Author: Larry Heath

From one of the most creative minds working in cinema today, Pete Docter, comes his third feature length film for Disney/Pixar. First, there were the monsters living in our closets in 2001’s Monsters Inc.. Then, in 2009 he brought us the tale of a man, a house, some balloons and a Boy Scout in Up; a…

Fur Coat and the Peace Boat is the newly released EP from Sydney five piece Burn Antares. The rockers have been schooled on the blues rock of The Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane, to the soul and funk of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, while the album was produced by Tony Buchen (The Preatures, Andy…

Photo: Jess playing Clockenflap festival in Hong Kong. Photo by Johnny Au. What a wonderfully dark track Jess Ribiero has brought us with her new single “Kill It Yourself”. The song comes off the new Remote Control Records signee’s debut record, which she produced with Mick Harvey, due out in August. The song itself –…

Fans can’t get enough dinosaur action, it seems, as the franchise Jurassic Park returned with its fourth installment over the weekend with the highly anticipated Jurassic World. It’s been a long time coming and it seems that the wait for Universal executives has paid off. The film just broke all box office records in North…

Once named “the director of the decade” from the late, iconic film critic Roger Ebert (who, in turn, has this film dedicated to him), Ramin Bahrani’s new film 99 Homes is a self-described “humanist thriller”, which takes us into the realities of the American housing crisis, out of which tragedy and corruption has emerged. Set…

When you bring up the now classic TV series Friday Night Lights – which ran for five seasons from 2006 to 2011 – the response you either get is “American Football!? Why would I watch a show about American Football!?” or “That is one of the single greatest series of all time. Matt Saracen is…

Arriving in Australia for the first time to promote her starring voice role in the anticipated new Disney/Pixar film Inside Out, Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) caught up with The Iris’ Larry Heath on the multi-coloured carpet at the Australian premiere in Sydney. Amy talks briefly about her visit to Sydney, what it was like…

Inside Out director Pete Docter spoke to The Iris’ Larry Heath at the Australian premiere in Sydney earlier tonight, and talked about about bringing such an original idea to life on the big screen, and working with the likes of Amy Poehler and Lewis Black. He also sheds some light on the character he was…

At just 17, Baro has the world paying attention to his unique hip hop sound, with comparisons to the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, Joey Bada$$ and King Krule. Following the success of his debut mixtape HOWGOODISGOOD?, which dropped about 12 months back, he’s set to release his debut EP. Dubbed 17/18, the release (and its…

From prolific Oscar Winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Freakonomics and dozens of others) comes the much talked about new film Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, one of three films Gibney has showcased at this year’s Sydney Film Festival (the others were Steve Jobs: The Man…

Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Sound familiar? That’s because we’re talking about the popular 1960s television series of the same name, which is getting a cinematic revamp courtesy of Guy Ritchie (Lock…

After two successful seasons, showcasing the finest in cult and now classic cinema from around the world, In The House will be returning to Sydney’s Event Cinemas on George Street this September for their third season – with a special screening of Akira taking place at the end of July along the way. The third…

In an exclusive interview which took place last week during the Sydney Film Festival, I got to sit down with acclaimed filmmaker Ramin Bahrani – a man who critic Roger Ebert hailed as “the director of the decade” before his passing (in turn, 99 Homes was dedicated to Ebert) – to talk about his new film 99 Homes,…

In the lead up to the release of Terminator Genisys we take a look at a featurette with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke discussing the “The Guardian”. With the much older Arnie going up against his younger Terminator self it’s a case of two for the price of one! But the role of “The Guardian”…

Following its success at The Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and at Universal Studios Japan, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to open at the world’s original Universal Studios Park, in Hollywood, in Spring 2016 (Autumn in Australia, should we get technical). Though this has been known for a…

Marquee Las Vegas are temporarily lending us their main man, Jason Lema to rock the upcoming Belvedere Winter Ball White Party at Marquee Sydney. It all goes down on June 27th, and with Lema in charge we thought it’d be a good idea to catch up with the renowned DJ to get a picture of…

Fresh from playing Singapore’s Music Matters, Perth group Our Man in Berlin have announced a national tour (sans Adelaide unfortunately) in support of their five track sophomore EP Spirit Down, due out June 19th – the title track off which has already been making waves. Combining melancholic, guitar based songwriting with dense, rhythmic electronica, Our…

After taking home the Oscar for Best Picture earlier this year, the critically acclaimed Birdman has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray today in Australia, following its digital release last month. You can read our FOUR AND A HALF STAR review of the film HERE. We got our hands on the Blu-Ray edition of the…

Next weekend, in the Kent Countryside of the UK, a special festival will be held dubbed Camp Wildfire for the first time. In one hand, it’s a unique concept in itself: an adventure camp by day, a music festival by night, featuring a secret lineup of bands and DJs. But the three day event (held…

There was some big news yesterday for those of us who travel to the US. Qantas and American Airlines (AA) announced they’d be expanding their trans-Pacific relationship, which will introduce AA to the popular and competitive Los Angeles to Sydney route for the first time, while Qantas will return to flying direct from Australia to…

The world’s newest Universal Studios Theme Park – Universal Studios Singapore – turns five years old this year, and there have been a few new additions to the park to celebrate. Towards the end of last year, a new Puss in Boots themed show “The Dance for the Magic Beans” launched that preceded “Puss in…

Photo by Dan Freeman As anyone in Sydney would know, it’s well and truly Winter time in the city, and there are few meals that warm the body up as well as a good Laksa. Around the city, there are plenty of places to get your fill, but where can you get the best? Our…

As we reported last night, the lights have come down for the 7th year at Vivid Festival Sydney, but not before one last show helped light up the Sydney Opera House – as its sails glowed with animated lights outside. Brooklyn quartet TV on the Radio held the honours, playing as a six piece in…

The world of music biopic is always a tricky affair. Trying to balance enough rock and roll fantasy and/or exaggeration with reality to create an engaging but honest story about an iconic musician can often serve itself up as a disappointment (De-Lovely and Beyond the Sea are two that immediately come to mind). Focusing on…

I’ve often been intrigued by the idea of what would happen if you flip a movie on its head. Market it as one thing and then turn it into something completely different. Something that surprises. Something that gets people talking. Imagine, for instance, if Hostel (2005) had been marketed as a raunchy teen comedy? The idea…

The stories of the mountaineers who climb Everest has long been documented and fictionalised on our screens. From the 1934 documentary short Wings Over Everest to the 1997 tele-movie Into Thin Air, based on the book of the same name, telling the stories of the men who battle the conditions of one of the most…

The anticipated new Pixar film Inside Out – the first release from the acclaimed animation studio since 2013’s Monsters University – will be premiering in Sydney, Australia next week (Monday, June 15th), ahead of its nstional release on Thursday, June 18th. And to help launch the film, one of the stars of the film, Amy Poehler,…

Last week, Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Sydney alongside co-star Jai Courtney to showcase a special preview of his return to the mega successful Terminator franchise, Genisys. The film opens on July 1st around the country.  While in town, Arnold got photos with fans, selfies with the Sydney Opera House and attended the special screening… among…

Presumed dead by his crew, NASA botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon), is left behind on Mars. In a Gravity like scenario (presumably with less 3D tears), Ridley Scott’s new film The Martian asks the question: how does a man survive on Mars and get home? Let’s just hope things don’t end up in a similar…

Shot by Nathan Atkins for the AU review. “Monet” the Vivid street performer After 18 days of light, music and ideas, the 7th Vivid Sydney has come to a close for yet another year, with Brooklyn’s TV on the Radio closing out the festival at the Sydney Opera House, supported by Sydney’s own Kirin J…