Best Film & TV of 2021
Best Film & TV of 2021 Best Films Dune Power of the Dog Don’t Look Up Spider-Man: No Way Home The Card Counter Honourable Mentions: King Richard, The Humans, No Sudden Move, Nobody,… Read More
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Best Film & TV of 2020
Best Films Palm Springs Soul Vast of the Night Sound of Metal Beastie Boys Story King of Staten Island Lovers Rock First Cow The Hunt Mank Da 5 Bloods Honorable Mentions: The Trip… Read More
Best Films of 2019
Having not yet seen Bong Joon-Ho’s critically-acclaimed Parasite yet, I already feel like this list isn’t 100% complete. That being said, 2019 was a pretty damn good year for film. It finally feels… Read More
Best Films of 2018
Writing this list I realised that being a new dad has really curbed my allocated film-watching time. The overarching theme definitely seems to be bold storytelling. I’ve always admired film-makers who toy with… Read More
Avengers: Infinity War
5/5 It’s easy to shit on the common blockbuster these days, with the amount of remakes and sequels around, but it’s hard to deny the sheer enormity of what Marvel Studios has created… Read More
Best Films of 2017
As always, here are my favourite films from 2017. Seeing as I’ve only posted two reviews since my top ten list from last year, it seems I need to pull my finger out… Read More
How Heavy This Hammer
Imagine Tony Soprano had no affiliation with the mob; instead of spending time amidst criminals and criminal-related activity, he was addicted to computer games. Fat, lazy, selfish, childish and at times unnecessarily violent,… Read More
Best Films of 2016
2016 was a pretty shitty year: we lost a lot of talented people and a lot of bad decisions were made around the world – this may be why looking over my finalised… Read More
Music: The Best of 2016
Every year I usually put together my list of the best albums and tracks from the year that was for Beat Magazine. However, because I was travelling abroad I missed the deadline and… Read More
X-Men: Apocalypse
Rating: 2/5 Bryan Singer’s first X-Men film, back in 2000, was among the first big blockbusters adapted from comic material. The film is semi-responsible for the onslaught of superhero films, television shows and… Read More
The Nice Guys
Rating: 3/5 Shane Black loves a “buddy cop” film. After all, he’s kind of responsible for launching the genre with his Lethal Weapon screenplay, and again with his near-perfect directorial debut, Kiss Kiss… Read More
Top Films of 2015
Better late than never… here’s my annual list of the best films from the year (from what I saw, anyway). 2015 was not the greatest year for film-making in my opinion, but these… Read More
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Rating: 4/5 Rest assured, this is a spoiler-free review. This is intended for the fans that simply need to know whether it’s any good, not to reveal any details of what exactly happens. That… Read More
Black Mass
Rating: 4/5 Black Mass is the true story of James “Whitey” Bulger, the infamous gangster from Boston who was on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for 12 years. Using fictional confessions… Read More
Ex Machina Review
Rating: 3/5 Alex Garland is the acclaimed author of The Beach, the same novel that was adapted for film by Danny Boyle. Boyle and Garland collaborated again on a number of films including… Read More
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Rating: 4.5/5 The first Avengers film pulled off the impressive feat of bringing together Marvel’s greatest superheroes in one film, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, while still… Read More
Top 10 Films of 2014
It’s that time of year when critics reflect on all the time they’ve wasted watching films (most of them shit), only to pluck the ten they’d actually recommend to anyone else. It’d be… Read More
The Rolling Stones, Rod Laver Arena
Wednesday, 05 November 2014 For anyone who thinks The Rolling Stones are over-rated I can only say, “You stupid, stupid wanker”. To deny them of greatness just because you don’t appreciate their music… Read More
22 Jump Street Review
Chris Miller and Phil Lord made this sequel bigger and better in every aspect but not at the sake of its charm. 21 Jump Street caught people by surprise. With Channing Tatum’s casting… Read More
Questions Remaining Unanswered After X-Men: Days of Future Past
Let’s not beat around the bush… Bryan Singer’s latest instalment in the X-Men franchise is one of the best comic book movies ever made. It impressively crams so much into just two hours… Read More
The Trip to Italy
This film will make you want to travel, eat, learn, read and watch classic cinema… and enjoy it all with a good friend. Like the many colourful dishes in this film, there’s something… Read More
The Double
Rating: 2/5 This is the try-hard hipster of all films. It’s desperately trying to be different, but the result is a confused interpretation of those who invented the style. It took me about 24-hours after watching… Read More
Everything You Need to Know About Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man Universe…
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro is an impressive popcorn blockbuster. The action is mind-blowing, especially the fight scenes between Spidey and Jamie Foxx’s Dr. Manhattan Electro, and the swing choreography is… Read More
The Wolf of Wall Street
Funny, intense, crazy, quick and smart as hell, thanks to a brilliant script based on an incredible true story, headed by a brilliant director, lead and support cast. People, this is as good… Read More
13 Best Films of 2013
I know I’m a little late with this, but it’s always good to look back at the year of films and judge the overall quality. I realised two big things from forming this… Read More
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
If you ignore that essentially the idea of “The Hunger Games” is stolen from Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale, the underlying plot of these films is actually one of the most original and daring to… Read More
Thor: The Dark World
It was always the intention of the Thor series to be Marvel’s “fantasy epic” and this was confirmed with Game of Thrones’ director Alan Taylor stepping in for Kenneth Branagh. The sequel should… Read More
A Beginner’s Guide: Travelling to Japan for the First Time
Firstly, congratulations on choosing Japan as your next holiday destination – you won’t regret it. From the moment you land you will be swept up in a world of cultural extremes. There’s the… Read More
Thanks For Sharing
Thanks For Sharing This is the debut from director Stuart Blumberg, who wrote The Kids Are All Right. And maybe it’s because he only drafted the screenplay for Thanks For Sharing, but the… Read More
Kick-Ass 2
I made the mistake of watching the original Kick-Ass the day before watching the sequel. That’s like visiting the Grand Canyon and then expecting to be wowed by an average hole in the… Read More
Interview with Thor
In November 2013, Thor: The Dark World will hit cinemas around the world, with Chris Hemsworth returning as the title character. While most publications were out chasing the Australian actor down for an interview, I went… Read More
Downloaded
I remember when I first discovered Napster as a teenager. Being from a small town, where the local music store specialised in Top 40 artists and Country & Western, it was the greatest… Read More
Weekly Round-Up #3
This is a weekly round-up of all the random stuff from around the web… Mad Men Mottos Firstly, something awesome. There’s a whole collection of these, which attempt to capture some words of… Read More
News from Comic-Con 2013
Comic-Con just came to an end for another year, with over 130,000 people gathering in San Diego to celebrate the world of comics, toys, gaming, film and television. It seems there was more… Read More
The Best Songs in Movies
Good music to a film is kind of like tomato sauce on a meat pie… it’s not essential but definitely makes it better. There are so many awesome soundtracks out there, some better… Read More
Weekly Round-up #2
Another week, another collection of random crap from the net. I’d laugh about the fact that people have way too much spare time, but sadly I’m here putting it all in a post.… Read More
Rolling Stones Mix Tape
The Rolling Stones just rocked the shit out of Glastonbury Music Festival last week, and even though the band’s youngest member is 66 (guitarist Ronnie Wood), they sweated out a mammoth two and… Read More
This Is The End
There’s one scene in This Is the End, where James Franco and Danny McBride arguing about masturbating, when I snorted from laughing so hard. Even though it’s embarrassing, it’s been a long time… Read More
Weekly Round-Up #1
This is a weekly collection of best bits from around the web… some of it awesome, some of it funny and some of it just plain weird. Enjoy! Kid Vs. Kid This kid… Read More
2013 MIFF Program
FILM FEATURE The MIFF program gets announced tomorrow morning – and having had a sneak peak, the organisers have put together an truly impressive list of both international and local gems. For… Read More
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II
ALBUM REVIEW The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. At first it was just an obsession with the first single, So Good At Being In Trouble, but now… Read More
Superman is Thor!
FILM REVIEW Hopefully most people reading this have already seen Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel – but just in case here’s a word of warning: this post may contain… Read More
Iron Man 3
FILM REVIEW Iron Man 3 is the first film of Marvel’s Phase 2, which carries on from the gigantic blockbuster The Avengers. And what an impressive start it is. Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron… Read More
Olympus Has Fallen
FILM REVIEW The best thing about this movie is that I can now confidently say I have seen the worst movie of my life. Everything about it is terrible – from the corny… Read More
Django Unchained
As a self-taught director and general film lover, Quentin Tarantino has paid homage to various genres throughout his career. While his specialty is crime (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown), he has… Read More
Cosmopolis
The best thing about this film is that it is bound to disappoint a million Twilight fans. I actually have a lot more respect for Robert Patterson now, by the fact that he… Read More
Friends With Kids
As with Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, I was expecting Friends With Kids to be a half-arsed excuse for the cast of Bridesmaids to reunite. But in fact, it’s a completely different film… Read More
The Avengers
FILM REVIEW Whether you like superhero movies or not, you have to appreciate what Marvel Studios have achieved with The Avengers. There was a massive amount of risk putting the wheels in motion to make this… Read More
The Hunger Games
FILM REVIEW With the Twilight series ending this year, Hollywood saw an opening to launch for a new teen franchise. Much like Twilight, The Hunger Games is based on a series of best-selling novels and already had a… Read More
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
FILM REVIEW As with all sequels these days, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows brings more exotic destinations, more laughs and more action. This seems to be the on-going trend with all movie franchises, whether… Read More
The Future
FILM REVIEW Miranda July understands what quirky is, perhaps better than any other director/actor working today. She understands the type of awkward situations, odd relationships and minor behavioural tendencies that make a character unique,… Read More
Our Idiot Brother
FILM REVIEW Paul Rudd is a very loveable guy. But after his big break as the dorky older brother in Clueless it took a while for him to find a role that people would notice –… Read More
The Hunter
FILM REVIEW Based on the acclaimed novel by Julia Leigh, The Hunter tells the story of Martin (Willem Dafoe), an American mercenary in search of the last remaining Tasmanian Tiger. Martin is a loner by profession… Read More
The Three Muskateers
FILM REVIEW They could have just named this Pirates of the Caribbean: The Three Musketeers. After all, it’s clearly replicating the basic formula – the story even revolves around flying pirate ships… yes,… Read More
TT3D: Closer to the Edge
FILM REVIEW Forget about Real Steel, TT3D: Closer to the Edge is the best movie about man and his machine you will see all year. In fact, it’s easily the best sports movie I’ve seen in… Read More
Katalyst – Deep Impressions
ALBUM REVIEW Part of Katalyst’s appeal is that he finds vocalists who are not only talented in their own rights, but complement the soul-inspired, urban sound that he has perfected. His relationship with… Read More
Crazy, Stupid, Love
FILM REVIEW Before watching Crazy, Stupid, Love, you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that you’d seen it all before. A romantic comedy with Steve Carrell learning how to date women, Ryan Gosling with his shirt off, Emma Stone being cutesy… Read More
13 Assassins
FILM REVIEW Much like honour and courage, the Japanese samurai epic is something that cannot be bought with money – no matter how much some Hollywood studios are willing to pay. The closest… Read More
The Green Lantern
FILM REVIEW Just when you thought Hollywood was done investing in Ryan Reynold’s cocky routine or comic book movies in general, DC has finally decided to stop hiding behind their two biggest drawcards (Batman and Superman)… Read More
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows: Part 2
FILM REVIEW The final Harry Potter was not the epic spectacle I was hoping for but it did allow the franchise to bow out with its credibility intact. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows: Part Two will… Read More
The Tree of Life
FILM REVIEW This is the most beautiful piece of shit I’ve ever seen. And apart from the subject matter itself, the most confusing thing about The Tree of Life is the reaction it received. For… Read More
Washed Out – Within and Without
ALBUM REVIEW The chill-wave scene became overcrowded quickly, but Atlanta’s Washed Out (alias of Ernest Greene) has developed a unique sound that isn’t so repetitive. Now after the two stand-out EPs Life of Leisure and High… Read More
X-Men: First Class
FILM REVIEW The original X-Men movie, with Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry, kicked off Hollywood’s comic book obsession and still remains one of the best yet. X2 defied the sequel trend and triumphed on all bases, giving nerds and regular… Read More
Smoke Fairies – Through Low Light and Trees
ALBUM REVIEW The truth is that I write for something of an alternative music magazine, not weekly newsletters for a middle-aged music appreciation club. If you were expecting me to write that this… Read More
The Dodos – No Color
ALBUM REVIEW Even though The Dodos have maintained the same drum-heavy rhythm across four albums, the Californian duo’s formula still hasn’t lost its appeal… entirely. No Color (yes, I have to keep the American spelling)… Read More
Nick Batterham – Second Lovers
ALBUM REVIEW With a lengthy band resume up his sleeve, including Cordazine, Blindside and The Earthmen, Nick Batterham has finally released his first solo album. As a result, Second Lovers has obvious production value, as… Read More
The Stillsons
MUSIC FEATURE For local country-roots band The Stillsons, the road has been long and bumpy but their hard work is beginning to pay-off. Now, with the launch of thei r new music video, lead… Read More
Triple J’s Like A Version: Volume 6
ALBUM REVIEW The Like A Version series has become a pretty big deal. And why wouldn’t it? It’s like hearing your favourite new artists at a karaoke party. Unlike previous volumes, which featured predominately older… Read More
Ronnie Wood – I Feel Like Playing
ALBUM REVIEW Ronnie Wood has featured regularly in the media over the past decade. If not for his work with The Rolling Stones, then for his many stints in rehab (which is likely… Read More
Aloe Blacc – Good Things
ALBUM REVIEW With the recent release of John Legend and The Roots’ Wake Up, it seems that soul music is making somewhat of a comeback. And while Legend and The Roots attempted to modernise… Read More
John Legend – Wake Up!
MUSIC REVIEW During the hype of the Obama election, John Legend and hip-hop favourites, The Roots, collaborated to raise community awareness with a compilation of ‘60s and ‘70s covers. What could have been… Read More