Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants ultimately feels too shallow for its own good

I’m a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan and have been ever since I can remember. I’ve kept up with most of the comic books, shows, games and movies, and even played the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants when it was released back in 2017, so I had an idea…

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Early Access Review: No Rest for the Wicked deserves your attention

We got a chance to crack open the new isometric ARPG No Rest for the Wicked, playing through the first chunk of its story and exploring its broader open world. While this game is still in its early access phase, this is still without a doubt one of the most impressive games in its genre…

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Film Review: The Idea of You; The luminousness of Anne Hathaway elevates serviceable rom-com

If the premise of The Idea of You sounds like romanticised mentality of fanfiction – that being a romance centred around a 40-year-old single divorcee and the global boyband heartthrob who meet-cutes her and proceeds to pursue her to her bewilderment – it’s because it essentially is. Based on Robinne Lee‘s novel of the same…

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Film Review: The Road to Patagonia twists and turns towards self-discovery

The Road to Patagonia opens with Matty Hannon – the director, cinematographer, and centre-man – telling how he’s headed to the top of Alaska, which if you know your American geography, is distinctly away from Patagonia, which encompasses the southern end of South America. But worry not, the title is not a metaphor nor figurative. …

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TopSpin 2K25 returns serve with one of the best tennis games in years

TopSpin 2K25 marks the return of the beloved tennis franchise after more than a decade, and I could not be happier. While TopSpin 4 was released back in 2011, I still find myself going back to it now and again, simply because it’s one of the best tennis games ever made. Thankfully, TopSpin 2K25 serves…

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Body horror and dramatic flourishes don’t play together in The Demon Disorder: Gold Coast Film Festival Review

There’s a fascinating premise at its core and an impressive heft of body horror effects abounding throughout, but The Demon Disorder never quite conjures enough other-worldly strength to rise above its structural flaws. A tale of three brothers and the demonic trauma they share off the back of their father’s death – presumably the result…

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Film Review: Hanky Panky; Lo-fi comedic horror effort is intentionally nonsensical – whether you like it or not!

To call Hanky Panky inexplicable at times would be an understatement.  And in no way is that intended to be an overt criticism towards Nick Roth and Lindsay Haun‘s wild comedy-horror effort that delights in its science-fiction mentality whilst bathing itself in batshit insanity. It’s an acquired taste of a film, and it definitely benefits…

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Film Review: The Fall Guy; Crowd-pleasing actioner is both a love letter to the stunt profession and another showcase of Ryan Gosling’s charisma

Not that we needed reminding, but Ryan Gosling‘s distinct energy – rightfully rebranded as “Kenergy” in the culture-shifting buzz surrounding last year’s Barbie – is entirely unmatched.  We saw it earlier this year with his boisterous rendition of the Oscar-robbed “I’m Just Ken” at the Academy Awards where, without even taking off his sunglasses, he…

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The Raid is a brutal and unrelenting action film that serves as a reminder of the true mastery of the genre: Gold Coast Film Festival Review

As easy as it is to call something like The Raid (released in some territories as The Raid: Redemption, this the result of certain legalities) a “thin” movie in terms of plot and character, Gareth Edwards ultimately thrives on such a simplistic nature, turning in a slaughterhouse of an action movie that rarely lets up…

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Sting is an enjoyably camp horror effort that backs its gross effects with some emotional heft: Gold Coast Film Festival Review

Given the ambition he showed with his Mad Max-meets-Dawn of the Dead B-grade genre piece Wyrmwood (and its respective sequel), it makes sense that Australian director Kiah Roache-Turner would continue his genre mash-ups for his follow-up.  What proves surprising, however, is that for Sting, an ode to the creature feature (and, fittingly, Australia’s fear of…

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The OPPO Enco Buds2 Pro earbuds provide a sleek design and solid battery life

OPPO might make some decent smartphones across multiple price points, but it’s worth noting, that they’ve gotten pretty good at earphones too. We checked out the Enco X2 earbuds last year and were pleasantly surprised. Put it this way; I still use them as my daily drivers. The OPPO Enco Buds2 Pro earbuds might sound…

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Film Review: Abigail deliciously balances bloody gore and knowing humour

After the underperformance of both Dracula: The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield last year, the vampire-centric subsect of storytelling – especially within the horror genre – seemed, quite fittingly, void of life with audiences.  But seeing as how much new life they injected into the once-dormant Scream series with their one-two punch of…

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Film Review: Challengers serves itself up as one of this year’s true cinematic winners

Going into Challengers, I think it needs reiterating for unsuspecting audiences that, as much as this is being advertised as “a sexy tennis movie” (which it absolutely is), it’s a Luca Guadagnino feature.  So don’t be at all surprised that the director of the lush and tragic Call Me By Your Name, the oft-unnerving Suspiria…

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Interview: Carlo Mendez on his first lead role in the thriller Demise; “The challenge was making my character likeable.”

At the core of Demise, Yara Estrada Lowe‘s debut feature film, is a messy love triangle that allows the erotic thriller to lean into the campy, oft-unhinged sensibilities the genre can so continually give way to. Subtlety is disregarded and melodrama is heightened, making for one helluva wild time. At the core of the film…

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Film Review: Arcadian is a tense family drama presented as a dystopian thriller

Comparisons to John Krasinki’s A Quiet Place will be inevitable when viewing Arcadian, but, despite the familiar ground covered across the family-versus-insurmountable-odds-in-a-dystopian-future narrative, director Benjamin Brewer (a predominant music video director who also served as the lead visual effects artist for Everything Everywhere All At Once) and screenwriter Michael Nilon (who’s produced a heft of…

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Film Review: Robot Dreams is a gorgeous, wordless animated tale dipped in surreality and colourful psychedelics

Have you ever pondered what a robot would dream of?  Well, in Pablo Berger‘s gorgeous, wordless animated tale they dream in surreality and colourful psychedelics.  But in the case of Robot Dreams‘s protagonist, simply named Robot, he dreams of Dog, his owner and best friend, who he is cruelly separated from in a circumstantial situation…

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Film Review: Back to Black; Should they have made a movie about Amy Winehouse? “No, no, no!”

In 2015, director Asif Kapadia let us in on the life and legacy of the genius, tragic existence that was Amy Winehouse with the documentary Amy.  Using archival footage spanning 14 years and over 100 interviews with those that knew her best, it truly gave us an insight into the singers’ meteoric rise and brutal…

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Film Review: Civil War is an anxiety-ridden thriller that’s poised to generate conversations

There’s an apoliticality that director Alex Garland adheres to within the framing of Civil War, a film that’s inherently political as it tackles the division of the United States.  Here in a modern day USA where an alternate landscape is explored (although, chillingly, you could imagine such unrest escalating to the type of environment flexed…

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Film Review: Late Night With the Devil; Nasty, yet fun, horror outing creatively flips the expected tropes of the genre

“Before we continue I’d like to apologize to anyone who might be upset or offended by what you saw before the break. It’s not every day you see a demonic possession on live television.” Not the most typical sentence you’d expect to hear from a late night host, but such is the statement made by…

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Children of the Sun is a powerhouse in the form of a psychedelic puzzle-shooter

Children of the Sun is one of those games that struck me from the moment I saw it – crazy visuals like this will do that to you. With that distinctive, disjointed look combined (and contrasting) with some strong and precise gameplay it certainly delivers on the wild, thrilling, and violent ride its trailer promises….

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The BlueAnt Soundblade blends a sleek design with powerful sound

Australian audio company BlueAnt has admittedly done a fantastic job over the years with their portable Bluetooth speakers and earphones/headphones, packing in value for money, along with some of the newest features on the market. It is with the Soundblade however, that their latest venture takes things in a different direction, belting out a dedicated…

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a solid sequel, even if it’s not redefining the genre

I have vague memories of playing the first Dragon’s Dogma, mainly the enhanced Dark Arisen version, but I’ll be the first to admit that nothing stuck. I don’t remember hating it, but hadn’t really held enough love in my heart to make a return. Dragon’s Dogma 2 felt like the fresh start I needed, that…

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Film Review: Monkey Man announces Dev Patel’s filmmaking prowess with a tender ferocity

For the majority of his career, Dev Patel has played – for lack of a better word – the “nice guy”.  Or at least a variation of that archetype. In Monkey Man, the actor is gleefully – and, occasionally, gorily – taking no prisoners and reclaiming his image as an all-rounded creative, announcing himself as…

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Film Review: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II surpasses its predecessor with a gory glee

Though it’s less of a shock practice now, the idea of a classic literary figure that became a household name under the umbrella of Disney being transformed into something adult and horrific rightfully broke – and angered – the internet when it was announced that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey would be made off the back…

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Film Review: Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire; The titanic monsters of cinema flex their wild abandon in overtly big sequel

A film like Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is what one might call “critic proof”.  I mean, it’s ultimately a near-2 hour over-indulged CGI fest based around two giant creatures and their evident animosity towards each other.  But, rather ironically, these two titans are battling each other at the tail-end of a cinematic universe…

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Film Review: Io Capitano finds the beauty in the brutal reality of a migrant’s journey towards freedom

Director Matteo Garrone has often flirted between reality and fantasy when telling his stories on screen.  His 2008 mafia drama Gomorrah and the crime-infused Dogman (2018) were steeped in a violent truth.  His English-language fantasy Tales of Tales (2015) and a live-action adaptation of Pinocchio (2019) allowed him to delight in the whimsical.  For Io…

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The OPPO A79 5G might take smaller steps forward, but they’re still in the right direction

We’ve reviewed a few OPPO phones over the years, and have enjoyed most of them for their sleek design and decent performance. While they’re great value for money, the train seemingly keeps rolling with new solid options on the market each year. Enter the OPPO A79 5G. Its predecessor, the A78 5G, might have been…

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The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro is a safe bet for new and existing users alike

Ring has been responsible for a range of doorbell iterations and cameras alike over the past few years, best known for their reliable quality and ease of use. While there are many ways to work around a security setup for your home, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro takes many previously exclusive premium features and packs…

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The Tineco Floor One S6 Pro Extreme makes small, yet solid improvements over its predecessor

We recently took the time to review the Tineco Floor One S5 Combo and were pleasantly surprised with the results. The next iteration, the Floor One S6 Pro Extreme takes every opportunity to bolster the multiple features of its predecessor, ultimately making it a success for anyone looking to pick up a vacuum and mop…

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Rise of the Ronin merges fantastic combat with bloated open-world design

My past couple of weeks with Rise of the Ronin have left me feeling a little conflicted. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the logic of my mind and the feeling of my heart. In many ways, this is a true cut above developer Team Ninja’s previous efforts with something like Nioh. Its combat…

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