Hand-made in Melbourne with in.cube8r

Belinda Chen

Belinda Chen will be graduating with an honours in Communication Design from Melbourne’s RMIT this year. Her vibrant design work takes its inspirations from ‘light reflections, design with interaction, sounds, Murakami, going on adventures and people’. Read more

Matt Weston jewellery

The bling era has been and gone, and in its wake is jewellery that’s designed to express individual style, not bank balances. Among this new wave of designers is Sydney-based Matt Weston. His pieces have been making it into sought after magazines and advertisements for years. But it’s his latest collection that really got our attention. Mixing a tribal feel in seamlessly with his signature edgy street style, Weston does his thing with black suede, heavy metal, feathered charms, white rope and knotted chains. And the result? Unisex necklaces and bracelets you’ll be adding to the Christmas list quick smart.

Illumination Ink

Newcastle is now my home town and I’m enjoying meeting some of the interesting people living here. Working under the name of Illumination Ink, Heath Killen has a strong and refined style. His diverse portfolio includes everything from album art to corporate IDs and typography. In addition to his commercial work at Illumination Ink, he’s recently been producing a series of surreal Australian landscapes, some of which are on display at Flickr. Read more

Black Dynamite blaxploitation movie trailer

One very angry and unstoppable man wages war against drugs and malt liquor. A take-off of the old blaxploitation films, this is parody at its best, with many knowing nods to camera and hilarious moments involving clichés taken to their extremes. There’s the Asian kung-fu master, pimps and orphans hooked on heroin. It all begins with Black Dynamite being spurned on his quest for blood after his brother’s brutal murder, and then pushed further for the love of a good woman. There are hoes and guns, along with catchphrases and great one-liners. See it.

Defamation documentary trailer

Does Israel use the Holocaust as an excuse for their continued issues with the Palestine people? According to this film, yes. Are people who criticise Israel’s foreign policy often unfairly labelled anti-Semitic? Again, yes according to this brilliant documentary made by an Israeli-Jew. Instead of passing judgment himself, filmmaker Yoav Shamir is smart enough to put himself and his camera in the right places, surrounded by the right people, and let the people damn themselves. Read more

In The Loop, a darker Yes Minister for modern times

A less clever but much blacker version of Yes Minister, this political comedy farce does excel when it comes to insults. The communication director in the British Government reels off some of the best combinations of expletives I’ve heard in quite a while, and later in the film is equalled by American foes. In terms of content, In The Loop tells of a rush to war in the Middle East and how easily a UN resolution can be manipulated on the back of manipulated information. In a blur of meetings and arguments, educated opinions or arguments are rare and only seem to happen in passing, and this movie presents a terrifying vision of politics. I much prefer The West Wing and its clever, hard-working politicians. Considering the stupidity of Bush and co, however, this piece is probably much closer to the mark.