Author: Larry Heath

While it was reported this week that the election of Donald Trump has already seen the United States tourism industry lose some $185m in revenue, on the other side of the proverbial wall, things have never looked better. Yes, America’s Southern border buddy Mexico is reporting that in the calendar year of 2016, the country…

Hitting cinemas next Thursday, the anticipated Kong: Skull Island has dropped one final trailer ahead of its worldwide release, which features the iconic monster punching some helicopters. It’s no Die Hard 4, but it’s still pretty cool. You can watch it here: This return to the world of Kong is setting the character up for…

We’re a little over a month away from one of the year’s biggest music festivals and conferences, Canadian Music Week, which will be taking over the city of Toronto in Canada for six days of live music, comedy, panels and more. A slew of artists have been announced in recent weeks, and among those revealed…

The Iris’ Larry Heath sits down with Aaron McGrath & Angourie Rice to talk Jasper Jones‘ big screen adaptation. We find out if either of them have actually read the book, learn more about their roles in the film and talk about their experiences filming in Pemberton, WA. Jasper Jones hits Australian cinemas this Thursday,…

In a moment that is sure to go down as one of the more embarrassing in Oscar History, the wrong winner was announced for Best Picture at the 89th Annual Academy Awards today, as Bonnie and Clyde’s Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway revealed the winner as La La Land, before Moonlight eventually accepted the prize. The…

Having already won himself a trophy at the Hollywood Film Awards and the Seattle Film Critics Awards for Doctor Strange‘s Visual Effects, VFX Supervisor Stef Ceretti is up for an Oscar tomorrow – the second time the French native has been up for the accolade (the first being for another Marvel film – Guardians of…

While at a special function to celebrate the Aussies nominated for Academy Awards in Los Angeles, our very own Jaime Lewis sat down with Greig Fraser, who has received an Oscar nomination as Director of Photography for Lion – one of three Australian films (alongside Tanna and Hacksaw Ridge), which is enjoying a slew of…

Today we travel from San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL), on board Air New Zealand‘s economy 777 service. Flying out on a Friday night, I was surprised to see the plane not just full, but overbooked – which seems to lend to the argument that this route is increasing in its popularity as an alternative to…

From 1st March 2017, 14 of Virgin Australia‘s regional routes currently operated sans Business Class seats on board their Embraer 190 or Fokker F100 aircraft, will be upgraded to their 737-800 aircraft, meaning that Business Class will be introduced on the routes for the first time. The routes are: Broome to Perth Brisbane to Proserpine Brisbane…

Directed by Ridley Scott, filmed in Australia and featuring a stellar international cast – including no less than five Aussies in key roles* – you can say we’re more than a little excited about the release of the latest film in the Alien saga – Alien: Covenant. To whet our appetite, 20th Century Fox have…

I can’t remember how I first came to know about Kishi Bashi. I know I fell in love with his debut record, 151a, back in 2012, and even came to interview the man himself that same year. So it must have been around then. But my adoration for the man born as Kaoru Ishibashi (get…

We caught up with T2 Trainspotting Director Danny Boyle on the red carpet of the film’s Sydney premiere to chat about how he approached making the film, (his first ever sequel), his recent TV work, filming in Edinburgh and we find out if he has any Oscar picks for next Monday! You’re a filmmaker who has famously never…

Virgin Australia has been nothing if not slow to expand its international network, relying on codeshare partnerships, rather than its own fleet, to add destinations to its roster. But that looks set to change as the airline has confirmed it will launch a new service to Hong Kong, likely from Melbourne, and re-confirmed their intention…

The directorial debut of Andrew Jay Cohen, the co-writer of Bad Neighbours, its sequel and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, is hitting cinemas later this year. The House stars Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler as parents who start up an illegal casino in the basement of their friend’s house (Jason Mantzoukas), in order to…

15 different venues. 40 Western Sydney artists. 4 hours of non-stop live music. That’s the pitch for a very special event in Parramatta next Saturday, the 25th of February. During the Live and Local event, you’ll discover the soundtrack to the city as local musicians perform live across pubs, clubs, cafes, restaurants and unexpected locations…

Fast becoming one of the most anticipated Australian films of the year is Stephan Elliot‘s comedy Flammable Children, which is reuniting former Neighbours co-stars Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue. Today, the official first look images were released and it gives us a taste of what we can expect from the film – with Guy and…

Nicola Yoon‘s popular Young Adult novel from 2015, Everything, Everything, is getting a big screen adaptation later this year, with Stella Meghie (Jean of the Joneses) behind the camera and J. Mills Goodloe penning the screenplay. The story follows 18-year-old Madeline Whittier, who has an obscure condition called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) – known in…

When it comes to iconic destinations, few sit higher on that list than seeing the Statue of Liberty in the waters of New York City. Those on a tight schedule might choose to pass by it (from a large distance, I might add) on the free Staten Island ferry, but if you want to get…

It’s hard to get anyone to agree on anything these days, but it seems that some of the world’s top travel writers, and the influential publications they write for, have all agreed on one destination as the best for 2017. An entire country. In fact: Canada. Yes, America’s cousin to the North has been voted…

The popular Netflix series Love is returning for a second season on March 10th and the digital network just released the first trailer for the new series to get us all excited (and on Valentine’s Day no less!). As in the first season, Love follows nice guy Gus (Paul Rust) and brazen wild-child Mickey (Gillian…

Unassumingly located in the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown is the boutique hotel Naumi Liora, set behind the alluring cover of renovated 1920s Peranakan townhouses – bright, orange and originally designed by architecture firm Westerhout & Oman. The accommodation blends in so perfectly to its surroundings, however, it’s easy to walk past without knowing it’s there….

After a month of teasing us with a “Spring” release date for the much anticipated eighth season of FX’s animated comedy series Archer, we finally know when the first episode will hit our screens. Wednesday, April 5th will see Archer and the gang return, in an alternate 1947 dreamland reality, while our titular hero is…

The highly anticipated adaptation of the iconic anime Ghost in the Shell is due out next month, with Scarlett Johansson in the lead role. Paramount Pictures just released the second international full length trailer for the release, and you can view it first here: As for the new stills, check them out here: Ghost in…

Another 21 features have been added to the SXSW Film Festival program for 2017, with James Franco’s The Disaster Artist topping the list, with the Austin event set to hold the anticipated film’s world premiere. The film is about the making of the cult classic The Room – often referred to as the Citizen Kane…

This year’s Laneway Festival went cashless thanks to event partner Visa, who ensured that vendors across merch, food and drink were operating with Visa payWave – which permits revellers the ability to purchase with their card, phone or… Sunglasses? Yes, for the first time ever, Visa have put their credit card technology into pairs of…

Now playing at The Princess in Melbourne is The Book of Mormon – the mammoth Broadway hit we’ve been looking forward to arriving in Australia for some six years. There are endless reasons to see the show, and if you’re a fan of South Park or Avenue Q – the creators of which are behind…

Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea arrives in Australian cinemas this week, a year after it was the hit of Sundance and not long after it garnered an impressive six Oscar nominations. These accolades include surprise acting nods to Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges, alongside Casey Affleck, who has already taken…

The 24th annual SXSW Film Festival will be hitting Austin, Texas on March 10th, and today they’ve announced the majority of the 125 feature films set to screen during the 9 day event. The full lineup will include 51 films from first-time filmmakers, 85 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres and 5 U.S. Premieres. These…

The SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas has fast become one of the world’s most anticipated and influential events, with film projects big and small making their debut here. Among them in 2017 – at least from the program announced yesterday, will be three Australian films, one from New Zealand, and an American film about…

Fast becoming a cult favorite around the world, Amazon Prime’s Mozart in the Jungle, was this week confirmed for a fourth series. Production is set to begin later this year, ensuring the show starring Gael García Bernal will be back on our screens before the end of the year. Its third season premiered in full…