By the second day of the Mundi Mundi Festival, the rain had stopped, the sun had come out and the ground started to dry out underfoot. Thousands of festival goers joined in for an iconic rendering of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” in what could be one of the world’s largest choir. Decked out in…
In the week before the Mundi Mundi Bash, torrential rain meant that the organisers had to made some fast and difficult decisions. To ease congestion, early bird tickets holders could arrive earlier and set up camp. However, due to the muddy conditions, many were turned away. Still, over 10,000 people still set up camp ready…
Miss Kaninna’s BLACKPRINT mixtape is immediately unapologetic. From the opening seconds of “Chat My Shit”, she declares “I’m Indigenous so you know you gon’ be feelin’ this.” It’s clear straight away that this isn’t a mixtape interested in quietly introducing itself, but rather it kicks the door in. Across six tracks, BLACKPRINT feels like a…
UK artist Jorja Smith is back on the scene with her new album What Are The Odds. It marks her third studio album and her first as a fully independent artist. She’s a distinct voice in the UK scene, with her signature warm and smoky vocals. This album takes what Smith has done so well…
After Xenoblade Chronicles X took the Wii U in a more systemic, player-driven direction, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 marked a return to narrative focus. Now, with its Switch 2 upgrade, it’s worth revisiting whether this ambitious RPG still holds up. After the release of Xenoblade Chronicles – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition last month, it seems we…
It has been a colossal week for new releases, and this week we’ve had a hard time whittling our choices down to ten new tracks to add to our Discovery Playlist, available on Spotify and Apple Music. Our Track of the Week goes to Gang of Youths, who make a magnificent return with “Things Take…
NBA 2K27 is right around the corner, and we’re getting plenty of inside looks at some fresh gameplay features from this year’s iteration. From general gameplay enhancements to a new city and MyCAREER updates, there’s plenty to look forward to when the game launches on the 4th of September, 2026. Gameplay This year, players will…
Zero Latency VR provides a wide range of original and licensed VR experiences at several locations across Australia. That range is set to grow again, with the announcement of Jumanji: The Lost Levels, coming to all Australian Zero Latency VR locations on the 4th of December, 2026. Based on the upcoming film, Jumanji: The Lost…
Before Anthony Bourdain became the unmistakable voice, world traveller and cultural figure audiences came to know, he was a restless 19-year-old trying to work out where he belonged. Matt Johnson’s Tony captures that formative summer in Provincetown, where an unexpected introduction to the chaotic world of restaurant kitchens would quietly set his life on an…
Jason Statham has built a remarkably durable career out of knowing exactly what audiences want from a Jason Statham movie. Put him in a confined space, surround him with disposable henchmen, give him a vaguely personal reason to be angry, and eventually someone is going to discover just how creatively an everyday object can be…
The idea of the interactive theatre experience is nothing new. From “whodunit” dinner parties to whatever it is people get up to at those Rocky Horror screenings, there’s always been a market for those of us who want to feel a part of the action. Even sitting front row at a comedy show brings out the more…
J A Stevens’ debut novel, A Change of Pace, gives every impression that it is the opening chapter of a long running Regency era mystery series. Its lead character, Georgina Pace, feels like a combination of Phryne Fisher and Lord Byron – hopping from bed to bed, flouting convention, and solving a few problems for…
Skullcandy are no stranger to a wide range of over-ear and in-ear options across a range of price points, but the Crusher 1080 ANC over-ear headphones now stand as their most premium option on the market. At $399.99, I would certainly consider this a premium pair of headphones, but after using these for a few…
Over a decade ago, if someone knocked on my door, I would pretend I wasn’t home and peek through the window to see who was there. My first port of call was to hide and make sure the person knocking didn’t see me, because “stranger danger”, obviously. But with security cameras and doorbell cameras flooding…
Michael Bisping knows a thing or two about taking a hit. But carrying an action film on his shoulders? That presented the former UFC champion with an entirely different kind of pressure. In Atlas King, Bisping steps into the title role as a former fighter drawn back into a world he thought he had escaped….
Los Angeles-based performer Bryn Woznicki (aka Bryn Woz) brings her latest show SMUT to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In the one-woman show, Bryn plays burlesque character Entendre Entendre, as she launches her memoir Smut. In the show, she her share stories from the novel, and her life of promiscuity and pansexuality. As you can tell…
Every September, Toronto briefly becomes the centre of the cinematic universe, and in 2026 The AU Review will once again be on the ground for the Toronto International Film Festival, taking in as much as humanly possible across 11 days of premieres, discoveries, red carpets and those inevitable scheduling clashes that force you to choose…
Australian queer drama Invisible Boys is heading stateside, with the acclaimed Stan Original finding a new home on Hulu in the United States. The Disney-owned streaming service has acquired the Australian series through Banijay Rights, which handles its international distribution, giving the homegrown drama access to a significant new audience following its Australian debut on…
Being called a mooch isn’t usually the type of insult one spends a decade transforming into a feature film, but Jeff Ryan has never seemed particularly interested in taking the expected route. Following YouthMin: A Mockumentary and the horror-comedy Mean Spirited, Ryan once again writes, directs and stars in Mooch (read our full review here),…
Heavy metal legends Mastodon return later this month with Marrow Deep, an album forged through loss, brotherhood and the determination to keep moving. Five years is a long time between records, but for Mastodon, the journey to Marrow Deep has been shaped by far more than creative ambition, with the band’s ninth studio album arriving…
Ellena Savage’s debut novel, The Ruiners, is exactly the kind of novel that abounds in Australian writing at the moment. Predominately focussing on characters who are over-educated and under-employed, it is a smart, witty novel which zones in on characters at a particular moment in time, all whilst favouring philosophical and intellectual insights over plot…
I’m a massive fan of anything Marvel and fighting games in general, so it’s no secret that I’ve had my eye on Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls for a while. I also believe that Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is one of the best fighting games of all time, so I was worried…
Anthony Bourdain knew exactly what kind of young man he had been. Tony opens with his own less-than-flattering assessment: “I was – to be frank – a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, and badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” It’s both a warning and something of an invitation. Rather than attempting…
Have you ever wanted to know what it might be like to perform with one of the world’s most lauded Symphony Orchestras? Now is your chance, with the immersive VR experience at the Edinburgh Fringe, Concerts of the Future. A collaborative experiment between The Sonicrats and the MSO (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), Concerts of the Future…
Universal Studios now offer no less than eleven official accommodation options across its four theme parks in Orlando. But until 2013, only three were in operation. Loews Royal Pacific Resort was their third property, opening in June 2001, two years after the launch of their second gate, Islands of Adventure. It sits a brief walk…
With an increasing range of cellular and Wi-Fi-enabled devices that we take on the go with us nowadays, it feels like portable internet is equally important. There are options like Starlink, which are great for those travelling in a caravan through rural areas, for example, but in most cases, it’s nice to just have something…
When I heard Kristen Schaal was coming to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, after her run at Netflix’s Comedy Festival in LA, I knew I couldn’t miss her show. By all reports, the comedian well known for her turns on Flight of the Concords, What We Do In The Shadows and of course Bob’s Burgers, had…
Part of the House of Oz series at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival is Birds, a show that is set to make its stars Alex Hines and Sarah Stafford (known collectively as Sons of Susan) fan favourites of the festival. Less a traditional play and more of an absurdist character study, the 50-minute show takes…
Whose perspective shapes history? What happens if we look through a different lens? That’s what acclaimed historian Henry Reynolds’ asks in Looking from the North: Australian History from the Top Down. His latest book explores history from the vantage point of the tropical north, delivering an important truth telling. Known for seminal works, including Why…
One of the must-see plays at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival is a parody of Reginald Rose’s classic 1957 12 Angry Men, that was a hit of the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe. With equal humour and cruelty, this version of the show is titled 11 1/2 Angry Men, due to the shortness of one of the…
