As Donald Trump continues promoting his idea of building a wall between the US and Mexico it’s heartening to see that there are some people taking a different approach. Through The Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film is a documentary about a land art installation that attempted to reinforce the notion that borders are an…
A strong taste of the old is present in Planetarium, as Natalie Portman leads a dual-language spoken film about not only the ghosts of the supernatural around us, but also those which come from within before the dawning of a new war era. Directed and written by French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski (Grand Central) the film follows two…
Porn is a big business. In just six years the planet has watched over a million years’ worth of videos and 100 billion pages are visited and streamed annually. But is there a dark side to the industry? Ovidie, a French journalist and former porn-star attempts to answer this question in her documentary film, Pornocracy,…
Inside The Kirketon Hotel in Sydney lies a cocktail bar that will excite every sense of your body, leaving little wonder as to why it’s remained one of the most respected and referenced cocktail bars in the city’s history. From smoking beechwood, to liquid nitrogen, to adding sea salt and citrus aromas in the form…
Bacon Festival returns for its third instalment from 14 March at Newtown’s Cuckoo Callay. Running for 12 weeks, the festival features nine bacon-focused dishes alongside the usual menu. Paying homage to film festivals, the naming of the dishes has been inspired by iconic films. Cuckoo Callay sources produce from NSW farms that follow sustainable and…
Situated along the Yarra River, in the heart of Southbank’s busy hospitality precinct, Hopscotch is Melbourne’s newest downbeat bar with a strong focus on a wide range of locally brewed and imported craft beer (30 on tap and 20 in bottles, to be precise). The first thing you’ll notice upon entering Hopscotch are the colourful…
Thousands of Sydneysiders turned out last year for The Hemp Health & Innovation (HHI) Expo & Symposium, which was held at Rosehill Gardens and aimed at providing a diverse showcase of all things hemp. It was a success by any measure, spreading in-depth information and awareness around the benefits of the almighty Hemp plant, and…
Sydney’s beloved Kitchen by Mike has officially opened in the new City View precinct at Sydney Airport’s T1 International. It’s the final eatery to help refresh the airport, joining already opened businesses like The Bistro by Wolfgang Puck, Benny Burger by Shannon Bennett, Joe & The Juice and Heineken House by Heineken. With this iteration of…
It’s no grand overstatement – the House of Vans parties at SXSW are legendary. You stand the chance of seeing the likes of Erykah Badu play the intimate outdoor stage alongside Kelela and Grouplove. Inside, the party continues while the drinks flow. Mohawk plays the perfect host and has been one of our favourite haunts…
Spotify, in partnership with Live Nation have launched an exciting new initiative – Music Happens Here. Presented by Hilton Honors, Music Happens Here, is a combined music and travel video series which focuses specifically on celebrating the impact of the geographical muse across the globe. Music Happens Here, presents as a chance for music lovers to…
Oh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when a young Pete Rock lifted that immortal saxophone sample from Tom Scott‘s version of “Today”. The peerless beatmaker used that second-long loop to create what is arguably the greatest rap production of all time, that which became “They Reminisce Over You…
Last Tuesday, indie-folk legends Fleet Foxes announced their new album, Crack-Up, will be released June 16th. Crack-up follows up the Grammy award nominated Helplessness Blues (2011) and will be accompanied by an extensive international tour, including four very special shows at the Sydney Opera House. It may have been six years since we last swooned over Fleet…
More juicy showcases are being revealed for SXSW, with Pandora’s updated showcases featuring Jimmy Eat World, Future Islands, and Australia’s Tkay Maidza. The music discovery platform Pandora has lined up four days of superb showcases, which they will be livestreaming, along with artist interviews, on the Pandora at SXSW station. Tune in from March 13-16th to get the lowdown,…
As the 28th annual Alliance Francaise French Film Festival makes its way across the major Australian states through March and April, the toast of French cinema will be at the ready for audiences seeking a sense of European style. One film sure to hold interest throughout the festival is Planetarium, a lush pre-war drama starring…
Al Capone ruled Chicago with absolute power. No one could touch him. No one could stop him. Until Eliot Ness and a small force of men swore they’d bring him down. On March 17th, Event Cinemas George St in Sydney will present a special screening of The Untouchables, Brian De Palma’s all-star cast gangster classic with Kevin…
Assuredly disturbing and revelling in its ability to flip the conventions of the serial killer genre, Ben Young‘s debut feature Hounds of Love is one for those that appreciate their stories without gloss. Counterbalancing its Christmas setting with a tale unflinching in its disturbing nature, this Australian thriller manages to escape the confinements of the “torture porn”…
If there was one thing Jiro Dreams of Sushi did, it was set a precedent that documentaries can be about literally anything. The evidence is in cable broadcasting and the phenomena of reality TV series. There are entire channels dedicated to reality TV programs, filling endless time slots with narratives on cat trainers or house…
From writer, photographer and filmmaker Theo Anthony, Rat Film is a documentary that hooks you in and deserves a pedestal. The feature-length film focuses on rats and their lives as a way to explore Baltimore’s urban history and how humans interact with their world. It is clever yet confronting to see rats up close and…
Some our favourite Victorian lads, APES, have dropped the visuals for their single “Filter” – all about that #OnlineContent. The footage, shot entirely on an iPhone over the course of a band practice, the resulting video clip is very tongue in cheek while the song itself worms its way into your head. As Ben Dowd sings, “I don’t…
It’s SXSW time again and as Austin gears up for the influx of thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world ready to call the Texan city home until March 19th, we’ve got our sights firmly planted on the global music program that has once again, pulled together hundreds of artists primed for…
Clowns are back, everyone! Coming through with the catchy new tune in “Pickle”, the Melbourne punks have given us another preview of their third album, Lucid Again. Due out this May via Poison City Records, the record – if “Pickle” is anything to go by – is gonna be a ballbuster. Traversing the genres of punk,…
Last night at The Toff in Town in Melbourne, A.B. Original were crowned the winners of the 12th Australian Music Prize. Along with the $30,000 cash prize, their win with their debut album Reclaim Australia marked a significant moment in the Prize’s history: for the first time, the accolade had been taken by an Indigenous group. Briggs and Trials (Yorta…
What do you ask an artist who is not only so prolific and influential, but an incredibly assertive, humble, and passionate talent? How do you discover, or even uncover something new about an artist whose career spans over 30 years? These were just a few of the thoughts bumping into the edges of my mind…
It’s midnight, I’m sitting in a budget hotel, and I have to be up in four hours to catch my flight back home to Melbourne to work. I’ve also just been at the Sydney Opera House to see Kasabian’s second show of their two-nights-only Australian visit. There is so much adrenaline ripping through my system…
Texan-born punk rock band At the Drive-In have this week shared the second cut from their highly anticipated new album, in • ter a • li • a (Latin for “among other things”). This is the band’s first album in 17 years, and will be immediately followed by a massive international tour. The new single “Incurably…
On June 9th, the third album album by British band alt-J will be released via Liberator Music/Infectious Music. Titled Relaxer, the 8-track LP will follow up their career-defining 2014 album, This Is All Yours, and is available for pre-order HERE. The first taste of Relaxer is opening track “3WW”. It sees alt-J shifting their arrangement and experimenting…
YouTube has announced their massive plans for the South by Southwest Conference, expanding to their largest SXSW present to date. What’s set to be one of the absolute highlights of their SXSW events will be their return to downtown Austin’s Coppertank, where YouTube will host a major three-day showcase. The showcase is set to feature…
What started as an exclusive music event held at Willie Nelson‘s Texan ranch, the now popular Luck Reunion has turned into a musical pilgrimage for fans of country, rock, folk and Americana music. Celebrating the evolution of musicians and artists, the event also plays host to a number of pop up stalls and local food and beverage…
At Disney’s recent shareholders meeting, CEO Bob Iger spoke about the prospects of the Star Wars franchise. After relishing the success of The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which made a combined total of 3.1 billion USD at the box office, his attention has turned to Episode VIII The Last Jedi. After discussion about the momentous difficulty of toppling the success…
We are hot on the heels of the 15th annual Gold Coast Film Festival. The event will screen 32 feature films from 13 countries, including four World premieres, nine Australian premieres and eight Queensland premieres, plus a host of short films, events, panels, and intimate Q&A’s with filmmakers. The city’s flagship film event has confirmed…
