The dark comedy is, in my opinion, one of the hardest genres to accomplish. To take serious and taboo themes and put a humourous view on it requires an assured hand on all aspects of the storytelling. If the story is shown too serious, the humour will be seen as out of place. If the…
Craig Boreham’s Teenage Kicks made its worldwide premiere last weekend as part of this year’s Sydney Film Festival. Our reviewer, Simon, called it, “a beautifully filmed coming of age tale…that leaves you thinking long after the final credits have rolled.” Fergus Halliday caught up with the director himself and star Miles Szanto to talk about the film, the ideas…
As Sydney Film Festival comes to an end, one door closes and another one opens! Next month, film lovers in Queensland can enjoy the jam-packed program offered in this year’s Queensland Film Festival. From feature films to shorts to documentaries, there’s a little something for everyone! The Queensland Film Festival will be running from July…
The tenth Treasure Island Music Festival has unveiled its line up for this year and, for its final year being held on the island in San Francisco Bay, the organisers have planned a memorable list of artists. Headlined by Sigur Rós and Ice Cube, the Treasure Island Music Festival also features James Blake, Purity Ring and Sydney’s Flight Facilities (the…
Last year, Adelaide avant-pop band Ghyti took their particular brand of alternative rock to Toronto for the Canadian Music Week festival. They have written a detailed yet entirely unreliable account of the tour, and sent it to us with a selection of grainy smartphone photos. Behold! DAY 1 Flying. Lots of flying. Once upon a time,…
This interview was so much more than your standard interview, and Barry Conrad is so much more than meets the eye. Here is a guy who has worked on fulfilling every part of his being and genuinely wants to leave his mark on the world. Not only is he undeniably talented, but he has a good…
Time to Get Schwifty. Announced on their Facebook page last night, the furious duo of Brooklyn’s El-P and Atlanta’s Killer Mike – collectively known as Run The Jewels – have gotten into the often overcrowded world of collaborative fashion by teaming with Adult Swim series Rick & Morty and clothing label Daylight Curfew. The fusion…
There’s a lot going on around Sydney, and while most of it’s fun there’s some tearful goodbyes too as we farewell two of the city’s biggest events – Sydney Film Festival and Vivid Sydney – for yet another year. This is your last chance to charge up with the energy of both events while also…
Slumberhaze today complete their epic Rhyme, Rhythm & Reason EP trilogy release, dropping the third instalment for you all to get around! Most recently, we’ve been loving their single “Neon Demon” and as we’ve come to learn from the Sydneysiders, this conjuring of awesome sounds into some well-produced and catchy songs is very much just the beginning. Listen to the…
Bear’s Den have recently released an expertly shot and delivered music video for their single “Auld Wives”, a particularly stand out piece of music from the UK duo. The single, to be featured on their sophomore album Red Earth & Pouring Rain (due out in Australia on July 22nd), saw the band link up with acclaimed director Sam…
It’s a good day for Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals fans. Even better if you’re planning on hitting up the Queenscliff Music Festival this year! For the festival’s special 20th anniversary celebration, it has been announced that the US band will headline the festival – an impressive addition to the QMF’s three day event. Ben…
The now Melbourne-based Flower Drums have continued to conjure up excitement surrounding the forthcoming new record with the release of their new single, “Idle Time”. The duo have a penchant for creating music that is perfect for hazy nights, ideal to get lost in and this latest cut is another perfect example of the amount of…
Overnight, Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders made their US TV debut, hitting the Burbank studios to perform on Conan. Currently in the US reaping in the praise off the back of recent live dates, the band are laying the groundwork for what’s set to be an impressive return later in the year. With festival dates (including…
The tenth Treasure Island Music Festival has unveiled its line up for this year and, for its final year being held on the island in San Francisco Bay, the organisers have planned a memorable list of artists. Headlined by Sigur Rós and Ice Cube, the Treasure Island Music Festival also features James Blake, Purity Ring and Sydney’s Flight Facilities (the…
NSW’s Strawberry Festival returns with another great run down of names doing their thing within the electronic music scene, revealing its first artist announcement today! With the likes of George Fitzgerald, Henry Saiz (with a full live band), Marcel Fengley and Patrick Topping, punters can expect some quality sets over the weekend of November 17th – 20th this year. In…
They’re two of our favourite songwriters and performers, so to see the link up between BANFF and Caitlin Park has made us extremely happy. After seeing BANFF at The Great Escape last month and being blown away and of course, knowing the solid quality Caitlin brings to her craft, this partnership is a complete no-brainer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OrkbrcEToM&feature=youtu.be The musicians recently…
Here’s some nice, soothing sounds for your Thursday morning. Melbourne songwriter Kathleen Mary Lee is soon to be releasing her debut EP next month and today, we’re excited to be premiering her new single from it – “Hey, Very Good Friend”. There’s a timid, delicate approach to the song’s delivery that first caught our attention – a…
As part of this year’s Sydney VIVID Ideas Program, CLIPPED Music Video Competition announced their winners over two buzzing nights over at The Works in Glebe last weekend. The event included a six-category competition and award ceremonies; innovative discussion panels featuring international and local speakers; screenings and crafty exhibition spaces. The panel of judges for the competition…
Event Cinema’s ‘In the House’ cult screenings return to their George Street location in Sydney this July, bringing cult classics from the last 40 years back to the big screen. Audiences can catch screenings of films like Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal gangsta flick The Godfather (1972), Ridley Scott’s nightmare Aliens (1979) in 70mm and fantasy cult classic Big Trouble…
Following its Australian premiere at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, Fergus Halliday sat down with director Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami to talk about her award-winning documentary, Sonita. Winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Ghaemmaghami’s documentary explores Sonita’s journey as a young undocumented exile living in Tehran, with big dreams of breaking into the rap industry. What drew…
Pixar is no stranger to sequels. For over 20 years, Pixar have dominated animated cinematic releases with their critical and box-office success. With the massive acclaim behind sequels like Toy Story 2 & 3 and Monsters University, Pixar has now (much to everyone’s excitement) released Finding Dory after a 13-year wait since its predecessor, and…
Pixar Studios has long been regarded as one of the best animation studios in the world today, alongside Studio Ghibli, which in my denial still exists. But ever since the release of Cars 2, a disappointing sequel to a film that wasn’t that good to begin with, the seemingly infallible quality of Pixar has fallen….
Sharon Jones isn’t a household name, nor an artist with a breakout radio hit. But those who do know of her and her talent, will attest to her brilliance. She has been likened to a female James Brown, belting out soul and funk tunes and thrashing and shimmying like a pint sized Tina Turner. However…
Paterson is the new film from acclaimed auteur (and Iggy Pop fan) Jim Jarmusch. A man who enjoys character studies that are never rushed for the sake of plot progression, existing in some semblance of real time, watching a Jarmusch film involves a lot of patience on behalf of the viewer. If you’re a fan of…
Defusing an explosive in western cinema is very rarely as tense as it should be. With the exception of brilliant films The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow) and Gallipoli (Peter Weir), the suspense surrounding characters handling something so volatile, which with the slightest fault could literally blow them apart in an instant, is often suppressed by…
Even at just a surface level, Me Before You feels like a movie that’s just ticking boxes than it is engaging heartstrings. You’ve got three big franchise stars (from Game of Thrones, Doctor Who and The Hunger Games, respectively), a picturesque British backdrop and premise that all-but-guarantees a tragic end. However, it never really feels like the film is genuinely leveraging…
Miles Ahead might have a few tricks (and some strong casting) up its sleeve, but it never quite manages to triumph. Set in the late 1970s, the very-loose biopic introduces us a disillusioned and drug-addled Davis (Don Cheadle)who hasn’t made music in almost five years – despite the best efforts of his label. When a recording of…
Taken from their debut album Raw Nerve, Melbourne’s metal powerhouse Jack The Stripper have just released a new music video in “Nibiru”, and to celebrate they’re touring Australia, Europe and Japan in the coming months. Jack The Stripper’s ‘Nibiru Tour’ starts this month in Australia before the band embarks on their first ever European tour which includes shows with fellow Aussie…
Canberra three-piece Safia continue to make waves and move to the forefront of Australia’s next biggest musical exports with their blend of indie rock, delicate soul, and various styles of electronica. Last year, the group travelled to the USA for a run of shows that included SXSW, and the trio kept the AU review in the…
In today’s Flight review on AU Abroad, we take you on Delta Air Lines‘ brief connection service from Burlington, Vermont to La Guardia Airport in New York City in the USA. Airline: Delta Air Lines (Shuttle America Connection) Route: Burlington, Vermont (BTV) to La Guardia, New York (LGA) – DL3377 Seat: 15C (window, 1-2 layout) Aircraft: Embraer ERJ145…
