Film & TV

Travel across the USA with these 10 TV Series… (Part One!)

As we all enjoy watching Parv, Gonzo and Nick travel around the USA in the new SBS2 series Unplanned America (screening every Monday night at 9.30pm), we reflect on ten TV series that will help give you your own tour of the varied and wild landscape that the USA presents to us travellers. We start…

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Film Review: Fading Gigalo (USA, 2014)

Woody Allen stars in this rather strange sex-fuelled love story, harking back to his prime with his classic awkwardness as he tries to navigate the fact that he is now actually a pimp. Yes, a pimp. A pimp who encourages his florist friend – playing by the brilliant John Turturro (who also directed and wrote…

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Film Review: Bad Neighbours (USA, 2014)

Sure, some may find it easy to dismiss Bad Neighbours as just another comedy driven by Seth Rogen’s awkward humour – nothing we haven’t seen before. However, what really makes this film work – and possibly places it as one of the finest comedies of the past few years – is the on-screen chemistry Rogen…

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Film Review: Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater (USA, 2014)

This documentary is essential viewing for budding filmmakers and young creatives alike. A quiet, patient film by Gabe Klinger, it explores the friendship and work of filmmakers Richard Linklater and James Benning. Combining filmed discussions between the pair over a few days together in Texas and extensive archival footage, Double Play: James Benning and Richard…

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TV Review: The Feed – Season 2, Episode 55 – 14th May 2014 (SBS2, Australia)

Got the post-budget blues? A daily dose of The Feed could be what you need! Even if we obviously wouldn’t be able to escape the miserable beast’s claws in a half hour news slot. The budget was given a cursory damning in the opening news collection, and as obvious as it was that a youth…

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Film Review: Jimi: All Is By My Side (UK/Ireland, 2013)

British/Irish biopic Jimi: All Is By My Side tells the story of celebrated guitarist Jimi Hendrix, from humble beginnings jamming in the deserted Cheetah Club in New York City through to the development of the Jimi Hendrix Experience across Europe and his performance on 4 June 1967, at the Saville Theatre, London. The film is not your…

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Exclusive Australian Interview: Kenny vs Spenny talk the future of their TV show.

We sit down with Canadian comedians Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice (Kenny and Spenny) during Canadian Music Week in Toronto. We talk about weird dressing room requests, we find out why it wouldn’t have mattered if they had hit 100 episodes, and we find out about the future of Kenny vs Spenny… and will they…

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New red band 22 Jump Street clip: “Going to College”

No-one really expected much from 21 Jump Street back in 2012. In the age of reboot fatigue, a reboot of a teen cop TV series from the 80’s didn’t sound like a great idea. Much to everyone’s surprise the film was a huge hit and one of the best comedies released in some time. The…

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Film Review: Frequencies (UK, 2014)

An offbeat philosophy class that posits class divisions as natural laws, Frequencies is a delightfully bizarre speculative romance that’s as big on ideas as it is small in scale. Undoubtedly the most unique love story you’ll see in cinemas this year, it plays somewhat like Shane Carruth directing Just My Luck – which turns out to be a winning…

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Film Review: The Zero Theorem (UK, 2013)

Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam has always stood out for his eccentric and distinctive style of filmmaking; always full of imagination, his films take you on an unusual, yet mostly enjoyable journey. His latest effort, The Zero Theorem, is no exception. In dystopian London, where everyone dresses like Lady Gaga and you’re asked to worship…

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Watch Riley Blakeway’s new short film Someplace Else, presented by Corona Extra

With the release of Someplace Else, the new short film directed by Riley Blakeway, we celebrate the subcultures that sit hand in hand with the breezy Corona Extra lifestyle. Here you will find the joys encompassed in one week, lost and found, in the unique area of Mexico. Presented by Corona Extra, Someplace Else is…

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TV Review: Unplanned America – Episode 1 “When Fantasy Meets Reality” (SBS2, Australia)

Unplanned America is not your conventional reality series. We meet three Aussie blokes, Tim ‘Gonzo’ Ryan, Pawel ‘Parv’ Jarecki and Nick Maher, who have decided to take a break from their lives and go on an epic road trip across America to discover the weird and wonderful side of the Land of the Free; the…

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TV Review: Unplanned America – Episode 2 “Family Matters” (SBS2, Australia)

In Episode 2 ‘Family Matters’ the boys travel to two vastly different events in different cities to discover that family doesn’t have to be about blood relatives and can come in the most unlikeliest of places and forms. The first is the Gathering of the Juggalos in Southern Illinois, a music festival dedicated to fans…

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 5 “The Runaways” (USA, 2014)

Critics and fans of this current age of television are quick to wax lyrical over the current crop of shows we have to enjoy; “The Golden Age of TV” and “TV is the new cinema!” are two phrases that get bandied about often. Yet for all of the past decade or so of television’s ‘cinematic’…

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A look at the music films screening at the upcoming Sydney Film Festival

The 61st Sydney Film Festival is coming up next month (June 4th to 15th), and the full program announced last week boasts an incredible array of exciting films. Included in the program is a great selection of music films, both documentaries and features. Below is a rundown of the music films screening at the Festival….

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Box Office Report: Bad Neighbours takes the top spot again

After taking the top spot last weekend with $2.6 million from advanced screenings, it is not a surprise that Seth Rogen / Zac Efron comedy Bad Neighbours took the top spot again this past weekend, raking in another $4.7 million. The film has been a huge hit so far both here and in the US,…

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Here’s the first official look at Batfleck and the new Batmobile

Ever since it was announced last year that Ben Affleck would be taking over the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman from Christian Bale in Zack Snyder’s untitled Batman vs. Superman film, fans have experienced a complex set of emotions. While many were not hugely happy with the casting choice, everyone has been holding out for a…

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Film Review: The New Black (Sweden, 2014)

The Next Black is a fashion documentary that doesn’t look at what’s in style now; nor does it examine what will be fashionable in a year’s time. Instead, it looks around the corner at what is coming next by interviewing the pioneers and innovators within the industry who are using technology and new ideas to…

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Exclusive Interview: Director Riley Blakeway speaks on Someplace Else

Presented by Corona Extra and Directed by Riley Blakeway, Someplace Else features Ozzie Wright, Dylan Graves, Hanni El Khatib, Rose Ashton, Jeff Canham and Andrew Brophy. Corona Extra pulled together this eclectic group of individuals for the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7…

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Film Review: Belle & Sebastian (France, 2013)

Belle and Sebastian is a remake of the much-loved 1960s French TV series in which a six-year-old boy befriends a wild mountain dog on the pastoral slopes of the French Alps. Since this version incorporates an additional story of Jewish fugitives attempting to cross the border into neutral Switzerland, the film comes off like a…

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Exclusive Interview: Jeff Canham speaks on his experiences in Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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TV Review: Fargo – Season 1 Episode 3 “A Muddy Road” (USA, 2014)

With the episode titled ‘A Muddy Road’ this is bound to lead us down an even more twisted and precarious path as we delve deeper into the mysterious and crooked goings-on in Minnesota as one by one our characters become more inter-twined within this dark evil web. We start by taking a trip back to…

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TV Review: Game of Thrones – Season 4, Episodes 4 “Oathkeeper” and 5 “First of His Name” (USA, 2014)

These episodes are being welded together as they both serve the purpose of re-arranging the show after Joffrey’s shocking death in “The Lion and The Rose.” While we are seeing Dany get a bit more innovative with her “roam around freeing slaves” shtick, “Oathkeeper” gave us one of her weaker sequences. It was a grand,…

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Film Review: Transcendence (USA, 2014)

It’s a film which has been mostly panned by critics, but Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, the Johnny Depp-fronted Transcendence doesn’t fail to at least keep engagement consistent until the very end. Although clunky at times, and full of half-excellent performances, the film finds it’s feet in cinematography, speaking highly for Pfister’s unquestionable talent. Though visuals…

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What to expect from the new SBS 2 series Unplanned America, premiering May 12th at 9:30pm

Premiering Monday 12 on SBS 2, a new six-part Australian series will follow three friends – Gonzo, Nick, and Parv – on the road less travelled in the expansive United States of America. Unplanned America is about the in-depth exploration that evolved from a lack of travel books, an aversion of backpacker guides, and seemingly…

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TV Review: Fargo – Season 1, Episodes 1 “The Crocodile Dilemma” and 2 “The Rooster Prince” (USA, 2014)

From the opening scene right through to the closing credits Fargo emulates its film forebear with the same intriguing plot, twisted dark humour and spectacular cinematography. With the original Ethan and Joel Coen brothers as executive producers and writing credits the series was destined to have a similar tone. The series commissioned for a limited…

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TV Review: The Feed – Season 2, Episode 52 – 8th May 2014 (SBS2, Australia)

Even as the fine journalists at Fairfax walk out in protest of impending cuts, nothing can stop The Feed. It was this story that opened the episode of May 8 2014, and it really just serves as another depressing chapter in the miserable book that ‘old media’ has become- yet you can’t help but feel…

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Exclusive Interview: Dylan Graves talks us through his experience on Someplace Else

Directed by Riley Blakeway, Corona Extra Presets Someplace Else is a special short film which follows an eclectic group of artistic individuals as they embark on the ultimate road trip along the Mexican coast. They piled into a transporter bus for 7 days and 7 nights, traveling the coast, meeting locals along the way while…

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Film Review: Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants 3D (France, 2014)

Anyone who’s chuckled madly at the 4 minute animated slices of goodness that make-up Minuscule, will no doubt be welling with excitement at the thought of a full length feature delving into this charming insect world. French creators Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo have taken the plunge, writing and directing a film crammed with action…

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TV Review: Mad Men – Season 7 Episode 4 “The Monolith” (USA, 2014)

‘The Monolith’ – what a title for an episode of anything not directly related to 2001: A Space Odyssey. The one shot that recalls 2001 comes early is blink-and-you-miss-it quick; a shot of the SC&P elevator doors, black and imposing against a white background. And like the monolith in 2001, this doors represent all the…

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