Review by Alex De Paulis Tom Cruise stars as Digger (Photo: Warner Bros Pictures) Expectations were high when visionary Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant) teamed up with Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise to create the tragicomic meta-satire that is, Digger. And, while Digger may have too many cooks in the kitchen at times, with conflicting elements clumsily patched together, it’s the contradictory masterstroke of casting Cruise as a deceptive

Elke De Smet attended an exclusive panel discussion and screening of the new ABC docuseries exploring modern masculinity. The State of Man poster (Photo courtesy: ABC) “Have we left young men behind in the fight for gender equality?” This was one of the key questions framing the new ABC docuseries, The State of Man. A recent impact screening of clips from the three-hour documentary at Carlton’s Cinema Nova was followed by a lively panel discussion on how to support young men

Hayley Price reports on a short documentary to raise awareness, shot by Swinburne student Emerging filmmaker Luke Pafumi has directed a trailblazing short documentary on the Victorian Deafblind Community in conjunction with Swinburne University. The World in Your Hands is a short documentary Pafumi has been working on since March, 2026, as a second-year Film and Television student at the university. Pafumi, who experiences colour-blindness, says the documentary aims to sp

After eight years hosting local and touring musicians, Brunswick’s Stay Gold shut its doors, writes Daniel Jones Beloved Brunswick venue, Stay Gold, shut its doors on June 21 as the cost-of-living crisis dealt another blow to Melbourne’s live music scene. The venue on Sydney Road announced the closure in a Facebook post on April 29. Bookings assistant Hannah Hopwood said with their lease ending, the general cost of living led to the tough decision to close down the club inste

Amritha Raviprasad reports on a new cafe offering vinyl listening access to customers Inside Sabi Sounds (photo: Amritha Raviprasad) Sabi Sounds - Melbourne’s first listening cafe and record lounge - is reshaping cafe culture with unique vinyl and community events at its Hawthorn location, attracting music enthusiasts, fitness lovers and Swinburne university students alike. Opened in December 2025, the cafe has already cemented itself as a Glenferrie Road hotspot. Customers c

James Sykes reports on a new music model that could save Melbourne musicians. An iconic Melbourne venue is backing emerging musicians through guaranteed payments and multi-show residencies. As similar live music venues face closure, Fitzroy’s Punters Club is offering an alternative for gig-goers and musicians alike with unique free gigs. According to Punters’ audio production manager, Kaelan Edwards, “Punters’ unique offering of artist guarantees and residencies has launche

Daniel Allen reports on the new upcoming sequel to the 1995 classic heist movie Heat and whether it’s a good time to revisit the original. Following its release over 30 years ago, the high-stakes heist drama Heat, directed by legendary filmmaker Michael Mann, is getting a much-anticipated sequel, not surprisingly titled Heat 2. Based on Mann’s own script - adapted from his 2022 best-selling novel, Heat 2 – the new film will function as both prequel and sequel to Heat as it

Young artists are abandoning social media in favour of real ideas in real life at a popular spoken word event in Melbourne’s inner north. Story by Tia Triantafillou Five years after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, bars and clubs across the city are still struggling to attract crowds but one bar continues to draw big crowds hosting Spoken Word weekly poetry nights. Writer and performer Hamish Brown believes the event hosted by Bar Oussou is important for many reasons. “I be

AI is stealing clients from Melbourne photographers and they're fighting back. Zeke Ashby reports.

MIFF Awards Ceremony, The Rydges Hotel. Photo: Alex De Paulis Alex De Paulis attended the closing night awards ceremony at the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 29 and reports. Champagne flowed and filmmakers networked at the city's theatre district hotel The Rydges for the announcing of the MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival) filmmaking winners. Deliberating on the Bright Horizons Award and the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award is an esteem

Daniel Allen reviews the Melbourne Film Festival documentary Replica, which explores the new 'dating' world of AI companionship. Replica (courtesy: MIFF) Director Chouwa Liang's debut film, Replica, focuses on the rise of intimate connections between humans and chatbots in this quirky documentary expanding on Liang's previous short documentary, My AI Lover. Given the rapid rise in public debate over the ethical and moral use of AI in our daily lives, it was only a matter

When were you last at the circus? Genevieve Spiteri reviews the Circus Oz show for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. When was the last time you went to the circus? Do you remember the incredible acrobatics and hilarious antics of the performers? Now is the perfect time to experience it again with Circus Oz’s Here, There and Everywhere these school holidays at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. An absolutely seamless performance from start to finish,