A film that embraces a more eclectic hobby over ridiculing its eccentricities, Horsegirls is a sweet natured drama that speaks to the importance of independence and inclusivity. Written and directed by Lauren Meyering, Horsegirls embraces the defiance of its lead character, Margarita (so beautifully embodied by Lillian Carrier), and how her perceived fragility gives way…

While Skullcandy have certainly been around for a while with a diverse range of headphones, earbuds, and everything in between, their newest pair of earbuds has taken a bit of a detour from the norm. Pairing up with Bose to deliver a new form of high-fidelity audio proves Skullcandy isn’t messing around this time, providing…

It is incredible to think that Edna O’Brien grew up in a house with no books. It was an oppressive Catholic childhood in a small Irish town, but that didn’t stop this formidable woman from becoming a literary great. Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story is an intimate documentary and portrait of her life, which…

With the cold wind and rain that hit Adelaide for the King’s Birthday long weekend, it was good that there was plenty of warmth and shelter to be had at the Beer and BBQ Festival. With beer and craft stalls inside and plenty of open fires outside, it was a cosy place to escape the…

There’s a lived-in mentality to Poreless that is sure to resonate with certain audiences – it’s lead is a gay Muslim – but the comedic nature of its script, written by director Harris Doran and Fawzia Mirza, is particularly universal, looking at the vapid disconnection of the beauty world, the tightrope many walk when it…

A fabulous, queer Muslim beauty entrepreneur must figure out how to compete in a Shark Tank-like product pitch contest after suffering an untimely allergic reaction. Such is the logline for Poreless, a biting, commentative short currently screening at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.  Headlined and produced by Akbar Hamid, the performer is making a plenty…

PlayStation’s surprise State of Play, Summer Game Fest, Future Games Show and now, Xbox Games Showcase. It’s been a crazy weekend for game announcements, and we’re not done yet. Here’s every announcement from the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase, along with The Outer Wilds 2 Direct. Enjoy! ASUS ROG XBOX ALLY THE OUTER WORLDS 2 CALL…

Be it the stellar career of Lewis Hamilton, the recent domination of Max Verstappen, or the current rise of Aussie Oscar Piastri, Codemasters’ F1 games have been relatively fantastic over the years. They generally look great, play well and feature an impressive list of modes that remain true to the depth and authenticity of the…

Not every display needs to cost a fortune to feel premium, and Dell’s S2725QC is a perfect example of that philosophy in action. This 27-inch 4K monitor doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but then again, it doesn’t have to. Priced at A$449.90, it delivers a smart blend of sharp visuals, a high refresh rate, and USB-C…

With the announcement that this year will be the final Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival in this format, there was a mixture of celebration and sadness. Despite the wintry weather outside, there were numerous undercover spaces, warmed by copious open wood fires. There were plenty of stallholders, from beer producers to scented candles and all…

Screening as part of the ‘Freak Me Out’ programme strand for Sydney Film Festival, Redux Redux is a self-reflexive blend of science fiction and horror, coming in fresh from its 2025 SXSW premiere. Quite simply, the film tells the story of Irene (Michaela McManus), who travels through parallel universes to find her daughter’s killer. Directed…

It’s been a crazy weekend for game announcements and the like, and the Xbox Games Showcase is next in line. It will also be followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct, which will take a deeper dive into the game. You can catch the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase and The Outer Worlds 2 Direct on…

If you’ve heard me say this recently, I do apologise, but it hasd been a nig weekend. Between PlayStation’s surprise State of Play, Summer Game Fest and the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase, it is enough to make your head spin. However, if you’re not spinning just yet, we have all the announcements from the Future…

What sets itself up as something of a meet-cute between two grieving men who form an unlikely friendship in the midst of their trauma, James Sweeney‘s Twinless ultimately reveals itself as something else – a particularly pitch-black dramedy that asks its audience to stay with its morally bankrupt lead as it shifts from an original…

Given how she made history as the first deaf person to win an Academy Award for acting, one might think the documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore would be something of a straightforward and celebratory profile on the actress.  Shoshannah Stern – who, like her subject, is also a deaf actor and director – certainly…

Rita Walsh is an award-winning producer based in Los Angeles, but working between Australia and the USA, on a series of cross-fiction and non-fiction filmmaking projects embodying a strong directorial vision. Her most recent collaboration is with director Gabrielle Brady on the hybrid feature The Wolves Always Come at Night, which premiered in Platform Competition…

That time of the year has rolled around once again, where we are treated to a laundry list of announcements for new and exciting games to look forward to and drool over for the rest of this year and beyond. While it’s pretty much taken over E3 (RIP) as the new headliner for gamers around…

Bianca Breen is a well-known name in the West Australian YA scene, being the powerhouse behind the YA for WA Community which regularly runs book clubs devoted to talking about young adult fiction. This year, her debut novel, Made of Steam and Stardust has been published by Stag Beetle Books. The story is about sixteen-year-old…

Japanese Breakfast returned to Melbourne for the first time in eight years on Thursday, playing a stunning theatrical set at PICA as part of this year’s RISING Festival. Michelle Zauner and her band moved between sparkling pop and deep sentiments, pulling from their newest record For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) and beyond, including tracks…

There’s an ineffable magic to seeing dragons come to life on the screen – a blend of myth and marvel that speaks to the child in all of us. Few stories have captured this magic as masterfully as DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise, an adaptation of author Cressida Cowell’s best-selling book series….

Love on the Spectrum has captured the hearts of people all around the globe. The Netflix docuseries looks into the very real and honest experiences people on the spectrum go through when it comes to navigating the complex world of dating. Over the last three seasons, the show has created a safe space for participants…

In the 1960s models went to deportment school and were all rather alike – read cookie cutter – in appearance. That was until Lesley Hornby a.k.a. Twiggy was discovered. Now known as Dame Lesley Lawson, she was told she was too short and too slim to be a model. Yet, as this eponymous documentary shows,…

With the advent of streaming, music has never been more accessible. The assumption might’ve been that artistic creativity would thrive in a technological era unburdened by label demands, industry cynicism or trend-chasing. Commercial interests however, continue to outpace creative ones. Rather than fostering experimentation, the streaming system has rewarded immediacy. Playlist-friendly singles and algorithm-driven exposure…

After an eight year wait, the Grammy nominated indie pop band Japanese Breakfast came back to Australian shores with a taste of their Melancholy Tour for this year’s RISING festival in Melbourne. Coming off of the high of Michelle Zauner’s critically acclaimed 2021 memoir Crying at the H Mart, Japanese Breakfast released their fourth studio…

Marlon Williams took over Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday night, opening up RISING 2025. Delivering a warm, emotional set that marked the Australian debut of his first full-length Māori-language album Te Whare Tīwekaweka. Backed by his long-time band The Yarra Benders and joined by kapa haka group Ngā Mātai Pūrua, Williams blended tradition with his…

Highlighting the drama behind the for-the-camera-smiles of the 1970s variety show, Kate McCarthy‘s The Hicks Happy Hour is a moment-in-time short feature that escalates with a certain tension, before it ultimately pivots for a more cathartic climax that speaks to one woman’s eventual truth. “Stars stay smiling” is the Hicks family motto, something mother Jill…

Finding truth in the absurd and writing what you know are so often two rules that filmmakers adhere to, and both apply heartily for writer/director Chris Merola, who speaks his veracity in Lemonade Blessing, a coming-of-age dramedy centred around religion and how one responds to its pressures. Inspired by his own childhood growing up under…

Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Lemonade Blessing is a biting coming-of-age comedy about John (Jake Ryan), freshly tossed into a private Catholic high school by his devout mother, who falls head over heels for a devious classmate ready to push his faith (and morals) to the brink with a series of increasingly uncomfortable…

Will Jennifer Lopez finally secure herself an Oscar nomination? After the Hustlers snub that still hits hard these years later, the multi-hyphenate performer is in full movie musical mode in Kiss of the Spider Woman, an adaption of the 1992 musical based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Manuel Puig. The movie,…

I reviewed both Elden Ring and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC upon their respective releases, and must say, it’s been a blast. Bloodborne might always be my personal favourite game within this genre for its darker tone and linear nature, but make no mistake, developer FromSoftware Inc. hasn’t really missed a beat as of…