Sean Carslake

It’s that time of year when I submit the reading public to yet another literary masterpiece, and with the title of ‘Slumlord’ – you get a pretty good idea of what you’re in for. Set in the Hobart suburb of Otago Bay – within a fictional residential estate – ‘Slumlord’ is the story of a rogue landlord who rents out his upscale apartment to drug dealers and criminals, causing the once-peaceful…

After finishing second in a very tough group, our beloved Socceroos could not overcome a solid Egypt side in the round of 32, bringing their 2026 FIFA World Cup to an end. But was this campaign a success? Overall, I think it was – and I would give the lads a strong rating of B+. However, alongside the incredible highs came lingering questions of what could have been; and did result-driven…

To be fair, I went into this film already aware of the poor reviews and was hoping to find some positive aspects to write about, but alas there is very little to report here – but I will try my best. Considering that ‘Supergirl’ has only been out for a few days, I will carefully break down what I liked and disliked without giving any spoilers away. Let’s start with Milly Alcock who was alright…

What can I say? I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would, but all the numbers are pointing toward ‘Masters of the Universe’ being a box office disaster – and that’s a real shame! This is not a perfect movie, but it was a ton of fun! In fact, the good far outweighs the bad in this film – so what has happened here? The 2026 re-imagining of ‘Masters of the Universe’ is better than the…

Disney Star Wars is in a sorry state – with most of their wounds self-inflicted through countless lightweight, woke and lore-breaking releases over the past decade. But it’s not as bad as some pundits constantly make out, as there were times when decent Star Wars moments have shone through within some of their less-than-average shows – such as the Baylan Skoll scenes in ‘Ahsoka’ and extensive…

It’s fair to say that monster movies have been well-represented in recent times, with Warner Bros’ ‘Monsterverse’ leading the way; supported by notable projects such as Apple TV’s ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ and the Japanese-made ‘Godzilla: Minus One.’ But back in 1976 we were given a blockbuster version of ‘King Kong’ that didn’t quite hit the heights it was expected to, and is rarely…

‘Paranormal Farm’ is a found footage horror film released back in 2017, and is the brainchild of independent filmmaker Carl Medland. I recall watching this on Amazon Prime Video a few years ago, and finding the show quite entertaining, especially as Medland was using little more than the camera on his mobile phone to bring this story to life. Having recently learned that there was a trilogy of…

Released in 1980 and featuring two leading men at the peak of their powers – with Roger Moore being the current James Bond and Gene Wilder arguably still in the prime of his career – this little-known film somehow ended up flopping heavily at the box office before vanishing without a trace. ‘Sunday Lovers’ was co-produced internationally, and is best described as an anthology of four separate…

I had completely forgotten about this song until I heard it playing today at my local shopping centre – and if I were to guess, I’d say I had not encountered this classic track in over thirty years! The tune itself dates back to 1983, and I recall that it was given a lot of airtime on the radio when it first came out. It’s certainly a catchy number, and was performed by the short-lived band QED…

For many years I have been strangely fascinated with the filming locations for Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 masterpiece ‘A Clockwork Orange.’ There are a few spots that I can recall instantly, such as Thamesmead, Tagg’s Island and Brunel University, but most are scattered about London and its surrounds – and it takes a keen researcher to track each and every one of them down. A year ago I discovered a…

The first draft of my latest novel is now complete and a rough version of the cover art has been created, which means that the book will be ready for publishing around the middle of the year. The story is a decent size, coming in at 85,000 words – which is a larger haul than any of my previous works. This also means that the editing process has a lot more ground to cover. ‘Slumlord’ takes a…

A few weeks ago I uploaded an identical video to both Facebook (as a reel) and YouTube at the same time. It was a pretty cool clip as well, featuring a large open cut mine in Cobar, NSW – as seen from a popular lookout. Almost immediately on Facebook, the video was watched and shared by dozens of people, and the view count rose quickly – reaching 10,000 and then 20,000 within days before rolling…

During my recent drive from Sydney to Adelaide – via Broken Hill – I stopped by Narromine in Western NSW, where right in the middle of town stands a proud tribute to one of the region’s finest exports: – Australian cricketing legend Glenn McGrath. In fact, the statue is so famous that they have street signs pointing toward it. For those unaware of who this incredible sportsman is, Glenn McGrath…

With 2026 now upon us, it is time to reflect back on the cinematic year that was 2025 and recall a little piece of movie magic that I found quite memorable. Well, not so much memorable – as in awesome – but rather a scene so dumb that it made me laugh uncontrollably when I first watched it. If you haven’t already guessed; I’m referring to the ‘disappearing T-Rex’ sequence in ‘Jurassic World…

Driving from Sydney to Adelaide is an interesting choice for a family holiday, and is usually undertaken via both the Sturt and Mallee Highways – with the Southern NSW town of Hay considered to be the halfway point of this fourteen hour journey. However, there is another way – a northerly route marked in red on the map – passing through Broken Hill and the outback areas of NSW and South…

While driving from Sydney to Adelaide – via Broken Hill – I could not help but take a detour and visit the town forever etched in the pages of Australian history. Just seeing the old bank building with my own eyes brought shivers down my spine, so imagine my surprise when the doors suddenly opened! Decades after the horrific crime scene made international news, the old bank building is now a…

This amazing channel is the creation of an intrepid guy named Franko, and armed with an assortment of cameras and paranormal equipment, this dude goes into places where very few people would dare to tread. With almost 400,000 subscribers watching his every move, this certified legend strolls into cemeteries and abandoned buildings at night, and often alone. What could possibly go wrong? Whatever…