyagarah…

Their first time overseas performing together, Melbourne indie group Swim Season set their sights on Singapore’s Music Matters Live a few weeks ago. Taking their upbeat music out to Singapore, Swim Season became one of the most talked about Australian acts of the live music showcase series. The band presents this special little tour video for us,…

Ásgeir takes us back to his homeland for the music video for “I Know You Know”. The tune, taken from his acclaimed Afterglow album, shows Ásgeir at his melodic and musical best. As part of the wider Afterglow picture, “I Know You Know” is a gorgeous example of the Icelandic musician’s continued foray into melodic melancholia that is…

Far from the days of Lauryn Hill, women are more represented in rap than ever. In some ways that’s a good thing, but unfortunately there’s a lot of undeserved stigma surrounding a large portion of the female artists of the genre. If there was going to be an artist who can break past the stigma…

It feels like only yesterday I was talking to Australian country-pop, singer/songwriter Casey Barnes about his latest release – but here we are again. His latest single, the catchy “Keep Me Coming Back” was written with MSquared Productions’ Michael Payter and Michael Delorenza; the team behind his two previous hit singles – “Just Like Magic”…

Thanks to Optus, aspiring filmmakers have the opportunity to showcase their talents on a massive stage and stand to win upward of USD $30,000 with the Connect5 competition. With the submissions deadline of October 1st edging ever closer, the Connect5 competition has already seen many short films pour in that are definitely worthy of being…

The demand for Overwatch characters in Blizzard’s popular strategic hero brawler Heroes of the Storm has been rife ever since the game’s roster of iconic heroes was announced. Having added D.va, Tracer, Genji and Zarya to the mix in previous updates, Blizzard have now revealed two new Overwatch characters heading to the Nexus — Ana and Junkrat. While not much…

Destiny was the first game I reviewed for this site, back when the games section was still called VideAU Games, an offshoot of The Iris‘ parent site, The AU Review. On launch, it was an ambitious but deeply flawed experiment in the MMO space, hyped beyond almost any other game in recent memory. It weathered two major…

It is a truth universally acknowledged that powerful new video game consoles must be in want of a pretty racing game for their launch lineup.

Upcoming film Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook) and Aussie actor Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Gift) has unveiled its first official trailer trailer ahead of its release on 1st March 2018. Red Sparrow follows the story of Dominika, played by Lawrence, a fiercely devoted and competitive ballerina who suffers a career ending injury,…

Sydney based company Cobbstar Productions and Parisian company Black Sheep Films will begin production Monday the 18th of September on their new horror series titled Patricia Moore. Co-produced by Blackpills and supported by Screen Australia’s Multi-Platform fund,  you can watch Patricia Moore globally  on Blackpills’ new and upcoming smart phone app, available to Australian audiences…

Madiba is a six-part event series that tells the epic tale of Nelson Mandela, the globally beloved iconic figure, as well as the many other leaders of the African National Congress – Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu – who fought alongside Mandela in the multi-racial, multi=national movement that led to the end of South African…

In 1964, while on a short trip to Paris, the American writer and art-lover James Lord is asked by his friend, the world-renowned artist Alberto Giacometti, to sit for a portrait. The process, Giacometti assures Lord, will take only a few days. Flattered and intrigued, Lord agrees. So begins not only the story of a…

Given that I skipped the Wii U generation of Nintendo consoles (a decision I absolutely do not regret), I managed to miss Pokkén Tournament when it originally released. For those who made a similar decision, it’s time to go back on it – Pokkén Tournament DX is one of the most enjoyable and incredibly addictive…

Always wanted to sleep in a sandcastle? For the next few days, a curious pop-up hostel built with 24 tonnes of sand will be attracting constant attention on the golden grounds of Kurrawa Beach, Gold Coast. Built over the past three weeks, the impressive structure stands completely decked out with a stage (for live music and…

Island time will soon be easier to reach for Kiwis, with an additional five non-stop weekly flights scheduled to connect Auckland and Honolulu from 21st March 2018. Hawaiian Airlines’ increased schedule will have flights depart Auckland at 11:55 pm five times weekly, Wednesday through Sunday, arriving in Honolulu at 9:45 a.m. on the same day. Flights…

Melbourne artist Elyse De Valle has been announced as this year’s winner of the Australia Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program. Now in its fifteenth year, the program offers Australian and New Zealand artists the chance to win a prize worth over 20K, including a three-month residence to live and work at The Glenfiddich Distillery near…

A few days ago our beloved Amy Winehouse would have turned 34 years old. It’s still so hard to think that this world no longer has such a soul gifting us with her talents. All is not lost however, as an exhibition in her honour is so close to opening thanks to the Jewish Museum…

A huge sound from Grace Mitchell comes in the form of “French Becky”, her latest single. The Portland native has lunged forward from the downtempo Banks-like music she first became synonymous with back in 2015 in favour of some glorious, jittering pop vibes – neither reign supreme over the other in our minds, she does both…

The Ruminaters returned recently with a rollicking new single in “I Wanna Fight” – embracing the anarchistic nature of rock and roll, the band have approached the accompanying music video with the same central idea in mind. Popping a GoPro on their mate Dylan and letting the chaos ensue, The Ruminaters’ new clip is hazy,…

After a total of five showcase events across this year’s BIGSOUND it’s safe to say Jesswar more than proved her worth. Ferocious on the mic with a penchant for witty lyricism, the young Brisbane emcee dominated discussions on the “next big thing” in Australia’s hip hop scene, and with all that hype and excitement lifting…

In the week that was, we were spoilt for choice with a bunch of new music releases. With our weekly Spotify playlist, you can wrap your ears around the charming new one from Julia Jacklin, a sultry pop number from Wallace and a spicy collab between Hanne Hukkelberg and Emilie Nicolas (plus heaps more)! ———-…

Poison City Weekender surfaces each year in the wake of BIGSOUND – Melbourne nonchalantly shrugging its shoulders and reminding Australia of why it’s the music capital. The first night of this year’s PCW was exactly that; an evening of some of Melbourne’s finest coolly sharing the stage with international acts, shrugging their shoulders and showing…