Whilst I completely understand wanting to re-visit a fruitful series such as Resident Evil, one that pulled in significant coin despite being critically slaughtered, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hardly makes such a trip worthwhile. For starters, Milla Jovovich, patron saint of these entirely disposable films, hasn’t been brought back. Yes, it being a…
It was an exciting night back at the Forum on Tuesday as Mallrat was finally given an opportunity to see her fans after multiple postponements of the ‘Driving Music’ tour. The wait was worth it and the night was another argument in why Mallrat is such an engaging artist. Dan was there to catch all…
As the Ashes kick off and the year begins to draw to a close, I thought I’d take a moment to bring your attention to a hat-trick of acts I’ve been introduced to this year; two from England and one here at home in Australia. Yard Act (Leeds, England) Ever wondered what the love child…
Despite the fact that it’s a narrative known to the many that witnessed its theatre run since 2015, when the synopsis was revealed for the filmic adaptation of Steven Levenson‘s Dear Evan Hansen there was considerable shock and near-instant backlash. The notion of an emotionally disturbed teenager’s ultimate suicide being used as a plotting hook…
While reading The Rome Zoo by Pascal Janovjak, translated by Stephanie Smee, I was often struck by the sense that I didn’t really know what was going on; but that I was having a lovely time. The novel is a slightly meandering account of the various iterations of the Rome Zoo (now known as the Bioparco…
2021 has been tough for Aussies, and it seems that quite possibly things are going to be… complicated… for months to come. There’s still a lot of gloom about despite many cities now enjoying life out of lockdown, which is why the upcoming Christmas holidays just may be the most important ones yet. There’s no…
The French Dispatch tells a series of stories through a framework of a newspaper publication known as The French Dispatch. The framework begins with the death of Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray), the editor of said publication and we follow the stories of the final farewell issue; which consists of three major articles, a minor…
On this, the 20th anniversary of the franchise and the Xbox platform as a whole, Halo has sparked many questions in the minds of its fans. Has the series run its course? Is the Master Chief a relevant hero for the modern age? Can such a dated franchise really exist without pushing new boundaries? Well…
As Western Australia prepares to open up to the rest of the country, Macro Music has announced the Out Of The Woods festival in Busselton in the state’s south-west region for April featuring Angus & Julia Stone, Ball Park Music, The Jungle Giants and Hot Dub Time Machine. The two-day festival, scheduled to run on…
Geoff Keighley’s annual Video Game Awards presentation has rolled around again for 2021, handing out accolades for the best the year has had to offer in gaming. It’s admittedly been a tough year for game delays, with many of the year’s hotly anticipated games pushed to 2022, from the likes of God of War Ragnarok…
Sydney indie-rock trio Middle Kids have quickly become one of the country’s most prominent and adored bands, capturing hearts worldwide with their gritty pop anthems and unparalleled storytelling. And it’s been another another huge year for the band, with the release of their new album Today We’re The Greatest in March, a national tour in…
Saving time in the kitchen has always been a matter of carefully buying the right products, but having a device that saves space as well can profoundly change the way you navigate and engage with your food at home. The Philips All-In-One Cooker is such a device that consolidates many of your kitchen appliances into…
December’s PlayStation Plus offering is as well-rounded as it is critically acclaimed; for the most part. Godfall: Challenger Edition stands as the PlayStation 5 entry for this month, while Lego DC Super Villains and Mortal Shell follow as forward compatible PlayStation 4 titles for those on next generation consoles. While it’s clear Godfall is looking…
Before making waves in the horror genre with such box office successes and critical winners as Daybreakers, Predestination, and Jigsaw, German-born, Australian-raised brothers Michael and Peter Spierig pooled their talent, connections and coins together for Undead. Originally released in 2003, the low-budget Australian zombie thriller was an homage to the B-grade horror entries of the…
Having released her stunning debut album, In Feelings, in 2020, Lisa Caruso has released her follow-up single, “It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas”. This is a tune written for those of us who might be feeling just a tad, or a lot, disaffected by the onset of Christmas. Let’s face it, for many of us, 2021…
Basic Comfort is an alternative synth-pop band heralding from Kalamazoo in the state of Michigan. We are stoked today to be premiering their latest EP, VIsions, ahead of its release on Friday. The band has been around for a while now, led by Tony Mitchell, with the lineup settling in 2019. Since then, they’ve been…
New Zealand-born director Martin Campbell is no slouch when it comes to the action genre. Sure, there was the stumble that was the thorn in Ryan Reynolds’ side, Green Lantern, and Beyond Borders, despite suitable work from both Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen, was a boring misstep, but having reinvigorated the Bond films at times…
The eminent Jameson House of Rounds returned for a night of whiskey, food and music at iconic bar The Rails in Byron Bay on Saturday, 4 December – and you can bet that we were there for every bit of it. As New South Wales emerges from lockdown, Jameson House of Rounds provided a unique…
Melbourne’s Blackbirds FC create beautifully layered lush sonic journeys, telling their stories with warm vocals. “Transport Planes” is the latest track to drop from the band, and we are delighted to be premiering it prior to its release on Friday. A full-length album is due early in 2022. The jangly guitars and keyboards are joyfully…
What to put on the B-side for your about to be released single? Perhaps a conundrum almost as challenging as what to call the band. There have been some memorable B-sides over the past few decades. “Green Onions” from Booker T and the MG’s was the B-Side to their track “Behave Yourself”. “God Only Knows”…
Gaming fans and foodies alike can rejoice as PlayStation launches PlayStation to Plate, giving Aussies across Sydney and Melbourne a taste of the many exclusives the platform has to offer. From 3 December, three restaurants will bring to life meals inspired by classic franchises including The Last of Us, Ratchet and Clank and Uncharted. Dish 1:…
A coming-of-age stage musical that won immediate critical acclaim from its opening in 2015, Dear Evan Hansen‘s inevitable stage-to-screen adaptation was always going to be a mammoth task to whichever filmmaker dared to take it on. For Stephen Chbosky, it was a challenge he tackled with open arms. As the film arrives in Australian cinemas…
A few years ago most discerning drinkers would have scoffed at the idea of a bar exclusively slinging non-alcoholic spirits, but times have almost certainly changed. In 2021, Lyre’s Spirit Co – a company that produces award-winning non-alcoholic spirits – is sitting pretty with an impressive $500 million valuation, and the appetite for sippin’ on…
Restaurants are back. As Sydney keeps on opening up, more and more people are flocking back to their old and new favourite spots to make up for lost time when it comes to eating well, drinking even better, and catching up with friends. Throw some live music in the mix from talented local bands, from…
If there’s one thing director Paul Verhoeven loves to do, it’s poke the bear. As he has so gleefully outraged audiences and critics across his career, his latest exploitive project – the “based on a true story” nunsploitation drama(?) Benedetta – could easily be dismissed as blasphemous, but there’s also an alarming sincerity to his…
For so many of us the theatrical experience remained out of reach for a large portion of 2021. With cinemas back open and thriving in the wake of a double dosed population, these coming weeks look to end the year that was with a considerable bang. From the much-hyped multiverse tease of (potentially) multiple Spider-men…
It was a stellar night of music at the Factory Theatre last night. At the top of the bill was Shining Bird, on the back of their fabulous album Deadlands, which was released earlier in the year. With beautiful instrumentation and high energy, their set left us wanting more. Co-headling was the irrepressible Johnny…
Kenny Rogers so famously told us “You gotta know when to fold ’em”, and in The Card Counter writer/director Paul Schrader seems unsure as to which hand he wants to confidently play. It’s not that this film is poorly made, nor is his commitment to the representation of desolation anything other than pure, but it’s…
Remember those natural disaster films from the ’90s? You know, Deep Impact? Volcano? Dante’s Peak? Twister? Well, if the recent Amazon hit Greenland has whet your appetite for disaster, then 13 Minutes will also satisfy your urge. Writer/Director Lindsay Gossling has assembled an all-star cast – including Anne Heche (to bring us back to Volcano for a…
Questions Raised by Quolls, written by Harry Saddler, is aimed at educating us all about the plight of the quolls and the environmental situation in Australia. It is a book which raises important questions, and asks us all to reflect on the situation in this country. For example, did you know that Australia has the…
