The Wrecking Crew knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be, and it’s in that confidence that it reveals its greatest asset. Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle), this sun-drenched, bruising action comedy channels the spirit of 80s/90s-era buddy chaos, pairing Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista as estranged half-brothers pulled back together…
Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon is the kind of film that knows exactly who it’s for, and makes no attempt to dilute itself for anyone else. Set almost entirely over one night inside Sardi’s restaurant on the opening of Oklahoma! in 1943, the film unfolds less like a traditional biopic and more like a rueful, jazz-inflected…
Seductive. Sultry. Sensual. These are just a few words to describe the luxurious ambiance of Piper’s Playhouse; a new, bespoke Parisian cabaret club at the heart of Crown Melbourne. Travel up the escalators and step behind the velvet curtain to be transported to a night of intrigue, awe and immersion, where jazz, burlesque and circus…
Mixed flooring should always be the first question you ask when buying a vacuum. Not price. Not suction numbers. Flooring. Modern homes are increasingly a patchwork of timber, tile, vinyl and the odd rug, and that reality has fuelled the rise of wet-dry vacuums that promise to do everything in one pass. That category is…
There are films that fail loudly, and then there are films that fail quietly; misjudged, misunderstood, and filed away under “not good enough” before anyone really figures out what they were trying to do. Awake belongs firmly in the latter category. Released in 2007 with a barely-there theatrical campaign, Joby Harold’s sleek medical conspiracy thriller…
I can’t help but think of Nicholas Hope in Bad Boy Bubby every time I watch a video of Nick Cave performing. The oddly obscure “classic” is the kind of hard-watch that leaks from the more unflinching corners of the Australian psyche. But unlike similarly disquieting films, such as Snowtown and Picnic At Hanging Rock, Bubby’s…
Irish singer-songwriter CMAT (real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) commenced her set singing from the balcony at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre and then lit up the stage with an energetic performance of classic country heartbreak and indie pop, with a distinctly Irish sense of humour. Supported by Australia’s own Holiday Sidewinder, the former lead singer of indie…
Writing tributes isn’t standard fare for the team at the AU review, but the untimely passing of Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst demanded an exception. Several of the team were lucky enough to get to know Rob and his family over the years, and we wanted to take a few moments to reflect upon and honour…
Now that we know that she’ll be down here as part of this year’s Bluesfest, it’s no surprise to see neo-soul queen Erykah Badu announce a few sideshows up and down Australia’s east coast to support her visit. Presented by Bluesfest Tours, the Walk Between Worlds tour will see Erykah Badu will touch down in…
The Xbox Developer Direct has rolled around to kick January off with a bang, highlighting some fresh titles for 2026 and beyond. While many of these games have been revealed or shown off in some way, it’s always nice to get a deeper look at games we’re super excited for. Here’s all the announcements and…
The Oscars always tell you what kind of year it’s been – and the 2026 nominations just screamed it in neon: big swings rewarded, sacred cows ignored, and one film outright rewriting the record books. Because this morning belonged to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, the blood-soaked, genre-bending juggernaut that didn’t just top the nomination leaderboard –…
Madchester legends Happy Mondays return celebrating 35 years of Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches across Australia. Led by the ever-unpredictable Shaun Ryder and charismatic dancing percussionist Bez, Happy Mondays will deliver a career-spanning set packed with era-defining hits including Step On, Kinky Afro, Loose Fit and tracks that helped define the sound and attitude of…
There’s something weirdly refreshing about a horror movie that doesn’t posture, doesn’t smuggle in a lecture, and doesn’t pretend it’s “elevated” because someone mutters words of perceived depth between splatter sequences. Director Johannes Roberts understands the assignment with almost admirable single-mindedness with Primate: deliver a gory creature feature with a breezy, old-school sensibility and enough…
Nintendo has dropped a new trailer for Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, the trailer confirms a release date of March 26. It will also feature a mammoth amount of new features, multiplayer expansions and some new Amiibo that turns into a must have item. Originally announced…
Welcome to our first playlist update of the year, with ten new additions landing in our Discovery Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. Leading the charge as Track of the Week is “Things We Wanna Say” from Pacific Avenue, setting the tone for what’s shaping up to be a huge year ahead. “Things We Wanna…
Australian systems change-makers and Indigenous storytellers Jack Manning Bancroft and Tyson Yunkaporta are inviting audiences to hit reset with Imagine, a bold, genre-defying animated feature landing in cinemas for special event screenings this January 26th across Australia. Co-created through the pandemic in an open, live Google Doc collaboration that brought together more than 400 contributors…
After years of waiting, Harry Styles is returning to the stage in 2026 with Together, Together – a seven-city residency tour hitting Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne, and Sydney, running from May 16th to December 13th, 2026. These will be his only live shows worldwide in 2026, with huge highlights including…
It’s not every day you experience something new, especially in the food and beverage scene. But at the end of last year in Anaheim, California, I did just that at Stone Groove, billed as the world’s first ever “Audio Stillhouse”. So what is an Audio Stillhouse? In short, it’s a distillery where they use “music-driven…
A brand-new trailer has dropped for Idiotka, a sharp and irreverent fashion comedy that skewers reality TV culture while keeping its heart firmly in the right place. The film, written and directed by Nastasya Popov, will hit select theaters in the United States from February 27th, 2026, via Utopia Distribution Led by Anna Baryshnikov as…
At the turn of the millennium, Victoria Beckham‘s debut solo album arrived carrying an unfair amount of baggage. By 2001, the post-Spice Girls landscape had already begun sorting its winners and footnotes, and “Posh Spice” was too often framed as an image-first participant in pop rather than a musician with something to prove. Listening back…
Mercy wants to be a slick, near-future morality play about the creeping dominance of artificial intelligence in modern life and, specifically, in the justice system. Instead, it plays like a film that can’t decide whether it fears technology, worships it, or just wants to use it as a convenient set of shiny props. Set around…
Way back in 2010, a short lived BBC TV series called Whites featured a song called “Song For The Dead” over its opening and closing credits. The song was by Alexander Wolfe from his debut album Morning Brings A Flood, and I was immediately enthralled. 16 years later I continue to follow his musical endeavours…
There’s something quietly poetic about watching Addition under the open sky. Premiering in Australia at Sydney’s Westpac OpenAir Cinema ahead of its national release on January 29th – following its successful run at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival – the film’s gentle intimacy feels amplified by its setting. Numbers may govern Grace Lisa Vandenburg’s…
Primate is an 88 minute horror movie about a chimpanzee companion who is bitten by a rabid mongoose, which inevitably infects him with rabies and, ultimately, turns him from a loving member of a family to a violent animal. The film opens up with a particularly gruesome scene, setting the tone of the movie near-immediately….
Newton Faulkner’s eighth studio album OCTOPUS marks a bold new chapter for the multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter and is his most adventurous work to date. Over five years in the making, the album signals a refreshed sense of artistic freedom, blending influences from funk, R&B, soul, and Latin grooves. We chatted to him about the making of…
It has been a minute—or perhaps closer to twenty years—since I last stepped foot into a university bar, but the vibe is one that seemingly holds true through the ages. Walking through the stunning, rain-washed grounds of Sydney University as the bells of the War Memorial Carillon rang out and the sun shone finally, there…
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho has never been interested in subtle allegory when reality itself is this confrontational. With The Secret Agent, his latest politically charged thriller set during the final years of Brazil’s military dictatorship, the director once again fuses genre storytelling with cultural memory, paranoia and moral urgency. In a conversation with our…
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent is the type of film that doesn’t merely ask for attention, it commands it. Set against the suffocating backdrop of Brazil’s military dictatorship in 1977, the film unfolds during Recife’s Carnaval, where colour, music and movement become both camouflage and provocation. What should be a time of collective release…
The Madison is finally starting to step out of the shadows, and Paramount+ is making sure fans of the Yellowstone universe are paying attention. The streamer has released a moody 30-second teaser that offers a tantalising glimpse of Taylor Sheridan’s latest expansion. The short preview leans heavily on atmosphere rather than plot, hinting at emotional…
American rock band Wheatus on their 25th Anniversary tour played Sydney’s Manning Bar. The main man of Wheatus, Brendan B. Brown with band and backup singers put on a great show, requesting songs and chatting to the audience and finally delighting everyone with the final song, the classic hit “Teenage Dirtbag” with the crowd singing…
