Month: August 2025

Nothing could have prepared me for the full weight of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster on Nintendo Switch 2. I knew going in that it was an enhanced re-release of a cult-favourite Square Enix RPG originally on the 3DS. I knew there would be tactical turn-based battles, branching strategies, and a Job system built…

Another year, another Good Things lineup- and I mean it when I say that this might just be the biggest and best one yet. Back for its sixth year, this lineup feels reminiscent of the first two years- a little more variety to cover a wider range of genres. This year will see Tool, Weezer…

Just announced Linkin Park return to Australia on their From Zero world tour with three massive shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in March 2026. This marks Linkin Park’s first Australian tour in over a decade, bringing fans both their classic hits “In the End”, “Numb”, “Crawling”, and “One Step Closer” and fresh material from…

Pop-punk trailblazers of the early 2000s- Good Charlotte, burst back onto the scene after seven quiet years with Motel Du Cap. A highly anticipated release, expectations were high after the release of the lead single “Rejects”, which felt like a true return to form. The record kicks off with a spoken word monologue, an homage…

SNL alum Pete Davidson is making his way Down Under this September for a compact, four-show standup sprint that is way overdue. He’ll kick things off at Perth’s Riverside Theatre on September 29th, before hitting up Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on September 30th and wrapping it up in Sydney with two shows at the Enmore Theatre…

Melbourne is full of incredible places to eat, explore, and unwind – but not every spot brings it all together. One of Australia’s leading shopping destinations, Chadstone, is one such spot, with fashion, food, and entertainment all under the same roof. Here are the reasons why a visit to Chadstone should be on every itinerary in…

It’s not every day that a record-breaking new roller coaster arrives at any theme park. Last month, Canada’s Wonderland, just out of Toronto, Canada, enjoyed such a privilege, with the long anticipated AlpenFury boarding its first riders. Last week, I was amongst the lucky few to ride the park’s first major new attraction since their brilliant…

Thanks to StudioCanal Australia, we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the life affirming drama The Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston, in Australian cinemas from August 14th, 2025. From the hearts and minds of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan comes THE LIFE OF CHUCK, the extraordinary story of an ordinary man….

Sometimes the most dangerous place for a dad is a family vacation. Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk returns as suburban husband, father and workaholic assassin Hutch Mansell in Nobody 2, the sequel to 2021’s bare-knuckle action-thriller that opened at number one at the U.S. box office. Four years after he inadvertently took on the Russian mob,…

At the AU, we’re big fans of folk music, and a relative newcomer on the Australian scene is the trio The Inadequates. The Meanjin/Brisbane-based trio have made a splash at festivals with their high-energy, bright outfits and complex arrangements. We’re thrilled to be premiering just their third single, the bittersweet “Genevieve”, ahead of its release…

Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers aired the final episode of its second season last week, laying the groundwork for a potential third season. Whether it was a case of the pacing being hindered by the one episode a week release structure, or the show getting too far away from its original source material, this historical drama…

TIFF is celebrating its 50th edition with a robust Classics programme, presented by MUBI, and supported by Ontario Creates and the Canada Council for the Arts. Programmed by Robyn Citizen, TIFF’s Director of Programming, and Senior Curator Andréa Picard, TIFF Classics offers audiences a curated selection of influential classic films from around the world. Presented…

The Toronto International Film Festival is fast approaching, and, as seems to be tradition with TIFF, the titles making their appearances on the schedule continue to be a spoil of riches. The AU Review will be on the ground this year covering the festival for another year, and today we’re continuing our look at spotlight…

It’s a Friday night, it’s raining, I’m caught up at work, and I have somewhere I need to be. Brisbane Riverstage, to be exact, to see British indie band Bloc Party, as they tour in celebration of 20 years of debut album Silent Alarm. The late finish at work meant we didn’t arrive in time…

Skins in Counter-Strike 2 are more than just pixels. They represent identity, prestige and often profit. Whether you’re chasing sleek AK-47 – Redline or a rare knife, the desire to buy CS2 skins comes with one key risk: overpaying. With thousands of listings across marketplaces and traders everywhere, knowing where and how to shop smartly…

Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia, we have 5 digital double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the new action sequel Nobody 2, starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen and Sharon Stone, in Australian theatres from August 14th, 2025. Sometimes the most dangerous place for a dad is a family vacation. Bob Odenkirk returns as suburban husband,…

Aussie indie-darlings The Jungle Giants are currently tearing it up in the UK. Last night they played their final show in England,  up north in beautiful Liverpool. They had a terrific reception – there were many in the crowd who seemingly knew every word to every song. They have a solid fanbase in this part…

Back in 2013, Paul Dempsey, frontman of  Something For Kate and joint protagonist of the fabulous Fanning Dempsey National Park project, released his first album of covers, Shotgun Karaoke. It included classics such as You Am I’s “Berlin Chair”, INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart” and Queen’s “I Want to Break Free”. An eclectic mix indeed….

Gareth and Louise Ward’s first co-authored novel, Dead Girl Gone, launched The Bookshop Detectives into a burgeoning cosy crime genre which has remained dominated by Richard Osman‘s Thursday Murder Club books since 2020. Loosely based on themselves, the Wards have created another gang of loveable amateur crime-solvers in Garth and Eloise Sherlock, two former police…

Another week another ten new tracks added to our Discovery Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, including two from premieres earlier in the week. Sydney singer-songwriter Georgia Mulligan is our Track of the Week with “Split” – the third single released from her forthcoming album Unheaven. ‘Part confessional and part ridiculous poem’, “Split” is to…

As part of their ongoing exploration of art and technology, ILA, Australia’s Centre for Immersive Light and Art have enlisted Berlin-based multi-disciplinary art collective flora&faunavisions to create an immersive and interactive experience. The experience, called TIMELIGHT ‘Beyond our ticking world’ allows visitors to interact with a virtual digital canvas to explore themes of time and…

On the surface, Hugo Keijzer‘s The Occupant appears as if it’ll be another entrant in the survivalist drama genre, focusing on a young woman, seemingly out of her depth as she battles the elements of an unflinching nature.  The Georgia-Russia border serves as the primary setting, with Ella Balinska‘s Abby serving as Keijzer’s focal point,…

Desperate to save her sister, Abby (Ella Balinska) takes a dangerous job in the remote Georgian wilderness. Stranded in the mountains after her helicopter crashes, she finds hope through a mysterious helper radioing from nearby. As he guides her through the harsh conditions, Abby struggles to survive, and her grip on reality falters until she…

Before we get into this review, there are a few things you should know about me. I’m an Australian with Italian heritage, and my favourite film of all time is The Godfather. My grandparents are actually from Sicily, and I can even speak the Sicilian dialect myself. And to top it all off, I’ll be…

All good parties must come to an end. We’ve all been there before; stuck talking to someone’s random cousin, sat around the classic glass topped table in your mate’s parents’ backyard at 4am after what had been a great night. Thankfully, Northeast Party House have enough intuition to know when to call their time as…

After announcing himself as a horror filmmaker to be reckoned with following his bold 2022 debut Barbarian, it’s understandable that audiences may be entering Zach Cregger‘s sophomore scarer Weapons with a certain level of expectation.  Of course, the rather ambiguous trailers have only added to the overall dread the film suggests, and the trivia nugget…

Brisbane/Meanjin’s Call the Mourning recently dropped single “Break“, an angsty musing on obsession and the last release ahead of their upcoming EP. Today we’re excited to be premiering the accompanying music video exclusively here on The AU Review. Call the Mourning consists of Constance Grafos (vocals/guitar), Dominic Willimott (drums), and new addition Kai Giovanni (bass),…

Not every monitor needs to push bleeding-edge display tech to stand out. Alienware’s AW2525HM proves that going all-in on core performance (speed, colour, and comfort), can be more than enough. Designed for the competitive crowd but accessible to anyone chasing a high-refresh experience, this 25-inch Full HD panel delivers blistering speed, accurate colours, and a…

Cameron Winter, best known as the voice behind Brooklyn-made Geese, will play his first solo Australian show at the Forum in Melbourne in early February 2026. It’s a one-night-only, Australian-exclusive date. The show follows the release of Heavy Metal, his debut solo album, which quietly dropped via Partisan Records in late 2024. A soft-handed turn…

Cinema, as of late, has really taken advantage of nostalgia and the good faith that audiences will hold onto such and turn out for a years-later legacy sequel.  The last few years alone have given us continuations to such once-dormant properties as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Top Gun, Scream, Halloween, and I Know…