We’re officially back from our Summer hiatus, and kicking things off with a look back at our favourite tracks of 2021. Unlike our albums of the year piece, we won’t go in depth about each song on the list, and why it was included, but rather let the music itself do most of the talking….
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Originally available exclusively for the US, the eternally party-minded Fireball Whisky is doubling down on the liquor’s racous image by bringing a 5.25-litre keg to Australia. Doubling as a collectable, the Fireball Whisky keg is now available with a strictly limited quantity of just 1,000 exclusively for sale online via BoozeBud. All you’d need to…
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Forming part of the 2022 Sydney Festival, A Chorus Line at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a dancer trying to forge a career on Broadway. Set on the stage of a theatre during auditions for a chorus line, the musical centres on the lives of seventeen hopefuls and…
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Whilst there’s nothing remotely original about The 355, that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun to be had with this slice of pure escapism fluff that manages to mask its simplicities with a willing cast and a scrappy, can-do attitude. Outside of directing, Simon Kinberg has a rather enviable resume. He served as…
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The Wombats are kicking off the new year in style, about to release their fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World. Lead singer Murph caught up with The AU Review’s John Goodridge about the making of the album; out tomorrow through Warner Music Australia. Would you say this album is the most challenging one you’ve…
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As Scream, the hotly anticipated fifth instalment in the acclaimed horror series, arrives in Australian cinemas today (read our review here), Peter Gray sat down (virtually, of course) with the cast of fresh blood. Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, and Mikey Madison were all on hand to chat with…
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As King Richard arrives in Australian cinemas today (you can read our review here), Peter Gray was invited to attend a global press conference with select cast members, including recent Golden Globe winner Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Demi Singleton, Saniyya Sidney, and Tony Goldwyn, as well as Venus and Serena Williams, to discuss the making…
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In 1996, when horror was a bad word and the slasher subsect had been relegated to bargain bins and a straight-to-VHS lifespan, genre maestro Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes) and a (then) relatively unknown Kevin Williamson dared to defy the conventions by creating a film that played into the…
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After two years of cancellations, Bonnaroo aims to return to the farm this Summer. Stevie Nicks, Tool, J.Cole, and The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks) lead the bill of the four-day music and arts festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Tool was set to originally play the 2020 festival which was cancelled due to Covid-19….
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Let’s get this straight out of the way. If you own the already-excellent Bose QuietComfort 35 II, or the Bose NC 700 headphones then the newer and only slightly more impressive Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones aren’t worth the upgrade. Bose kind of started this whole obsession with supreme noise cancellation, and they perfected the art…
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Robot vacuums were one of those fast-emerging categories of technology that I’ve always just kind of ignored for a couple of years. It’s like that sometimes. Hype can take a while to suck you into its trending temptations, and for the most part, I’ve been actually quite enjoying shimmying my trusty Dyson back and forth…
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The next entry in the wildly popular Rainbow Six series admittedly feels like untapped territory. For a series built on realism and the nature of a tactical approach, I was excited to experience that same level of tension and pace against a new alien threat. Our hands-on preview of Rainbow Six Extraction unveiled a number…
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As Omicron rips through our planet, leaving many feeling anxious and exhausted, a little glimmer of normalcy and excitement emerged from the grapevines of Northern California today. Bottlerock Napa Valley announced its lineup and it is one of the most eclectic, star-studded festivals in years. The Bay Area legends Metallica will make the short drive…
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As much as King Richard has all the trappings of a biopic – and a sports drama, for that matter – it’s a testament to everyone involved that it manages to entirely transcend expectation and feel like something that’s so much more. It’s easy to wax lyrical about the fact that we’re getting a film…
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To say the Sony WF1000XM4 was my most anticipated bit of personal audio kit of 2021 is an understatement. If you’ve read my review of the XM3s you’d already know that I’m now a true believer in Sony’s ability to outgun the competition when it comes to headphones and earphones. Now, much has changed, which…
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Thanks to Paramount Pictures we have 5 double passes (Admit 2) to give away for the upcoming release of Scream, set for release exclusively in cinemas from January 13th, 2022. Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting…
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Given smartwatches have now well and truly become an essential purchase for anyone looking to more efficiently track their exercise and gamify their health journey, it’s always worth doing a double-tack at models that have been out for quite some time. These things drop in price regularly, so being able to pick up some of…
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Height. I need height. As a 34-year-old man with rapidly thinning hair, I’ve never paid too much attention to the need for a good quality hairdryer. I’ve always been hesitant about throwing consistent billows of heat onto my already brittle hair, so it’s one of the things that most people used that I’ve never really…
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This is a spoiler-free review of the first three episodes of Peacemaker. The show premieres on Binge January 13. The Suicide Squad went down as one of 2021’s best comic book movies. The soft reboot helmed by James Gunn won over critics and audiences with its hyperviolent scenes and adult tone. Gunn further expands the…
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The best-known mattress in a box brand in Australia, Koala, released three new versions of their popular mattress last year, with the entry-level option simply dubbed the “New Koala Mattress”. This was in addition to the Calm-As, which was a winner at the Product of the Year 2021 awards, and the high-end SoulMate, of which…
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The Tender Bar is very much the type of film we’ve seen before, and, unfortunately for George Clooney‘s well-meaning dramedy, it’s been done better than what this narrative ultimately presents. A coming-of-age story where the protagonist overcomes his or her personal and professional struggles to achieve ultimate success, all the while guided by a wise…
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At a time when sequels are delighting in a certain sense of nostalgia – looking no further than the latest iterations of Spider-Man, The Matrix, Ghostbusters, and the forthcoming Scream as immediate examples – you have to at least hand it to director Matthew Vaughn for opting out of such a proven trend for The…
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Whatever creepiness, kookiness and all together ookiness that has been evoked by previous incarnations of The Addams Family is sadly nowhere to be seen in this safe-playing sequel, one that manages to bury any of the morbid humour and likeability we’d expect from the usually reliable pens of Dan Hernandez (Pokemon: Detective Pikachu), Benji Samit…
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We’re a week in 2022 and it’s already looking like it’s going to be a year for escapism. Case numbers and rising, people are finding themselves in iso. So why not ride it out with a good book? Once again, the AU Books Team are looking ahead and picking out some choice cuts of the…
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Writer/director Conrad Vernon and the animated genre go hand-in-hand. As both a voice actor and a director, the former storyboard artist has left his stamp on such films as Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Sausage Party. After the success of 2019’s animated update of The Addams Family, Vernon found himself back to the drawing…
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House of Gucci is the second 2021 film from acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott. The first was the medieval drama The Last Duel, which was about a true story involving a woman who was fighting for her voice to be heard after being sexually abused in a tyrannically and patriarchal society. The second is about a…
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For someone who’s receiving unanimous praise and deserved award chatter about his latest performance, Simon Rex is an actor that’s keeping things remarkably cool. Humbled by the reception he’s earning for his role in Sean Baker’s acclaimed comedy Red Rocket as a washed-up former porn star looking to get back on his feet, Rex is…
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When we are first introduced to Red Rocket‘s lead subject – washed-up porn star Mikey (Simon Rex) – writer/director Sean Baker frames him in such a manner that alludes to him being one of those scrappy anti-heroes whose undeniable charm is enough for us to forgive his indiscretions. And indeed, Mikey is that (in a…
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Beyond the City’s second day continued the party in Melbourne to see out 2021. The second day had a heavier focus on bands on the main stage while the dance stage was a non-stop party throughout the day and early evening. Lime Cordiale and Ball Park Music were two of the biggest drawcards throughout the…
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Despite his prolific status within comedy, chances are you’re likely to recognise Nick Kroll‘s voice before seeing him in person. Biding his time between family fare – just this last month he was heard as Gunter in the animated Sing 2 – and more adult aimed comedy – if you’ve laughed at either Coach Steve,…
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