The Justice of Bunny King is a stellar directorial debut from Gaysorn Thavat; Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie shine: Sydney Film Festival Review

“You never even asked me if it was true!” – Tonyah (played by Thomasin McKenzie) Essie Davis stars as the titular role of Bunny King; a poverty-stricken mother of two who is struggling to fight the social system to get her kids back. During her battle, she crosses paths with her niece Tonyah, who is…

Read More
FVNERAL

FVNERAL’s guide to Sydney’s best songwriters and producers

FVNERAL is a seven-piece indie outfit from Sydney, and have recently launched their debut release, the anthemic and emotive “GOD DAMN LEDs”. The track is a warm emotive salve, offering hope and optimism during times of difficulty. It doesn’t take too many listens to pick up on the refined and elegant beauty of the song,…

Read More

Film Review: No Time To Die is an emotional swan song for Daniel Craig’s 007

Although it leans into the tropes of what we come to expect from the institution that is a James Bond film, and in some ways this 25th entrant is possibly the most self-aware of the pack, No Time To Die keeps largely in tune with the mentality of the wave of Daniel Craig-led films; the…

Read More

Track of the Week: Camp Cope “Blue” (2021)

After three and a half years, Melbourne’s Camp Cope are back! We’re might still be champing at the bit for news about that as-yet-unannounced third album, but if latest single “Blue” is anything to go by, it’ll be worth the wait. Softer, more relaxed, and a little more refined than the Camp Cope of old,…

Read More
Loretta

Sydney’s Loretta shares five songs they wish they had written

Sydney’s Loretta have been forging a name for themselves in the last couple of years, and it looks like they are cresting a wave of creativity. Headed by vocalist and songwriter Ellis Hall, they’ve created their own blend of alt-pop, taking cues from acts such as The 1975, LANY, No Rome and The Neighborhood.  Their…

Read More
Troy Kingi

Exclusive Video Premiere: Troy Kingi “Forgotten Like A Dream” (2021)

The renowned actor and multi-genre musician Troy Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) recently released his latest single, “Forgotten Like a Dream (Mortality)”. We are excited today to be premiering the video for the song, a dramatic clip featuring Māori actor Vinnie Bennett (Fast & Furious 9, Human Traces, Good Grief, Ghost in the Shell). The track…

Read More

Yours & Owls Festival announce massive 2022 lineup

Many music festivals were forced to hibernate their way through 2021. That can’t be extended to Wollongong’s Yours & Owls, who faced an uphill battle to go ahead in NSW. From rotating stages to social distancing, there was a lot they had to take into consideration – but the end result was worth it. They…

Read More

Win a double in-season pass to see Michael Caine in Best Sellers

Thanks to Rialto Distribution we have 10 double passes (Admit 2) to give away for the upcoming release of Best Sellers, starring Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza, set for release in Australian cinemas from November 25th, 2021. Lucy Stanbridge has inherited her father’s publishing house, but the ambitious would-be editor has nearly sunk it with…

Read More
Jess Chalker

Track by Track: Jess Chalker takes us through her debut album, Hemispheres

Australia’s Jess Chalker has dropped her debut album, Hemispheres, an album that traverses the full gamut of human emotions. It explores the dichotomy between depression, hopefulness, self-doubt, self-love and more. We premiered an earlier single from the album, “Don’t Fight It” and have been keenly awaiting the release of Hemispheres. Whilst it’s her debut album,…

Read More

The Worst Person in the World is a compelling film that defies the tropes of the romantic comedy genre: Sydney Film Festival review

As much as The Worst Person in the World adheres to many of the standard ingredients of the “romantic comedy”, to refer to Joachim Trier‘s as one would be doing it a massive disservice. Detailed over 12 chapters (and both a prologue and epilogue), the film gives us a look into a certain period of…

Read More

Film Review: Julia is a heartwarming documentary about trailblazer chef extraordinaire Julia Child

Julia is the latest film by documentary filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen. They are best known for their acclaimed works such as RBG and My Name is Pauli Murray; studies of renowned trailblazers who have contributed so much to the world and have shattered social norms in order to do so. The latest subject…

Read More

Blue Bayou is a deliberately heartbreaking drama about the intricacies of immigration: Sydney Film Festival review

Immigration is a topic that’s quite intensely debated across the world, particularly in the United States.  And in Blue Bayou, a spotlight is shone on a specific group of immigrants, those that come to a country as infants with little to no recollection of their homeland and, quite often, had no other choice. Such is…

Read More
GB3

Sakura Flower: GB3’s Glenn Bennie, of Underground Lovers takes us through his new album track by track

GB3 is the side project for Underground Lovers co-founder Glenn Bennie, and today he has released his latest album, Sakura Flower. Glenn has teamed up again with Steve Kilbey of The Church, who has added the lyrics and vocals to these beautifully crafted pop songs infused with sparkling rivulets of electronica. This is their second album…

Read More

Interview: Sledgehammer Games’ Narrative Designers Talk Call of Duty Vanguard’s Campaign

We recently got the chance to chat with Narrative Designer, Alexa Ray Corriea and Associate Narrative Designer, Belinda Garcia from Sledgehammer Games about the upcoming World War 2 shooter, Call of Duty Vanguard, and the engaging narrative that binds four unique characters together. What sets this WW2 story apart from previous WW2 campaigns within the…

Read More

Interview: Ray Liotta on playing a “Hollywood Dick” in The Many Saints of Newark; “One thing I don’t have is a calm intensity”

Ray Liotta has made a name for himself throughout his career portraying characters with a certain intense edge.  From Scorsese’s genre-defining Goodfellas, the psychological thriller Unlawful Entry, and the controversial Silence of the Lambs sequel Hannibal, the Golden Globe-nominated actor has made it a point to express his vigour on screen.  But for our Peter…

Read More
World's Best Biscuit

Recipe: The World’s Best Biscuit from Matt Preston’s World of Flavour

Award-winning food journalist, radio presenter, TV personality and bestselling cookbook author Matt Preston is back with a new cookbook: Matt Preston’s World of Flavour. The premise of this new cookbook is very much in the title. In this colourful new release, Preston brings together our favourite, flavourful dishes from around the world. Some of the…

Read More

Forza Horizon 5 Review: The Fastest Fiesta in Town

The screen is dark. The sound of an engine roaring pierces the air, as the back on a cargo plane opens. Suddenly, your vehicle drops out of the back, parachuting down to a dense, colourful Mexican landscape. As soon as you land, you blast onto the road, on your way to your first Horizon Festival….

Read More

The Beta Test is a twisted, pitch black comedic thriller: Sydney Film Festival Review

On the surface you’d be forgiven for assuming The Beta Test is just another film industry picture, spending its minutes somehow justifying its existence as it hones in on the obnoxious and obnoxiously wealthy Hollywood players who wrongfully assume they’re untouchable in their town.  The film has that air about it, but this satirical-cum-unnerving thriller…

Read More

Pleasure is a cold, calculating film detailing the politics of the sex industry: Sydney Film Festival Review

After introducing itself as a film that promises there’ll be no sugarcoating its subject matter – the first thing we hear are the audible moans and verbal berating from a pornographic film, and the first thing we see is the extremely graphic imagery of a young girl’s privates in the shower – Ninja Thyberg‘s confronting…

Read More

Titane is an auto-erotic body horror oddity focused on the specifics of sexual identity: Sydney Film Festival Review

Similar to how Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers, Jennifer Kent, and Ari Aster all secured their place in the annals of genre cinema with their debut offerings, Julia Docournau‘s bold cannibalistic horror effort Raw cemented the French filmmaker as a name to pay consistent attention to.  And just as those aforementioned auteurs all swung big with…

Read More

Damon Galgut takes home Booker Prize for The Promise

It was a case of third time lucky for author Damon Galgut, winner of the 2021 Booker Prize. Nominated in 2003 for The Good Doctor and again in 2010 for In a Strange Room, it was multi-generational saga The Promise that saw the South African writer finally score one of the most prestigious awards in…

Read More

Film Review: Disappearance at Lake Elrod overcomes genre familiarity with an emotional edge

Though there’s perhaps a few too many “missing kid mystery” tropes adhered to in Disappearance at Lake Elrod – the grieving mother, the potentially corrupt police, the buried secrets coming to life – writer/director Lauren Fash injects enough character development and psychological complexity for it to get away with it. Centred around the disappearance of…

Read More

Album of the Week: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – The Future (2021 LP)

There’s something you’ve got to love about wholesome, feel good music. Yes, it’s nice to listen to serious musicians making serious and emotive tracks, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing I’d rather listen to to blow out the cobwebs than a classic party tune filled with horns, soulful vocals and an easily…

Read More

Book Review: Jessica Walton and Aśka’s Stars in Their Eyes – Nerdy easter eggs and queer, disabled representation are just the beginning

A refreshingly fun and hopeful take on the coming of age story, Jessica Walton and Aśka’s Stars in Their Eyes is a graphic novel that celebrates nerdiness and reinforces the value of representation, all while exploring first love, self-care and identity. The story follows Maisie as her Mum takes her to her first Fancon. Maisie…

Read More

Mario Party Superstars Review: Celebrate Good Times

I owe the Mario Party franchise a great deal of credit. It’s responsible for some of the best gaming moments I’ve had on a Nintendo console. While Mario Party 3 will always remain my favourite, it’s safe to say that the franchise faltered in recent years, prompting me to drift away from the iconic mini-games…

Read More
It's Acrylic

Exclusive Single Premiere: It’s Acrylic “We Ate Like Kings” (2021)

Brisbane continues to foster exciting new talent, this time in the form of indie band It’s Acrylic. We are thrilled to be premiering the debut single from the outfit, the emotive “We Ate Like Kings”. The band will be releasing their debut EP, Minutia, Sick Darling, late in 2021. The band began as a writing project…

Read More

Interview: Leslie Odom Jr. on the The Many Saints of Newark super secretive audition process & becoming a better actor

Since his Tony Award-winning role in Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. has had something of a meteoric rise.  Not content with just dominating the music and theatre scene, the New York-born actor is a wanted commodity on the big screen too, working with the likes of Kenneth Branagh, Kate Hudson, Orlando Bloom, and Judi Dench, to…

Read More

Interview: ROLE MODEL on love songs, Mac Miller and ‘death wish’

ROLE MODEL says he’s built his brand on his shadowy sad boy bedroom production that’s made him the internet’s shoulder to lean on. But his few song outliers like “blind” and “forever&more” have been blowing up online, creating depth to this Maine-born, Los Angeles-based artist. His most recent single “death wish” is a stormy pop drop…

Read More
Vance Joy

The Sound returns to ABC TV for Season 3 with a stacked lineup

ABC TV and Mushroom Studios’ The Sound is returning for its 3rd season this weekend, just in time for Ausmusic Month. And they’ve got a stacked lineup for its season premiere. Series 3 promises to be focused on the live performances, with a  big-name guest dropping in to chat with one of the featured acts. This…

Read More

Track of the Week: The Terrifying Lows, “Waiting for the Sun” (2021)

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but here in Brisbane its grey, stormy, and absolutely perfect for a track like “Waiting for the Sun“. And with The Terrifying Lows (aka Tyler Millott) due to drop his first studio album later this month, now’s definitely the time to get across the Melbourne-based…

Read More