June 27, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

Based on the Booker Prize Winning novel by J.M. Coetzee, John Malkovich is superb as David Lurie, a poetry professor without much of a moral compass. He is dismissed from his university in South Africa for taking advantage of a student, and moves to the country to live with his daughter, where the crimes she suffers through forces him to analyse his own mistakes. Disgrace is a wonderfully layered film, filled with complex characters and almost requires repeated viewing to fully appreciate the many issues covered. Despite the lack of action the piece never drags. At its worst, film is disposable and boring. At its best, film informs, inspires debate and forces each viewer to question their own moral code. This is film at its best.

June 24, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

An Australian film that focuses on the hardships suffered by a typical lower-class family. I can feel you cringe, but there’s no need. This isn’t another clanger that relies on clichés and lame jokes, that portrays average Australians as simple and backward. Here are intelligent, warm, loving people struggling with a series of hardships with individuality, honesty and strength. Read more

June 18, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

A few years ago, a few German high school students went a bit nuts. The students had been adamant that fascism could never again take hold in Germany. So the teacher started a social experiment to prove that it could, and the students got a little caught up in it, to say the least. In reality, the whole thing was shut down before it got too out of control. This film is a fictionalised version of that out of control experiment and does an excellent job of showing, in a contemporary setting, just how easily fascism can develop support and discriminate against those involved, with even the teacher caught up by the amount of power he has over the students.

Cool Travel / Old style, new class at Sydney’s Bar Cleveland

June 4, 2009 | Cool Travel | by Xavier Toby |

For some reason, over the last decade nearly every pub in Sydney has been systematically destroyed. I’m not sure who’s doing it, or why, but a someone is ripping out every ounce of character, replacing it with bright lights, flat screens, garish colours and emotionless interiors. Bar Cleveland on Cleveland St in Surry Hills seems to be one venue that has so far escaped. It could easily be just another big pub, but it’s not. Recent renovations have faithfully rendered an art-deco inspired interior to surround the impressive centrepiece, the large original bar. The interior is kept dim, the couches are comfortable, the beer is cold and the food is decent.

New Music / Dragging it out with The Kingpins

June 4, 2009 | New Music | by Xavier Toby |

Women dressing as men dressing as women, then performing. Confused? You shouldn’t be. The Kingpins plunder all that’s cringe worthy and noteworthy from 1980s music videos for their live performances and video clips. After beginning in the Sydney drag scene, they won several competitions and have now gone on to tour internationally. Their live shows are known for skimpy outfits and intense energy, and often feature copious amounts of cock-rock which embodies a sarcastic brand of misogyny. The high-quality videos then cast that same judgmental eye over everyday spaces and the bland repetition in most people’s lives.

New Products / Sneakers, for sneaking around in

June 2, 2009 | New Products | by Xavier Toby |

With so many pairs of kicks on the market, we thought we’d cut through the noise and throw up (in the nicest possible way) a few of our favorite pairs to cut a swathe through the inner-city streets in, starting with these Puma sneakers, which would be kinda fun to celebrate the Chinese New Year in. Right? Read more

New Art / The dark side of David Griggs

June 1, 2009 | New Art | by Xavier Toby |

David Griggs doesn’t want you to feel comfortable. His paintings often begin with detailed images of a simple, arresting beauty, which is then subverted with graffiti or scribbles. He’s an artist that quite clearly works with the darker sides of humanity, as his pieces often contain violent imagery. His work also regularly deals with contemporary politics and current issues. Read more

June 1, 2009 | Video | by Xavier Toby |

Some hidden video treasures? Here are five videos that remain criminally under-viewed. Though, instead of laugh-out loud funny or stupid, these are more about quality animation and music. Read more

Cool Travel / Five unusual museums that defy belief

May 28, 2009 | Cool Travel | by Xavier Toby |

Museums can be really boring. There’s a dinosaur, here’s a rock. Wow. To combat those assumptions, here are five very real and very different museums from around the world that are anything but boring. The Inti Nan Solar Museum: Ever wondered which way water spins down the drain when you’re on the equator? Visit the Inti Nan Solar Museum in Ecuador to find out. Also, balance an egg on a nail — it’s only possible on the equator — and see a bunch of shrunken heads. I’m not sure how they fit it all in. The Creation Museum: Did God create the world in six days only 6,000 years ago? According to this museum, he did. See exhibits where humans run with dinosaurs, and be bowled over by information that makes no logical sense. Read more

May 28, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

A compelling film starring two of Hollywood’s finest, Merryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt is based on an award-winning play of the same name and analyses how the Catholic Church deals with the problem of paedophilia and priests. Much more than simply condemning the act, this movie delves further, examining how the hierarchy of the church often protects its perpetrators, and how those with the best interests of the child at heart are often virtually powerless. The weighty topics are then complicated with complex characters and surprising twists, making this a rare movie where the issues and consequences linger with you long afterwards.

New Film / What Just Happened?

May 26, 2009 | New Film | by Xavier Toby |

Is Hollywood as ramshackle, dysfunctional and self-obsessed as celebrity gossip magazines and news programs would have us believe? Apparently, yes. This brilliant new comedy stars Robert De Niro as a producer dealing with all of Hollywood’s pressures, which include an enigmatic and headstrong director, a ruthless studio boss, a demanding actor, a neurotic agent, and a personal life packed with ex-wives and children. Read more

New Music / Philadelphia Grand Jury

May 20, 2009 | New Music | by Xavier Toby |

Philadelphia Grand Jury are a typically hard-working Aussie band, constantly traversing back and forward across the country with other emerging acts. Their single, Going To The Casino Tomorrow Night, has to be one of the catchiest rock songs in recent memory.

New Art / Siobhan Punshon’s Mesmerising Maps

May 18, 2009 | New Art | by Xavier Toby |

Maps represent a landscape, but they can also mean much more. Victorian artist Siobhan Punshon has recently been working with all sorts of maps and charts, using them as source material then fictionalising the landscape with colour and patterns to create new interpretations of the technical documents. The results then push the viewer in several different directions, as familiar names and symbols are rendered confusing and nonsensical, taking on compelling and dreamlike qualities. Siobhan Punshon has held solo shows in both Melbourne and Sydney, been an artist-in-residence at the Melbourne Aquarium and a finalist in several major art prizes, including the Mosman, Paddington, the ANL Maritime Art Prize, the Fleurieu Peninsula Water Prize and most recently the Albany Art Prize.

New Music / The sweet sounds of Jess McAvoy

May 17, 2009 | New Music | by Xavier Toby |

Melbourne singer-songwriter Jess McAvoy has been touring around Australia for a couple of years now, playing small headline shows. Her sound oscillates between rocking numbers through to melodic, more introspective tunes, all of which she sings with the most sublime voice.

May 14, 2009 | New Music | by Xavier Toby |

Hands in the air, foot-kicking nightclub music, played live, with no laptops or backing tracks, just drums, keyboards and synths. Art vs Science get crowds jumping wherever they play and produce music that will brighten your mood and get you smiling. It’s super catchy and very fun.