Monthly Archives: June 2021

22Jun

[FILM NEWS] 2021 SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL Line-Up Announced

Posted in Film, Film Festivals, Film News, Home Page, News | Leave a comment

Palace invites you to go north this midwinter with the Scandinavian Film Festival. The full 2021 programme has been unveiled, a superb showcase of the best new Nordic cinema, and will be screening nationally at Palace Cinemas from 6 July to 4 August 2021.  

This year’s specially curated selection encompasses films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, including ten directed by women, with many screening for the first time outside of Europe.  

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, THE EMIGRANTS (Utvandrarna) will close the Festival. The Emigrants follows a struggling farming family in mid-19th Century Sweden who decide to embark on the arduous journey to new hope in America. Starring the late Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants was nominated for five Oscars® and won Golden Globe awards for Best Actress (Liv Ullmann) and Best Foreign Film. The Closing Night screenings will feature a celebratory Scandi cocktail in tribute to acting great Max Von Sydow who passed away in March 2020. 

The Festival will open with WILDLAND (Kød & Blod). Set in Denmark’s underbelly, Jeanette Nordahl’s striking Scandi-noir follows an impressionable teenage girl who is placed in the care of her estranged aunt (an incredible Sidse Babette Knudsen), the head of a family crime syndicate. 

Sidse Babette Knudsen also stars in THE EXCEPTION (Undtagelsen), alongside Danica Curcic, Amanda Collin and Lena Marie Christensen. The Exception is an electrifying Copenhagen-set psychological thriller about four colleagues at a NGO, who suspect each other after a series of mysterious death threats. 

Stellan Skarsgård and Andrea Bræin Hovig star in HOPE (Håp), a stunningly acted relationship drama about a creative couple by director Maria Sødahl, that was Norway’s official submission to the 2021 Academy Awards.  

A luminescent Laura Birn stars in HELENE, a captivating portrait of Finland’s most acclaimed painter of the early twentieth century, Helene Schjerfbeck.  

While TOVE is a fascinating depiction of the life and personal relationships of Finnish visual artist and author Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins.  

Laura Birn also appears with Swedish star Christian Hillborg (The Last Kingdom, The Bridge, Fleabag) in the GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (Seurapeli). A group of old friends gather at an idyllic Finnish seaside villa to celebrate a surprise birthday, where old feelings and power struggles rise to the surface. 

Musical comedy A PIECE OF MY HEART (En del av mitt hjärta) also stars Christian Hillborg opposite Hollywood star Malin Akerman who plays successful businesswoman Isabella. She returns to her hometown where she learns that her teenage love (Hillborg) is getting married in this Swedish box office sensation. 

Weddings also feature in films from Denmark and Norway. PERSONA NON GRATA (Hvor kragerne vender) is a black comedy about uncomfortable family relations following a cosmopolitan Copenhagen writer who returns to her rural hometown for her brother’s wedding.  

While DIANA’S WEDDING (Dianas bryllup) is a bittersweet tribute to love, telling the story of Norwegians Liv and Terje and the unconventional, stormy marriage they embark on the very same day as Diana Spencer and Prince Charles exchange vows in London. 

This year’s Special Presentation is TIGERS (Tigrar). Crowned Best Nordic Film at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival, Tigers is the enthralling true story of Swedish football wunderkind Martin Bengtsson, a former Inter Milan player, who lifted the lid on a world where everyone has a price tag. 

Rising Norwegian star Josefine Frida Pettersen (Skam) shines in Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s provocative new drama DISCO about a young evangelical dance champion whose faith is tested, prompting her to search for radical solutions. 

Also from Norway, BEWARE OF CHILDREN (Barn). This multi award-winning and critically acclaimed drama traces the dramatic aftermath of a tragic event in a middle-class suburb of Oslo, examining society’s reaction when crisis strikes amongst children. 

Danish production ANY DAY NOW (Ensilumi) is a celebration of the quietly humane; an Iranian family in Finland await a decision about whether they will be granted an official asylum status in Hamy Ramezan’s personal first feature. 

While the deeply moving 2020 Göteborg Film Festival opener PSYCHOSIS IN STOCKHOLM (Psykos i Stockholm) is a surreal drama about a mother and daughter who embark on a trip to Stockholm, yet their plan is derailed when the mother begins acting strangely. 

Also from Sweden is a very different mother-daughter relationship at the heart of CALL MUM! (Ring Mamma!). Niki has just turned 35 and is suddenly forced to come to grips with all her relationships and past choices in life in this charming comedy from the director of She Monkeys, Lisa Aschan.  

 

At the Centrepiece of the Festival is THE COUNTY (Héraðið), Grímur Hákonarson’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to the global hit Rams. The County is a rousing, David-and-Goliath comedy about a dairy farmer’s wife (Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir) who takes on the corrupt local co-op in her remote Icelandic valley.  

 

Based on his eponymous play, Ragnar Bragason’s THE GARDEN (Gullregn) stars acclaimed actress Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War), alongside Trapped star Sigrún Edda Björnsdóttir in a dark comedy of self-reflection that delves into xenophobia in Iceland. 

Iceland’s entry into the 2021 Academy Awards, AGNES JOY (Hæ, hó Agnes Joy) is a tale of intergenerational struggle in a picturesque setting that was a winner with audiences.  

In Iceland’s #1 box office hit comedy of 2020, THE LAST FISHING TRIP (Síðasta veiðiferðin), it’s The Hangover meets Sideways as six friends depart on their annual fishing trip leaving their wives, work and worries at home!  

In GRANDMA HOFI (Amma Hófí) a pair of senior citizens, fed up with the conditions in their retirement home, decide to rob banks so they can afford a small apartment. Stars Icelandic comedy royalty Edda Björgvinsdóttir (Under the Tree) and Þórhallur ‘Laddi’ Sigurðsson (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty). 

The specially curated programme of films and events includes a Dansk Cocktail presented by Copenhagen Distillery Gin, Sparkling Screenings presented by Marimekko plus Carlsberg and Nordic flavours at selected events.  

Tickets are now on sale at www.scandinavianfilmfestival.com. 

The 2021 Scandinavian Film Festival will take place nationally from 6 July – 4 August, in the following cities: 

Sydney: 6 – 28 July, Palace Norton, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinemas 

Canberra: 7 – 28 July, Palace Electric 

Melbourne: 8 – 28 July, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema 

Adelaide: 13 July – 4 August, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas 

Perth: 14 July – 4 August, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square 

Brisbane: 15 July – 4 August, Palace James St, Palace Barracks

Byron Bay: 16 July – 1 August, Palace Byron Bay 

22Jun

[FILM REVIEW]WRATH OF MAN Review (2021)

Posted in Action, Crime, Film, Film Genre, Home Page, Thriller | Leave a comment

Summary:  The plot follows H, a cold and mysterious character working at a cash truck company responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles each week.

Year: 2021

Cinema Release Dates: 29th April 2021 (Australia), 29th July 2021 (Thailand), 23rd July 2021 (UK), 7th May 2021 (USA)

VOD Release Dates: TBA

Country: USA, UK

Director: Guy Ritchie

Screenwriter: Eric Besnard, Guy Ritchie, Marn Davies, Ivan Atkinson

Cast: Niamh Algar (Dana), Laz Alonso (Carlos), Mark Arnold (Super), Alessandro Babalola (Stuart), Eli Brown (Dougie), Rebecca Calder (Amy), Raul Castillo (Sam), Mark Cotone (Marko), Josh Cowdery (FBI Agent Hubbard), Darrell D’Silva (Mike), Rob Delaney (Boss Blake Halls), Thomas Dominique (Jerome), Jeffrey Donovan (Jackson), Scott Eastwood (Jan), Alex Ferns (John), Andy Garcia (Agent King), Josh Harnett (Boy Sweat Dave), Cameron Jack (Brendan), Eve Macklin (Jane), Montana Manning (Anna), Eddie Marsan (Terry), Holt McCallany (Bullet), Tadgh Murphy (Shirley), Babs Olusanmokun (Moggy), Deobia Oparei (Brad), Chris Reilly (Tom), Lynn Renee (Kirsty), Jason Statham (H), Rocci Williams (Hollow Bob), Jason Wong (FBI Agent Okey)

Running Time: 119 mins

Classification: MA15+ (Australia), 15 (UK), R (Australia)

OUR WRATH OF MAN REVIEWS

David and Lee Griffiths’ Wrath Of Man Review:

Dave’s rating Out Of 5

Lee’s rating out of 5:

Average Subculture Rating:

IMDB Rating:

Wrath of Man (2021) on IMDb

Other Subculture Wrath Of Man Reviews:

Nil.

Trailer:

22Jun

[VOD NEWS] THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY Launches On Friday

Posted in Family/Kids, Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, News, TV | Leave a comment

Disney+ announced that “The Mysterious Benedict Society” will premiere on Friday, June 25 with two episodes. Character posters and a new television spot highlighting Tony Hale’s dual roles of twin brothers Mr. Benedict and L.D. Curtain are also now available. 

After winning a scholarship competition, four gifted orphans are recruited by the peculiar Mr. Benedict for a dangerous mission to save the world from a global crisis known as The Emergency. Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance must infiltrate the mysterious L.I.V.E. Institute to discover the truth behind the crisis. When the headmaster, the sophisticated Dr. Curtain appears to be behind this worldwide panic, the kids of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” must devise a plan to defeat him.
 
“The Mysterious Benedict Society” stars Tony Hale, Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, Ryan Hurst, Gia Sandhu, Seth B. Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Mystic Inscho and Marta Kessler.
 
The series is executive produced by Sonar Entertainment, 20th Television, Jamie Tarses, Karen Kehela Sherwood, Deepak Nayar, David Ellender, Matt Loze, James Bobin, Matt Manfredi (writer/creator) and Phil Hay (writer/creator). Showrunners for the series are Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.

22Jun

[MUSIC NEWS] APRIL 21ST Drops New Single

Posted in Home Page, Metal, Music, Music Genre, Music News, News | Leave a comment

Brazilian metalcore band April 21st   have revealed a new music video and single for the song “Healing My Wounds“. The video was directed by Lucas Akira and Romulo Machado. “Healing My Wounds” is the first single from the band’s new EP entitled Courage Is Born from Fear which is scheduled for a worldwide release on September 10, 2021 via Eclipse Records. Watch it right now on YouTube at this location.
 
“This song tells a story in first person, the moment when someone is unable to visualize the solution for their problems and they go into deep depression” says guitarist Herbert. “The chorus is an inner voice screaming that it is necessary to be strong to continue, and that nobody can help you except for yourself. In the video, we are representing this ongoing fight between someone’s mind and their demons, as an actual fight in a boxing ring. The message is simple though; we have to keep fighting and believe in ourselves no matter how difficult a situation seems to be.”
 
The band’s new EP album Courage Is Born from Fear contains five tracks that are both intense and honest. The album was produced by Bruno Barros (Skank, Toninho Horta, Lagun) at the renowned Sonasterio studios in the beautiful mountains of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the cover art was designed by Lucas Akira. The first single “Healing my Wounds” contains a harmony element that redefines what a verse riff might be, while the second single “Decision”, spotlights the fastest and tightest bass drum hummingbird 16ths in a blast beat that we ever might have the pleasure of hearing (and feeling right down to the marrow). “Struggling to Break This Cycle” explodes through our headphones with enough drive and funk to satisfy the most serious of metal freaks, and “Stand up and Scream” features a platform guitar solo that is the epitome of melody and speed in a glorious hybrid.
 
For more information on April 21st, please follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Eclipse Records.
 
April 21st current lineup
Lukas Akira (vocals), Herbert (guitar), August Nery (drums), Helbert Collyn (bass) 

22Jun

[MUSIC NEWS] HOODED MENACE Release New Track

Posted in Home Page, Metal, Music, Music Genre, Music News, News | Leave a comment

Death Doom outfit HOODED MENACE are now unveiling the second newsong ‘Chime Diabolicus’, which is taken from the band’s upcoming release ‘The Tritonus Bell‘. The album is scheduled for world-wide release on August 27th, 2021 via Season of Mist. The track can be listened to via the official Season of Mist YouTube channel HERE. The link may be freely spread throughout your channels.

Guitarist Lasse Pyykkö comments on the new album and track: “Just like the lead single ‘Blood Ornaments,’ the second premiere track ‘Chime Diabolicus’ showcases very well where Hooded Menace is in 2021, offering some 80´s heavy metal vibes, catchy and powerful vocals, better crafted solos, and a faster pace while never forgetting the band´s roots in slow death/doom style. Actually, the slower riff, somewhere in the middle of the song where the second solo kicks in, is one of our heaviest.”

22Jun

[MUSIC NEWS] TESSERACT To Release Portals

Posted in Alternative, Home Page, Metal, Music, Music Genre, Music News, News | Leave a comment

In December 2020, TesseracT invited fans to join them in P O R T A L S – an ambitious concept created to offer an escape in a time of isolation. The live cinematic experience fused live performance with beautiful lighting and striking effects, brought together by chaptered screenplay. By taking their most daring steps as a creative force, the band offered the viewer a completely new and unique experience.

TesseracT performed songs spanning their entire catalogue. Highlights included “Nocturne” off their 2010 debut EP, Concealing Fate and continued with “Eden” (One, 2011), “Of Matter” (Altered State, 2013), “Tourniquet” (Polaris, 2015), and “King” (Sonder, 2018), with the whole performance capturing 14 songs over 2+ hours. The show was a phenomenal success and garnered praise from fans and media worldwide 
 Bass player Amos Williams reflects on the show and its forthcoming release “It is only with hindsight and some time to appreciate it that we realise what this show meant to us. P O R T A L S as a show was an experiment afforded to us in a time when anything was possible because nothing of our previous life was possible. The overwhelming acceptance of such an approach to our music, and the stories contained within it, has shown us a potential path forward for TesseracT. It was exciting to connect with our fan base in such a difficult time for everyone, and it was powerful to see how it allowed some respite and escapism. These things were the gifts that this show gave to us, a direction and a drive, as we use this show’s example to forge a new path for TesseracT.”
Now, Kscope are proud to present this unique event to a wider audience for the first time. The film and soundtrack will be issued on an array of formats including Blu-Ray, Triple LP soundtrack and as a limited edition deluxe 4 disc book edition on 27 August 2021.

Watch The Trailer Here
https://youtu.be/udfOpmY8Tt8
P O R T A L S Tracklisting
1. Of Matter (P O R T A L S) [13:55]
2. King (P O R T A L S) [06:28]
3. Concealing Fate Parts 1, 2 & 3 (P O R T A L S) [18:15]
4. Tourniquet (P O R T A L S) [04:30]
5. Beneath My Skin / Mirror Image (P O R T A L S) [05:44]
6. Orbital (P O R T A L S) [02:06]
7. Juno (P O R T A L S) [06:11]
8. Cages (P O R T A L S) [05:28]
9. Dystopia (P O R T A L S) [06:43]
10. Phoenix (P O R T A L S) [04:18]
11. Nocturne (P O R T A L S) [04:21]
12. Eden (P O R T A L S) [06:30]
13. Of Energy (P O R T A L S) [11:05]
14. Seven Names (P O R T A L S) [05:02]   P O R T A L S will be released on the following formats with pre-orders available on theTesseracT band  webstore and Kscope label store nowhttps://tesseractkscope.lnk.to/PORTALS
LIMITED EDITION DELUXE 4 DISC BOOK EDITION includes:

  • Blu-ray & DVD includes: P O R T A L S main feature • Behind the scenes documentary • Live In The Lockdown • P O R T A L S hi res audio only version (all BD/DVD audio 48/24 PCM Stereo)
  • 2CD P O R T A L S soundtrack
  • All presented in a lavish set with 40 page book containing exclusive pictures, extensive liner notes from Amos Williams and individually numbered art print
    The band webstore will exclusively sell a limited number of this set with the art prints signed by TesseracT 

BLU-RAY EDITION includes: P O R T A L S main feature • Behind the scenes documentary • Live In The Lockdown • P O R T A L S hi res audio only version (48/24 PCM Stereo) 
3LP Gatefold / 2CD Edition / digital  – the soundtrack to the stunning cinematic live experience P O R T A L S featuring tracks spanning the band’s career to date including Nocturne, Seven Names & King
 Along with the release of the livestream event, the band will be playing their first live shows in almost two years this November and December special guests to Trivium in the UK and Europe, as well as returning to North American shores in 2022 (see the band’s website for details).

21Jun

[FILM NEWS] DINOSAURS OF ANTARTICA 3D To Screen At IMAX

Posted in Documentary, Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, News | Leave a comment

A new giant screen documentary will transport audiences to prehistoric Antarctica these school holidays, as the fearsome and fascinating creatures come alive in DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D.  

The documentary spans 250 million years from the Permian Ice Age through the Age of Dinosaurs to today, and joins a group of renowned palaeontologists on a dig in the Shackleton Glacier region in Antarctica as they uncover new fossils.

Featuring a cast of new-to-science dinosaurs including the Cryolophosaurus and Glacialisaurus, the documentary draws on themes of evolution and climate change, as it showcases the continent’s transformation from the bio-diverse Mesozoic to the frozen desert we know today.

DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’s striking visual effects were developed by BUF studio, whose other film credits include Avatar, Blade Runner 2049 and Life of Pi, and took more than seven months to complete.

Juxtaposing the stunningly realistic and scientifically accurate CGI animals with footage from the southern continent as it appears now, the film is as truthful as it can be when recreating this ancient world.

Palaeontologist and Curator of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Dr. Nathan Smith, features in the film and worked closely with the post-production crew to bring the prehistoric reptiles to life.

Smith was heavily involved in the 2003 and 2010 Cryolophosaurus excavations and was also responsible for naming the new Antarctic dinosaur species Glacialisaurus. Both vertebrates feature in the documentary.

“Reimagining these reptiles in CGI was a big responsibility, and I wanted to ensure their physical attributes and movements drew from the latest fossil evidence. The finished product is spectacular and will give audiences the chance to experience Antarctica as it once was,” says Smith.

“It was a hugely rewarding process and brings the work full circle to see Glacialisaurus and Cryolophosaurus realised in the immersive IMAX 3D format.”

New technology and expanding access to Antarctica has unearthed a treasure trove of new fossils and dinosaur species in the last 30 years, and Smith is confident there will be more discoveries in the coming decades.

The work by palaeo teams in Antarctica featured in the documentary also enhances our knowledge of climate change and how the world could respond to another major warming event.

“Our research is vital in helping to inform the response to climate change and filling in the gaps of our past. Antarctica was a very different place in the past and it’s still changing today. The fossils and new information we’re gathering help provide a deep-time perspective on how life on earth could change in a warming world,” says Smith.

DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D will screen exclusively at IMAX Melbourne these school holidays. Tickets are on sale now. Please visit imaxmelbourne.com.au for information about the theatre’s current COVIDSafe measures.

21Jun

[MUSIC INTERVIEW] BACHELOR GIRL Interview

Posted in Home Page, Interviews, Music, Music Genre, Pop | Leave a comment

This week on Subculture Tanya Doko from Bachelor Girl chatted to us about how she has dealt with the last twelve months and about the band’s return to the stage at the Sunset Sounds Festival.

Take a listen to the interview below: