Day: 13 February 2019

Games Review: The Stillness of the Wind is a game of great peace and sadness

The Stillness of the Wind is a melancholy tale and one that frequently had me in tears, even if it was hard to articulate why. The premise is simple — you play as Talma, an old woman who lives on a farm. As the years have gone by, the people in Talma’s life have left…

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Film Review: Happy Death Day 2U (USA, 2019) is just as much of a surprise as the delightfully twisted original

Just as much of a surprise as the delightfully twisted original – 2017’s Happy Death Day – Happy Death Day 2U is revelatory not because it improves on its predecessor’s horror temperament, but because it completely bypasses the slasher genre trope and cements itself firmly within the grounds of science-fiction. Given how much fun writer and director…

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Photo Gallery: In The Round #014 Ft. Elska, Ayla, Steve Smyth & Tamma – The Vanguard, Sydney (12.02.19)

The fourteenth edition of In The Round was held last night at the Vanguard in Newtown, Sydney. It was a great combination of instruments and vocals in the unique and intimate setting which governs these shows. Elska from the Gold Coast was the curator of this edition. She plays the harps, employing loops and had…

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Track of the Day: Kim Churchill “After The Sun” (2019)

It’s looking to be a big year ahead for Australian artist Kim Churchill, with four location-based EP’s set to be released across 2019 and 2020 that took the acclaimed singer/songwriter to Germany, Canada, Australia and the UK; with each EP written and recorded in their respective location. The first track to emerge from this project…

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Film Review: Alita: Battle Angel (USA, 2019) is faithful to its source material and very entertaining, when love isn’t in the air

English-language live-action film adaptations of manga/anime source material have been quite problematic, to say the least. While most of the films just fail to capture the spirit of the source material due to bad filmmaking (eg. Fist of the North Star, Death Note [2017]), other examples fail just due to the fact that they did…

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Games Review: Apex Legends is the best Battle Royale title in the world right now

I haven’t enjoyed any title in the Battle Royale genre before Apex Legends. Not one. To date, my firmly held opinion has been that BR is a multiplayer mode that has risen well above its station, lacking the substance required to be a genre unto itself. Apex Legends not only changed my opinion on Battle…

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An open letter to Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW Liberals: This isn’t just a war on festivals. It’s a war on jobs, culture and common sense.

Over the last 13 years of being involved in the music industry wearing one hat or another, if I’ve learnt anything, it’s that this industry is full of the hardest workers of any I’ve ever come across. Roadies who sleep in hammocks in the scaffolding of a festival stage so they can pack down your…

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New cruise option linking the heart of Vancouver and Victoria (Canada) for the first time

Back when I lived in Vancouver, the only real option of getting between downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Island – home to British Columbia’s capital Victoria – was by way of a large, run-of-the-mill ferry operated by BC Ferries. It’s relatively affordable – at under $20 each way – takes about 90 minutes and has food…

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Games Review: Metro Exodus’ post-apocalyptic Russia is terrifyingly beautiful

Now is as good a time as any for 4A Games’ Metro franchise to emerge from its dank subterranean setting and venture out into a terribly unforgiving post-apocalyptic Russia. It’s what series protagonist Artyom has strived for all these years after all, setting out on an ambitious adventure across harsh tundras, spooky desserts and mysterious…

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Book Review: Anton Du Beke’s debonair debut One Enchanted Evening might just sweep you off your feet

The year is 1936 and inside the Buckingham Hotel’s Grand Ballroom, the party is in full swing. But it’s more than dancing partners and waiters armed with fresh champagne doing the rounds here. With Britain keeping one eye firmly on the rising European fascists, the business of buying and selling secrets is booming – and…

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8 events not to miss at Perth Festival Writers Week

It’s the event that kicks off the writers’ festival circuit every year, and Perth Festival’s faithful will tell you it’s one of the best in Australia. Under the stewardship of new program curator, William Yeoman, the Perth Writers Festival has seen some changes in the last two years- most notably a change of name to…

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Blu-Ray Review: What to expect from the Westworld Season Two: The Door 3 Disc Home Release

At the end of last year, the second season of Westworld (“The Door”) received the home Blu-Ray release treatment, with a three disc set showcasing all ten episodes of the big budget HBO series. The season introduced us to the other “worlds” that run alongside Westworld – while a number of storylines and timelines helped…

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