Dave Bautista on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, family units, unintentional comedy, improvising and getting into shape

When Guardians Of The Galaxy was released in 2014 it was considered a gamble, a bunch of rag-tag characters including a talking raccoon and a tree that says only three words. They were barely known outside of the comics so Marvel was taking a huge risk, but it paid off and the film was yet…

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Film Review: Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy & Lucy (USA, 2008) is a sleepy character study about a homeless woman & her dog

Wendy & Lucy is a film that could be renamed “A Street Dog Named Lucy.” I tells the story of a homeless and nomadic American woman and her faithful companion, a dog named Lucy. The story is a slow character study that is lacking in characterisation, drama and detail. The story is directed by Kelly…

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Book Review: Clementine Ford’s Fight Like A Girl is an uncompromising and important feminist polemic

Clementine Ford’s latest book Fight Like A Girl packs punches in the best possible way. The feminist commentator has penned a volume that is like a personal polemic; one that is not dissimilar to the work of Lindy West, Caitlin Moran, Tara Moss et al. Fight Like A Girl then, is another important and welcome addition to the ongoing…

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Theatre Review: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet – Shakespeare By The Bay (performances until April 23, 2017)

Set among the beautiful surrounds of Robertson Park in Watsons Bay, Sydney, Shakespeare By The Bay presents The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In partnership with Bard on the Beach, Watsons Bay Hotel and the Woollahra Council, Romeo and Juliet plays out against an ocean backdrop, with the water lapping gently against the dock as…

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Get to know Mantis and Star-Lord’s baby daddy “Ego: The Living Planet” before watching Guardians Vol. 2

After watching Guardians of The Galaxy the day it hit cinemas in July of 2014 (yes, I feel older and did you know Justin Bieber is 23 now?), I said to myself “I want more, this is going to be pretty massive, I reckon that Groot Tree might be a hit as well”. My mate…

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Music Video of the Day: Flow Tribe “You Know What It’s About” (2017)

New Orleans group Flow Tribe recently linked up with Mannie Fresh to deliver the fun, “You Know What It’s About”, taken from their new album BOSS (due out April 28th). Soaked in groove, soul and boasting a dynamic chemistry within the group that is undeniable, Flow Tribe have doled out a cracker of a tune. The six piece have…

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Simply Bushed on the significance of ANZAC Day and their experiences in the Middle East

Paul Grierson and Chris Rieger form the duo, Simply Bushed. Their songs are powerful and emotive, and their dance nights are as famous as their epic performances themselves. Having released the single, “Raise Your Glass” on Remembrance Day last year; the single, as well as their EP Military Issues, is a tribute to those who…

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Single of the Day: STUFF. “Galapagos” (2017)

Some Belgian electro-jazz for your Tuesday, with the latest from STUFF. in “Galapagos”. The four and a half minute session we hear below is a great fusion of sounds that very much look ahead instead of looking back – it’s different and it’s exciting to sink into. The single is taken from STUFF.’s forthcoming album old dreams new planets…

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Tickets for Royal Blood’s exclusive Sydney show in July on sale next Friday

Royal Blood‘s newly announced Sydney show is sure to draw the big numbers out to the Metro Theatre this July, with the British duo’s only Australian headline date taking place ahead of their highly anticipated Splendour in the Grass appearance. Of course, we haven’t seen Royal Blood on Australian shores since 2014 and with a…

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Album Review: Alex The Astronaut – To Whom It May Concern (2017 EP)

It’s a little demoralising finding a musician who is infinitely more talented than you in plenty more areas than just music. In this instance, it’s Alex The Astronaut, the multi-talented musician, soccer player, and scientist. Smarts and sporting prowess aside, Alex The Astronaut is a seriously talented, and supremely wordy lyricist and musician. Here on…

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Revisiting MT Warning’s brilliant 2015 EP, Petrified Heart

If, like me, you’re a stressed out over-thinker struggling with the constant sensory input of our increasingly busy lives, then you’ll find this absolute gem by MT Warning to be a much needed oasis of calm and serenity. Mikey Bee manages storytelling and imagery woven together with heart-on-sleeve lyrics, all delivered with emotive and honest…

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Giancarlo Esposito talks about Gus Fring’s return in Better Call Saul

While he was in Australia last week for a pop-up Los Pollos Hermanos in Sydney, we sat down with the fast food chain’s proprietor Gus Fring – expertly played through Breaking Bad‘s fourth season by Giancarlo Esposito – to talk about the character’s anticipated return in the third season of the Breaking Bad prequel series…

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Film Review: HBO’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a vital bio-pic about the most important woman in medical history

The name Henrietta Lacks may not mean an awful lot to some people but in reality it should be one of the most famous names in history. Lacks is responsible for revolutionising modern medicine and contributing to every recent major medical breakthrough from vaccines for polio, HPV and the flu-shot; to IVF and treatments for…

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Win a copy of the Belgium TV series Public Enemy (Ennemi Public) on DVD

In Public Enemy, Guy Béranger, a dangerous child murderer, is at the end of his prison sentence. His release on parole to the custody of the monks at Vielsart Abbey leads to an outcry from the nearby small village and to the rest of the country. This thrilling French-language TV series out of Belgium focuses…

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Five possible new jobs for former Veep president, Selina Meyer, in Season Six

Our favourite former congresswoman, senator, vice-president and U.S. president, Selina Meyer is officially out of the oval office for season six of Veep, which returns to our screens next week. As we wait to watch what her future holds on the show we thought we’d put together a list of possible jobs for the woman who can…

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TV Review: Netflix’s The Get Down (Part Two) is filled with sensational, bombastic and breathtaking musical numbers

The second part of The Get Down first season (the story of the rise of Hip-Hop and reign of Disco in the 70s’ created by Baz Luhrmann) is an over-dramatic affair, hampered by an occasional inconsistent narrative and schmaltzy performances and yet, the latter half of its five part run is some of the best TV…

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Five first time directors nominated for the top prize at the 2017 Australian Director’s Guild (ADG) Awards

The Australian Director’s Guild (ADG) has announced the nominations for their 2017 Awards, and this year the awards are guaranteed to recognise a new talent, with all five nominees in the category of Best Direction in a Feature Film having made their feature film debut. That’s Garth Davis for Lion, Simon Stone for The Daughter,…

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Legendary Scarface Director Oliver Stone added to Vivid Sydney lineup

Iconic director Oliver Stone is heading to Australia later this year for an exclusive appearance at Vivid Sydney, as part of the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series, as well as at global creative forum Semi Permanent. The prodigious director has written and directed more than 20 full-length feature films over the last four decades, including…

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Award winning Master Of None‘s anticipated second season gets a trailer

Aziz Ansari’s Emmy award-winning comedy series Master of None is returning to Netflix next month, and the streaming service are teasing us with what to expect via an all-too-brief 70 second trailer that was released earlier this month. After traveling abroad, the show’s second season sees Dev (Aziz Ansari) return to New York to take…

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Five Books You Need To Read This Month: April

Easter has come and gone for another year. Hopefully you’ve all eaten your fill of chocolate and hot cross buns. Now it’s time to gorge yourself on some new books, and April is proving to be a fantastic month for great new reads. There’s plenty to choose from this month, but here are the five…

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Review: Andrew Bird electrifies the Sydney Opera House in his encore performance

The musical creature known as Andrew Bird emerged onto the Sydney Opera House stage for the second time this weekend – his first since his 2010 debut – armed with nothing but a sharp suit and his trusty violin. The stage was covered with instruments and microphones; a sign that either a band was about…

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The first teaser for Star Wars: The Last Jedi trended worldwide across the Easter weekend

Currently the number one trending video worldwide on YouTube and attracting 25 million views in less than 72 hours, it’s safe to say that Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s first teaser trailer made its impact over the Easter weekend. And that number just takes into account the ONE official YouTube channel. The trailer had its…

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Win a double in-season pass to see The Innocents in Australia

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Anne Fontaine (Coco Avant Chanel, Nathalie, Gemma Bovery), The Innocents is based on actual events and set in Poland at the end of world War 2. It tells the story of Mathilde, a young doctor at a Red Cross hospital, who responds to a desperate plea to visit a local Benedictine…

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TV Review: Outcast Season 2 Episode 2 “The Day After That” adds more questions

Episode two of the FX series Outcast‘s second season hits the ground running with a crash outside of town being discovered by a local police officer. It seems that rather than following the original fabricated alibi Giles had created (Mark taking his own life), due to Maggie’s wishes of her husband not seen giving up…

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Twilight actor Kellan Lutz arrives in Australia this week for The Osiris Child

Best known for his role as Emmett Cullen in the Twilight Saga films, Kellan Lutz will be in Australia this week to attend the Gala premiere of the new sci-fi film The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One, at the 2017 Gold Coast Film Festival. In addition to the premiere, Lutz will also pop into…

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Film Review: Their Finest (UK, 2016) is a consistent delight from beginning to end

Lone Scherfig is a filmmaker who has always frustrated me, delivering a mixed bag of films amongst her career. Her Dutch films were great, but apart from An Education, her films were ultimately flops, especially the turgid One Day. So I have to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to Their Finest, but when I…

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Hotel Review: The Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury highlights history beneath the CBD

Adelaide’s architecture has long been a selling point of the city. Of course, with South Australia being the only Australian capital to be established as a free colony (ie. No convicts), there’s a certain type of gravitas that the historical buildings throughout the CBD maintain. It may be a small city, but the way in…

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Egyptian food truck El Qahirah coming to Sydney’s World Square this week

El Qahirah, Sydney’s only Egyptian food truck is bringing the tastes of Cairo to the streets of the CBD this April. El Qahirah launched at the beginning of last year and have been supplying healthy, filling and nutritious traditional Egyptian dishes across Sydney since. The food truck serves the three most common dishes in Cairo…

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Dewar’s whisky brings their Scotch Egg Club to Sydney this May

This May, Sydney’s CBD will he home to an unique pairing when Dewar’s Scotch Whisky take the flavors of Dewar’s 12 yo and create a series of cocktails that will match with Scotch Eggs. For those unaware, a Scotch Egg is a UK delicacy that sees a boiled egg wrapped in meat and coated in bread…

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The team behind Mary’s and The Unicorn announce big plans for The Lansdowne Hotel (Sydney)

We have news and it’s yuuuuge!!! Chippendale’s iconic live music venue The Lansdowne Hotel is re-opening and there just aren’t enough exclamation points in the universe to contain or express our excitement. After the closure of many a wild and wonderful place such as The Newtown Social Club, The Annandale Hotel and Goodgod Small Club…

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