Short Film Review: Sanjay’s Super Team (USA, 2015)

Accompanying The Good Dinosaur in cinemas this week is Sanjay’s Super Team, a short film which sits on the other end of the spectrum as one of the most original Pixar shorts to date. In the film, which is the first animation from Pixar to focus entirely on Indian culture and religion, a young boy, Sanjay,…

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Film Review: The Good Dinosaur (PG) (USA, 2015)

There was a time when we would only get a new Pixar movie every few years. Now, for the first time ever, we’re getting three in a 12 month period. This started with the box office smash Inside Out earlier this year and will end with the most anticipated animated sequel since Toy Story 3…

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Film Review: Joy (USA, 2015)

If we keep Accidental Love out of the conversation (and he’d wish everyone would), David O. Russell has had an incredible few years. A man who struggled to get films made for almost a decade (following the successful Three Kings in 1999, his only release until The Fighter in 2010 was the underrated I Heart Huckabees…

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Film Review: Daddy’s Home (USA, 2015)

When it comes to reviewing a film like Daddy’s Home, one must take a moment to put things in context. You know from the outset – be it the trailer, the poster, the cast, the Director (Sean Anders, Horrible Bosses 2) or any of the other warning signs – that this is going to be…

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Sydney Pop-Up: Wulugul Pop Up at The Streets of Barangaroo

By the end of 2016 there are expected to be around 80 permanent food, drink, and retail options at the site of Barangaroo, one of the biggest developments Sydney has ever seen. To give us a taste of what a day and/or night out at the precinct would be like we currently have the Wulugul…

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Bennelong to open up private balcony for an alfresco pop-up bar (Sydney)

Peter Gilmore’s stunning new Bennelong has been the biggest of big deals as far as restaurants go in Sydney this year, settling into it’s nice, spacious nook in Sydney Opera House and becoming one of the most sought after culinary experiences in the city. The team behind the restaurant are planning a bit of a…

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Waterman’s Lobster Co. opens summer pop-up in Bondi (Sydney)

Potts Point’s popular Waterman’s Lobster Co. have announced that they’ll be bringing their juicy Maine and Connecticut styled lobster rolls, as well as all the other favourites, straight to Bondi Beach this summer, opening up a temporary front in Hall Street’s food hub. Located at the former site of Mexican small bar Mr Moustache, the…

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Top five New Years Day parties in Sydney for 2016

It’s New Years Eve in Sydney, of course you’re supposed to kick on. Summer in the city often means that an outdoor party – whatever the size – is the only way to spend the first day of the year, and 2016 will be no exception when it comes to some of biggest events of…

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Top five Boxing Day parties in Sydney for 2015

Boxing Day is often reserved for the cinema or the beach in Sydney, but there are quite a few parties on around the city which you should get across, should you want to compensate for the whole obligatory family Christmas thing by getting turnt up with your squad, that is. Here are our top five…

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Music Video of the Day: Pure Youth “New November” (2015)

London’s Pure Youth have only been around since 2014 but they’ve wasted no time in building an impressive rep for themselves through this year. Demonstrating that the indie scene that flourished under the wing of bands like The Maccabees, The Wombats and more recently, The 1975 and Circa Waves, is certainly not done in unearthing…

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The emergence of the DIY & boutique events – are they becoming a viable replacement for the touring festival?

As we welcome Summer and the New Year, we welcome the horrid sight of fake tans gone wrong, gym junkies parading the streets shirtless, long lines to use (much to our dismay) port-a-loos or to buy an overpriced beverage, sniffer dogs guarding entry gates and in the distance; a giant stage which will be home…

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The 50 Best Hip-Hop and R&B tracks of 2015: Part Two – The Top 25

It’s that time of the year again; we’ve already rounded up the full AU crew’s Top 40 Songs of 2015, but here’s something a bit different. The AU’s Chris Singh looks at the best hip-hop and R&B tracks of 2015 after countless hours (probably days; who knows) of picking apart the year’s best releases and…

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El Vez on bringing the music of Elvis to Australia for Christmas & New Year’s!

If you’ve ever wondered what a Mexican Elvis-centric show would be like to attend, wonder no more – El Vez is in Australia to answer the call. A world renowned entertainer, the ‘real Rey Del Rock ‘n’ Roll’ has been bringing his eclectic hybrid of Americana and Mexicano music to crowds throughout the US, Europe…

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The 40 Best Australian Records of 2015

Following on from our countdown of the 40 best records from around the world in 2015, we wanted to expand on that list and shine some light on some more of our favourite Australian records of the year. The top 15 albums on this list also appear in the same order in the international list…

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Album Review: HEALTH – Death Magic (2015 LP)

LA noise band HEALTH officially released their third studio album Death Magic earlier in the year. The hiatus between their previous album Get Color and the new Death Magic has paid off. These guys have been dipping their toes into numerous projects over the years, from game soundtracks to video collabs with greats like Eric…

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Blu-Ray Review: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (M) (USA, 2015)

So if you’re fresh off the blockbuster wave of dinosaurs and teeny tiny superheroes (not to mention some Star Wars) and are ready for some more action packed fun, then this week’s big release Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation will be able to fill that gap nicely. As with any of the Mission: Impossible (aka…

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens app lets you create your own opening text crawl

The official Star Wars website has just launched an app allowing fans to create their own opening text crawl, paired up with the iconic score by John Williams. The new app joins the many, many games and apps designed to celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which has come at the end…

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How they fit some familiar voices into Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Note: This article contains some spoilers. A lot has been written over the last few days about the number of “cameos” that we can find in the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens – in particular a certain James Bond. It turns out that there’s a lot more than just familiar faces who make their way…

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Five things you have to watch this Christmas and Boxing Day

Christmas isn’t just about sitting around a table and arguing with your relatives while you enjoy a pile of meats – nor only about opening presents. It’s also about sitting around the TV, falling into a food coma and enjoying whatever festive treats the networks have in store. Here’s a look at five things you…

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DVD Review: Pan (USA, 2015)

In this origin story but not quite an adaptation of the beloved J.M Barrie book Peter Pan this film takes us on a journey that seems to have no real rhyme or reason other than Peter trying to find his mother, accidentally stumbling into an adventure and ultimately discovering his destiny. Peter (Levi Miller), a…

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Theatre Review: The Importance Of Being Earnest – Bella Vista Farm, Sydney (Performances through to Dec 30th)

Sport for Jove’s The Importance of Being Earnest opens with perhaps one of the most perfectly choreographed scenes in theatre. Staged within an elaborate house and performed to “Le amour est un oiseux rebelle” from George Bizet’s opera Carmen, we see Algernon Moncrieff (Aaron Tsindos) after a long night of revelry, emerge and move about…

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The Best of 2015: The Arts Editor’s Picks

It’s been an incredible year for the Sydney arts scene. I managed to get to well over fifty productions this year, ranging from musicals to operas to theatre to experimental interactive experiences. It seems like each year there are more and more wonderful things to see! With so many fabulous productions it was tough to…

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The Grounds of Alexandria bring their hobbit themed pop-up to Entertainment Quarter this summer (Sydney)

If you went along the Sculpture by the Sea this year then you may have seen The Grounds of Alexandria’s magical, Hobbit-themed pop-up cafe, The Grounds House, propped in Marks Park. It was an essential part of the whole experience, with small treats, burgers, juices, and great coffee fueling the scene in Tamarama. Well, there’s…

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Belles Hot Chicken are throwing a party at Bondi Icebergs this January (Sydney)

Live music and baller baskets of fried chicken will be painting the scene at Bondi’s Icebergs Dining Room & Bar next month, as the famed Belles Hot Chicken takes over the venue to host a massive party on January 10th. Dubbed Bellesbergs, the party will be bringing in the likes of Grizzly, Jungle Snake, Dreamcatcher,…

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Music Video of the Day: Elliot Moss “Pattern Repeating” (2015)

New York artist Elliot Moss recently released the music video for his single “Pattern Repeating” and if you haven’t been able to check it out (ditto for his debut album Highspeeds), now is your shot. Taking things down a bit, “Pattern Repeating” sits comfortably in alongside material released by your Bon Ivers, your James Blakes…

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Single of the Day: Circa Waves “Something Like You” (2015)

Taking on The Strands‘ 1997 original, Circa Waves have recently released their own version of “Something Like You”. The boys strip the music back and embrace an acoustic vibe for their cover and for fans of Circa Waves, it’s a real treat to see them operate in this way. Their version of “Something Like You”…

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The 50 Best Hip-Hop and R&B Tracks of 2015: Part one – 50 to 26

It’s that time of the year again; we’ve already rounded up the full AU crew’s Top 40 Songs of 2015, but here’s something a bit different. The AU’s Chris Singh looks at the best hip-hop and R&B tracks of 2015 after countless hours (probably days; who knows) of picking apart the year’s best releases and…

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Festival Review: Wonderland – Langley Park, Perth (18.12.15)

Perth’s most nomadic festival returned to the city foreshore for the 2015 instalment over the weekend, bringing back previous innovations of the Teepee Village, that super casual boutique vibe and of course some killer artists. Though the weather felt like it was going to be a torturously windy day, the parameters of the festival seemed…

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Review: The Sound Of Music – Capitol Theatre, Sydney (Performances through to February 2016)

From do-re-mi to hills to brown paper packages to yodelling to being sixteen (going on seventeen) to climbing mountains to solving problems like Maria and all the way to that beautiful little flower Edelweiss, mention The Sound of Music to anyone and they’ll surely be respond by singing any one of these fabulous tunes. It…

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On the Shelf: Cadbury Dairy Milk Gift Box

Just in time for Christmas, Cadbury have upped their gift offerings, introducing the Cadbury Dairy Milk Gift Box. The brand has been pretty fond of experimenting this year, and this has been met with mixed results (we all remember the Vegemite Chocolate, right?). This new gift box takes a more straight-forward approach, arguably a box…

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