TV Review: Rake – Season 3, Episode 5 (Australia, 2014)

RAKE goes into courtroom procedural overdrive this week when Cleaver Greene agrees to represent no less than four men at four separate hearings in one day. Sydney is in a legal frenzy: there are five royal commissions and seven ICAC hearings taking place at the same time. Every other lawyer in town is tied up,…

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Box Office Report: 300 sequel rises to the top

3D action sequel 300: Rise of an Empire came out victorious at the Aussie box office over the weekend. The long-gestating sequel to 2007’s 300 took an impressive $3.17 million over the weekend, beating out last week’s top film, Non-Stop. The goodwill held over from the original film definitely helped Rise of an Empire, and…

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Travel Experiences: Getting into stunt planes with Bluejuice.

Back in 2012, I had the privilege of joining Jake and Stav of Bluejuice as they took to the skies with the wonderful guys at Red Baron at Sydney’s Bankstown airport in their flagship Red Bull Stunt Plane. There are only two ways to describe it: exhilarating and nauseating. Both myself and Jake didn’t return…

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the AU interview: Simone Felice (USA) talks new album, Strangers

We caught up with singer-songwriter Simone Felice ahead of the March 14th release of his new album Strangers to find out a bit more about the new record, his thoughts on the state of radio, the Americana revival and more. Hi, how are you? Hi Simon, it’s nice to hear from you. Yeah, it’s great…

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the AU interview: Richard Fortus of The Dead Daisies

Just wrapping up a massive Australian tour, Richard Fortus – famed guitarist of Guns N Roses and now The Dead Daisies – takes some time to chat to the AU about how he approaches The Dead Daisies and their reputation as a supergroup; what’s in store for him both as a solo artist and as…

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Ten things we learnt from the Wes Anderson SXSW Q&A for The Grand Budapest Hotel

Following the SXSW special screening of the new Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Austin was graced with the presence of Mr. Anderson himself, in conversation with director Richard Linklater and accompanied by the film’s music supervisor Randall Poster and actor/long-time collaborator Jason Schwartzman. In addition to the comment on the possibility of sequels,…

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Exclusive: Nicholas Cage and director David Gordon Green talk about Joe at SXSW.

The Iris talks to actor Nicholas Cage and director David Gordon Green about their new film Joe. Nicholas Cage talks about the father and son relationship between him and Tye Sheridan, and David Gordon Green talks about what drew him to adapt the book… Filmed at SXSW 2014 in Austin, Texas. ———- This content has…

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Lena Dunham delivers inspiring and witty keynote speech at SXSW Film Festival

The third of four film keynote speakers at SXSW was performed by writer, actress and general voice for a huge portion of Gen X and Y, Lena Dunham. The creator and star of the successful Girls series shared her experiences of entering the film industry with a packed out Vimeo Theater, and held the attention…

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Wes Anderson reveals he’d consider Rushmore and Darjeeling Limited sequels at SXSW.

Following the SXSW special screening of the new Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Austin was graced with the presence of Mr. Anderson himself, in conversation with director Richard Linklater and accompanied by the film’s music supervisor Randall Poster and actor/long-time collaborator Jason Schwartzman. During the Q&A, Anderson was asked by an audience member…

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the AU interview: Ernest Ellis (Sydney) talks new record Cold Desire

Ernest Ellis released his highly-anticipated new record, Cold Desire last week. We caught up with him to have a chat and find out more about the new album; how it all came about; and whether or not we’ll see him out on the road around the country in the coming months. What was the inspiration…

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Live Review: Dan Sultan + The Medics – The Metro Theatre, Sydney (09.03.14)

School night be damned, that wasn’t going to stop a bunch of punters to come along and check out some styled Aussie rock and roll tunes get cranked out. Both of the acts on the bill tonight have been critically recognised in the indigenous and mainstream music scene and both perform with an intensity and…

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Spotlight on Newcastle and Hunter Valley, NSW: Larry and Johnny's 36 hour blogging & tweeting adventure!

When I was approached by Tourism NSW to take on the duty of “Music and Culture Ambassador” for the blog-o-sphere, I don’t think I hesitated a second. Those that follow the website will probably notice that travelling for music is something I love to do. From heading to SXSW in Austin, CMW in Toronto and…

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Mindy Kaling shows a Sunday SXSW audience why she’s now the “New Queen of Comedy”

What better way to spend a Sunday morning than in the presence of one of the funniest faces on television at the moment? Mindy Kaling of The Office and The Mindy Project fame came to Austin to partake in an ‘In Conversation’ session hosted by Marie Claire’s Anne Fuldwider and also featuring her cast mates…

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Jemaine Clement interviewed at SXSW Premiere of What We Do In The Shadows (New Zealand, 2014)

The Iris at SXSW presents an exclusive interview with Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords to talk about his new mockumentary film What We Do In The Shadows which he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in with Taika Waititi. We talk about the serious plight of Vampires in Wellington, New Zealand, and plans for the…

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Karen Gillan reveals how Doctor Who led her to Oculus at SXSW Film

When fans associate an actor with one particular role, it can be hard for the actor to distance themselves from said character. For Doctor Who fans, this may be the case for some, as former companion Karen Gillan takes on the horror genre for one of her first feature film roles outside the franchise. Directed…

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Album Review: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Give The People What They Want (2014 LP)

It’s been a rollercoaster year for Sharon Jones, the corrections officer turned soul queen. Her fifth album with the imitable Dap Kings, Give the People What They Want was shelved and touring halted so Jones could turn her attention to battling and ultimately beating cancer which threatened to bring her fairy-tale career to a halt….

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Interview: Joan Wasser of Joan as Policewoman (New York)

Joan Wasser from Joan as Policewoman has just released her fourth album of original songs and AU review reporter John Goodridge chats about behind the scenes of making the album. Hey Joan, how’s it going? It’s going great thank you. How are you? Great! I’ve been listening to your new album “The Classic” and I…

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SXSW 2014 Photo Gallery: Veronica Mars Premiere Red Carpet – Paramount Theatre (08.03.14)

Veronica Mars had its world premiere at SXSW and we were there on the red carpet to bring you all the glamour from this star studded event. Photos by Johnny Au ———- This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may have formatting errors – images may not be…

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AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire premieres at SXSW; from the producers of Breaking Bad.

Put “from the producers of Breaking Bad” in front of the announcement of a new TV series and everyone is going to take notice. Indeed, as part of this year’s new “episodic” programming at SXSW in Austin, Texas, one of the most buzzed about screenings was a premiere preview of a series with one such…

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SXSW 2014 Photo Gallery: 13 SINS Premiere Red Carpet – Stateside Theatre (07.03.14)

SXSW premiered the The Horror/Thriller film 13 SINS from director Daniel Stamm. Stars Ron Pearlman, Mark Webber and Devon Graye walked the red carpet tonight at Stateside Theatre. Photos by Johnny Au. ———- This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may have formatting errors – images may not…

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SXSW Film Review: Veronica Mars (USA, 2014)

When such a well-loved TV series like Veronica Mars is given a new lease on life, it’s that much more special and significant when it is made possible by the fans. The Kickstarter campaign which saw a $2 million goal attained in rapid time brought the Kristen Bell-led cast back to loving arms of the…

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The Iris Interview at SXSW 2014: Cast and Director of Veronica Mars (USA, 2014)

We just jumped off the red carpet at the SXSW Film Festival for the world premiere of Veronica Mars. We kick off our interview series with Veronica herself, Kristen Bell, and Jason Dohring, who played Logan Echolls on the popular series, which is enjoying a rebirth in the form of a new feature film! Released…

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The Iris Interview at SXSW 2014: Ron Perlman, Mark Webber and Daniel Stamm talk “13 Sins”!

The Iris meets Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman on the red carpet for the world premiere of his new film 13 Sins at SXSW 2014! Plus, see our chats with Mark Webber from the cast and the director Daniel Stamm! ———- This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may…

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Adelaide Festival Review: John Waters, This Filthy World Vol 2 – Elder Hall (06.03.14)

The anticipation in the air was palpable as the Elder Hall filled with people waiting to hear John Waters speak for the Adelaide Festival. The stage is minimalist – a green floral arrangement on a white stand with red lighting at the rear. John enters the stage resplendent in a grey checked suit with his…

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Exclusive Music Video Premiere: T54 "AC Parade" (2014)

Christchurch three-piece T54 are heading to Australia for their first ever series of concerts outside their native New Zealand. In anticipation of the tour, the AU is proud to present the exclusive premiere of the band’s new video “AC Parade”, off their debut record In Brush Park, out now. It’s dreamy, fuzz pop at its…

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Oz Comic-Con snags Benedict Cumberbatch for Adelaide and Sydney!

In a surprise announcement this morning, it was revealed that global superstar Benedict Cumberbatch will be making an appearance at Oz Comic-Con in Adelaide, as well as two exclusive Q&A sessions during Oz Comic-Con in Sydney. This is a serious coup for these events given the fact that Cumberbatch is one of the most popular…

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TV Review: Rake – Season 3, Episode 4 (Australia, 2014)

It looks like things are slowly but surely returning to their natural state of comical disequilibrium in the world of Cleaver Greene. His career is given a boost when he receives his first personal request for counsel, and he finally has his bachelor pad to himself, now that Nicole and her crazy mother have taken…

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Live Review: Queens of the Stone Age + Nine Inch Nails + Brody Dalle – Qantas Credit Union Arena (06.03.14)

The co-headline gig is something we rarely see in Australia from international artists. But in America, it’s fairly common place, with tours like NINJA (Nine Inch Nails and Janes Addiction) becoming something of legend. Finally, Australia gets its turn, with NIN – returning for the first time since Soundwave in 2009 – joined by Queens…

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Exclusive Video Premiere: Forever The Optimist "Arecibo" (2014)

The long awaited debut album, Arecibo from Brisbane’s rock quartet Forever the Optimist is out April 18, and they have a preview of the album to show off their massive sound. The preview video is premiering exclusively on the AU review. Forever The Optimist will tour the album in June 2014.

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Exclusive Music Video Premiere: Kid Mac "Haters" (2014)

Before he jumps on a plane to play SXSW in Austin, Texas and some shows in Canada, we at the AU are proud to present the world premiere of Kid Mac‘s new music video for his track “Haters”, taken off his record Head Noise. The video was shot throughout 2013, documenting 100+ shows over 5…

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