Review

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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Film Review: Wicked Little Letters; Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley flex their profane vocabulary in wicked little comedy

Before the internet gave way to the keyboard warriors of the world, if there was a bystander of sorts that you wished to give a piece of your mind to (however warranted or not), one had to put pen to paper and post such. In the early 20th century these were the days of the…

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Film Review: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire needs to unthaw its grip on series nostalgia

Nostalgia undoubtedly has its place within the realms of IP revisitation, but there are certain ways to utilise such a notion without completely falling back on them.  2021’s Afterlife, the 3rd Ghostbusters , chronologically, following 1984’s debut and its 1989 sequel – or the 4th iteration if counting Paul Feig’s much maligned, but vastly underrated…

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Contra: Operation Galuga provides some safe, old-school fun

I’ve been a huge fan of the Contra series over the years, and still go back to the original when it pops up. Upon hearing that Contra: Operation Galuga would reimagine the first entry with some fresh visuals and gameplay, I was pumped. Contra: Operation Galuga is certainly a good time as far as 2D…

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The SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL gaming keyboard is a safe, yet solid bet

I’ve reviewed a few SteelSeries keyboards over the years, and they have ultimately become my go-to option for both general everyday use and gaming. I currently use a SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL as my daily driver, and it has not really disappointed me in the slightest. In many ways, the Apex 9 TKL is an…

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Film Review: Immaculate; Sydney Sweeney commits to disturbing, potentially triggering, religious horror outing

Given Sydney Sweeney‘s dedication to Immaculate as a production, it makes sense that the actress gives her all across the 89 minutes of Michael Mohan‘s disturbing, occasionally blackly comic, religious horror film. A decade-or-so ago, Sweeney, who was still mainly working in C-grade film fare at the time, read the Andrew Lobel-penned script and knew…

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The Netgear Nighthawk RS700S Wi-Fi 7 router packs a huge punch, if you’re willing to pay the price

It only feels like we just got Wi-Fi 6 and 6E up and running in most of our routers and devices. But Netgear has decided to move things forward once again with Wi-Fi 7, introduced via their new RS700S Tri-Band router. This review might feel a little heavy, but we’ll do our best to punch…

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Film Review: Road House is trashy escapism that revels in its own dirty masculinity

Whilst some of the beats are the same between Doug Liman‘s surprising take on Rowdy Herrington’s resilient 1989 trashy actioner of the same name, Road House 2024 proves removed enough to justify its existence as a similarly-themed junky piece of escapism that revels in its own dirty masculinity. Jake Gyllenhaal shares the same name as…

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Film Review: Love Lies Bleeding is deliciously wild and audaciously brutal

If her prominent post-Twilight work hasn’t convinced you to join the Kristen Stewart appreciation club, then may I suggest signing up in the wake of Love Lies Bleeding, a deliciously wild, brutal noir crime comedy that gleefully breaks your jaw in the process. And there’s a reason I specified a breaking jaw in that analogy,…

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Film Review: The Nut Farm cracks charm out of its undecorated nature

Whilst The Nut Farm undeniably goes for simple, perhaps obvious humour over the course of its brisk 80-ish minutes, audiences looking for clean(ish) humour and a sense of family fun should have an easy time digesting Arj Barker‘s absurd, well-intentioned comedy. Barker, an American comedian whose very much made Australia his second home over the…

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Kryptic is a Lynchian-like thriller that indulges in its confusing, confronting narrative: SXSW Film & TV Festival Review

Towards the beginning of the creepy and ambiguous Kryptic, a tour guide overseeing the Cedar Springs Women’s Walking Club explains what cryptozoology is.  “It means the study of the hidden,” he states as he details Barb Valentine, a cryptozoologist who went missing in the very same British Columbia hinterland the group is currently hiking through….

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