Fundamentally there is much about Sami Blood that cinema has seen many times over, though for her debut feature writer-director Amanda Kernell has delivered a uniquely complex and painfully relevant coming-of-age while also shedding light on the largely unknown indigenous population of Swedish Lappland. A film of cultural identity and great pain, the prodigiously talented…
Out of all the cinematic genres, horror is, in my opinion, the best outlet for creative storytelling. Whether in a metaphorical sense, a symbolic sense, or just nuts-and-bolts mainstream filmmaking, horror can engage, thrill, scare and surprise, regardless of what it looks like on the outside. Case in point, David Cronenberg‘s The Fly. With a…
At first glance, I’m tempted to drum up some connection or parallel between You Have No Idea How Much I Love You and last year’s Europe, She Loves. Both are European documentaries that engross themselves utterly in their subjects and return with captivating insights into modern humanity. However, aside from the size of its ambitions,…
Akihiko Shiota’s Wet Woman in the Wind is a feature-length manhunt, set into motion by Shiori (Yuki Mamiya) riding her bike into the sea. She emerges as she entered, focused and unwavering, locking on to Kosuke (Tasuku Nagaoka), a playwright in pursuit of celibacy. Shiota’s film develops into a playful take on a Japanese sub-genre…
Seated at a table at the end of a catwalk thrust out into the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, two girls in their mid to late-20’s take up seats around the same table, wide-eyed and chattering excitedly. A well-dressed bearded man dances his way over to the table holding a silver bucket, singing to the disco music…
Blueprint, the new play currently on at the Blue Room, is tremendously watchable and involving thanks to the three actors, Sean Crofton, Jessica Russell, and Phoebe Sullivan. They exude a physicality and agitated nervousness that manages to convey an ambiently compelling story, even if I’m not 100 percent sure what’s happening a lot of the…
Debbie Malone experienced six near death experiences in 1992, and from this her life changed. She could see dead people. Initially she was fearful of the visions she was witnessing till she began to embrace her spiritual awakening to try and help the spirits by investigating their murders or help find their missing bodies in…
The vast majority of us are not natural born managers. Many managers have had to study, research and gain practical experience in the field before they can earn the title. But what do you do if you’re a creative practitioner, freelancer or sole trader who is in charge of their own career? The idea of…
The Necks Have this sense of touch and repetitive nurturing that makes them a special trio of musicians. Standing still for a moment, silent, the band collect themselves like they normally do. It’s then a case of ‘go with the flow, man’ when the twinkle of the pianos start sparkling away. This is what this…
EA has brought Star Wars: Battlefront 2 to it’s E3 2017 press conference, showing a new trailer and a first look at it’s multiplayer.
Bioware have revealed their newest IP, Anthem, with an introductory trailer during EA’s press conference at E3 2017.
A Way Out is a split-screen co-op title announced during the EA Play press conference ahead of E3 2017. Part of the EA Originals program, the game is a product of EA’s drive to uncover and support new indie talent around the world.
EA has revealed the first gameplay trailer for Need For Speed: Payback at this year’s EA press conference at E3 2017. The trailer shows us two characters, Tyler and Jess, as they pursue a rogue transport truck in order to steal what can only be described as a “very special vehicle”. Need For Speed: Payback is…
Electronic Arts have announced In the Name of the Tzar, a new expansion for Battlefield 1, during their EA Play press conference ahead of E3 2017. “Big” is the operative word.
A sequel to MachineGames’ surprise 2014 hit Wolfenstein: The New Order has appeared on Amazon Germany overnight. Called Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, the listing appears to confirm ongoing speculation that Bethesda had been quietly working on a sequel to their popular shooter revival.
The Untamed, Amat Escalante’s oddball genre film built with space monsters and sexual tension, could have worked just as well as a dysfunctional family drama. The eccentric Mexican director has packed a lot into his fourth feature, an instantly memorable and incredibly unique piece that understands its best possible tension comes from contrasting a heady…
The first teaser trailer for Marvel’s Black Panther aired today during game four of the NBA finals and it looks nothing short of glorious. After Chadwick Boseman‘s initial portrayal of the titular hero in last year’s Captain America: Civil War, the character’s first stand-alone feature holds a heavy emphasis to his fictitious home land of Wakanada, a hidden…
With its arrival slated for the end of the month, Netflix has released the first official trailer for its upcoming psychological drama Gypsy starring Naomi Watts. And while the program appears to imbue the similar qualities of Netflix’s celebrated original programming, this trailer promises something far more lurid with its material when compared to the various…
When you consider the name Winnie Mandela do you think of the mother of a nation or a terrorist? The documentary, Winnie tends to sit in the former camp by telling this woman’s history and story from her own point-of-view. It’s fascinating to hear her out and this documentary is a long overdue one, but…
A Modern Man is a documentary about a handsome, contemporary classical violinist named Charlie Siem. But who is Messer Siem? Unfortunately that question is not really answered in this film because this British-Norwegian musician puts up a wall that is largely impenetrable. This film is directed by Eva Mulvad (The Good Life). It begins with…
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is officially off and running for another year – with hundreds of Cabaret lovers streaming out into the cold Friday city night for the annual festival Variety Gala to mark the Opening Night. For Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect‘s second year as Artistic Directors, the program demonstrates an emphasis on the cultivation on homegrown…
This morning, Harry Styles unveiled world tour dates for 2018, no doubt meaning that many a-credit card are going to be slammed once those tickets come on sale. Australian fans woke up to the good news that yes, Styles will be returning Down Under (block April out) but what has also caught attention is the eclectic…
Saskwatch dive in with the intimate music video for new single, “Then There’s You”, released this week. It’s another insight into the Melbourne band’s upcoming fourth album, Manual Override, and is showing us all the depth in writing and evocative lyrics we’ve known from the group in the past, with a refreshed energy driving the music and…
“All I wanna do is talk to you for hours,” Yeo croons. It’s a sentiment we’ve all felt. In an age where social media reigns supreme, chances are you’ve spent at least one night glued to your phone scrolling back through the Instagram or Facebook of an ex/crush just to see if they’ve made any new…
There’s always something impressive about melancholic music. While it’s definitely not the most upbeat and joyous moods and genres to be in, the modesty, honesty and heart-wrenching nature of the music is what makes it so relatable to so many people; irrespective of their demographic. And here on the debut EP of nyck you’re more…
Following a packed out screening at last years’ Sydney Film Festival, Hotel Coolgardie garnered national headlines for its depiction of the disturbing experience of two Finnish backpackers who found themselves the latest batch of “fresh meat” sent to work as barmaids at the only pub in a remote Australian mining town. Hotel Coolgardie is a…
Oz Comic-Con returns with five exciting shows in 2017; the first two earlier this year in Perth and Adelaide being a huge success. And now it’s time for the rest of the country to join in the quest to ‘Unleash Our Inner Geeks’ and celebrate all that is cool, awesome and nerdy at Oz Comic-Con…
Whitney Houston was a sure thing, or as sure as the music industry had ever seen. A transcendent talent with pedigree and mentorship to match, she was going to be the greatest female vocalist ever. For a time, she was, and then she all-too-publicly fell short. Documentarian Nick Broomfield and iconic music video director Rudi…
Steven Spielberg is certainly a busy man. Currently in the midst of a lengthy post-production period for his sci-fi adaptation Ready Player One, the influential director has wasted little time getting his next project off the ground. With Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers film The Papers (previously titled The Post) ambitiously being fast-tracked for an awards-friendly 2017 release. The film has previously…
Kiwi filmmaker Florian Habicht jumps from making documentaries about Pulp and demolition derbies to modestly prodding around the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest horror theme park with Spookers, a stylish 85-minute piece that manages to weave together stories of exploitation and therapy amongst a whole heap of (fake) blood, guts and playful vignettes. It’s clear Habicht and…
