Radio presenter, content creator, copywriter and all around cool guy.

The Breeze •

Tearapa Kahi Interview

Smoothie sits down with acclaimed director Tearapa Kahi ahead of the Australian release of his new film, Muru. Inspired by numerous historical events, Muru tells the story of Taffy: a local police sergeant who’s forced to confront the conflict between his duty as an officer and his duty to his people when police launch a raid on his community. This is not a recreation. This is a reaction. Muru is now showing in Australian Cinemas. Muru is also New Zealand’s’ official submission to the Oscars
The Breeze •

Hà Lệ Diễm Interview

Smoothie sits down with APSA nominated director, Hà Lệ Diễm ahead of the 2022 Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Set in the Hmong community of North Vietnam, Children of the Mist is a documentary about the joy of childhood and how quickly it can be ripped away. This is the story of Di, a thirteen year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her. Di is about to come face to face with a reality facing many girls in her community: bride kidnapping. Children of the Mist is nominated for Best Documentary at
The Breeze •

DC League Of Super-Pets Review

Smoothie reviews DC’s new animated adventure in time for the school holidays. I don’t envy anyone working on a film at a modern, major animation studio. Okay, I do a bit. In fact, I think I’ve just accidentally described my dream job. But there’s no denying what a challenging endeavour a film like this would be. Not only because of the sheer amount of time and care it takes to pull it off at all, but because of the increasingly long list of demands that studio heads insist on including in eve
The Breeze •

Three Thousand Years Of Longing Review

Would it be out of line to suggest that George Miller might be the finest pure filmmaker working right now? I’m not saying that his movies are perfect (although Mad Max: Fury Road might be as close to a perfect film as I’ve ever seen) or even that he’s above the occasional dud. However, when it comes to the fundamental science of filmmaking, I’m struggling to think of anyone better than Miller. He knows where to put the camera. He knows when to cut. He knows how to get the best out of his acto
The Breeze •

Here Out West Review

Smoothie reviews the new Australian anthology film about life in Western Sydney. For those unfamiliar with my particular style of whining about movies, let me catch you up by breaking it down to a simple thought that seems to repeat itself in a lot in my reviews: It happened as early as a couple of weeks ago when I spoke on air about the Russo Brothers’ Netflix thriller, The Gray Man. Don’t get me wrong, I liked The Gray Man, I just liked it more when it was called The Bourne Identity. So wh
The Breeze •

Bosch & Rockit Review

Smoothie reviews the new Australian drama from writer/director Tyler Atkins. Being the professional that I am (and sure, maybe because I knew he’d be attending the screening) I made it my business to learn as much as I could about actor turned director Tyler Atkins’ work before viewing his debut feature Bosch & Rockit. Watching his previous performances, interviews and especially the music video he made for Andrew Stockdale’s Slipstream, one thing became immediately clear about Tyler Atkins:
The Creative Issue - News for Creatives •

Film Review: Long Shot

Given the… tumultuous state of American politics, it’s no surprise that creators have been lining up to confront this issue. Long Shot is the first film for some time that’s attempted to address this in the form of a classic, Hollywood rom-com. (Insert The American President comparisons here.) Charlize Theron stars as the hard working Secretary of State, Charlotte Field, who plans to run for President in the forthcoming election. Unfortunately, her team’s research reveals that the American pub
The Creative Issue - News for Creatives •

Film Review: Thunder Road

I was certain that I had come across Jim Cummings prior to watching Thunder Road. There was something about that simple name, humble face and magnificent mustache that seemed so assuredly familiar that I quickly rushed online to learn where I had seen it before. Of course, I never found what I was looking for. I haven’t seen any of his shorts nor have I seen No Floodwall Here – Cummings’ only other feature released in 2011. So why then did I feel this immediate, inexplicable connection wh
Fish Lane •

Death of a Salesman Knocks on the Playhouse Door

Queensland Theatre has officially opened its 2019 season, and welcomes to the stage one of the most influential plays of the twentieth century: Arthur Miller’s biting masterpiece, Death of a Salesman. Witness the breakdown of the optimism that defined American culture in the mid-1900s through the eyes of Wily Loman: a talented salesman who’s once happy and prosperous life has cracked under the pressure of American capitalism, leaving him bitter and disappointed – especially after his directionl
Fish Lane •

APT9’s Final Days Celebrating Contemporary Asian Art at GOMA

The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT9) marches on throughout April for its final weeks showcasing the colourful creativity collected from across the Asia-Pacific region. Four months into its run featuring 400 plus artworks from over 80 artists and collaborations, there’s still time to witness the energy and complexity of these cross-cultural creations before they leave Brisbane on April 28. Works such as The Wall: Asian (Un)Real Estate Project by Indonesian artist Aditya Nov
Gourmand & Gourmet •

What your favourite foodie movie says about you

There’s a reason why “what’s your favourite movie?” is a staple of every first date, budding friendship and job interview (at least jobs worth having). The movies that we watch reveal a lot about who we are. For example, someone who enjoys the work of Will Ferrell is way too easily pleased, but probably knows how to have fun, and someone who sees literally anything with Ryan Gosling and doesn’t immediately feel something is clearly dead inside. If any of these foodie movies appear on your list

Netflix food shows worth binging

We’ve put together the list of essential originals on Netflix for those who need some tasty shows to accompany their tasty snacks. In recent years, we’ve seen Netflix grow from a convenient aggregator of our favourite movies and TV shows into a fully realised production studio bursting with original content, including these amazing foodie documentaries and cooking shows. And we thought we loved food. Netflix’s flagship of foodie entertainment, (and the show that started their love affair with
Ipswich Advertiser •

MOVIE REVIEW: Manchester by the Sea worthy of Oscar buzz

AWARDS season is upon us once again and while a surprising number of best picture candidates aren't getting the wide, Australian release you'd expect following the Oscar buzz, thankfully local audiences won't miss out on Kenneth Lonergan's latest piece of melancholy cinema, Manchester By The Sea. Casey Affleck's grounded but powerful performance hasn't gone unnoticed; easily the favourite to pick up the best actor Oscar at this year's Academy Awards. It's a hard point to argue, his por
Ipswich Advertiser •

MOVIE REVIEW: Don't Breathe is a clever thriller

IF THE mark of a truly successful suspense flick is less about the building of pressure and more about the way in which a filmmaker chooses to release this pressure, then Don't Breathe is an absolute master class in how to keep an audience on the hook and on the edge of their seat. It's a simple twist on the already simple home invasion premise. Rocky, Alex and Money are three struggling youths in Detroit who are particularly skilled at burglary. But when they attempt to rob a blind ma
Fish Lane •

Five of Fish Lane’s Favourite Cocktails

With such a wealth of enticing bars and restaurants, the prospect of making it all of the way down Fish Lane can seem pretty daunting at the start of the night. With so many creative, colourful cocktails on offer, we’ve put together a list of five to help guide you on your journey through Fish Lane. Welcome to two storeys of exciting Asian street food that demands an equally exciting cocktail to wash down your duck buns and pork and kimchi spring rolls! For a hit of bitter bliss, try The Forbid