A woman stares at her reflection in a mirror.

Theatre Review: Opening Night at Belvoir is surprisingly relatable and empowering

Opening Night at Belvoir in Sydney is the story of an actor, Myrtle (Leeanna Walsman), who finds herself at a point in her life where her age begins to make her feel invisible. She starts to question her relevance and her ability as a performer as she undergoes rehearsals for a new play. Everyone around…

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Interview: Radha Mitchell on new revenge thriller Asking For It, its controversial reception, and how she feels about the ending of Neighbours

One of Australia’s finest, and hardest working, exports, Radha Mitchell is a homegrown success story, having graduated from the local screens of the sitcom All Together Now and the institution that is Neighbours, to such international box office successes as Pitch Black, Phone Booth, and Silent Hill. As her latest film, the darkly comedic revenge…

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Foo Fighters

Live Review: Foo Fighters + Amyl & The Sniffers + The Meanies, GMHBA Stadium, Geelong (05.03.22)

It felt like a long time coming, the Foo Fighters released both their Bee Gees inspired album, Hail Satin under the name DeeGees and released their most recent Grammy-nominated record, Medicine At Midnight. Yet, every time it felt like we may see the glimpse of an announcement that the Foo Fighters would come to tour…

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Film Review: Asking For It is a grindhouse-inspired revenge thriller that’s sure to generate uncomfortable conversations

When detailing delicate subject matter – in this case, sexual assault and the most toxic of masculinity – some films have the insight and intelligence to do so with a certain nuance.  Asking For It is not one of those films!  No, this is as subtle as a sledgehammer, ripping through its surfaces with a…

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The Paris Bookseller

Book Review: The Paris Bookseller is a delightful addition to a growing sub-genre in historical fiction

Kerri Maher’s latest novel, The Paris Bookseller, is bound to appeal to fans of bestselling author, Natasha Lester. Not only does it take as its setting Paris during the 1920s, but it features at its core the little known history behind the setting up of the iconic Shakespeare and Co bookshop. Readers may be interested to…

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Neighbour

New Music Discoveries 4th March: Neighbour, Alex the Astronaut and more

As we head into March this week we have added ten tracks to our Discovery playlist, including three exclusive premieres. This week our Track of the Week is “Don’t Tell Your Mother” from Neighbour. Neighbour is the musical project of aspiring comedian/musician, Ryan Nebauer. “Don’t Tell Your Mother” is a moving song that Ryan wrote…

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Darren Hanlon

Album of the Week: Darren Hanlon – Life Tax (2022 LP)

Darren Hanlon is one of this country’s most underrated and best storytellers. That’s a fact. Now more than 20 years in the game, Hanlon is back with Life Tax, a tender and wholesome take on life in 2022 and living simply. Coming almost seven years since his last album, Where Did You Come From?, Hanlon’s…

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High Ace

Exclusive Video Premiere: High Ace “Where, Where, Where” (2022)

An extended punishing lockdown in Victoria over the last couple of years forced many musicians to find new ways to create their music. For those in groups, it meant collaborating over Zoom and suffering through the constraints of isolation. In the case of established musicians Jeff Lang and Alison Ferrier, co-habiting as a result of…

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The Sorrow Stone

Book Review: Kári Gíslason’s The Sorrow Stone is a compelling re-imagining of a violent Icelandic saga

After a vicious act of revenge, Disa and her son are on the run. Desperately seeking safe passage to the home of her brother’s wife, Aud, Disa looks back at her life, and to the litany of passions, tragedies, and betrayals that have led her here. At once brutal and elegant, The Sorrow Stone is…

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Gran Turismo 7 Review: A sublime racing simulator

Just over 20 years ago, I unboxed the original PlayStation and with it, two of the first games I ever played, in Tekken 3 and Gran Turismo. I still remember being amazed by the stunning visuals, if a little intimidated by the realistic gameplay. Cut to the present day. I am a car lover and…

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Sam Songailo

Adelaide Fringe Review: Augmented Reality mural activation brings street art to life in Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide has long been a street art hub, with the Wonderwalls Festival being a celebrated event. Both local and international artists have produced large scale murals, making the Port an artistic destination. For the 2022 Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide artists Vans the Omega and Dave Court have combined forces to create virtual reality interpretations of…

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SXSW announce Keynotes and Featured Speakers for their 2022 line-up; including Grammy winners Lizzo and Beck

With only just over a week away until SXSW 2022 (March 11th-20th), the festival has revealed Keynotes and Featured Speakers made up of prominent industry leaders and creative visionaries from the world’s of tech, film, music, and beyond. The Keynotes announced include three-time Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo; 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Kira Yang is Not Your Average Asian Girl

It’s not a particularly good start when the venue doors open late, and the show starts before everyone enters. Then again, it’s probably a reflection of the popularity of Kira Yang filling the Nexus Cabaret room. Kira, front and centre, is the subject of Not Your Average Asian Girl, following her transformation from being quiet…

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Garrett Kato

Exclusive Video Premiere: Garrett Kato “Drugstore Houses” (2022)

Singer, songwriter, producer Garrett Kato has returned with one of his strongest tracks yet, the poignant “Drugstore Houses”. A musician with over 92 million streams to his name, Garrett is well accomplished in his craft. We are thrilled today to be premiering the video for this heartfelt song. The track was co-written with Australian singer/songwriter…

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The Gilded Years

Book Review: Karin Tanabe’s The Gilded Years explores the life of the first African American woman to graduate from Vassar

Fresh off the news that the novel is to be adapted into a film by Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya, Simon and Schuster have re-released Karin Tanabe‘s historical novel The Gilded Years in February 2022. The Gilded Years is a fictionalisation of the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first African American woman to graduate from…

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Interview: The Batman director Matt Reeves on navigating a darker take on the superhero; “I wanted a story that would break him to his core”

Arriving in cinemas this week (you can read our review here), The Batman is arguably one of the year’s most anticipated films.  Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and fronted by Robert Pattinson, the film is gearing up to deliver a version of the Dark Knight we have…

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Brendan Clare

Adelaide Fringe Interview: Brendan Clare demystifies the stigma around autism

Introducing Brendan Clare: actor, husband, father, IT nerd. Diagnosed with autism in his 40s, he faces his fears to tell his story with humour and heart. Brendan will look back on moments that were bewildering and disturbing, but now seem profound and illuminating. The AU Review sat down with him before his first Adelaide Fringe…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Liars and Clowns serve up comedy allsorts

The Producer’s Hotel has had a chequered life but is currently undergoing renovation and is starting to regain some of her former glory. The main room has larger events but upstairs is where the comedy lives. It is in one of the upstairs former bedrooms that Liars and Clowns, A Late Night Comedy Show is…

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Benedetta takes glee in its farcical and graphic depiction of nunsploitation: Mardi Gras Film Festival Review

If there’s one thing director Paul Verhoeven loves to do, it’s poke the bear.  As he has so gleefully outraged audiences and critics across his career, his latest exploitive project – the “based on a true story” nunsploitation drama(?) Benedetta – could easily be dismissed as blasphemous, but there’s also an alarming sincerity to his…

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Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Preview: Looting for laughs

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands marks a welcome return to the Borderlands franchise. Introduced as a supporting character in Borderlands 2, Tiny Tina’s popularity has taken off in recent years, even going as far as to give her a Borderlands 2 DLC chapter of her own in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. Think of this as…

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Xavier Collins Coastlines

Guest Playlist: Xavier Collins shares the Australian songs that influenced his forthcoming EP Coastlines

London singer-songwriter Xavier Collins has had a busy start to 2022 – releasing his first two singles, and prepping the release of his debut EP Coastlines, which is due in April.  The first single “Elegy” was released in early January, and features a rich and emotive vocal performance from Collins, along with some truly beautiful…

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Film Review: The Batman; a noirish, pulpy thriller that rejects the superhero formula with a violent intimidation

As easy as it is to wax lyrical on the fact that we have yet another iteration of the Dark Knight, The Batman, from director Matt Reeves, is unlike any we have experienced on screen thus far.  Sure, the fact that Reeves has adopted a dark temperament to lace his narrative may not be viewed…

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Stella Prize announces 2022 longlist, with poetry collections making the cut for the first time

“What is original, what is excellent, what is engaging?” These were the guiding principles for this year’s panel of Stella Prize judges, who were tasked with choosing a longlist of just 12 from more than 200 entries across fiction, non fiction, graphic novels and poetry. The prize, now in its ninth year, was founded in…

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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announced along with new starters

Two new mainline Pokémon games have been announced at this morning’s Pokémon Presents broadcast. With Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet both on track for a late 2022 release on the Nintendo Switch, the ninth generation of Pokémon games isn’t messing around, what with Pokémon Legends: Arceus having released earlier this year. This morning’s reveal trailer…

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Film Review: Gasoline Alley is a lazy, ugly thriller that furthers the sad decline of Bruce Willis’ career

Another day, another Bruce Willis direct-to-DVD effort that continues the odd, sad decline of his career.  Keeping in tune with the last dozen or so efforts he has sleepwalked his way through (that is if he decides to actually show up for filming that day), Willis barely registers in Gasoline Alley, the fourth collaboration with…

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This weekend’s best Mardi Gras day party is a Sunday roast in Camperdown

While Sydney is no doubt going to be jam-packed with fun things to do during Mardi Gras weekend, we’ve gone and picked out just one event that we think will be essential come next weekend. That’s the Absolut and Heaps Gay party in Camperdown on Sunday 6th March, fashioned as a Sunday roast but moving…

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OlliOlli World Review : Rolling with the fun

The third entry in the OlliOlli series combines the fun of learning to skate on shiny new consoles alongside an expansive world with varying locations that constantly change up the way you play. Developer Roll7 has incorporated a story mode into the series this time around with an overhaul of the graphics engine adding a…

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Film Review: The Father of the Cyborgs follows a charming doctor-turned-mad scientist

Dr Phil Kennedy initially seems like such a quiet and unassuming character. The maverick neuroscientist was born in Ireland and spent time working with the homeless before moving to the U.S. But as the film, The Father of the Cyborgs shows, that is really Dr Kennedy during the daytime. After hours, he has experimented with…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: The Purple Rabbit is full of magical surprises

The Strut and Fret Production Company have had a very successful relationship with the Adelaide Fringe over the years. Popular shows such as Limbo and Blanc de Blanc have had sell-out seasons. Their latest offering, The Purple Rabbit is easily set to follow this trend. The show is set at the Roundhouse, in the Garden…

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Film Review: Hot Money is an entertainingly grim look at future armageddon

Once upon a time financial literacy involved little more than individuals hitting up their local bank manager for a mortgage. These days the global financial system is a confusing web of interconnected elements: shares, derivatives, energy and taxes. Hot Money is a documentary that aims to demystify this complex subject matter. Susan Kucera directs this…

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