Games Review: A Way Out (PS4, 2018): Greatness through simplicity

“Fuck the Oscars! This is the real shit, right here.” At least that is what creator and director Josef Fares said loud and clear regarding his new title A Way Out at the 2017 Game Awards. Given his enthusiasm, it wasn’t a stretch to believe that this experience would not be an extremely good one,…

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Tech Review: Huawei MediaPad T3 8: Is this your first time?

Huawei’s MediaPad T3 is an 8 inch Android tablet that is lightweight and surprisingly nimble for its entry-level spec. For those looking for an every day tablet that can be easily thrown in a bag while travelling, you may have found the one you want.

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The Star Gold Coast has lifted the lid on their super luxe hotel ‘The Darling’

Just in time for the very anticipated Commonwealth Games, The Star Gold Coast has officially begun the launch of their new luxury suite hotel The Darling, kicking off with an unsurprisingly lavish launch night earlier this month. Located at the front of the long-standing Broadbeach Island property, The Darling is the crown jewel of a…

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Guest Playlist: Wild Meadows’s selection of delectable tunes

Currently enjoying the release of their debut album, Melbourne’s Wild Meadows now have their eyes set on some unmissable launch shows this month! The self-titled album has seen the group delve into some excellent rhythmic motions, while embracing the atmospheric and shoegaze rays that have become synonymous with not only their music, but with some of…

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Live Review: Kele Okereke brings Fatherland to Brunswick for an intimate acoustic show

The Spotted Mallard on Sydney Road was an interesting choice of venue, I initially thought, when Kele Okereke announced a special acoustic show in support of his new album Fatherland. Sitting in the venue on Saturday night, though, it made sense. The shows that had brought Kele to The Old Museum in Brisbane and The Basement in…

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Single of the Day: Jack Grace “downstate” (2018)

Despite only re-announcing himself last September, artist Jack Grace has built himself an impressive support base, garnering praise from across Australia. Now, he has graced his presence to us once again with his latest single, “downstate”. The track comes fresh off his forthcoming EP If I Tremble, a 7 track collection set to be released on April…

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Win a double pass to see The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, starring Lily James and Michiel Huisman, in cinemas

London, 1946. Juliet (Lily James, Cinderella), a charismatic and free-spirited writer receives a letter from a member of a mysterious literary club started in Nazi-occupied Guernsey. Her curiosity piqued, Juliet decides to visit the island. There she meets the delightfully eccentric members of the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, including Dawsey (Michiel Huisman,…

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Tech Review: Razer Electra V2 USB Gaming Headset: Back to basics and a step forward

When it comes to gaming headphones, Razer’s cans have never been my favourites. They’ve always been clunky, heavy things with sound that rarely came close to meeting my expectations. I wanted to put all that on front street because, if the Electra V2 is any indication, Razer’s headset efforts might have finally found their groove…

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Review: DoubleTree by Hilton – still one of Melbourne’s best located hotels

The 180-room DoubleTree by Hilton, situated in the heart of Melbourne CBD, quickly became an institution for both locals and visitors shortly after it debuted in 2014. Reflecting design inspiration from its location opposite the historic Flinders Street Station, the boutique-minded property is a perfect example of soaking up the surrounds with subtle, charming flourishes…

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The National Gallery of Australia is hosting over 300 of the world’s most precious jewels with Cartier: The Exhibition

Canberra’s highly prized National Gallery of Australia has been quite the destination as of late and the buzz isn’t going anywhere soon, especially when the recent opening of Cartier: The Exhibition. From now until July 22nd, one of the most significant and comprehensive collections of jewellery to ever be displayed in Australia will be presented…

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Review: Los Angeles’ Mari Restaurant blends Californian and Japanese Flavours in the InterContinental Century City

Opened in 2016, the on site restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Mari Restaurant blends together Japanese and Californian flavours for a truly original menu offering. They serve an evolving menu throughout the day, from breakfast, through to lunch and dinner – every menu getting slightly more Japanese flavoured than the…

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Five essential Byron Bay dining spots you need in your life

Less than an hour and a half south of the Gold Coast, where the Commonwealth Games are about to be held, and the home of Bluesfest, is a hotbed for innovative gastronomy and creative enterprises in and around Byron Bay. The landscape is constantly evolving and flourishing, yet within the much loved laid-back coastal and…

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Eight things we learned at Jeremy Renner’s Armageddon Expo panels

Armageddon Expo, New Zealand’s largest pop culture convention was held in Wellington over the Easter weekend. Seeing large numbers of fans of film, television, anime, video games and comics converge on Westpac Stadium in Wellington to revel in all things nerdy and geeky. One of the big draw cards for conventions is the film and…

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Film Review: Love, Simon (USA, 2018) is a sweet, likable and unassuming queer teenage rom-com

Dear Blue, Queer cinema has came through quite well back in 2017. We’ve had great examples like Call Me By Your Name, Battle of the Sexes and Moonlight; foreign entries like BPM (Beats Per Minute), Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman and BAFTA-winning The Handmaiden and hidden indie gems like Princess Cyd, Beach Rats and God’s Own…

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Interview: Lester Francois on using interactive VR to explore the work of Australia’s best-known street artist, Rone

Melbourne-based Director Lester Francois and a team of highly creative individuals are putting together an interactive VR docuseries that’ll highlight individuals artists in some very interesting ways. The planned series, titled Kinetic, begins with Rone, the first episode which recently premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas and showcased an incredibly immersive, interactive VR experience examining…

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EXCLUSIVE: Sequel to The Disaster Artist In The Works

Update: Happy April Fool’s Day! A sequel to the critically-acclaimed film The Disaster Artist is in the early planning stages at A24, The Iris can exclusively reveal. The news was confirmed via a leaked press release from the New York-based distribution firm early this morning. According to said press release, the sequel – tentatively titled…

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Exclusive Music Video Premiere: Moonlover “Lazy Daisy” (2018)

Here’s something to soothe you this long weekend – the latest from Melbourne psych rocker, Moonlover. “Lazy Daisy”, from the debut Moonlover album Thou Shall Be Free, is a cut of gorgeous pop steeped in psych traditions that oozes romanticism and rich musical quality. The music video matches up with the tone of the song, as we…

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Interview: Shelby J (US) on celebrating Prince’s life and legacy in Nothing Compares 2 Prince

Shelby J is an American singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and social activist, who has toured nationally and internationally with her band Blackgypsy and as leading backing vocalist in Prince’s The New Power Generation. In Australia next month for the World Premiere of Nothing Compares 2 Prince, she will be one of the twelve performers involved in…

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Interview: Musician Ben Dickey talks playing songwriter Blaze Foley and working with Ethan Hawke

Arkansas musician Ben Dickey is no stranger to the stage; releasing a solo record, performing in bands like Amen Booze Rooster, Blood Feathers and featuring as the vocalist and guitarist in Post-Hardcore group Shake Ray Turbine. But now the accomplished, if widely unknown, artist is taking the stage in a new role: artfully portraying singer/songwriter…

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Single of the Day: Laura Jean Anderson “Silence Won’t Help You Now” (2018)

Meet Laura Jean Anderson. We absolutely love her new sounds in “Silence Won’t Help Me Now” – thankfully, Cooking Vinyl Australia are representing Anderson, so we hope to be seeing more from this LA artist out this way soon. The first thing to notice about this track is Anderson’s vocals; smoky and hypnotic, Anderson gets personal…

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Our top five acts from Portland, Maine’s ambitious new music festival, Sunaana

Focused almost exclusively on discovery, Sunaana is certainly aiming to be a huge platform for rising talent across multiple genres. In it’s second year, The Portland, Maine festival grew substantially from it’s humble beginnings in 2017, stretching across two official days at Thompson’s Point. The plan is to pull the festival into downtown Portland and…

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SXSW Interview: Nilüfer Yanya on her first trip to Texas, tackling a new year of music & more

UK artist Nilüfer Yanya sat with Larry at SXSW this year, her debut performances in Texas for the massive music festival. Here, they discuss introducing her music to larger crowds, how her local scene differs to ones elsewhere internationally, and more. Listen to the full interview, below! ———- This content has recently been ported from its…

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Interview: Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson and Australia’s own Katherine Langford talk about the acclaimed teen drama

Love, Simon has quickly become something of a phenomenon.  Before it officially hits Australian cinemas, its critical response worldwide has been unanimously positive (its Rotten Tomatoes score currently sits at 91%), and celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris and Kristen Bell, neither of whom have had anything to do with the film personally, have bought…

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First Impressions: Netflix’s Rapture examines the power of hip hop with empathy and intimacy

Hip hop, now considered the dominant and most popular style of contemporary music in the world, is one of the most powerful and important forms of art to emerge in the past few decades, and that can be an incredibly hard notion for many to wrap their head around. The fascination with the art and…

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DVD Review: Sweet Virginia (USA, 2017) is a suspenseful and absorbing thriller

Mild-mannered Sam (Jon Bernthal) is a retired rodeo champ living a quiet existence as a motel manager in a quiet Alaskan town. We get the impression that he’s not asking for much – just a space to live out his days as peacefully as he can, perhaps get to know Bernadette (Rosemarie DeWitt) a little…

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Interview: Kunichi Nomura on playing the dog hating villain in Wes Anderson’s new film Isle of Dogs

While at SXSW earlier this month, we caught up with Japanese actor Kunichi Nomura, who appears in the new Wes Anderson film Isle of Dogs. He also helped write the film. Watch the full chat here as we talk about working with Wes, playing the “villain” in the film, and he also tells us about partying…

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SXSW Interview: Timur Bekmambetov and Shazad Latif on new techno-thriller Profile

During our time at SXSW Film Festival this year, we got to sit with director Timur Bekmambetov and actor Shazad Latif to chat about their new film, Profile. Adapted from Anna Erelle‘s In the Skin of a Jihadist, the film looks at the complex online relationship that develops between an “undercover” reporter and a jihadist, shot entirely through the reporters computer (and social…

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SXSW Film Review: A Vigilante (USA, 2018) proves an inspiring, powerful debut for its Australian Director

Directed by Australia’s own Sarah Daggar-Nickson and starring Olivia Wilde, A Vigilante is a powerful drama that sees Wilde play the titular role – Sadie, a vigilante who helps domestic abuse survivors get out of their situation by literally bringing the abusers to their knees. Spurred on by her own experiences and a tragedy, the…

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Hotel Indigo set to deliver a brand new boutique hotel to Sydney’s CBD

Sydney’s Central station is currently undergoing a massive transformation, and soon the thriving Central precinct will welcome an IHG boutique hotel, Hotel Indigo. It’s a few years in the making with an opening date of 2021, but when the 168-room hotel does arrive, it will be adding a hint of contemporary style to Central’s rich…

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Review: Unwind and unplug (literally) in the Renaissance Hotel Pittsburgh

It’s had an extensive history in only 100 years; from office building to WWII VA hospital to a nightclub, but now the Fulton Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is home to a hotel that not only allows guests to recharge in contemporary luxury but also detox and unplug from the digital world. Renaissance Hotel is located…

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