Day: 22 October 2020

Film Review: Hitchhiking to the Edge of Sanity sees two souls journeying far away from Kansas

Steve Ewert and Dick Russell certainly had good reason to say, “We’re not in Kansas anymore!” In 1971 the photographer and writer went on a gruelling 4300km hitchhiking trip through the Sahara Desert. The result was like On the Road meets Wild. The documentary, Hitchhiking to the Edge of Sanity looks back at the pair’s…

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Album Review: Ex-Olympian – Afterlife (2020 LP)

Songwriter and musician Liam McGorry has been on the Melbourne music scene in various guises for the past decade. But, he’s now taken the solo plunge with the moniker Ex-Olympian and debut album Afterlife, creating a sunshine-filled indie soul record. McGorry will be known to many from his work with Saskwatch, Dorsal Fins and Eagle and…

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Film Review: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm thrives more as a real-world commentary than it does as a crude comedy

Whilst the novelty of the original Borat film has indeed worn off, this surprise sequel showcases creator Sacha Baron Cohen‘s twisted mindframe still has a place in an America, a country that sadly has only deteriorated since he last held up his own dirty mirror to their mentality. A few weeks ago none of us…

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Hardys releases vintage wines with a Money Back Guarantee

Having over 165 years of experience in mastering the art of winemaking and with 9000 accolades, major Australian brand, Hardys showcases their latest wine range with a Money Back Guarantee promotion. Established from earnest family traditions and a dedication to premium quality wines, the range pays tribute to Thomas Hardy who released the brand in…

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Track of the Day: Hacky Sack “Exaggerating” (2020)

Hacky Sack is the latest COVID-born project on the scene, created by Huck Hastings and Sachin Burns, who met through their mutual love of well-crafted pop songs while working evening shifts at a Bondi Beach bookshop cafe. These Sydneysiders came together from their respective music pursuits – Hastings’ eponymous solo work and Burns from Run…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: The Terrifying Lows “Running Slow” (2020)

The Terrifying Lows, the solo-project for Melbournian Tyler Millott are about to release their second track for 2020, “Running Slow”, following on from “Everywhere You Go (There You Are)”. It has an assured upbeat feel about it, building from the drum beats which open the track. The rest of the instruments gradually enter the fold. Millott…

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Film Review: Corpus Christi is a gripping drama about the murky and hypocritical grounds of faith, redemption and morality

Corpus Christi follows the story of a young inmate Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia), who is imprisoned for second-degree murder. During his long stint, he has a spiritual awakening and he makes it his goal to become an ordained priest. But his journey does not come easy due to his criminal background. After his release, he is…

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Interview: Kajillionaire writer/director Miranda July on creating such a distinctive film and how her cast imprinted on the material

As her critically acclaimed film Kajillionaire arrives in Australian theatres (read our review here), writer/director Miranda July spoke to our own Peter Gray about what drew her to create such a distinctive film, how star Evan Rachel Wood imprinted on the material, and the irony of releasing such a thematically anxious film in 2020. Kajillionaire…

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Interview: Ball Park Music on their eponymous album, recording in summer and the Big Prawn

Ball Park Music are undoubtably one of the biggest indie pop-rock bands in the Australian music scene. With their sixth studio album on the way and over a decade of packing out shows, the Brisbane five-piece have shown no signs of becoming irrelevant. In fact, their upcoming 13-show residency at The Triffid has just a handful…

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Miwako Sumida

Book Review: Clarissa Goenawan’s The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a novel that examines a tragedy from three sides

Clarissa Goenawan‘s second novel The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida may tread familiar ground for her fans. While Goenawan is an Indonesian-born Singaporean writer, both this and her debut novel Rainbirds are set in Tokyo. Perhaps it is only fitting, then, that Sharlene Teo compares Goenawan’s writing to that of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, calling this novel…

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Ball Park Music

Album of the Week: Ball Park Music are back and bloody glorious on their new self titled LP (2020 LP)

There’s a strange level of satisfaction reviewing a new album for such a universally loved band like Ball Park Music. It’s like listening to the news that your best friends are getting married, that you’re going to become a parent for the first time or that the coronavirus has been eradicated. It’s pure, unadulterated excitement,…

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Film Review: Honest Thief fails to make even the most generic genre tropes engaging

Given how many lightweight actioners Liam Neeson has aligned himself with in the last decade or so, you’d be forgiven for not being able to differentiate them from one another given how they have all basically bled into each other.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with this late-in-the-game career change for the gruff Irish actor –…

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