Month: October 2017

Why Netflix’s The Good Place is heavenly television

Eleanor Shellstrop opens her eyes to find that she’s arrived in the afterlife. It appears – to her relief – that she made it to The Good Place (heaven). After being told she earnt her place in paradise because she saved innocent people from death row, she realises she has accidentally taken someone’s identity and…

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AMW Film Festival Review: Breaking The Mould (Australia, 2017) is a compelling documentary about Australia’s female musicians

If there was Australia’s answer to the film, Play Your Gender, then Breaking The Mould is it. This music documentary includes interviews with Australian artists about their thoughts and experiences with gender in the local industry. The film is an interesting one about our history and it is something that should help shape the conversation…

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Games Review: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Xbox One, 2017): Complexity and nuance with a hint of dead Nazi

Oh boy, where does one start with an experience like the one Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus offers? The second game in a week to prove that the single-player experience as we know it is still very much alive and well, Wolfenstein II is the kind of shooter we haven’t had in a while — one with a…

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Film Review: Three Summers (Australia, 2017) is an amiable comedy about diversity

Three Summers is a film that is as light and breezy as its title suggests. It’s also an ensemble comedy that is written and directed by the legendary, Ben Elton. The latter is known for his novels and the TV shows: The Young Ones and Blackadder. In Three Summers he creates a warm-hearted and well-intentioned…

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5 Singapore Dining Hotspots for Tourists on a Budget

Singapore boasts a melting pot of cultures that has been drawing travellers from around the world to the city for decades upon decades. In its landscapes and historical buildings, through to its burgeoning artistic community, there has been something about The Lion City that has kept Singapore on the bucket list for many tourists visiting this…

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Hotel Review: Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway offers quiet amongst a busy Singapore shopping district

Smack in the middle of Singapore’s shopping district, Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway offers comfort and relaxation after a long day’s exploring of the Lion City. Don’t expect to get out of your cab and get straight into the checking in, however. I’m not exactly sure what the ground floor is used for, but the actual hotel…

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Book Review: Tackle the taboo with Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson’s F*cked

Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson, the voices behind Guys We Fucked: The Anti-Slut Shaming Podcast, have travelled from the podcast to the page with F*cked: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed. Put down the rom-com and stick the rosé back in the fridge because you don’t need a man, and Fisher…

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Win a double pass to see Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium at the Art Gallery Of NSW

Sydney’s Art Gallery of NSW (from 27 Oct 2017 to 4 Mar 2018) is about to celebrate one of the most renowned photographers of the 20th century, an artist who understood the medium’s ability to alter perceptions and push boundaries. The comprehensive survey of Robert Mapplethorpe’s career, features more than 200 works, from still lifes…

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A pop-up Bo’s Diner from Baby Driver has taken over The Soda Factory

Sydney’s renowned The Soda Factory in Surry Hills got a makeover earlier this week for the promotional home entertainment release of Baby Driver. To gear up for the film, which has just been released on DVD/Blu-Ray and Digital, the already popular American themed diner joint has transformed into the movie’s fictional Bo’s Diner. Bo’s Diner…

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Four Pillars teams up with Rockpool Dining Group for a new small-batch gin

Anyone heading along to Rockpool Dining Group’s premium restaurants anytime soon has the opportunity to get their palates around an exclusively created gin from the great Four Pillars, created just for the renowned hospitality group in a very limited run. The small-batch gin, titled Maker Session Gin, has been released in just 30 bottles, spread…

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Music Video of the Day: Royal and The Southern Echo “Hunt Down Your Love” (2017)

Australia has been taking on the Americana genre recently to great effect, and it makes sense. Both countries have deep history in story telling through music and with the likes of All Our Exes Live In Texas doing their thing as well as they are? It’s clear the surge forward of Australians bringing their stories…

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Single of the Day: Kira Puru “Tension” (2017)

Finally. Kira Puru has kept us waiting for a hot minute but today, she’s released that “Tension”. The lines write themselves. Her talent is one of the country’s strongest, yet Puru’s journey to blistering solo artist has been one of delicately placed moves. After featuring on tracks with the likes of Urthboy, Paul Kelly and…

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Byron Bay’s Falls Festival just got a lot bigger; 2,500 extra tickets on sale this week

One of the newer additions to the Falls Festival family has just levelled up for this year’s festivities. The Byron Bay leg of the touring New Year’s festival has announced its expansion for 2017/2018, as well as a bunch of new local acts to join the likes of Run The Jewels, The Kooks and Foster the People on the…

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New Music to Listen to This Week: 30th October 2017

We’re back! Diving into what’s been a heavy few weeks of new music, we present tunes from all over the country and beyond. Whether the new Sleigh Bells banger is your fare, or Sydney’s HANDSOME has brought you in with her captivating new music, there’s something for you this week, below. ———- This content has recently been…

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Live Review: Justin Townes Earle headlines an evening of heartbreak and honky tonk at the Fremantle Festival

Friday night saw the 2017 Fremantle Festival kick off, with events taking place in venues across the port city. Helping kick off proceedings, and taking over the Fremantle Town Hall, were American ‘country’ musicians Justin Townes Earle and Joshua Hedley, as well as local talent Ruby Boots. It also happened to be the last night…

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7 acts not to miss at Australian Music Week 2017

With Australian Music Week (AMW) vastly approaching (November 1-3, 2017), you’ll want to keep your eyes out for some of the best up and coming artists featured there. AMW is your chance to experience some of the best emerging musical talents and is not to be missed – check out our list below to see…

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NZ songwriting force, Ria Hall, performs “Barely Know” for the AU Sessions in Sydney

In Rules of Engagement, New Zealand songwriter Ria Hall has presented a strong statement of music weaving themes of love and war in with blistering nods to on coming changes and rebuilding. She fuses the traditions of her culture with a forward thinking contemporary musicianship and the final result has been captivating. Bringing things back a little,…

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Music Video of the Day: Rya Park “Billy” (2017)

Meet newcomer Rya Park. The indie musician has recently dropped her debut single “Billy”; a catchy and sultry offering from the Melbourne musician. Taken from her forthcoming EP, “Billy” is a call out track that spellbinds with ease. The music video, now out, continues to spur on the mysterious nature of the lyrics as Park sits…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Hen “Raincoats” (2017)

Hen maybe a new name coming to you this Monday, but fans of Adelaide’s Julia Henning have been well aware of this stunning talent for some time now. Her new music sees Henning expand on her folk pop sensibilities already established but instead of resting on these foundations – as Hen – she has surged forward into…

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Live Review: Bernard Fanning’s Brutal Dawn tour brings out strong numbers to Melbourne’s northside

Piling into the Croxton Bandroom on Thornbury’s High Street on Thursday evening, an audience representing a broad demographic of music fan take in the tones of two of Melbourne’s own, Oh Pep! – a long anticipated return to home turf gigging for Olivia Hally and Pep Emmerichs, who have spent a good deal of the past two years on…

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Five Canadian artists to perform free show in Sydney next Monday

On Monday, November 6th, no less than five Canadian artists are coming to Sydney – and they’re going to be performing completely for free at the Leadbelly in Newtown. The artists represent some of the best new music out of our friends in the North, and this special showcase, dubbed “Canada Down Under” is being…

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Interview: Canadian group The Barr Brothers on their new record, Queens of the Breakers

Montreal-based band The Barr Brothers released their third record, Queens of the Breakers, earlier this month. The record, which takes its name from The Breakers, a Vanderbilt mansion precariously placed on Newport, Rhode Island’s coastline, was recorded in Montreal and St. Zenon, Quebec; engineered by Ryan Freeland (Bonnie Raitt, Ray LaMontagne) and Marcus Paquin (Arcade…

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12 gigs you can’t miss in November around Australia

As the end of 2017 draws ever closer, the Australian live music calendar continues to thrive confidently. A jam packed two months of shows lay ahead from our favourite locals and visitors, check out just a selection of them below. Marlon Williams  Come November, Marlon Williams will play his first headline tour in over a…

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Paris Games Week 2017: Every trailer from the PlayStation media conference

Christmas arrived a little early this year. PlayStation’s media conference kicked off Paris Games Week with a bang — some solid AAA trailers and a metric tonne of fabulous indie titles to look forward to. There’s a lot to cover so we’ve put every trailer Sony had to show off in one place just because…

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Paris Games Week 2017: The Last of Us Part II gets a brutal new trailer

Sony have unveiled a brand new trailer for Naughty Dog’s upcoming The Last of Us Part II during their Paris Games Week media conference. The trailer is curiously devoid of any appearance by series heroes Ellie or Joel, but does feature another popular Naughty Dog player. It is also not for the squeamish.

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Lion, Blue Murder and Top of the Lake lead the pack of 7th AACTA Awards nominations

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the full list of nominations for the 7th AACTA Awards. Leading the pack with 12 nominations is Oscar nominated and AACTA international Award-winning film Lion, followed closely by Blue Murder: Killer Cop and Top of the Lake: China Girl, which each hold 11 nominations….

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Paris Games Week 2017: Sony says its got seven games to announce tomorrow

Paris Games Week kicks off bright any early tomorrow morning and Sony aren’t wasting any time. Tweeting that “E3 was only half the story,” the publisher is promising a barrage of announcements from their press conference. 

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The 2017 Queer Screen Film Fest to bring a diverse range of LGBTIQ stories to Adelaide

The 2017 Queer Screen Film Fest aims to bring light to various LGBTIQ stories that deserve praise from all audiences. This year, it will travel to Adelaide as part of the Feast Festival from the 3-4 November 2017. Festival Director, Lisa Rose stated “Showcasing queer stories on screen is what Queer Screen is all about…

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Douglas Adams’ unfinished Tom Baker era Doctor Who to be released in Australian cinemas

Australian Doctor Who fans can let out a sigh of relief, as they will finally be able to experience Doctor Who: Shada on the big screen, as BBC Worldwide ANZ and Sharmill Films have recently announced that a limited theatrical run of the completed and restored Doctor Who story that combines both original live-action footage…

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Australian feature film Innocent Killer receives back-to-back awards

The multicultural Australian film Innocent Killer has won its second International Festival Best feature Film Award in a row. Innocent Killer is being directed by Chinese Australian Jon-Claire Lee and starring Pakistani Australian Asif Khan. It centres around the mind of a serial killer, as a city is hit with a number of unexplainable murders…

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