Given the combined creative genius of writers (Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, Dana Fox) who co-wrote this screenplay, one would have expected to strap themselves in for a solid, heart wrenching, feel good romp with How to be Single. However not all rom-coms are created equal and this would be sure fire winner, boosted by the…
Japanese punk doco Mad Tiger is showing at this year’s Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. We reviewed the film earlier and the week and caught up since to talk about the film with one of the directors behind it. How did you first discover Peelander-Z? My friend Kenji Hayasaki introduced me to Peelander-Z in 2008, right when…
It’s been another surprisingly big month for games in May with long-awaited AAA titles, a genre resurgent on PC and indies galore. Here’s our picks for the month, and what we’re looking forward to in June.
Last week, Jake ran through five of the best undiscovered gems the horror genre has to offer, this week he’s finishing that effort with five more underrated works of the genre that most audiences won’t have run up against before. Life After Beth (2014) For such a big cast, Life After Beth kind of slipped through…
Following overwhelming demand, the world’s premier Queen tribute, Queen – It’s A Kinda Magic, will return to Australia, taking fans back to the glory days of Freddie Mercury and his iconic band, Queen. Capturing the imagination of Queen fans both locally and internationally, Director Johnny Van Grinsven attributes the show’s continued success to the attention-to- detail;…
At the Australian Booksellers Association Conference in Canberra, the 2016 shortlist for the prestigious Miles Literary Award was announced. With a focus on uniquely Australian identities and struggles, this year’s nominees, including three authors shortlisted for the first time, are in the running for a $60,000 prize. Making the 2016 shortlist are: Hope Farm by Peggy Frew…
Those gelato gods at Gelato Messina have brought back their popular Game of Cones season for the first month of winter, planning a series of five exclusive flavours each inspired by five different characters from Game of Thrones. Ever wondered what Ramsay Bolton, Hodor, Khaleesi, Queen of Thorns (Olenna Tyrell), and Missandei (of Naathi) would…
Camperdown locals have got a brand new bar-restaurant to get across with some big changes going down at Deus Ex Machina. The cafe space that’s attached to the iconic store has been reimagined and refocused by Tom Walton and Andy Ruwald of The Bucket List, in collaboration with bar sage James Prier. From a cafe…
In a very brief yet consuming experience, much like the turn of many events in our lives, Judith Wright Centre became the space for Andrew Bovell’s When The Rain Stops Falling for the weekend only. THAT Production Company based in Ipswich presented the show and made it through the challenge of capturing the fluidity of…
The Imperial Bells of China is all at once a vivid display of colour and sound and a glimpse into a revived culture right before your eyes, and I’m not sure which part I enjoyed more! Narrated in Chinese, the staging offers English subtitles so we can follow the tale. We are introduced to State…
As part of the Seymour Centre’s Great Ideas Performance Series and Vivid Ideas, Carnival of the Bold will bring together six incredible artists who are leading the way in creating social change via their work. For one night, the artists will come together for a discussion on the power of arts to facilitate change in…
Now in its fifth year, Oz Comic-Con’s dedicated focus to the very best across the local and international pop culture sphere places it in a league of its own. 2016 will see the return of the show-stopping Australian Championships of Cosplay, as well as a huge range of new and exclusive event features such as:…
Meet UK four piece Cairobi. Armed with some great psych-pop sounds, the band is working its way further and further on to various stages and in the lead up to the release of their debut self-titled record this September, the band isn’t wasting time in generating awesome hype for themselves. Their latest single release in “Lupo”…
This week in the music industry: the International Music Summit released their 2016 business report focusing on the electronic music industry, Sounds Australia revealed new plans to further promote Australian music overseas and Dan Nevin, CEO of Australian Independent Record Labels Association announced his resignation from the independent trade body. International Music Summit business report…
Toronto four piece PUP have released their new album The Dream Is Over today and have backed up the great news with a brand spanking new Australian tour announcement! The run of shows will have the band visiting venues down the east coast this October, showcasing the band’s most rebellious and confident record yet. PUP have been featured…
Melbourne’s Mighty Boys head to the track in bringing to life visuals for their ode to the Dapto Racetrack, “Dapto Dreaming”. Taken from the band’s new EP Timely Reminders, the single uses the famous Sydney racetrack to illuminate ideas of particularly Australian masculinity, the idea of ‘the bloke’ and the culture that surrounds it. The result is gritty,…
Seated across the road from Brighton’s Copperdollar Studios on a chilly Friday afternoon, Ry X is digging into some food ahead of a session slotted into his schedule at The Great Escape. “Would you like some?” he asks, offering me some of his meal as I join him on the bench. I gratefully decline, knowing how…
Lance Ferguson has followed up his impressive Lanu album, The Double Sunrise, with a special documentary featurette that takes us through the making of the record! The record, out now, was released back in February to much acclaim and has become one of Lanu’s best releases to date. In this 10 minute short, Ferguson retraces the inspirations that ultimately formed the…
Marcus Whale is set to take his much anticipated debut album Inland Sea down the east coast this June and July! The album, set for a June 10th release, is Marcus’ first under his own name and a step outside his work with Collarbones and BV while remaining very much in the pocket of some great and forward…
In This Issue: A wide range of fresh tunes this week from electro to thrasher, broaden your ear drums and enjoy! FLUME After writing in hotel rooms, aeroplanes, trains, taxis and tour vans, Flume’s album Skin is available today via Future Classic! FUJIYA & MIYAGI Brighton based outfit Fujiya & Miyagi will be releases new music in EP…
Irish duo Little Hours came to my attention somewhere between the Norwegian indie pop and German rock selections on my Great Escape Spotify playlist last month. Between John Doherty and Ryan Mc Closkey, some gorgeous indie-folk sounds present themselves and after discovering their debut EP, I knew theirs was a set I’d wanted to see out in Brighton. Sitting down with both…
After a multitude of powerful performances on the big and small screen over the last three decades, renowned Cherokee actor Wes Studi is amassing a new legion of fans as the enigmatic Kaetenay on John Logan’s critically lauded gothic drama Penny Dreadful; a show teeming with literary horror characters including Dracula, Dorian Gray and Victor…
Have you seen that ad where the three kids sit in the car and talk about how their dads drive when they’re blazed? If so, you’ll probably recognise Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), though he’s done some growing. When he arrives at his latest foster home, deep in the New Zealand bushland, he steps out of…
Taika Waititi‘s Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a delightfully off-beat trek through the New Zealand bush, starring Julian Dennison and Sam Neill. We caught up with Waititi and Dennison to chat about what it was like working on the film, its origins and what’s on the cards next for the two. Taika, how do you feel Hunt…
When we were first introduced to the inmates of Litchfield Penitentiary in the 2013 debut season of Orange is the New Black, it was quite clear that we were supposed to be introduced to this new environment through the show’s protagonist, Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling). The upper-class NYC dweller’s transportation to a world completely different to the…
A film this intrinsically Aussie must exist as an enigma to international audiences. Something very alien, and as I thought once before, about what those people distant from the Antipodes would have made of Crackerjack, I again think for Pawno, and wonder whether subtitles could comprehend or merely transcribe the dialogue of a film so…
In an assault on horror, popular critic and academic Morris Dickstein wrote that the genre had become a “routinized way of playing with death, like going on the roller coaster”. It’s not impossible to see where his criticisms are founded, given the whole genre has been so formulated; mathematicians have actually developed a generic horror…
As part of a massive growth for the eighth annual Vivid Sydney, the now world famous festival of lights, music, and ideas has been expanded to 23 nights throughout May and June, and it all kicked off last night. Beginning with the traditional lighting of the sails, which this year features Songlines by six renowned…
A desire to connect communities and celebrate the diverse cultures that exist within Australia is the driving force behind the New Beginnings festival, to be held on 18 June at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. Showcasing the talents, cultural expressions and stories of people with refugee backgrounds and those who are seeking asylum, New Beginnings features…
2014 Pizza World Champion Johnny Di Francesco, one of the best known names in Australia’s Italian dining scene, has recently expanded to a bit further than his two renowned pizza-focused restaurants 400 Gradi and Gradi at Crown, leaning towards the sweet tooths with his very first stand alone gelateria, Zero Gradi. Opened in East Brunswick,…
