Elizabeth Macneal is back with a follow up to her 2019 novel The Doll Factory. Though not a sequel, Circus of Wonders treads familiar ground in weaving another Victorian era tale of entertainment, exploitation and obsession. While The Doll Factory used as its setting the Great Exhibition, Circus of Wonders, as its title suggests, uses the travelling circus….
Last week Sydney singer/songwriter Imogen Clark released her latest EP, Bastards. This is an EP that demonstrates strength and resistance, as Imogen dissects relationships that have impacted her in her journey the past few years. Imogen was able to collaborate with some great talent on the recording. Some of those that pitched in include Eilish Gilligan,…
Cruella tells the story of the titular villain (played by Emma Stone) back in her early days before she became the monstrous, despicable fashion icon/dog-killer we know today. Known formerly as Estella, we briefly follow her childhood in 1964 as she revels in her rebellious streak as she punches her way through school both physically…
Last week Sydney singer-songwriter Tyne-James Organ dropped his debut album, Necessary Evil. The album was recorded during 2020 with his longtime creative partner, Chris Collins at his NSW Hinterland studio in Stokers Siding. His final release before the album dropped was “London’s Calling”. This is a beautiful heartfelt track, about a friend of Tyne’s who announced…
Introducing My Name Is Gulpilil as “my story of my story”, subject David Gulpilil, along with director Molly Reynolds, is all too aware of the duality the film frames itself around – Gulpilil’s running life and that of his persona on-screen. As a performer, Gulpilil has that undeniable star quality, and this stunning film proudly…
A new PlayStation State of Play broadcast focused on Horizon Forbidden West will air this week, and we know when you can see it in Australia. Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most hotly anticipated next-gen exclusives in Sony’s considerable roster. We know that the game will launch on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, but…
Given both our fascination and reliance on the support of technology, it only makes sense that the relationship between man and machine is one oft explored throughout the annals of cinema. From John Connor’s correlation with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator to Joaquin Phoenix’s obsession with Scarlett Johansson’s voiced AI in Her, so often are these links…
With news breaking yesterday that The Preatures are disbanding, after ten successful years, we were delighted to find out today that lead-singer Isabella Manfredi is dropping her debut single, “Jealousy”. From the opening beats of “Jealousy”, it’s apparent that Manfredi has launched her solo career with a bang. Her powerful vocals, packed with emotion and…
Not the typical Hollywood star, it stands to reason that Sharon Stone‘s The Beauty of Living Twice isn’t the typical Hollywood memoir either. For starters, it’s beautifully written. Candid and conversational, it is at times lyrical and evocative, at others harrowing and heartbreaking. Revelations of childhood abuse, Hollywood toxicity, and the agony of recovery sit…
Aspy Jones is an alternative folk/blues/roots musician who always impresses with his high-quality, deeply personal songs. We premiered “Last Nerve” last year, a song about tackling anxiety. In “Mind Arrest”, Aspy tackles his autism head-on, giving the listener a feeling for the challenges which those with autism face, particularly as they enter adulthood. We are…
Like the bipedal marsupials that are its heart-and-soul, Biomutant is a strange evolutionary confection. It’s a game that borrows liberally from the action RPG genre, and wears its inspirations as a badge of honour. The ambition of the thing is striking, but it ultimately gets away from the 20 person team at first-time Swedish developer…
There’s something about beautifully styled boutique hotels that can immediately shift guests from stress to rest in a way larger hotels can’t. Want proof? Just walk into the humble lobby of QT Bondi and feel the day’s worries melt like fine butter on a hot summer’s day. That goes double now that the boutique has…
On Friday, the Xbox YouTube channel released a special treat for all fans with the official Scarlet Nexus Demo Trailer. If you are not familiar with Scarlet Nexus, it’s a single-player action RPG releasing on June 25th 2021 on PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S. The game is developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and…
If there’s one thing that’s concrete in the rather contradictory personality of The Audition‘s focal character – Nina Hoss‘s Anna – it’s that music is her only unwavering interest. Scenes of her championing a young musical student – a mentality that soon graduates to near chastising – showcase her evident passion for the art of…
The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 just may be the most reliable of its kind right now. It’s blazingly fast, beautifully designed, and shows of just how powerful and important having a mesh system can be when building a more modern, smarter home. Although having one would depend on your needs. A home of modest size…
Imagine reading Picnic at Hanging Rock at the same time as The Handmaid’s Tale, and you’ll get somewhere close to understanding the experience of Phoebe Wynne‘s debut novel, Madam. This is the story of Rose, a twenty-six year old classics teacher who is plucked from obscurity (or, from teaching at public schools) and made the head of the…
Earlier this month The Velvet Club released their latest single, the fun and upbeat “Everything’s Changing”. Today, we are thrilled to have the exclusive video premiere for this track, ahead of its release on Thursday. The track was written just before Melbourne’s lockdown last year. The track visits those moments in our life when we…
Walk into any supermarket now and I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find the ready-to-heat meal section. If any part of your local has seen more variety in the past year, it’s this sector. Yes, microwaveable meals have been around forever, but a recent swell in interest, and a wider push towards portion control, is…
Until the end of May (so you only have a week), Sydneysiders will have access to a different kind of luxury spa treatment at The Darling Spa. How different? Well, one of the The Darling Spa’s signature treatments, the 90-minute Li’tya Mala Mayi, has been elevated with a multisensory approach in collaboration with Aussie musician…
Trigger warning: this review contains discussions of sexual assault. Spoiler alert: this review also discusses how the play ends. Set in 1990s Boston, Spike Heels focuses on the intertwined lives of four individuals and one woman’s journey to self-actualisation. Written in 1992 by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Serhat Caradee, Spike Heels is based on…
As much as Alecia Moore, best known professionally as P!nk, claims to be juggling the responsibilities of being a mother, a manager, and a performer with a worried anxiousness, this behind-the-scenes documentary has a certain self-promotional sheen about it that seems to prove the opposite. That’s not a criticism of the singer/songwriter’s struggles, or meant…
Thanks to ABCG Film we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the documentary My Name is Gulpilil, in Australian cinemas from May 27th, 2021. Looking back over a 50-year screen career that has unquestionably changed the face of Australian Cinema, David Gulpilil, now terminally ill, generously shares his own story with…
Expanding the ravaged world he teased us with in the 2018 original, unlikely horror aficionado John Krasinski returns for another play in the unbearably tense playground that is A Quiet Place Part II. Whilst the overall surprise element of the first film is perhaps not quite as prominent here, Krasinski still expertly manoeuvres around apocalyptic…
With the just-released Returnal proving popular among players and critics, Arkane Studios is preparing Deathloop, a timeloop shooter of its own. The era of the AAA rougelike, it seems, is upon us. Groundhog day Deathloop is a first-person immersive-sim shooter heavily inspired by the blaxploitation cinema of the 1970’s. In the game, hero Cole Vahn…
You Am I are currently touring the country, full of beans after the release of their latest album, The Lives of Others. Last night they played at the Factory Theatre in Sydney, to a sold-out audience. With a new album under their belt and the joy of being able to play live gigs again without Covid…
Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has often had his work incorporated into film. Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz was one such work that set itself to the name-same song, whilst the documentary Marianne & Leonard highlighted the singer’s relationship with his “muse” and the time they spent together throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. Death of a Ladies’…
Last week Roz Pappalardo released her second solo album, the beautiful and poignant Won’t Be Quiet. The career path of Pappalardo has been non-linear. She has a history encompassing acting, playwriting, as well as a singer/songwriter. Now based in Cairns, in far north Queensland, she is enmeshed in the local arts community, working on theatre…
In a time like 2021 where disease and virus feels like its just around every possible corner, even for those of us whom are relatively healthy, you some times forget the risks and struggles many others go through to try live their lives without getting more sick. Every day on the news you hear about…
“This is a trans story. But it is also my story.” So says this powerful quote from Kaya Wilson’s memoir: As Beautiful as Any Other. Written as a personal record of his own experiences with both the medical profession and the world, beginning the day Kaya began to question his gender, As Beautiful as Any Other is a powerful…
Critically acclaimed indie-pop wonder St. Vincent returned last week with her latest incarnation, or studio album, titled Daddy’s Home – a superb, melodic, soulful and sonic offering referencing 70’s rock ‘n’ roll. Daddy’s Home is album number six for St Vincent, real name Annie Clark, who previously was part of The Polyphonic Spree and toured with…
