Why The Last of Us is one of the most emotional video games for Aussie players

You might not realise that Australians have a unique emotional connection to The Last of Us that goes beyond its global acclaim. When you experience Joel and Ellie’s journey through a devastated world, you’re confronting themes that mirror Australia’s collective trauma from bushfires, floods, and isolation. The game’s raw exploration of grief and survival decisions…

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The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 serves as a daily driver with a touch of tomorrow

If you’ve been looking for a do-it-all laptop that feels at home in a lecture hall or remote work setting,  Dell’s 14 Plus 2-in-1 makes a strong case for itself. It’s a sleek, well-rounded machine that leans into modern AI integration without getting too far ahead of itself. With the addition of Intel’s new Core…

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The Dell Pro 14 Plus Portable Monitor (P1425) is a practical second screen for productivity on the move

With the emergence and rapid adoption of hybrid work around the world, portability has become a non-negotiable requirement. Versatility is an essential requirement for working between a tight home setup, improvising on the go or just trying to avoid the busywork of multitasking on a single cramped laptop screen. For this reason alone, having a…

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Interview: Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on Jurassic World Rebirth, character instincts and “zaddy” status

Following our chats with both director Gareth Edwards and the trio of Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda, The AU Review’s dino-sized coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth wraps up with Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Ahead of the film’s release in theatres this week, Peter Gray spoke with the actors – Friend stars as…

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Photo Gallery: SKEGSS + The Buoys + Fool Nelson + ixaras – The Tivoli, Brisbane (28.06.25)

Playing an energetic set at The Tivoli as part of the Open Season program, SKEGSS returned to Brisbane/ Meanjin on Saturday. Touring their new EP Top Heavy, released this Friday, fans were treated to a mix of new and familiar hits. Known for their surf-rock sound and gritty vocals, Aussie favourites SKEGSS tore through their…

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Interview: Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda on building their dynamic on screen in Jurassic World Rebirth; “The whole world that was built felt so intimate.”

As The AU Review’s coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth continues, Peter Gray spoke with rising stars Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda about their entrance into the iconic series; you can read our interview with director Gareth Edwards here. Starring as siblings Teresa and Isabella Delgado, Blaise and Miranda spoke of building their sisterly…

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Interview: Gareth Edwards on directing Jurassic World Rebirth, honouring Spielberg, and Jonathan Bailey’s viral “little glasses”

A new era has been born. Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a…

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Regionality Sunshine Coast Documentary & Factual Industry Event reveals 2025 program

AIDC and Screen Queensland, with the support of Sunshine Coast Council and in association with Sunshine Coast Screen Collective, are proud to reveal the full session program and speaker line-up for this year’s Regionality Sunshine Coast documentary and factual industry event, taking place at Mantra Mooloolaba Beach on Monday 28 July 2025. The very special one-day program…

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Tether is a quiet drama that speaks to the grim reality of mass shooting aftermath: Dances With Films Festival Review

Director Hariharasidhen Nagarajan and writer Anghus Houvouras couldn’t accept “the new normal” of shootings in the United States.  Such mass attacks as the Parkland High School shooting and the Pulse Nightclub incident were part of a grim reality that the two weren’t willing to become accustomed to. They thought of not only the victims whose…

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English indie kings Kaiser Chiefs announce November 2025 Australian tour

Kaiser Chiefs have announced their Australian tour for the first time since 2012 celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their award winning record, Employment, one of the best-selling UK debut albums of all time. Released in 2005, Employment featured hits like “I Predict a Riot,” “Oh My God,” and “Everyday I Love You Less and Less,”…

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Of Monsters and Mainframes

Book Review: Barbara Truelove’s Of Monsters and Mainframes is clever, bizarre and downright fun!

“The queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi” Barbara Truelove’s rip-roaring sci-fi adventure of AI and monsters is full of human heart. Of Monsters and Mainframes may feature a cast of sentient AI and monsters of the night, with humans operating largely as minor characters, but underneath all those fangs and fur and…

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Queenscliff Music Festival announces 16 more artists to join the extensive lineup

This year’s Queenscliff Music Festival is shaping up to be an amazing weekend of music in a beautiful cozy seaside town. Just an easy 90-minute drive from Melbourne  and 35km from Geelong in Wadawurrung country, Queenscliff is a mecca for those interested in community and arts. The festival is held between 28-30 November and the…

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Placement

Track by Track: Placement take us through their debut album,- Insect

Kaurna/Adelaide noise-rock outfit Placement have today released their long-awaited debut album, Insect. It’s a beautiful guitar-led album. Sometimes a little grimy, othertimes upbeat and bright, but never dull. With a nod to the 90s, it’s thoughtful and refreshing. The irresistable eerie and magnetic vocals of lead singer Malia Wearn are captivating.  It might be dark at…

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Hands-On Preview: Borderlands 4 feels like a new philosophy of mayhem

The formula of Borderlands is unquestionable. You get a wild, survival-of-the-fittest sci-fi world (that went absolutely nuts) filled with characters, writing, and a story that has a charm and comedy unique in this industry. And then there’s the loot. Oh, such glorious loot that leaves you with countless gunplay possibilities and a hunger for more….

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New Music Discoveries 27th June: Folk Bitch Trio, The Beths, Worm Girlz, and more

As we bring June to a close and move into the second half of the year we bring you ten more new tracks, including two singles we exclusively premiered earlier this week. Naarm’s ever compelling Folk Bitch Trio take our Track of the Week spot with “Moth Song”, the latest to be released from their…

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The eBay Tabletop Hall will welcome Warhammer and other franchises at PAX Aus 2025

It’s getting closer once again, as PAX Aus 2025 ramps up the hype for its massive weekend at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Friday, the 10th of October to Sunday, the 12th of October, 2025. While tabletop games have always been a major part of the weekend, PAX Aus 2025 has announced a…

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Film Review: Stealing Pulp Fiction; ambitious comedy is a love letter to Tarantino and the importance of in-cinema screenings

Given that Stealing Pulp Fiction very much wears its Tarantino affection openly, you’d be forgiven for expecting director Danny Turkiewicz to have the same kind of flair as the very filmmaker he’s adoring.  No, Turkiewicz isn’t replicating that same QT magic, but it would be a heavy ask to expect so, and on its own…

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Track by Track: Michael Robert Murphy takes us through the cosmic Chaos Magick

Last Friday, Liverpudlian Michael Robert Murphy, frontman and songwriter of The Wicked Whispers and Whiskey Headshot, released his debut solo album, Chaos Magick. The album was produced by Liam Power (By The Sea and lifelong Bill Ryder Jones Collaborator) and Michael himself, and features some of Liverpool‘s finest musicians including Echo and The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant…

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The Toronto International Film Festival announces first wave of World Premieres for 2025 edition

TIFF is sharing the first five Special Presentation titles of its Official Selection set to have their World Premieres at the Festival’s 50th edition this September. Alejandro Amenábar’s The Captive, Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, Sung-hyun Byun’s Good News, Nia DaCosta’s Hedda, and Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks serve as the first round of announced titles. …

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What to Expect When Visiting Japan’s Sacred Shrines

Japan’s spirituality is deeply connected to nature, tradition, and quiet reverence. Among the most iconic cultural sites are its many shrines. These sacred places are not just tourist stops. They offer a chance to witness rituals, observe architecture, and understand centuries-old beliefs in a living form. Travelers using an esim for Japan travel can easily…

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Interview: Ivanna Sakhno on finding the human behind her A.I. creation in M3GAN 2.0

M3GAN 2.0 is hyping up its central battle of A.I. killbots as “This Bitch versus That Bitch.” But which bitch is which? The anticipated sequel brings back the the murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023, and this time around M3GAN has to contend with AMELIA, a military-grade weapon and the ultimate killer infiltration…

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Book Review: Inconvenient Women is a deep dive into left-leaning politics of the early 1900s through the lens of women writers

Acclaimed biographer Jacqueline Kent explores the left wing movement through the lens of women writers in her latest biography Inconvenient Women: Australian Radical Writers 1900 – 1970, tracking the lives and works of prominent authors and poets such as Mary Gilmore, Katherine Susannah Prichard, Kath Walker and Dorothy Hewitt among many others. In her introduction…

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Film Review: M3GAN 2.0; sci-fi sequel embraces camp action over its horror origins

Whilst the original M3GAN was sold as a horror film, its camp sensibilities ultimately shone through, turning its titular killer “doll” from a slayer to an outright slay.  It had tense set-pieces and a terrifying mentality, but it found its personality sat more comfortably in the space of a meditation on A.I. and technology through…

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Duxie Franklin

Exclusive Single Premiere: Duxie Franklin “Wasting Time” (2025)

Naarm’s Duxie Franklin has a gift for creating upbeat earworms, and she strikes again with her new single, “Wasting Time”, which we are thrilled to be premiering ahead of its release on Friday. The single is taken from her forthcoming EP, In The Pool, Wasting Time, which will drop on the 18th of July. I…

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Interview: Joshua Sasse on portraying a historical figure in Outrageous; “You have to work extra hard in order to keep him grounded.”

Based on the story of the Mitford sisters, Outrageous follows six sisters who refuse to play by the rules and whose often-scandalous lives made headlines around the world. Set in the 1930s, it is a tale of betrayal, scandal, heartache and even imprisonment. Following the show’s release on BritBox in North America and UKTV’s U and…

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The Sun Was Electric Light

Book Review: Bask in the unreal atmosphere of Rachel Morton’s The Sun Was Electric Light

Atmospheric in a strange, almost empty way, The Sun Was Electric Light is the debut novel from Australian author Rachel Morton. As the winner of the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, it may come as no surprise to hear that this one is something truly special, meditative and evocative – or that this uniqueness comes at…

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Biffy Clyro

Biffy Clyro announce new album, Futique

On the eve of their Glastonbury appearance this Friday, Scottish rock gods Biffy Clyro have just announced their upcoming album, Futique.  The will be the tenth studio by the trio, almost exactly four years since the release of “The Myth of the Happily Ever After” which came out back in October 2021. Earlier this month…

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First Look: Universal Studio Hollywood’s first roller coaster in a decade will be the fastest of any Universal Park

Set to open next year, Universal Studios Hollywood has finally revealed more information about the park’s first ever high-speed outdoor roller coaster. Here’s everything we know! The ride is called Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, inspired by Universal’s endlessly popular Fast & Furious franchise. According to its press release, the coaster “will rocket guests up…

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Film Review: F1; Brad Pitt’s immersive, visceral drama fuses together testosterone and tenderness

In 2022, when cinemas were still largely recovering from the pandemic and blockbuster viewing wasn’t guaranteed, director Joseph Kosinski (and Tom Cruise) revitalized such a brand with Top Gun: Maverick.  It was undeniably thrilling popcorn entertainment that, with its heart, humour, action and dramatic stakes, checked all the boxes for each major demographic, ultimately resulting…

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Del Water Gap announces headline Australian dates for September

Del Water Gap is heading back to Australia this September for a run of headline shows, following the announcement of his SummerSalt festival appearances earlier this year. The Brooklyn-based songwriter and producer will play three headline dates only, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, in between sets at Torquay, Tamborine, Lake Macquarie and Fremantle as part of…

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