How do you make a huge Charli XCX-headlined festival lineup even bigger? If you're Laneway Festival 2025, you add a piece of Stranger Things to the bill. Before general tickets for next year's events go on sale, organisers have added Joe Keery to the lineup as Djo, who'll be performing live in Australia and New Zealand for the first time ever. When the roster of acts initially dropped, it sparked a question: how much green will be seen at 2025's Laneway Festival given that it's bringing Brat summer Down Under? Now, here's another: how glorious will Keery's hair be when the 'End of the Beginning' talent takes to the stage? [caption id="attachment_728611" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix[/caption] Laneway has also announced another change, with the Sydney event moving locations. Instead of taking place at Sydney Showground, the fest's Harbour City stop is settling in at Centennial Park. For company when the event kicks off in Auckland on Thursday, February 6, the hits Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Charlie XCX and Djo will be joined by Beabadoobee, Clairo, Barry Can't Swim and Remi Wolf. Also on the list: BICEP doing their CHROMA AV DJ set, Olivia Dean, Eyedress and Skegss — and STÜM, RONA, Hamdi, Joey Valence & Brae, 2hollis, Fcukers, Ninajirachi, Julie, Girl and Girl, and more. [caption id="attachment_975321" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Harley Weir[/caption] The event started by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio in the mid-00s is playing Western Springs in Auckland, then hopping over the ditch to Brisbane Showgrounds, the aforementioned Centennial Park in Sydney, Melbourne's Flemington Park, Bonython Park in Adelaide and Wellington Square in Perth. Laneway joins the list of festivals locking in their comebacks after a tough year of cancellations across the live music scene, alongside Golden Plains, Bluesfest (for the last time), Wildlands, Good Things, Lost Paradise, Beyond The Valley and Meredith. Laneway Festival 2025 Lineup Charli XCX Beabadoobee Clairo Barry Can't Swim BICEP present CHROMA (AV DJ set) Djo Remi Wolf Olivia Dean Eyedress Skegss STÜM RONA Hamdi Joey Valence & Brae 2hollis Fcukers Ninajirachi Julie Girl and Girl + Triple J unearthed winners Laneway Festival 2025 Dates and Venues Thursday, February 6 – Western Springs, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau Saturday, February 8 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane / Turrbal Targun Sunday, February 9 — Centennial Park, Sydney / Burramattagal Land & Wangal Land Friday, February 14 — Flemington Park, Melbourne / Wurundjeri Biik Saturday, February 15 — Bonython Park, Adelaide / Kaurna Yerta Sunday, February 16 — Wellington Square, Perth / Whadjuk Boodjar St Jerome's Laneway Festival is touring Australia and New Zealand in February 2025. Head to the festival's website for further details, and to get tickets in general sales from 10am local time on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Top Djo image: Guido Gazzilli. Laneway images: Charlie Hardy / Daniel Boud / Maclay Heriot / Cedric Tang.
We're off the see The Wizard again: in not one but two movies, the first arriving in cinemas in November 2024 and the second in 2025, the wonderful world of Oz is returning to screens. It took a mere two years for L Frank Baum's 1900-published book to reach the theatre, with the debut film version following almost four decades later. Now, 85 years have passed since The Wizard of Oz initially entranced cinemas. Its latest big-screen comeback owes debts to both the page and the stage, but beyond the novel that started it all. Wicked first enchanted in print in 1995, when author Gregory Maguire conjured up an alternative Oz-set tale. Since 2003, it has worked its magic as a Tony-winning Broadway musical, before it too makes the eagerly anticipated leap to picture palaces. The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the novel's subtitle, explains Wicked's focus. Whether reading the book, seeing the play or watching the upcoming two features, audiences are whisked into origin-story territory — not only for the green-skinned Elphaba but for Glinda. At the Land of Oz's Shiz University, the pair meet and, despite their differences, cement a friendship. Even before they cross paths with The Wizard, everyone who has ever seen Judy Garland follow the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man knows Elphaba and Glinda's destinies. Giving Wicked the movie treatment: a wide-ranging cast and crew led by director Jon M Chu, with the Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker making his second and third stage-to-screen musicals in succession following In the Heights. On-screen, he's enlisted Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) as the misunderstood Elphaba, Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Glinda and none other than Jeff Goldblum (Kaos) as The Wizard, plus Michelle Yeoh (A Haunting in Venice), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and more. Off-screen, a six-time Oscar-nominee — five of them for Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) films — also couldn't be more pivotal. When Academy Award recognition comes your way for art direction on The Prestige and The Dark Knight, then for production design on Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet — and for Damien Chazelle's First Man as well — jumping to Oz on Wicked's two parts might seem like a massive change. But English production designer Nathan Crowley is interested in world-building first and foremost, and has been ever since his first screen credit on as a junior set designer on 1991's Hook. Also on his resume recently: The Greatest Showman and Wonka. And, he's a veteran of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Braveheart, Mission: Impossible II, Escape From LA, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, John Carter and the Westworld TV series as well. When you're taking a well-trodden path thanks to multiple books, the Wizard of Oz movie that's been beloved for generations, blockbuster stage musicals, and everything from The Wiz to Oz: The Great and Powerful, you're embarking on an enormous task. That isn't lost on Crowley, he tells Concrete Playground, although the full scope dawned on him slowly. Not only does he need to bring Oz to life beyond the painted backdrops of the Garland-starring film, but he has the job of creating Shiz University — not to mention a field filled with nine-million tulips as part of Munchkinland and a throne room featuring a mechanical version of Goldblum's head, plus various forms of transport, such as by rail, river and air. Ahead of the first Wicked film's release in cinemas — including premiering at Sydney's State Theatre on Sunday, November 3, with Erivo, Grande, Goldblum, Bailey, fellow stars Marissa Bode (a screen debutant) and Ethan Slater (The Marvellous Mrs Maisel), plus director Chu, all in attendance — we also chatted with Crowley about those nine-million flowers, the joy of practical effects, aiming to get audiences to fall into a fantastical world, what he makes of his career so far and more. On How Planting a Field of Nine-Million Tulips in Norfolk Is Symbolic of the Scale of the Task of Bringing Wicked to the Screen "It was the first major challenge for me. My thing is, I love doing things practically because there's a colossal joy to it. So one of the first challenges was: what do all the munchkins do? I need something for them to do in their village. Okay, they're flower farmers and they use the dyes to make colours, because they're colourful people. And so each house, that allowed me lots of scope with the colours of the buildings. So then it was like — and I think it must have been Jon — 'well, what if it's the colours of the rainbow?'. Which is a massive thing. So then what goes in strips of colour? Tulips? You grow tulips in strips of colour. So that's kind of where 'oh we need tulips'. And then it was like 'well, let's grow them'. It was myself and the location manager Adam [Richards, Wonka], who I've worked with many times before. It like 'where can we grow tulips? We can go up to Norfolk'. He found a tulip farmer and was like 'let's go up there and see if we can grow'. I'm going quickly, but there's lots of between. I planted 500 acres of corn in Interstellar in Canada. So I've been a farmer before and I knew if could find the right farmer — and with Adam's help, because ultimately it was crown property; I needed it to be without trees, because in Oz trees are circular. I needed it to be a perfectly large sky, a tulip sky. So we found Mark the farmer, who's just simply brilliant, and he got us our bulbs. Then I had to go back to the production and explain: 'we have a field, we have permission from crown properties to plant, you need to write a check for tulips. You've got to get them from Holland. And we've got to get them in the ground quickly before it freezes'. When you're a flower farmer, you've got to get the bulbs in the ground. And so there's a lot of umming and aahing, and it was difficult, but I think it set the pace of what we were trying to achieve. And Jon, and Donna Langley from Universal, was very into it. She was like 'I love it. Let's do it'. We planted them and we got to know the farmer. He was into it, and we got the colours — and it was just a great life experience. You need to step out of your department occasionally and get into the real world. So, practical filmmaking. So that started it off, and then of course, it snowballs. But they all grew, they all worked. It was brilliant." On Valuing Practical Effects in Age Where CGI Is Everywhere in Visual Effects — and Combining the Two "That [CGI] is very powerful tool now. But you have many tools. We have 120 years of filmmaking experience. My thing is if we can make it enough for real, and light it and get real photography, we can tell visual effects what it should look like and their job becomes symbiotic with ours — and we become one rather than working as a line. So I always feel the balance is essential and we can do it. I guess it's so obvious to me that you build as much as you can until you can't foe whatever reasons: landscape, weather, money, time. So you have to balance it — and then if you balance it, and this really goes back to the audience in the cinema, can you not make them not notice how you did it? Can you do a film, especially a fancy film, where they don't pay attention, they're into the film, they're not paying attention, nothing bounces them out, so you fall into the film? Ever since I was little, when I go to the cinema, I want to fall into the telling of the story. And so I believe that we almost have to go quietly — and to do that, I strongly believe you have to do it practically, because if you suddenly cut to visual effects, I think audiences know that. The emotion is taken away from the audience. It flattens it. So if you can make it seamless, I don't want the audience to notice. Because then you're just in it and you're into the emotion of it." On the Massive the Scope in Not Just Bringing One of the 21st Century's Biggest Stage Musicals to the Screen, But Reimagining Much That's Crucial to The Wizard of Oz "I guess I was a little naive about how big Wicked, the stage show, was. I had three daughters who had grown up and they were like 'what, oh my god!'. And The Wizard of Oz, to me, they sit side by side. What was brilliant is that Wicked is the alternative story to The Wizard of Oz — so together, what a piece of cinema. The realisation I had to recreate Oz kind of slowly dawned on me. And that was like 'oh'. It was like 'Jesus, we've got to remake, we've got to figure out Emerald City'. And Emerald City was just a painting on a backdrop, and everyone's childhood, everyone's reimagined what that is — it's very clever. Everyone's filled in all the blanks of what they didn't show you. So we're going to tread on people's nostalgia for Emerald City — and how do we do that? And then you've got the Wicked fans, there's little things that they want in the film, Shiz details, and it's very important. But luckily we had Marc Platt [the film's producer, and also the stage musical's], who's all things Wicked. So he was my constant guide to Wicked. And then Wizard of Oz was just making sure I didn't hurt and I enlarged people's opinion of what Oz is, rather than shrunk it. So, it was a massive challenge. The biggest challenges, the two films in my career that sit as giant design challenges: Wicked and Interstellar. And they both hurt your head. It's not a physical thing, it's like they hurt your design brain. On How the Wicked Set Became the Most Complex of Crowley's Career So Far "First of all, it was the design, because Shiz, there's so many versions of Shiz — the school, Hogwarts, Cambridge, there's all these perceived ideas. So, one, you have to find a design. And secondly, I realised that the first day of school when everyone comes in, we've got no horse and carriages because the animals aren't enslaved. We've got no trains because they belong to The Wizard, and we have to introduce them later. We can't come by airship, because the balloon belongs to The Wizard. There's no cars. So how do you get anywhere in Oz? And then it was like 'oh, we go by a river' — which is a tradition. Of course we go by river. But what that means is the set, we have to build a giant water tank for the set so we can row the boat into the Shiz courtyard. And of course I like everything practically, so it's like 'we've got to build a giant water tank that takes seven days to fill'. And that was a challenge because, if you know about practical filmmaking, there's never been a tank that didn't leak. So you have a servicing problem with it. Every tank always leaks. Then Shiz for me was about finding architecture. The Wizard of Oz is an American fairy tale, so I need Americana, so White City of Chicago, 1893 World's Exposition, those giant Burnham and Root arches. I need to put some Americana in it. I need to put the scale of America in it. But then I need the nostalgia of every great ancient educational facility. So I need you to, when you walk into to Shiz, you feel this sort of ancient learning vibe. I need to take architecture from all over the world and change the materials of it, and try to blend it — from onion domes to Venice staircases. So I was really trying to make it fantastical, but familiar. So when you watch it, you'll see something that's kind of familiar to you. And if you've been a tourist in in Italy, you'll feel it a bit — or if you've been to Spain, to the Alhambra, you'll feel it a bit. Or maybe a little bit of Melbourne. Not much Georgian architecture, I'm afraid. On the Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity of Building a Throne Room Around a Mechanical Version of Jeff Goldblum's Head "It was so exciting. Every film has influenced the last one. So back on The Prestige — and really Bram Stoker's Dracula, we did automatons and mechanics, and we had to puppeteer the head and get expressions. So the joy of realising we had, one, a phenomenal special effects scene. Who could do that? And puppeteer it? And then secondly, okay, we've got the head, and if we could come through the curtain and say 'I am Oz' and put an eye through it, that's exciting. But then you think, 'well, what about the curtain?'. And so we came up with all these string curtains, it's almost like an art installation. We sat there for a very long time with drapers and mechanical people. We'd sit there at the end of the day and try all different things. And we had Joss [Carter, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom], the puppeteer, who was just brilliant. It comes down to just trying something, developing it and and being with the right people. And it's people — you're with all these people, and they're all creative, and the fun out of it is remarkable." On What Crowley Makes of His Career Three-Decade-Plus Career in Cinema So Far — and What Gets Him Excited About a New Project "I think when I look back, I just think 'wow, I got a bit lucky with the people I met'. There's a huge part of luck in if you happen to bump into the right people when you're younger. It's just like if you turn left at a certain time. So I look back at it and wonder 'how did all that happen?'. And I just like to get excited. So what does that mean now? Still to this day, I remember walking on to the old MGM lot for my first day at Hook and there was a ship on stage 27. They built a water tank. There was a ship in it, the Hook ship. It was giant, and it was just like 'this is incredible'. [caption id="attachment_614251" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Interstellar[/caption] So I'm really just looking to world-build. Films like Wonka and Wicked opened those doors — things I've not done before. I wouldn't have said, I couldn't have said to you that I would end up making lots of musicals. To me, that wasn't even in my mind when we were doing Interstellar. 'I do lots of musicals? You're going to do four musicals?' I couldn't imagine that, but they've been some of the most-interesting design jobs I've ever had. So definitely new experiences, new journeys. You've got to keep yourself interested, you especially as you get older." Wicked releases in Australian cinemas on Thursday, November 21, 2024, with limited previews on Wednesday, November 20 — and tickets for the latter on sale now.
Movie World might've badged itself as Hollywood on the Gold Coast, but it's no longer the only big tourist attraction giving visitors to southeast Queensland — and locals as well — a chance to explore their on-screen favourites IRL. Come November 2024, Brisbane will welcome Bluey's World. Get ready to hear "wackadoo!" constantly, and "for real life", too, at this immersive installation that lets you step inside one of the River City's and Australia's biggest hits of the past six years. Yes, that'd be the award-winning animated favourite that is Bluey. Missed out on staying in a replica of the Bluey house when it was temporarily up for rent in the Queensland capital in 2022? The home of the family-friendly animated phenomenon is now getting a Bluey attraction so that you have another chance to experience the global sensation beyond the TV. Announced in 2023, originally to open this August, but now launching on Thursday, November 7, 2024, Bluey's World will get you walking around life-sized sets that recreate the beloved series. The Heeler house and yard are part of the setup — and as seen in just-released images of the new attraction, they look the part perfectly. Maybe you'll be taking your little ones along, or your nieces and nephews. Perhaps you know that appreciating the adorable Aussie show about a family of blue heelers isn't just for kids. Either way, this is big — including literally. Opening at Northshore Pavilion in Northshore Brisbane, the space itself is sizeable, spanning across 4000 square metres. When Airbnb listed its Bluey abode in 2022, the response was massive. Expect the reaction to Bluey's World to be the same. Already, it has extended its season, sticking around until September 2025. Once you take the stairs up to the family's porch and enter through the front door, the Heeler home awaits, including the living room. So do recreations of recognisable scenes, characters and even games from the show. And yes, as seen in the series, you can arrive via CityCat. Visitors can expect to spend 70 minutes bounding through the experience — and will also find a playground and a cafe onsite, with interactive play a focus, taking cues from Bluey episodes in the process. There's a soundscape to match, plus a gift shop, all in a purpose-built venue. And, for big Bluey birthday celebrations, the site is hosting parties as well. Bluey's World is exclusive to Brisbane, making it a tourist attraction to fans not only locally and nationally but worldwide. Unsurprisingly, that's a big part of the push from both the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council, who are supporting the BBC Studios- and HVK Productions-produced experience. Bluey's World opens at Northshore Pavilion, 281 MacArthur Avenue, Northshore Brisbane on Thursday, November 7, 2024 — head to the attraction's website for more information and tickets.
Keen to see Oasis onstage Down Under when Liam and Noel Gallagher reunite for the reformed band's 2025 tour? Don't look back in anger at paying more than you should for a ticket to their Melbourne shows. As it did with Taylor Swift's Eras tour — and with the 2024 Meredith Music Festival, too — the Victorian Government has declared the British group's upcoming trip to the state a major event, meaning that the gigs now fall under anti-scalping laws. Under Victoria's major-event ticketing declarations, tickets to the two concerts must legally be available for a fair price, not the hefty costs that they can be flogged off for on the resale market. There's a specific figure specified under the law, in fact, with tickets to a declared major event unable to be resold for more than ten percent more than their original value. [caption id="attachment_975202" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Emmett[/caption] Other requirements include ticket package sellers needing authorisation from the event organiser, plus individual ads for tickets including both ticket and seating details. If a ticket seller flouts the rules, the penalties are steep, ranging up to more than half-a-million dollars. [caption id="attachment_975640" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Batiste Safont via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] While the major-event declaration clearly benefits Melbourne Oasis devotees eager to get a ticket to see the band play at Marvel Stadium, it's also great news for fans elsewhere that are hoping to head to the Victorian capital for the Friday, October 31–Saturday, November 1 shows. Oasis are only making two stops on their visit Down Under, two doing gigs in Melbourne and two in Sydney. So, also like the Eras tour, there'll be plenty of concertgoers flying and driving in from interstate. 2025 marks 20 years since Oasis last toured Australia, but that's where the lengthy gap between the band's Down Under shows is ending. There's comeback tours and then there's Britain's most-famous feuding siblings reuniting to bring one of the country's iconic groups back together live — aka the biggest story in music touring of 2024 since Liam and Noel announced in August that they were reforming the band, and also burying the hatchet. Initially, Oasis locked in a run of shows in the UK and Ireland. Since then, they've been expanding their tour dates, also confirming visits to Canada and the US. From London, Manchester and Dublin to Toronto, Los Angeles and Mexico City, the entire tour so far is sold out. Oasis broke up in 2009, four years after their last Australian tour, and following seven albums from 1994's Definitely Maybe through to 2008's Dig Your Soul — and after drawing massive crowds to their live gigs along the way (see: documentary Oasis Knebworth 1996). If you're feeling supersonic about the group's reunion, you can likely expect to hear that track, plus everything from 'Live Forever', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Morning Glory' and 'Some Might Say' through to 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Champagne Supernova' when they hit Australia. Oasis Live '25 Australian Dates Friday, October 31–Saturday, November 1 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Friday, November 7–Saturday, November 8 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Oasis are touring Australia in October and November 2025, with Melbourne tickets on sale from 10am AEDT and Sydney tickets from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 15. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Raph_PH via Flickr.
When a movie premieres at the Cannes Film Festival, the literal applause it receives makes headlines. It happens every year — and at fellow major international film fests such as Berlin and Venice, too — with reports detailing the number of minutes that the audience put their hands together for while on their feet. Back in May 2024, The Apprentice was no different. While the time spent clapping varied depending on the source, this was still a story. But there was also another tale that followed swiftly after the feature's debut, as it was likely always bound to: the response from its subject to this unofficial biopic, or at least from his campaign, including a cease-and-desist letter attempting to stop anyone else from seeing it. The Apprentice's title tells everyone the who and the why of this situation. Before he was America's 45th president, Donald Trump spent over a decade hosting the reality-TV series that shares its moniker with Ali Abbasi's new film. This isn't a chronicle of Trump's time on the show, or in the Oval Office afterwards, however. It isn't just an unsanctioned big-screen Trump biography, either. Making his first English-language feature after 2016 Danish horror film Shelley, the Oscar-submitted 2018 Swedish standout Border and 2022's Persian-language serial-killer thriller Holy Spider, Copenhagen-based Iranian Danish filmmaker Abbasi also doesn't simply step through Trump's origin story in the 70s and 80s — although it chronicles his start in real estate, his relationship with his father and his marriage to Ivana. The movie's pitch-perfect name hones in on the most-crucial element of the picture: that this is a portrait of chasing power seen through a mentor-protege relationship. Trump is the apprentice. His guide: New York City attorney and political fixer Roy Cohn, who first came to fame in the 50s investigating suspected Communists with Senator Joseph McCarthy. Abbasi digs into how Cohn helped shape Trump, including the three rules of winning passed down from the former to the latter. Those tenets: first, attack, attack, attack. Then, admit nothing and deny everything. And lastly, claim victory while never ever admitting defeat. It's impossible to watch these rules outlined in The Apprentice — or even read them on the page — and not spot how they still dictate Trump's actions today. That's one of the film's many astute moves. Another: casting Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money), who gives one of his two phenomenal performances for 2024 alongside A Different Man, as Donald Trump. Seeing him anchor the familiar Trump mannerisms, speech patterns, talking points and attitudes — details that anyone who has even just spotted the IRL figure on the news across his political career in passing will instantly recognise — in the younger version of the man, an iteration brought to the screen with complexity, is both haunting and uncanny. Equally exceptional: a can't-look-away Jeremy Strong in his first post-Succession part as Cohn, in another of the film's performances that demands awards attention. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Oscar-nominee and Bodies Bodies Bodies star Maria Bakalova also leaves an impression as Ivana. And Abbasi remains one of the most-exciting directors working today in every choice that he makes throughout The Apprentice, including deploying a visual approach that scrapes away any gleam from his take on Trump at every moment. "I think we've been quite restrained," Abbasi tells Concrete Playground about the movie, talking about the instant backlash and the complicated response he knows it will continued to receive. "If we wanted to be controversial, we have ample, ample opportunities to be so." We also chatted with the director about the quest to get the film made and seen, building a portrait of someone that everyone in the world has an opinion of, why he wanted to bring this tale to the screen, getting Stan onboard, and the importance of diving into Trump and Cohn's relationship. On the Diverse Responses to the Film's Premiere, Including the Cannes Standing Ovation and the Trump Campaign's Reaction "It's sort of the same in a way. What do they say, you have to grab a compliment whenever, wherever you find it, whichever way you find it, in whatever form you find it? I think if the Trump campaign thinks that this is the worst — they have an actually really funny formulation, they're saying this is 'pure fictionalised trash'. And I'm like, that's a very general sentence you can basically write in the beginning of every feature film. It's pure fictionalised trash — that's a punk-rock way of saying 'this is the movie'. And look, I think we've been quite restrained. I think this is a quite a restrained movie. I do not understand where people talk about controversy, controversial. If we wanted to be controversial, we have ample, ample opportunities to be so and to do so, and include stuff. I mean, with this guy, the sky is the limit, right. And therefore it's a little bit difficult for me to understand. Of course, we're the underdogs in this game. We just want to get the movie released. So any help, any publicity is appreciated. I don't mind. But on the intellectual level, when people talk about this as being controversial, provocative and the Trump campaign bashing us, I'm like 'have you actually seen the movie? You know, you come out, I would say, much better than you might have'." On Building a Complex, Three-Dimensional Portrait of Someone That Everyone in the World Has an Opinion Of "There's this fable about this father and son, and they have this donkey and they want to go over a river or something like that. They try one way and then someone comes and says 'no, no you can't tie the donkey like that. You have to do it upside down'. And they do it upside down and they say 'no, no, it if you do it upside down, it's going to drown and die in water. You have to do it from the side'. And anyway, it ends up that the donkey goes in the water anyway and drowns. It's a little bit like this movie. It's impossible to get that balance because everyone has an opinion about this donkey. And especially, I think, I really see this acutely in the US. Because I feel like it's impossible, almost, for the Americans — at least, for the critics — to see this as a movie. They either hate the idea of a Trump movie or they think it's not enough — or they think there's nothing new about him that they couldn't read about. So it's a vicious cycle. It feeds itself. And in in reality, I think the only balance that matters is the balance of three dimensionality of character and the authenticity of character. Do I deeply care if we hurt Donald Trump? No, I don't give a fuck, you know. He doesn't care. Why would I care? But I do care about what I feel is fairness. I don't want us to either work for him or work against him. Everyone has different agendas around him and around this sort of political minefield we're living in, and I'm this one guy who actually does not have an agenda either way for against. My agenda is a humanist agenda. I think it's interesting to investigate these people, and the time and the political apparatuses which they're part of." On What Appealed About Bringing This Story to the Screen After Abbasi's Past Films Shelley, Border and Holy Spider "I think what was exciting about this project was the fact that it it's not an American movie — it's about America. And as someone who grew up in Iran, I have this really special relationship to America. I mean, Iran was an American colony until 79. And then after that, we became the archenemy and America became the great satan. And we had this very tense relationship. I think that if you grow up in the Middle East, you have a different view of American politics. You don't really see the difference between Democrats and Republicans in the same way. The outcome is the same. The outcome would end up being a bomb on your head anyway. So I think this this sort of tension and fascination got me curious about American politics, obviously, and the American political system, and this social Darwinism that sort of runs through a lot of things in in American society — this sportifying of everything, so to speak. Even the debates, I don't know if anyone can come up with any single substantive point from the last Trump-versus-Harris debate, but everyone was like 'who won? By what margin did they win?'. But I think there's also something more, there is another complexity in in this story — it's not a Trump movie. It's about this very formative relationship, which Trump is obviously part of. But it's also equally about Roy Cohn, who's as colourful character and as exciting a character, and not as in plain sight as Trump is. And how through this relationship, Trump becomes the person he is. In that way, again, it's also my chance of studying or investigating the system they're operating." On Finding the Right Actor to Play Donald Trump — and Getting Sebastian Stan Onboard "I think for me, casting is like 80 percent of my job. That's also why I am really, really picky and it takes very long time for me to cast my movies, because really once you cast someone, there is not a whole lot you can do about that choice on set either way. And I meant this in a sincere way. It's not a criticism, it's not a problem, but it's something — it's a commitment, I guess. That's a good way of putting it. And that commitment was something that Sebastian definitely paid to this. We start talking about this 2019. And then movie evolved and fell apart few times. It fell apart right after January 6, I remember, as an example of the times. And I think in a way, it is a difficult part to prepare for — not only on a technical level, not only in terms of research and all that, but also mentally. I think I went through a version of this with Holy Spider myself. I was like, the movie itself is one thing, the consequences of making the movie is something else. So I had to mentally prepare to do Holy Spider for many years before I actually made it. I think it's the same for Sebastian. I think maybe the one good thing that came out of all these years of waiting and rebuilding the project was he had time to mentally prepare for the fact that he is doing this person who's extremely polarising — and the aftermath, which is also going to be polarising — and it hasn't even started yet. I think we're going to see the real reactions when the movie comes out. It's different for me. I'm an outsider to this political system, to the US. I can't say I'm an outsider to Hollywood anymore, because now I'm part of it. But I have a sort of a safety distance. If everything goes wrong, if shit hits the fan, I'm still in Copenhagen — and that's not the case for Sebastian. That's not the case for Amy [executive producer Baer, Purple Hearts] and Gabe [screenwriter Gabriel Sherman, Alaska Daily], who started the project. These are people who are taking real risks with this. As much as I don't understand the controversiality and the risk of it, I do know that I'm not the audience. I'm not the masses — that would be seen very differently." On The Apprentice Living Up to Its Name by Unpacking Roy Cohn's Influence on Donald Trump "It's a little bit of a Frankenstein story in a way, like how the monster is created by the master. But in that case, I think politically speaking, I think it's very wrong to refer to Donald as a monster. Because that would also imply that there's a monster in town and there are some other innocent people who are not. And in fact, that's really not the case. I think anything that the opponents are accusing Trump of doing, they have done themselves in some degree, one way or the other. The argument is here is not that 'oh, there are some fine people on both sides' or everything is relative. I don't think it's relative. I think there's some stuff, like when he comes and says 'people are eating dogs', that's a despicable, stupid, racist, fascist thing to say. That's not relative. That's black and white. But in terms of the dynamics of it, back to Roy Cohn, I think that in the movie as in reality, he had an outsized influence on how Donald became the person he is, and how he learned to navigate and pull the levers of power. And also, most importantly, maybe, how to deal with media. Once you know the rules, you can see how he's on a daily basis using those rules. And there's something interesting about these characters, because in a way, they are pretty punk rock. Punk rock is not something you associate with the right that much — mostly anarchist leftwing, that vibe of it. But when you look at these people, they do what the fuck they want. They establish rules. They tear the rule book. They're colourful. They don't care. And I think that maybe in terms of mentality, that was maybe also a big contribution from Roy. You know, you don't have to give a shit about people. If you say something wrong in an interview, double down, triple down, quadruple down. Who cares? Fuck them, you know?" The Apprentice opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, October 11, 2024.
2025 is going to be the year when Australia gets to see Oasis live again. And, after already announcing two Down Under shows on their reunion tour now that Liam and Noel Gallagher are happy to take to the stage together once more, the Manchester-born band has doubled their upcoming Aussie gigs. They're still only playing two cities, however, doing a couple of shows apiece in Sydney and Melbourne. Next year marks 20 years since Oasis last toured Australia, but that's where the lengthy gap between the band's Down Under shows is ending. There's comeback tours and then there's Britain's most-famous feuding siblings reuniting to bring one of the country's iconic groups back together live — aka the biggest story in music touring of 2024 since Liam and Noel announced in August that they were reforming the band, and also burying the hatchet. [caption id="attachment_975202" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Emmett[/caption] Initially, Oasis locked in a run of shows in the UK and Ireland. Since then, they've been expanding their tour dates, also confirming visits to Canada and the US. From London, Manchester and Dublin to Toronto, Los Angeles and Mexico City, the entire tour so far is sold out. That's the story, morning glory — and expect Australian tickets to get snapped up swiftly for Oasis' four announced concerts. The Aussie tour starts on Halloween 2025 at Marvel Stadium in the Victorian capital, and now will also return to the same venue on Saturday, November 1. It's Sydney's turn in the Harbour City a week later, at Accor Stadium across Friday, November 7–Saturday, November 8 . [caption id="attachment_975205" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oasis Knebworth 1996, Photo by Roberta Parkin/Redferns[/caption] Oasis broke up in 2009, four years after their last Australian tour, and following seven albums from 1994's Definitely Maybe through to 2008's Dig Your Soul — and after drawing massive crowds to their live gigs along the way (see: documentary Oasis Knebworth 1996). If you're feeling supersonic about the group's reunion, you can likely expect to hear that track, plus everything from 'Live Forever', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Morning Glory' and 'Some Might Say' through to 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Champagne Supernova' when they hit Australia. Oasis Live '25 Australian Dates Friday, October 31–Saturday, November 1 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Friday, November 7–Saturday, November 8 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Oasis are touring Australia in October and November 2025, with Melbourne tickets on sale from 10am AEDT and Sydney tickets from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 15. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Batiste Safont via Wikimedia Commons.
For the third time in the 2020s, Fatboy Slim is heading to Australia to break out 'Right Here, Right Now', 'The Rockafeller Skank', 'Praise You' and plenty more dance-floor fillers. After touring the country in 2020 and 2023, the dance music legend is returning in March 2025 on a five-stop trip, four of which will get him spinning tunes in wineries. "Like the crazy drunk uncle who turns up every Christmas, I'm coming back to my Aussie fam once again. Expect the usual inappropriate behaviour and interpretational dancing," said Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, announcing his latest Down Under visit. [caption id="attachment_975623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] neal whitehouse piper via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Trying to dance like Christopher Walken, pretending you're in Cruel Intentions, being transported back to the late 90s and early 00s: that's all on the agenda again. So is making shapes to DJ Seinfeld, CC:DISCO! and Jennifer Loveless, who'll be supporting the British legend at all five gigs. The tour is kicking off in Perth, at the only show that isn't at a vineyard, on Friday, March 14. From there, Fatboy Slim has a date with Centennial Vineyards in Bowral, Peter Lehmann Wines in the Barossa Valley, Mt Duneed Estate in Geelong and Sirromet Wines in Mount Cotton. [caption id="attachment_878696" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Carlos Luna / Secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Cook has been making music since the 80s, but took on the name Fatboy Slim in the mid-90s, starting with 1996 record Better Living Through Chemistry. His 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby was the club soundtrack to end the 20th century — a staple of every 90s teen's CD collection, too. As for 2000's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, it gave the world 'Weapon of Choice' and its iconic Walken-starring (and Spike Jonze-directed) video. Fatboy Slim's discography also spans 2004 album Palookaville and 2013 single 'Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat'. [caption id="attachment_878697" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] You might not be able to dance along the walls when Cook hits the decks — but you'll want to thanks to his big beat sound. Indeed, alongside the Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, The Propellerheads and Crystal Method, he helped bring the style to mainstream fame. If you've seen Cook live before — or the epic live video from his 2020 Melbourne gig at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl that's notched up more than 3.2-million views — then you'll know that any Fatboy Slim tour is always news to get excited about right about now. Fatboy Slim 2025 Australian Tour Friday, March 14 — Langley Park, Perth Saturday, March 15 — Centennial Vineyards, Bowral Friday, March 21 — Peter Lehmann Wines, Barossa Valley Saturday, March 22 — Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong Sunday, March 23 — Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton Fatboy Slim is touring Australia in March 2025. Early-bird tickets start from 1pm local time on Friday, October 11, 2024, then presales from 2pm on Tuesday, October 15, then general sales from 10am on Friday, October 18. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Selbymay via Wikimedia Commons.
At the 2024 British Film Festival, when you're not watching movies starring Saoirse Ronan, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh and Barry Keoghan, you'll be catching the latest performances from Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter. There's never any lack of big-name talents gracing the screen at Australia's annual celebration of the UK's latest and greatest contributions to cinema, but this year's is particularly jam-packed — so much so that there's not just one feature boasting Ronan among its cast, but two. Blitz, which sees the Foe, Little Women and Ammonite actor team up with 12 Years a Slave, Widows and Small Axe filmmaker Steve McQueen, is the British Film Festival's 2024 opening-night film. Playing Down Under fresh from also launching the London Film Festival, the period drama heads back to World War II, and starts the fest's month-long run from Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 with one of the year's must-see movies. At the other end of the festival, the also highly anticipated We Live in Time will close out the event's seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Byron Bay and Ballarat. Pugh (Dune: Part Two) and Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven) lead the romance from Brooklyn filmmaker John Crowley, which follows a couple's relationship across a decade. The second Ronan-led flick on the full 2024 British Film Festival comes courtesy of page-to-screen adaptation The Outrun, where the four-time Oscar-nominee plays a recovering addict — and there's plenty more highlights on the program from there. Hard Truths sits in the fest's centrepiece slot, reuniting iconic director Mike Leigh (Peterloo) with his Academy Award-nominated Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Surface). Also boasting the coveted pairing of an impressive helmer and an exceptional on-screen talent: Bird from Andrea Arnold (American Honey), which is where Keoghan (Saltburn) pops up. As for Fiennes (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar), he stars with Juliette Binoche (The New Look) in The Return, a British spin on Homer's Odyssey — and also in papal thriller Conclave with Citadel's Stanley Tucci, Killers of the Flower Moon's John Lithgow and Spaceman's Isabella Rossellini. Law (Peter Pan & Wendy) plays King Henry VIII opposite Alicia Vikander (Irma Vep) as Katherine Parr in Firebrand, while Brosnan (The Last Rifleman) and Bonham Carter (One Life) feature in romance Four Letters of Love. Other standouts include the century-hopping dark comedy Timestalker from Garth Marenghi's Darkplace alum Alice Lowe, the Gillian Anderson (Scoop)- and Jason Isaacs (Archie)-led The Salt Path, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (You Hurt My Feelings) facing death in Tuesday, and Kelly Macdonald (Operation Mincemeat) and Damian Lewis (Billions) in vampire comedy The Radleys. For music fans, there's a dedicated themed sidebar featuring both Blur: To the End and Blur: Live at Wembley Stadium — one about the band's most-recent chapter, the other a two-hour concert film — as well as the Led Zeppelin-focused The Song Remains the Same and The Rolling Stones-centric The Stones and Brian Jones. This year's British Film Festival is also peering backwards via retrospective sessions of Ratcatcher, the debut feature from You Were Never Really Here's Lynne Ramsay; the Bonham Carter- and Dame Maggie Smith (The Miracle Club)-starring A Room with a View; and classic British historical dramas such as A Man for All Seasons, Heat and Dust, The Lion in Winter and Kenneth Branagh's (A Haunting in Venice) Henry V. British Film Festival 2024 Dates and Venues Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Regent Ballarat Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Electric Cinemas, Canberra Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Leederville and Windsor, Perth Wednesday, November 6–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Byron Bay Thursday, November 7–Sunday, December 8 — Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central, Sydney The 2024 British Film Festival tours Australia in November and December. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
SXSW Sydney's big 2024 return is only days away — and it's still expanding its already jam-packed lineup. If you're a fan of both movies and TV, the event's Screen Festival has been stacking its program for months, but it isn't done yet. Newly added to the bill across Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20: a 90s-set disaster comedy on opening night, television sneak peeks and world premieres, Japan's submission for 2025's Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars and plenty more. When the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival kicks off for this year, it'll do so with a movie that bowed at its Austin counterpart, heads back to the 90s, sports a Saturday Night Live alum behind the lens and boasts plenty of well-known faces on-screen, including the Harbour City event's music keynote speaker for 2024. The film: A24's Y2K, the directorial debut of Kyle Mooney (No Hard Feelings), with Rachel Zegler (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Julian Dennison (Uproar), Jaeden Martell (Arcadian) and The Kid LAROI starring. The storyline: it's New Year's Eve in 1999, a heap of folks are at a high-school party and the Y2K bug strikes. The fest's new small-screen highlights span debuting and returning fare, as well as a new show that's the latest version of a popular hit that just keeps being remade. Plum, which stars Brendan Cowell (The Twelve) as a footballer who learns that his concussions have led to a brain disorder, and also features Asher Keddie (Fake) and Jemaine Clement (Time Bandits), is premiering at SXSW Sydney before airing on ABC. Apple TV+ delight Shrinking with Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) is showing a sneak peek of its second season, and the new Australian take on The Office joins the program via a panel discussion featuring lead Felicity Ward (Time Bandits) with executive producers and writers Jackie van Beek (Nude Tuesday) and Julie De Fina (Aftertaste). Back on movies, Matt Damon (The Instigators)- and Ben Affleck (The Flash)-produced sports drama Unstoppable will enjoy its Australian premiere. Telling Anthony Robles' true tale, it stars Jharrel Jerome (I'm a Virgo) as the wrestler born with one leg — plus Bobby Cannavale (MaXXXine), Michael Peña (A Million Miles Away), Don Cheadle (Fight Night) and Jennifer Lopez (Atlas). Also on the film list: the world premiere of the Chicago-set Pools, which features Odessa A'zion (Ghosts) as a college sophomore at summer school; Messy, another summer-set flick, this time featuring Alexi Wasser (Poker Face), Ione Skye (Beef) Adam Goldberg (The Exorcism); First Nations coming-of-age tale Jazzy, with Lily Gladstone (Fancy Dance) as a star and executive producer; and They're Here, a documentary about UFO fanatics. Or, from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Before We Vanish) comes both Cloud and Serpent's Path — the first of which is Japan's aforementioned Oscar entry, with the second remaking the director's own 1998 revenge film in French. The new additions join already-revealed headliners Saturday Night, Smile 2, Nightbitch, The Front Room and Pavements — and, as seen in other past lineup announcements, everything from cults, cat-loving animation and Christmas carnage thanks to Azrael, Ghost Cat Anzu and Carnage for Christmas. Movie buffs can also look forward to Ilana Glazer (The Afterparty)-led mom-com Babes; the maximum-security prison-set Sing Sing with Colman Domingo (Drive-Away Dolls); and Inside, which features Guy Pearce (The Clearing), Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) and Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders). There's also doco Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, spending time with At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala; Teaches of Peaches, which goes on tour with its namesake; the Lucy Lawless (My Life Is Murder)-directed doco Never Look Away about CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth; Peter Dinklage (Unfrosted) and Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets) lead western-thriller The Thicket; and Aussie documentary Like My Brother, about four aspiring AFLW players from the Tiwi Islands. The list goes on, with The Most Australian Band Ever! about the Hard-Ons, That Sugar Film and 2040 filmmaker Damon Gameau's Future Council, and Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts from Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs' Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker also set to screen. SXSW Sydney 2024, including the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival, runs from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details.
For almost 30 years, December 21 Down Under has been known as Gravy Day. The reason: Paul Kelly's 'How to Make Gravy', which released in 1996. The best way to mark the occasion, of course, has always included making gravy and listening to the song. But in 2024, there'll be another way to celebrate: watching the movie adapted from Kelly's tune. News that the flick was coming initially dropped in 2022, with musician Meg Washington and writer/director Nick Waterman announcing that they'd locked in the rights to make the song into a film. Then, Australian streaming platform Binge revealed that it's behind the movie, marking its first-ever original feature — and that it'd hit this year. Now, the movie version of How to Make Gravy has a release date, arriving on streaming on Sunday, December 1. How to Make Gravy, the film, also now boasts a trailer. So, if you've been wondering how a tune becomes a movie, here's a glimpse. The Royal Hotel co-stars Daniel Henshall (RFDS) and Hugo Weaving (Slow Horses) feature as Joe and Noel. The first hails from the song — he's the prisoner who writes to his brother Dan to kick things off — while Noel is a new addition. Also starring: Brenton Thwaites (Titans) as Dan, Kate Mulvany (The Clearing) as Joe's sister Stella and Damon Herriman (now that he's no longer playing Charles Manson in both Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as her husband Roger. French actor Agathe Rousselle from Titane, who is making her first English-language film, also features as Joe's wife Rita. And yes, there's a Frank and a Dolly, aka Joe's twin daughters (newcomer Rose Statham and Christmas on the Farm's Izzy Westlake) — and an Angus, Joe's son (Jonah Wren Phillips, Sweet Tooth). Still on names from the music, Eloise Rothfield (Boy Swallows Universe) is Dan's daughter Mary, while Eugene Gilfedder (Babyteeth) and Kym Gyngell (The Artful Dodger) are brothers Gary and Murray. Kieran Darcy-Smith (Mr Inbetween) is also among the cast as new character Red — and with Washington one of the picture's driving forces, Adam Briggs, Brendan Maclean, Dallas Woods, Patience Hodgson and Zaachariaha Fielding are among the musicians with cameo roles. There's no word yet if Kelly pops up as the film tells of Joe's family's preparations to spend their first Christmas without him. Check out the trailer for How to Make Gravy below — and, because you've likely now got it stuck in your head, the music video for the song as well: How to Make Gravy will stream via Binge from Sunday, December 1, 2024. Images: Jasin Boland.
How much green will be seen at 2025's Laneway Festival? With Charli XCX headlining, expect the Brat hue to be everywhere. After all of the talk talk of announcing its dates and venues, then splashing around everyone's current favourite slime colour, St Jerome's Laneway Festival has confirmed that Charlotte Emma Aitchison is indeed leading its 2025 lineup. Given the fest's February timing — kicking off in Auckland on Thursday, February 6, then hitting Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth by Sunday, February 16 — it's going to be Brat summer Down Under. It's set to be a Beabadoobee-, Clairo-, Barry Can't Swim- and Remi Wolf-soundtracked summer as well, with the quartet also among the big names on Laneway's bill. Charlie XCX was last in Australia in 2023 for Sydney WorldPride and For the Love, and before that in 2020 at Laneway. If you're keen to see the 'Guess', '360', 'Apple', 'Speed Drive', '1999', 'Doing It' and 'Boom Clap' talent this time, you'll need a Laneway ticket, as she's playing exclusively at the fest. In 2025, she'll have company from BICEP doing their CHROMA AV DJ set, Olivia Dean, Eyedress and Skegss, too, alongside STÜM, RONA, Hamdi, Joey Valence & Brae, 2hollis, Fcukers, Ninajirachi, Julie, and Girl and Girl. The event started by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio in the mid-00s will head to Western Springs in Auckland, then hop over the ditch to Brisbane Showgrounds, Sydney Showground, Melbourne's Flemington Park, Bonython Park in Adelaide and Wellington Square in Perth. Laneway joins the list of festivals locking in their comebacks after a tough year of cancellations across the live music scene. Also returning: Golden Plains, Bluesfest (for the last time), Wildlands, Good Things, Lost Paradise, Beyond The Valley and Meredith. Laneway Festival 2025 Lineup Charli XCX Beabadoobee Clairo Barry Can't Swim BICEP present CHROMA (AV DJ set) Remi Wolf Olivia Dean Eyedress Skegss STÜM RONA Hamdi Joey Valence & Brae 2hollis Fcukers Ninajirachi Julie Girl and Girl + Triple J unearthed winners Laneway Festival 2025 Dates and Venues Thursday, February 6 – Western Springs, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau Saturday, February 8 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane / Turrbal Targun Sunday, February 9 — Sydney Showground, Sydney / Burramattagal Land & Wangal Land Friday, February 14 — Flemington Park, Melbourne / Wurundjeri Biik Saturday, February 15 — Bonython Park, Adelaide / Kaurna Yerta Sunday, February 16 — Wellington Square, Perth / Whadjuk Boodjar St Jerome's Laneway Festival is touring Australia and New Zealand in February 2025. Head to the festival's website for further details, and to register for ticket pre sales — which kick off at 10am local time on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 — or get tickets in general sales from 10am local time on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Top Charli XCX image: Harley Weir. Laneway images: Charlie Hardy / Daniel Boud / Maclay Heriot / Cedric Tang.
How does it feel to watch Timothée Chalamet play Bob Dylan belting out 'Like a Rolling Stone'? The second trailer for A Complete Unknown — a title that also stems from the same song featured in the new sneak peek — is here to help you find out. Set to hit cinemas Down Under in January 2025, the new biopic steps through the early days of the music icon's career, focusing on how Dylan became a sensation. A Complete Unknown's subject has been no stranger to the screen for decades. Martin Scorsese has made not one but two documentaries about him. I'm Not There had six actors, including Cate Blanchett (The New Boy), play him. The Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis couldn't take a fictional tour of the 60s folk scene without getting its protagonist watching him onstage. And docos about him date back to 1967's Don't Look Back and Festival. Only A Complete Unknown has Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) picking up a guitar, however, now that Dylan is getting the music biopic treatment again. With the curls and the gaze — and the early 60s-era wardrobe, too — the film's star looks the part in both the initial trailer (which dropped 59 years to the day that the 1965 Newport Folk Festival took place, where Dylan performed acoustic songs one day and went electric the next) and the just-released latest sneak peek. Chalamet also sings the part as the Wonka and Bones and All star transforms into the music icon at the start of his career, another reason for the movie's title. In a picture directed by Walk the Line helmer James Mangold — swapping Johnny Cash for another legend, clearly — A Complete Unknown charts Dylan's rise to stardom. The folk singer's early gigs, filling concert halls, going electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival: they're all set to be covered, including his famous performance at the latter. "They just want me to be singing 'Blowin' in the Wind' for the rest of my goddamn life," notes Chalamet in the new look at the flick, as it digs into the impact of his fame and the expectations that it brings. As well as Chalamet as Dylan, Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) has enlisted Edward Norton (Asteroid City) as Pete Seegar, Monica Barbaro (Fubar) as Joan Baez and Scoot McNairy (Speak No Evil) as Woody Guthrie — and, because he isn't done with Cash yet, Boyd Holbrook (The Bikeriders) to step into Johnny's shoes. Elle Fanning (The Great), Dan Fogler (Eric) and Norbert Leo Butz (The Exorcist: Believer) also feature. Check out the full trailer for A Complete Unknown below: A Complete Unknown releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Images: courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
Not everyone is a sports fan, but if you like live tunes, the Australian Open should still be on your radar even if you care little about on-the-court action. Only one music event in the world takes place as part of a Grand Slam, and that's AO Live. On the lineup for 2025's iteration: none other than Kesha, Armand Van Helden, Kaytranada and Benson Boone. Game, set, match, music: that's what's on offer when the Australian Open returns in January 2025 with two jam-packed weeks of tennis, plus a few aces for music lovers in the form of its three-day festival. It was back in 2023 that the annual Melbourne sports event launched the AO Finals Festival, getting a heap of talents taking to the stage. Unsurprisingly proving a hit, the fest returned in 2024, and will now be back again in 2025 under a new name. [caption id="attachment_975223" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendan Walter[/caption] The venue: John Cain Arena, where AO Live will run from Thursday, January 23–Saturday, January 25. 2025's version features the event's biggest lineup so far — and while only the headliners have been announced at the moment, there's special guests to come. The fest kicks off with Boone on the Thursday, followed by Kaytranada on the Friday. Both days will span 5–9pm. Come Saturday, coinciding with the women's finals, Kesha will make her first visit to Australia in seven years, joined by Van Helden. Wrapping up AO Live, the day will kick off at 2pm and finish at 7pm. Expect plenty of company, with the 2023 fest selling out, then 2024's moving venues to John Cain Arena to take advantage of its 10,000-person capacity. AO Live ticketholders will also get a ground pass to the Australian Open, so you can watch the tennis as well as catching live tunes. As always, there'll be scores of food and drink pop-ups scattered throughout Melbourne Park, as well as big screens showing all the on-court action. AO Live 2024 Lineup Thursday, January 23: Benson Boone + special guests Friday, January 24: Kaytranada + special guests Saturday, January 25: Kesha Armand Van Helden + special guests AO Live hits John Cain Arena, Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne, from Thursday, January 23–Saturday, January 25, 2025. For tickets from Thursday, October 10, 2024 and more information, head to the festival website. AO Finals Festival images: Ashlea Caygill.
When 2025 hits, 20 years will have passed since Oasis last toured Australia, but that's where the lengthy gap between the band's Down Under shows is ending. There's comeback tours and then there's Britain's most-famous feuding siblings reuniting to bring one of the country's iconic groups back together for a massive world tour — and when Liam and Noel Gallagher start taking to the stage together again, they'll do so at gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. Oasis' reunion tour has been huge news for months, ever since Liam and Noel announced in August that they would reform Oasis — and bury the hatchet — for a run of shows in the UK and Ireland. Since then, they've been expanding their tour dates, also locking in visits to Canada and the US. From London, Manchester and Dublin to Toronto, Los Angeles and Mexico City, the entire tour so far is sold out. [caption id="attachment_975205" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oasis Knebworth 1996, Photo by Roberta Parkin/Redferns[/caption] That's the story, morning glory — and expect Australian tickets to get snapped up swiftly for Oasis' two announced concerts, one apiece in Sydney and Melbourne. The Manchester-born band is kicking off their Aussie visit on Halloween 2025 at Marvel Stadium in the Victorian capital, then heading to Accor Stadium in the Harbour City a week later. "People of the land down under. 'You better run — you better take cover ...'. We are coming. You are most welcome," said the group in a statement. [caption id="attachment_975206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oasis Knebworth 1996, Jill Furmanovsky[/caption] Oasis broke up in 2009, four years after their last Australian tour, and following seven albums from 1994's Definitely Maybe through to 2008's Dig Your Soul — and after drawing massive crowds to their live gigs along the way (see: documentary Oasis Knebworth 1996). If you're feeling supersonic about the group's reunion, you can likely expect to hear that track, plus everything from 'Live Forever', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Morning Glory' and 'Some Might Say' through to 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Champagne Supernova' when they hit Australia. Oasis Live '25 Australian Dates Friday, October 31 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Friday, November 7 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Oasis are touring Australia in October and November 2025. Presale ticket registration runs until 8am AEDT on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, with Melbourne tickets on sale from 10am AEDT and Sydney tickets from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 15. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Simon Emmett.
Move over Egypt: this summer, visiting the Australian Museum means venturing to South America. After dedicating the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024 to blockbuster exhibition Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs, the Sydney institution is wrapping up this year and starting 2025 with another massive must-see blast from the past. In an Aussie-exclusive season, Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru will display 134 priceless artefacts and head back over 3000 years. When it opens on Saturday, November 23, 2024, this historical showcase from Peru's Museo Larco and Museo de Sito Manuel Chavez Ballon will feature jewels, masks and other treasures, some of which have been found in royal tombs. As the name makes plain, gold is a focus. In fact, Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru boasts the most-opulent collection of Andean gold that's ever left Peru. As well as peering at its items across the exhibition's six-month stay, attendees will be able to explore Machu Picchu via virtual reality — although that part comes at an extra fee. This highlight of the program is the first-ever VR 'fly-through' of the famous site, organisers advise, and will get Australian Museum visitors feeling like they've been transported both back in time and to the other side of the world via not just VR, but also 360-degree motion chairs and drone footage. "One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is a top bucket-list destination for many Australians, and this exhibition will further inspire visitors with its state-of-the-art storytelling alongside treasures from these intriguing ancient empires," said Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO, announcing the exhibition. "I'm delighted that the Australian Museum will be hosting this exhibition highlighting the rich history and culture of ancient Peru, enabling the people of NSW and beyond to experience Machu Picchu and all our country has to offer," added Consul-General of Peru Mr José Alberto Ortiz. "Through the representation and interpretation of the myths and rituals of Andean civilisations and their rediscovery and reappraisal in the 21st century, it seems possible to reconstruct the foundational images of modern Peru." "I know the public will be captivated by our unique culture dating back more than 3000 years and will be fascinated by the stories of five empires which are still present in our country today," Ortiz continued. Sydney is just the fourth place in the world to welcome Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, after the exhibition's stops in Boca Raton in the US, Paris in France and Milan in Italy. Expect the Australian season to be busy, given the nation's love of historical exhibitions at the Australian Museum — breaking attendance records, Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs, which was also produced by Neon Global, sold more than 508,000 tickets. Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru opens at the Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, from Saturday, November 23, 2024 — head to the exhibition website for further details, and tickets from Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Images: Neon Global.
If Neighbours wasn't already famously taken as a title of an Australian TV series, it could've also fit Last Days of the Space Age. Set in the 70s in Perth, the eight-part Disney+ show incorporates everything from US space station Skylab and workers striking for their rights to the battle for gender equality, the nation's treatment of Indigenous Australians, grappling with trauma and the immigrant experience — plus Miss Universe and the Cold War as well. Navigating all of the above: three neighbouring families in the Western Australian capital's suburbs. Judy (Radha Mitchell, Troppo) and Tony Bissett (Jesse Spencer, Chicago Fire), Sandy (Linh-Dan Pham, Blue Bayou) and Lam Bui (Vico Thai, Total Control), and Eileen Wilberforce (Deborah Mailman, Boy Swallows Universe) are all good neighbours and good friends. The teenagers in the three households — aspiring astronaut Tilly Bissett (Mackenzie Mazur, Moja Vesna), her surf-loving sister Mia (Emily Grant, RFDS), her best friend Jono Bui (debutant Aidan Du Chiem) and new arrival Bilya Wilberforce (Thomas Weatherall, Heartbreak High) — also all go to school together. Those connections sit at the heart of the series — and, as almost everything that the Bissetts, Buis and Wilberforces know starts to change, their neighbourly ties couldn't be more pivotal. Mitchell and Spencer are more than a bit familiar with this type of situation on-screen. While their careers have taken them overseas for decades — Mitchell has Phone Booth, The Crazies, two Silent Hill films, Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen on her resume; Spencer featured in 173 episodes of House before his Chicago Fire stint; both also co-starred with a 00s-era Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire and Uptown Girls, respectively — they share a past on Neighbours. Last Days of the Space Age is Spencer's big return to homegrown TV, in fact, and his first major Australian small-screen role since playing Billy Kennedy. Ramsay Street's antics aren't set in 1979, of course. Spencer can see the symmetry with the Aussie television role that brought him to fame in the 90s and his latest show, however, he tells Concrete Playground. "The writing quality is a little bit more involved, but that's up to you to decide," adds Mitchell. As Last Days of the Space Age's Judy and Tony, the pair play not just a married couple but also colleagues at the Doull Power Plant, where Tony has been leading the worker strike for six months. When Judy is promoted and tasked with negotiating an end to the union action, their family dynamic is unsurprisingly shaken up. Aided by directors Bharat Nalluri (Boy Swallows Universe), Rachel Ward (Rachel's Farm) and Kriv Stenders (Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan), creator David Chidlow (Hidden, Moving On) unfurls the Bissetts' upheaval alongside the Bui family's efforts to build a new life after arriving from Vietnam. With the Wilberforces — and with 1979 marking 150 years since Perth was founded — the series also confronts the impact of colonisation. Game of Thrones fans will spot Iain Glen (Silo) among the cast as well, as Judy's father Bob. Also included in the clearly ambitious series, which enthusiastically embraces its era and its tonal rollercoaster: Tony's journalist brother Mick (George Mason, Exposure) covering the beauty pageant, where USSR contestant Svetlana (Ines English, Dead Lucky) is a frontrunner under close watch by her KGB minder Yvgeny (Jacek Koman, Prosper). With Last Days of the Space Age available to stream via Disney+ since Wednesday, October 2, we chatted with Mitchell, Spencer and and French Vietnamese actor Pham about what excited them about the show's bold mix of elements, the fight to be treated fairly that thrums through the series, balancing its tones, Mitchell and Spencer's homecoming, Pham connecting to her roots, Neighbours and more. On What Excited Mitchell, Spencer and Pham About Starring in Last Days of the Space Age Jesse: "I was in the States, I just had my first child and this script came across my desk — and I love period dramas. It was my first chance to play a father with two daughters, so I felt like I was looking into my future a little bit. I knew nothing really about unions or the history of unions, but my character's a very passionate union leader, so I researched that — and there's a whole pretty awful history of treatment of workers back in the day, and workers' rights. But the whole project felt like a really interesting ensemble. It was quite quirky, but it was ultimately about families, and families fighting for each other — and societal change and how they coped with that. And it was really well-written. Then I got to Australia and it was a great cast, and it was a great experience to bring it off the page and bring it to life on the screen." Linh-Dan: "I think when I choose projects, there's always something personal, somehow, unconsciously. And this one was very clear: it was about reconnecting with my roots, basically. Even though my parents didn't go through what the Bui family has gone through, I managed to talk to some of my relatives about it, and it reopened the conversation — and also discovering the hidden pain, the trauma, was my way to get into Sandy. The script was actually so amazing anyway, and period pieces are so interesting. To go back: first of all, Australia, I love traveling; 70s outfits, hello disco. So it was a no-brainer for me." Radha: "There's so much in all of the storylines, and this sense of community, and all different parts of the fabric of the Australian identity being reviewed, in a way, because we have an opportunity to have a bit of distance between now and 1979. I thought that was really an interesting mirror to history, how we've constructed our sense of identity and where we're going to go with it now. Looking through the lens of that period, I thought was really interesting. And I liked all the characters. I felt it was written with a really compassionate, kind perspective. There's so much snarky nastiness in the media lately, that it was nice to just be involved in a story that was trying to put something positive into the world. So I felt very aligned to all those aspects of the script." On Mitchell and Spencer's Homecoming — and the Joy of Not Needing to Imitate US Culture Radha: "It was a little bit of a sense of coming back home, maybe, for me and Jesse — that we were able to bring some of where we've come from to where we are now. It felt like a bit of a contribution for me, being able to come home and do something that I felt aligned to." Jesse: "Every Australian actor I know — because a lot of work is international, and for a lot of actors too — but every actor I know always loves to go home and try to do a project. Because you spend a lot of time learning about throwing yourself into other cultures, and more or less trying to imitate authentically who they are, and where they are in certain points in time and stuff. So to bring it back to something that's much more familiar is just a pleasure. Things are much, much more tangible. It's accessible. There's still challenges, but it makes it very, very fun. And especially when there's good writing and good casting — I know a lot of actors who are always trying to go back to their home countries and do it. And this was an opportunity to do that. So I grabbed it." Radha: "It's interesting — an imitation. That is true when you're working in the US." Jesse: "I mean, you don't think about it. You don't want to think about that." Radha: "Yeah, but you're imitating the culture, whereas here, I feel like this is our culture, talking about things that we're part of." On Whether Making a Show About Neighbours After Acting on Neighbours Feels Like a Full-Circle Moment Radha: "I think Jesse would say so." Jesse: "Yeah, a little bit. There was a little bit of that. Although, yes and no, because the dynamics, the themes that run through the show, the dynamics between the characters, is just a little different to Neighbours, but there is a similarity there." Radha: "We are neighbours in the show." Jesse: "I mean, we're next door to each other." On the Series' Resonant and Repeated Focus on Fighting to Be Treated Fairly Jesse: "I think it's a human trope. Everyone's fighting a hard battle against themselves and in society. It's something everyone can relate to. And it's enjoyable to watch, I think, characters have obstacles — to come up against them, sometimes fail, but sometimes find a way around that and breakthrough for a transformation. That's what this show is all about. It's about transformation, courage and ultimately hope." Radha: "But it's subverted, I guess, in a great way by this crazy stuff that's going on in history, and the crazy costumes. And all this stuff, there's a sincerity to it, but there's also an irreverence about the storytelling, which I think attracted me to it." On Balancing the Mix of Warmth, Tragedy, Humour and History Radha: "That's the challenge in the discovery. I think we were on set thinking 'what is this? Is this a comedy?'." Jesse: "Right. Right." Radha: "'Look at your outfit, man. I can't even look at you without laughing' — but here we are, we're doing this very serious scene." Jesse: "But that's life as well, when it's this tragedy but it's also kind of funny — a bit of black humour or quirky sort of humour. There's always a million shades of grey, which is better than just one colour. And yeah, that was a challenge. And we were always trying to figure out what the tone is in the scene and where you were with the character." Radha: "Even Bharat [Nalluri], who was the first director for the series, was like 'wow, okay, we're really going to create this together, the tone'. And we felt comfortable that he had recognised that that was part of what we were doing — that it couldn't be just taken for granted. I think that's what makes the series unique, that it's got its own tone, its own voice — and I think that was what we created." On How Pham Approached Playing a Character Caught Between Making a New Life and Grappling with Trauma Lin-Danh: "Well, you go deep. I think somehow what your parents instil in you, your family, your surroundings, you feed yourself from all of that, and it's the mystery also of acting, sometimes. Actually, my aunt had written a story about her side of the family, a book she self-published. I did read about that. And it was ups and down all the time, her first few years in France where she lost everything and she refused to go back to Vietnam, and had to fend for herself with her three kids. They were boat people, met some pirates. So, you just talk to these people and you feed off it. It feels a bit selfish and sometimes like I'm forcing a little bit. But they were very generous and we had great conversations with my family that I had not really had kept in touch with. So that's how I got through Sandy." On Mitchell's Take on Judy Being Pulled in Every Direction Both at Work and at Home — and Finding Herself in the Chaos Radha: "I just wanted to keep her really real. And I felt maybe what was charming about her is that she didn't want to do all these things. They were just happening and she was discovering her talents in action, but she wasn't ambitious at all. It was just happening, it was her nightmare that she was going to be doing all these things, and yet she was discovering herself in them. I thought that was really interesting about her. She wasn't this empowered woman — she was somebody discovering her power. And the conflict around that at home, and the challenges of having teenage daughters that just don't want to listen to you, I think it sort of played itself out. And maybe even my own personal bias against it — just feeling that I like these emancipated female characters, so to cut my own wings in the role was really interesting for me. I think those were the challenges, and I was lucky enough to be working with great actors, and we created this wacky little family together. And then the friendships around that, I think layered it with this — I think Linh-Dan was saying it was a feminist show in a way, and I don't think it is only, but it certainly celebrates the relationships between women and the details of women's lives in a kind of intimate way. I think that's one of the beautiful parts of the storytelling." Last Days of the Space Age streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, October 2, 2024. Images: Joel Pratley, Tony Mott and Mark Rogers.
Call it Red Light, Green Light. Call it Statues. Call it Grandmother's Footsteps. Whichever name you prefer, how good are you at playing the game that gets folks a-sneaking, ideally without being caught? Now, how would you fare trying to creep forward while avoiding being spotted when Young-hee is lurking? Squid Game fans, if you visit Luna Park Sydney from this summer, you'll be able to find out. The Harbour City tourist attraction has announced the next experience that's heading to its big top, which has been hosting the dazzling projections of Dream Circus since relaunching after a revamp in late 2023. From Monday, December 16, 2024, just in time for the Christmas holidays and Squid Game season two's arrival on Netflix on Boxing Day, Squid Game: The Experience will get everyone playing Red Light, Green Light with Young-hee — and also busting out their marbles skills, then walking over the glass bridge. Get your green tracksuit ready. Front Man will be there to dare you to take the Squid Game challenges IRL, which obviously won't notch up a body count like in the series — and won't be televised like reality competition show Squid Game: The Challenge. Some games will be inspired by the Netflix program. Others will be brand new. You'll only know if Squid Game: The Experience takes any cues from the thriller's second season, though, if you drop by after Thursday, December 26. With the experience running Friday–Sunday weekly, players can take part individually, or in groups of up to 25. As you work through the challenges, which get harder as you go along, you'll earn points. Another difference from the series: if you get eliminated from a game, you'll still be able to take part in the challenges that follow. Alongside Red Light, Green Light, marbles and more, Squid Game: The Experience includes a post-game night market with Korean snacks on the menu thanks to SOUL Dining. Fingers crossed that there'll be sugar cookies as a snack. You'll also be able to nab some merchandise, such as clothes and collectibles, to take home. And yes, Young-hee has popped up Down Under before, with a 4.5-metre, three-tonne recreation of Squid Game's eerie animatronic figure with laser eyes making its presence known also in Sydney back in 2021. [caption id="attachment_975032" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Netflix[/caption] Squid Game: The Experience arrives at Luna Park Sydney, 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, from Monday, December 16, 2024. Head to the venue's website for more information and to join the waitlist ahead of ticket sales from Tuesday, November 4, 2024.
Victoria has no shortage of standout destinations to explore throughout the year — natural, beautiful and sometimes downright surprising. The state is one of Australia's smallest yet boasts a diverse array of stunning landscapes, from tumbling waterfalls in the middle of dense forest to ancient volcanic craters now teeming with wildlife. Here, we've rounded up eight unexpected natural sights just waiting to be explored. Start plotting adventures around this lineup of must-see Victorian landmarks. Recommended reads: The Best Natural Hot Springs in Victoria The Best Walks in and Around Melbourne The Best Beaches in Melbourne The Best Places to Go Glamping in Victoria [caption id="attachment_785503" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darren Seiler for Visit Victoria[/caption] Pink Lakes, Murray-Sunset National Park As far as bodies of water go, these ones are what you'd call true show-stoppers. Up in the wilds of northwestern Victoria, the Murray-Sunset National Park is best known for its four eye-catching Pink Lakes, which feature solid salt beds and a vibrant blush tinge thanks to the red algae growing in their waters. With the lakes shifting in colour throughout the day, the vast, flat territory makes for some pretty magical photo ops, especially during sunset and at dusk. You can soak up the untouched surrounds while trekking one of the area's many walking trails and even spend a night onsite at the campgrounds, taking advantage of the open starry skies and lake views. [caption id="attachment_785511" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] The Pinnacle Lookout, Halls Gap Rising up above Halls Gap like the bow of a Titanic made of rocks, The Pinnacle lookout is The Grampians' crowning glory, in more ways than one. It clocks in at an impressive 720 metres above sea level and boasts some unimaginably good panoramic views to match. The spectacular summit is accessed by a bunch of different hiking trails (starting from a medium-grade 45-minute trek), which'll take you winding through a rugged region of leafy bushland and rocky outcrops. Make your way up to the top, take in those dramatic vistas over the National Park's peaks and valleys, and you'll feel like you're standing atop Victoria's own version of the Grand Canyon. [caption id="attachment_785496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Garry Moore for Visit Victoria[/caption] Buchan Caves, Buchan Some of you might find it hard to get excited about a cave. But this huge subterranean network filled with majestic limestone formations really is some exceptional stuff. Carved out by underground rivers almost 400 million years ago, Gippsland's Buchan Caves are the largest of their kind in Victoria, also holding huge Aboriginal cultural significance. You can take guided tours of the two main lit sections, known as Royal Cave and Fairy Cave, winding your way amongst the stalactites, stalagmites and calcite-rimmed pools. What's more, the adjoining Buchan Caves Reserve boasts loads of native wildlife, bushland walks and idyllic picnic spots. You can even make a mini-getaway of it and spend the night at one of the campsites. it's one of our favourite Victorian caves to explore. [caption id="attachment_845835" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Great Ocean Road Tourism[/caption] Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, Tower Hill If you ever want to see what life's like within a dormant volcano, simply venture a few hours west to the site of Tower Hill, near Port Fairy. Here, a 30,000-year-old volcanic crater houses the Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, featuring a striking backdrop of cone-shaped hills, wetlands and lake. And as well as boasting gorgeous scenery and bushwalks aplenty this one's steeped in history. A significant Indigenous Australian landmark and Victoria's first national park, the site was driven to ruin by early settlers, before volunteers restored it to the natural beauty it is today. The crater is also home to scores of native wildlife species — keep an eye out for the likes of koalas, kangaroos and spoonbills kicking around in this unique habitat. [caption id="attachment_785501" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Watson for Visit Victoria[/caption] Californian Redwood Forest, Beech Forest Take a trip out to The Otways' famed Californian Redwood Forest and you'll find yourself quickly enveloped in an otherworldly haven of peace and tranquility. Created over 85 years ago, this plantation of towering Californian Redwoods (sequoia sempervirens) makes for quite the nature spectacular, what with its uniform rows of tree trunks, hushed forest floor and shards of sunlight filtering through the upper branches. Nothing offers a bit of perspective quite like a stroll through the 1400-strong forest, taking in the full stature of these arboreal giants. Some of them reach a whopping 55-metres tall. Enjoy a picnic lunch, hug a few trees and revel in a much-welcomed dose of Mother Nature. [caption id="attachment_785504" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pennicott Wilderness Journeys[/caption] Skull Rock, Tidal River Victoria lays claim to plenty of famous rock formations, but this skull-shaped number emerging from the waters off Wilsons Prom might just be the coolest. Cleft Island — also known as Skull Rock for obvious reasons — is a giant granite formation hanging out by the very southern tip of the state. It's been gradually shaped and smoothed by waves over the centuries, and features a giant grassy cave hollowing out one side. For a close-up view, you can (normally) jump on a 2.5-hour cruise, departing daily from Tidal River. And if you're visiting during migration season, you could even spy a few of the area's less eerie residents, including sea birds, dolphins and fur seals. [caption id="attachment_785502" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] Trentham Falls, Trentham As one of the state's longest single-drop waterfalls, Trentham Falls are always a majestic sight to feast your eyes on. And, at a soaring height of 32 metres, we reckon they'd certainly get the tick of approval from TLC. Located within the lush forest of Coliban River Scenic Reserve — about 90 minutes northwest of Melbourne — this impressive natural water feature looms large against ancient basalt rock, the whole scene framed by leafy native vegetation. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to get too close, but you'll find the best vantage point from atop the dedicated viewing area, just a short trek from the car park. Take a moment admiring the dancing water, surrounded by shady manna gum and messmate trees, and we promise you'll feel worlds away from the big smoke. [caption id="attachment_785540" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gillian via Flickr[/caption] The Organ Pipes, Keilor North It's not too hard to see where this unique rock formation gets its name from, with its row of towering cylindrical columns that look like they could just about start pumping out tunes. Gracing the side of a big basalt cliff, the distinctive design was naturally created back in ancient times by cooling lava. Now, it serves as a constant reminder that this region is on the edge of one of the world's largest ancient volcanic lava flows. You'll find the geological gem located within the Organ Pipes National Park, just 30 minutes out of the CBD. While you're there, be sure to catch some of the park's other quirky resident rock formations, including the mosaic-like Tessellated Pavement and another that looks like the spokes of a giant wheel. Top Image: Californian Redwood Forest, Beech Forest.
We're all going on a summer holiday: as long as you're keen to take your a vacation within Australia, Qantas has cheap flights on offer to help make your next getaway a reality for cheap. For a week, the Australian airline is slinging over one-million discounted fares to locations around the country. Byron Bay, Uluru and Hamilton Island, here you come. Maybe you've changed your computer backdrop to a picture of The Whitsundays. Perhaps you keep perusing snaps from a past Tasmania stay on your phone. Don't just think about your previous jaunts or the ones you want to take, however — here's the motivation that you need to book in your next one. Qantas has dropped the price on flights to over 60 Aussie destinations, with fares starting at $109 and 30-plus routes on sale for under $150 one-way. The cheapest cost will get you from Sydney to either Byron Bay or the Gold Coast. Other options include Melbourne to Launceston from $119 or Adelaide from $159, and Brisbane to the Whitsunday Coast from $129 — and to Hamilton Island from $169. The list of destinations and departure points also spans Cairns, Townsville, Kangaroo Island, Perth, Mackay, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Toowoomba, Albury, Hobart, Port Macquarie, the Fraser Coast, Darwin, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Mildura, Broken Hill, Bundaberg, Whyalla, Longreach, Emerald, Mount Isa, Broome and more. You'll be able to travel between November 2024–June 2025 — so, you can also have an autumn or early-winter holiday — although the specifics vary per destination. If you're keen, you'll need to get in before 11.59pm AEDT on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. And yes, the usual caveat applies: if fares sell out earlier, you'll miss out. Inclusions-wise, the sale covers fares with checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, wifi and seat selection. Qantas' Red Tail sale runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world. Top image: hypergurl via iStock.
It was a smash in Australia with Eryn Jean Norvill (Love Me) in the lead. When it made the leap to the UK starring Succession's Sarah Snook, it became the talk of London's West End, and also earned its one and only performer a 2024 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her efforts. It's been picked up by Cate Blanchett's (Borderlands) production company Dirty Films to get the film treatment. And, now it's heading to Broadway. Sydney Theatre Company's version of The Picture of Dorian Gray keeps doing huge things — and its latest jump to the most-famous stage district there is will also keep Snook at its centre. She's making her Broadway debut playing all 26 of the play's parts, with the production hitting New York from March 2025. When STC's take on The Picture of Dorian Gray premiered in 2020 — and then also played theatres in Melbourne and Adelaide — it didn't just give Oscar Wilde's gothic-literature masterpiece a fresh spin; it turned it into a brand-new stage sensation. Not only does the show feature just one performer playing every single character but, to make that happen, it uses video to help. It's the work of writer/director Kip Williams, it's groundbreaking, and it's been understandably earning audiences raves and winning accolades. On the page, The Picture of Dorian Gray is exceptional, as well as astute and unnerving, as it follows the selling of its namesake's soul in order to keep indulging every corporeal whim, urge and desire. There's a reason that it just keeps getting adapted for the screen and in theatres, after all. But there's never been a version like Sydney Theatre Company's, which Broadway patrons now get to experience. "It was a singular privilege to bring The Picture of Dorian Gray to life in London and I am thrilled we will be able to share this astonishing production with audiences in New York," said Sarah Snook about the news. "From Oscar Wilde's timeless words to the masterful reinterpretation Kip Williams has created, this tale of virtue, corruption, vanity and repercussion is an electrifying journey for me as much as for the audiences, and I am filled with anticipation as we continue on this ambitious creative endeavour." "I was so humbled by the response from audiences in London to The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I could not be more thrilled to be bringing this work to Broadway. It has been extraordinary to witness the way Oscar Wilde's story continues to resonate with people today," added Williams. "I am so excited for audiences in New York to experience our show and to see the tour-de-force performance Sarah Snook gives in bringing to life the many characters in this new adaptation of Wilde's remarkable story." Check out the trailer for the Broadway season of The Picture of Dorian Gray below: The Picture of Dorian Gray will play Broadway in New York from March 2025 — for more information and to join the waitlist for tickets, head to the play's website. Images: Marc Brenner.
Is the type of film festival that dedicates an afternoon and evening to a killer clown your type of film festival? If so, you should be excited about Monster Fest's return. In just a few short years, the Terrifier movies have become horror must-sees if you can't get enough of slashers splashing about gore aplenty. With the latest flick in the franchise on the way, Monster Fest is screening all three Terrifier titles, old and new — so, giving audiences an extended date with Art the Clown — as a key part of its 2024 program. The Australian premiere of Terrifier 3 will follow the OG Terrifier and first sequel Terrifier 2 on Saturday, October 5 in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. This year's Monster Fest is the first time that the event is running concurrently in all of its locations. The festival kicks off on Friday, October 4 in all five cities, running until Sunday, October 6 everywhere except Melbourne, where it finishes on Saturday, October 12. While getting creeped out by cinema's most-sadistic clown is a big Monster Fest 2024 drawcard, it's The Rule of Jenny Pen from Coming Home in the Dark filmmaker James Ashcroft that's the event's opening-night pick. At the other end of the festival, horror-comedy Frankie Freako by Psycho Goreman's Steven Kostanski is in the closing slot. Both pictures embrace puppets, the first with help from John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon) and the second featuring a dancing goblin. Other highlights playing in all cities include the latest Hellboy movie, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which heads back to the 1950s; Azrael, as led by Australian actor Samara Weaving (Scream VI), and telling of a woman's attempt to escape from mute zealots; New Zealand body-horror film Grafted; and documentary Generation Terror, which focuses on the horror genre from the late-90s to mid-00s. Some flicks are only playing a few locations, such as Occupation Rainfall filmmaker Luke Sparke's new film Scurry — plus Waves of Madness from The FP's Jason Trost, which brings sidescrolling to the cinema. Unsurprisingly given that it's on there for longer, Melbourne also has a number of exclusives such as Estonia's action-horror-musical-comedy Chainsaws Were Singing, French black comedy Ultimate Chabite, documentary Children of the Wicker Man, and retrospective sessions of The Final Destination 3D and Critters. Scurry and Waves of Madness are just two of the Australian movies on the bill, too. The former is on the program in Brisbane and Melbourne, the second in Sydney and Melbourne, and they have company in various locations. That's where fellow homegrown titles States of Mind (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney), Fear Below (everywhere except Perth), An American Masquerade (Melbourne only) and Freelance (also just Melbourne) come in — ensuring that this Aussie genre fest embraces the genre at home. Monster Fest 2024 Dates Friday, October 4–Saturday, October 12 — Cinema Nova, Melbourne Friday, October 4–Sunday, October 6 — Event Cinemas Burwood, Sydney Friday, October 4–Sunday, October 6 — Event Cinemas Uptown, Brisbane Friday, October 4–Sunday, October 6 — Event Cinemas Marion, Adelaide Friday, October 4–Sunday, October 6 — Event Cinemas Innaloo, Perth Monster Fest 2024 runs throughout October around Australia. Head to the festival's website for further details.
Spring is only one month in, but we already know where and when St Jerome's Laneway Festival will help wrap up summer come February 2025. If you like ending the warmest part of the year with a day of tunes at one of the most-beloved music fests in Australia and New Zealand, grab your diary now: the event started by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio in the mid-00s has announced its dates and venues. Laneway has also revealed another pivotal detail — no, not the lineup yet, but when its roster of talent will drop. If you're all about who'll be playing, you'll find out on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. For now, just know that Laneway has locked in returns in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland, all at familiar venues. Western Springs in Auckland is the first stop on Thursday, February 6, before the Australian dates kick off on Saturday, February 8 at Brisbane Showgrounds. Next comes stints at Sydney Showground on Sunday, February 9, then Melbourne's Flemington Park on Friday, February 14 — which is one way to spend Valentine's Day. After that, the festival hits up Bonython Park in Adelaide on Saturday, February 15, before finishing its 2025 leg on Sunday, February 16 at Wellington Square in Perth. Stormzy, Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike and Raye were among this year's Laneway headliners, while HAIM, Joji and Phoebe Bridgers did the honours in 2023 — if that helps you start speculating who might follow in their footsteps in 2025. Laneway joins the list of events locking in their comebacks after a tough year of cancellations across the music festival scene. Also returning: Golden Plains, Bluesfest (for the last time), Wildlands, Good Things, Lost Paradise, Beyond The Valley and Meredith. Laneway Festival 2025 Dates and Venues Thursday, February 6 – Western Springs, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau Saturday, February 8 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane / Turrbal Targun Sunday, February 9 — Sydney Showground, Sydney / Burramattagal Land & Wangal Land Friday, February 14 — Flemington Park, Melbourne / Wurundjeri Biik Saturday, February 15 — Bonython Park, Adelaide / Kaurna Yerta Sunday, February 16 — Wellington Square, Perth / Whadjuk Boodjar St Jerome's Laneway Festival is touring Australia and New Zealand in February 2025. Head to the festival's website for further details, and to register for ticket pre sales (which kick off at 10am local time on Tuesday, October 15, 2024) — and check back here for next year's lineup when it drops on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Images: Charlie Hardy / Daniel Boud / Maclay Heriot / Cedric Tang.
No one can know for certain what tomorrow will bring; however, the tales told on screens big and small, and through games and comics as well, have delivered plenty of visions of what might come. Will androids dream of electric sheep? Will a Keanu Reeves (John Wick: Chapter 4)-voiced rock star and terrorist make their presence known? Will Afrofuturist technologies transform life as we know it? These are some of the future possibilities conjured up by beloved pop-culture titles — and they're all part of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image's just-announced world-premiere exhibition The Future & Other Fictions as well. Displaying at the Melbourne screen museum across Thursday, November 28, 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025, taking pride of place as its big summer showcase, The Future & Other Fictions is a love letter to and deep dive into futuristic storytelling. More than 180 works will be on display, including from Blade Runner 2049, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Creator. Saltsea Chronicles, comic series NEOMAD and Björk's music video 'The Gate': they're all also featured. Before he was just Ken, Ryan Gosling (The Fall Guy) starred in the 35-years-later sequel to Blade Runner — and before he brought Dune and Dune: Part Two to the screen, Denis Villeneuve directed Blade Runner 2049. The Future & Other Fictions lets attendees follow in their footsteps via miniature sets, which are one of the exhibition's definite must-sees. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gets the nod thanks to Academy Award-winning costumes by Ruth E Carter, while sketches from NEOMAD also feature — as do concept art from The Creator, Cyberpunk 2077 and Saltsea Chronicles. This showcase isn't just about well-known renderings of the future, though, thanks to work by Olalekan Jeyifous, Osheen Siva and Tāgata Moana art collective Pacific Sisters. Plus, via new commissions, DJ Hannah Brontë has her own take, and so does Liam Young and Natasha Wanganeen (Limbo). [caption id="attachment_974744" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Thomas Huang[/caption] As it celebrates how screens imagine the years ahead via its array of artwork, sets, props and scripts — alongside clips, costumes and original design materials, too — The Future & Other Fictions also features a film season focusing on Björk, complete with Björk: Biophilia Live on the lineup. "This exhibition reminds us that the way we imagine the future is shaped by popular film, TV shows and videogames. Many alternative visions of the future can and do exist," explains ACMI Director and CEO Seb Chan. "From two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E Carter to Italian fashion designer Alessandro Michele; New Zealand's renowned special effects studio Wētā Workshop to the Pilbara's own Love Punks. We hope that visitors leave optimistic about what might be possible — and find hope in designing the futures we need." [caption id="attachment_877485" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_974749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mahia Te Kore[/caption] [caption id="attachment_920309" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_974745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Thomas Huang[/caption] [caption id="attachment_974750" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mahia Te Kore[/caption] The Future & Other Fictions will display at ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne, from Thursday, November 28, 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025. Head to the venue's website for more details.
When you're not watching movies and TV shows on the big screen at SXSW Sydney 2024, why not step inside a few? That's the Primeville setup, immersing attendees in pop culture-inspired spaces as folks who went to 2023's first-ever SXSW Sydney discovered. Here, Prime Video brings some of its series to life for a few days— and this year, it's doing the same with a number of flicks as well. Fancy sitting at Hannah Howard's desk or hanging out in the Flinley Craddick kitchen, complete with tiramisu to snack on? With the Australian version of The Office hitting streaming the same week that 2024's SXSW Sydney takes place, of course it's a big part of this year's Primeville — which is called Primeville Sweet Spot this time around. The full pop-up runs from Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20, but making a visit on Wednesday, October 16 will mean seeing a heap of well-known faces from the shows featured, including Felicity Ward (Time Bandits), Steen Raskopoulos (The Duchess), Josh Thomson (Young Rock), Jonny Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows) and Zoe Terakes (Talk to Me) from the new The Office. When you're not clocking on and wondering if there's a stapler in jelly hidden somewhere, you can also visit Middle-earth, where The Forge, some costumes from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and something sweet to eat all await. Or, thanks to the guest list, you can celebrate all things Deadloch with Alicia Gardiner (The Clearing) and Nina Oyama (Utopia), and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart with Leah Purcell (High Country), too. From Paramount+, there'll be a nightclub inspired by Last King of the Cross, plus non-boozy jelly shots to sip and series star Lincoln Younes (Strife) in attendance. And, nodding to the big screen, Despicable Me 4 gets some love thanks to Minions to follow, plus banana macarons to enjoy. It Ends with Us is also scoring some affection via Lily Bloom's (Blake Lively, Deadpool & Wolverine) flower shop and hot cocoa cookies. If you've noticed that there's a dessert on offer with each space, that's because Primeville Sweet Spot is living up to its name. Entry is free no matter whether you're hitting up the rest of SXSW Sydney or not, but badge holders will get express entry. Also part of the pop-up: a reality TV-focused Hayu zone and a chillout space with a spin-to-win wheel — plus The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Heather Gay and Whitney Rose, Captain Jason Chambers from Below Deck Down Under and cricketer Meg Lanning making appearances. Primeville Sweet Spot is popping up during SXSW Sydney at Fratelli Fresh Darling Harbour, 2/14 Darling Drive, Sydney from Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20, 2024. Keep an eye on the Prime Video Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.
Nosferatu. The Wolf Man. Frankenstein. All three names are icons of classic horror cinema. All three are headed back to the big screen in 2025. The entire trio are also making a comeback with impressive directors leading the charge, with Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) giving Nosferatu a new spin, Leigh Whannell moving from The Invisible Man to Wolf Man and Guillermo del Toro behind the latest iteration of Mary Shelley's masterpiece (to the surprise of no one who has seen the Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water helmer's past movies). Nosferatu will hit picture palaces first — and, in true Eggers fashion, it's keen to unnerve. So, what happens when the acclaimed filmmaker directs his attention to the second-most famous name there is in vampire tales for his fourth feature? If both the initial teaser trailer and just-dropped new sneak peek for Nosferatu are anything to go by, embracing a twist on Bram Stoker's Dracula is set to turn out chillingly. More than a century has passed since the initial Nosferatu flickered across the big screen, a German Expressionist great that adapted Stoker's story with zero authorisation, hence changes such as its count being named Orlok. The film has been remade before, with Werner Herzog (The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft) giving viewers 1979's Nosferatu the Vampyre. Now, Eggers is sinking his teeth in — and visibly loving it. The new Orlok: Bill Skarsgård, fresh from action-star mode in Boy Kills World but pivoting back to creepy villains, just swapping IT and IT: Chapter Two's Pennywise for another insidious pop-culture figure. In the two looks at Eggers' Nosferatu so far, the writer/director plays coy with his monster, but not with Orlok's impact. "My dreams grow darker," cries Lily-Rose Depp in the initial trailer, trading the nightmare of The Idol for the gothic horror kind as Ellen Hutter. Joining Skarsgård and Depp is a stacked cast of fellow big names, including Willem Dafoe enjoying another stint in gothic mode after Poor Things and returning to Nosferatu after his Oscar-nominated performance in 2000's Shadow of a Vampire, where he played Max Schreck, the IRL actor who played Orlok back in 1922. Nicholas Hoult jumps from dancing with Dracula in Renfield to more undead eeriness, and Emma Corrin (A Murder at the End of the World), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Fall Guy) and Ralph Ineson (The First Omen) all also feature. In the US, audiences have a silver-screen date with Nosferatu on Christmas, but viewers Down Under will see the film from Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Check out the full trailer for Nosferatu below: Nosferatu releases in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Images: courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.
Take me with you, indeed: whether you're a Prince fan, a Purple Rain obsessive or both, you can now follow in the musician and the film's footsteps by sleeping in the house from the iconic movie. This is the actual abode from the inimitable flick, newly restored and decked out in purple aplenty. You'll slumber in The Kid's bedroom, hear rare Prince tracks, and go crazy with love for the picture and the late, great artist behind it, of course. Back in May, Airbnb announced that it was doing things a little differently in 2024 when it comes to its pop culture-themed stays. The accommodation platform is no stranger to giving travellers once-in-a-lifetime vacation options — see: Shrek's swamp, Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub, the Moulin Rouge! windmill and Hobbiton, to name just a few — which it previously announced at random, with no advance warning. Now, however, it has created the Airbnb Icons category, grouping them all together. The company also revealed at the time that Prince's Purple Rain mansion was one of the many spots on the way. As a result, you might've heard about this Minneapolis listing before — but it's only about to become available now. Will you find out what it sounds like when doves cry if you nab a one-night stay here? You'll need to try to score a reservation between 11pm AEST on Wednesday, October 2–4.59pm AEST on Monday, October 7, 2024 for a stay between Saturday, October 26–Saturday, December 14, 2024. There's 25 stays on offer, each for up to four guest at a time. The booking isn't free, but only costs $7 per person because that was Prince's favourite number. That price only covers the stay itself. To get there and back, you'll be paying separately and organising your travel yourself. And your hosts, because Airbnb always gets someone pivotal involved? For this listing, it's Wendy and Lisa — aka of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman — who were part of Prince's band The Revolution. "We were lucky enough to be a part of the music scene in Minneapolis during such a pivotal era for rock music, playing with Prince in one of the most successful bands of our generation and starring alongside him in the Purple Rain film," said Wendy and Lisa. "The Purple Rain house stands as a tribute to our dear friend Prince, the timeless character he brought to life and the lasting impact he continues to have. We hope the space gives fans a glimpse into the eclectic world Prince created, and visitors walk away feeling a little bit closer to him as an artist and person." This is what it looks like: guests can get excited about staying in a spot with purple velvet wallpaper; a spa with a claw-foot bath and stained-glass windows (and purple robes, naturally) that's decorated to resemble the 'When Doves Cry' music video; and a music lounge with a piano, drums and guitar, plus instructions on how to play the chorus to 'Purple Rain' with pre-recorded vocals from The Kid. There's also a closet filled with Prince outfits, all behind glass — and more 80s-inspired threads, not worn by the man himself, that you can pop on. When it's time for bed, you will indeed feel like you've stepped into Purple Rain (although the personal tape collection with one of Prince's demo recordings mixes the movie with reality). Still on tunes, there's a vintage 80s stereo downstairs featuring songs that inspired The Kid — and you can listen to a personal commentary by scanning QR codes. You can also consider this a Prince scavenger hunt, in a way, thanks to a secret space that you need to find. It's filled with treasures — and you'll want to be paying attention to the fake vinyl album. In the past, Airbnb has also featured the Bluey house, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop, the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera and a Christina Aguilera-hosted two-night Las Vegas stay. Its Airbnb Icons has also made sleeping at the Up house, Inside Out 2's headquarters, the X-Mansion from X-Men '97 and the Ferrari Museum a reality, as well as stays hosted by Doja Cat, Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor and Kevin Hart. For more information about the Purple Rain house on Airbnb, or to book from 11pm AEST on Wednesday, October 2–4.59pm AEST on Monday, October 7, 2024 for a stay between Saturday, October 26–Saturday, December 14, 2024, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Eric Ogden. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
What happens when two cousins played by Kieran Culkin (Succession) and Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) honour their grandmother and explore their family's past by heading to Poland? Eisenberg himself asked that question, then turned the answer into the Sundance-premiering and now Jewish International Film Festival-bound A Real Pain. The actor not only co-stars but writes and directs the dramedy, his second feature behind the lens — and Australian audiences can see the results when JIFF returns for 2024. This year's festival is back to finish out the year, screening in seven cities — Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Canberra — across various dates between Sunday, October 27–Sunday, December 22. Just like its fellow major cultural film fests, such as its French, Spanish, Italian, Scandinavian and Japanese counterparts, JIFF's 2024 slate is jam-packed. Movie lovers can choose between 41 features, two TV shows and a showcase of short films, with the festival's titles hailing from 17 countries. Eisenberg and Culkin aren't the only big names on the lineup. Closing night's Berlin-set The Performance, which is adapted from an Arthur Miller short story and tells of a Jewish American tap dancer, stars Jeremy Piven (Sweetwater). The fest's centrepiece pick Between the Temples features Jason Schwartzman (Megalopolis) as a cantor and Carol Kane (Dinner with Parents) as his former elementary school music teacher. And in White Bird, which hails from a book by the author of fellow page-to-screen effort Wonder, Helen Mirren (Barbie) and Gillian Anderson (Scoop) pop up. In Sydney and Melbourne only — it's playing the Brisbane International Film Festival in the Queensland capital instead — The Brutalist is on the JIFF bill as well. It shows Down Under after winning Venice's Silver Lion-winner for Best Director for actor-turned-filmmaker Brady Corbet (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux). Starring on-screen: Adrien Brody (Asteroid City), Felicity Jones (Dead Shot) and Guy Pearce (Inside), in a flick that follows architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet to America from Europe after the Second World War. Well-known folks are also in the spotlight in documentaries Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, Diane Warren: Relentless and How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer — and acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, The Trip movies) is on the lineup via British Mandatory Palestine-set historical thriller Shoshana. Then, there's TV series Kafka, arriving a century after the death of its namesake. Highlights across the rest of the program include documentary The Commandant's Shadow, about The Zone of Interest-featured Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss' son Hans Jürgen Höss meeting with survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch; Tatami, following a female Iranian judo athlete played by Arienne Mandi (The L Word: Generation Q), with Guy Nattiv (Golda) and Zar Amir Ebrahimi (last seen on-screen in Shayda, and also co-starring here) co-directing; television's Auckland-set Kid Sister; and Aussie doco Pita with Vegemite: An Israeli Australian Story. "Our 2024 program showcases stars and change makers, offering audiences a rich tapestry of stories that explore the depth and diversity of Jewish life," explains JIFF Artistic Director Eddie Tamir. "We are excited to present films that span thousands of years of history and culture, reflecting on both the ancient traditions that have shaped our world and the contemporary challenges we face today." Jewish International Film Festival 2024 Dates and Locations Sunday, October 27–Wednesday, December 4 — Classic Cinemas (full dates), Lido Cinemas (Monday, October 28–Tuesday, December 3) and Cameo Cinemas (Saturday, November 9–Wednesday, November 13), Melbourne Monday, October 28–Thursday, December 5 — Ritz Cinemas (full dates) and Roseville Cinemas (Thursday, November 7–Wednesday, November 20), Sydney Thursday, November 7–Sunday, November 17 — New Farm Cinemas, Brisbane Thursday, November 7–Sunday, November 17 — The Piccadilly, Adelaide Thursday, November 7–Sunday, November 17 — State Cinema, Hobart Saturday, December 7–Sunday, December 8 — Dendy Cinemas, Canberra Saturday, December 14–Sunday, December 22 — Luna Leederville, Perth The 2024 Jewish International Film Festival runs from October–December. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the festival's website.
"We were just saying, we love an Aussie." When you're My Old Ass writer/director Megan Park and Australia's own Margot Robbie has produced your latest film, it's easy to understand why. Gleaning why she greets Concrete Playground that way isn't hard, either. "We do," adds Maisy Stella, the movie's star. "Yeah, we really, really do," Park chimes back in. Robbie's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, which has I, Tonya, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and Barbie to its name as well — and, among flicks that don't boast its co-founder on-screen, Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, too — is also onboard for Park's next release after this marvel of a coming-of-age tale. Viewers of My Old Ass have more from Park to look forward to, then. Right now, though, they already have a must-see to enjoy courtesy of her second feature as a filmmaker. Actually, that also applies to her debut. An actor herself, Park initially jumped behind the lens on 2021's excellent Jenna Ortega (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice)-led The Fallout, which plunged into the aftermath of a school tragedy. Now, the former The Secret Life of the American Teenager star has penned and helmed a picture set as its protagonist gets ready to leave her small-town home behind for college. [caption id="attachment_974458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex J. Berliner/ABImages[/caption] For her second movie about teens making sense of their world, too, Park embraces a high-concept setup — and one that heads down a universal path that resonates with viewers of all ages. Have you ever wanted to get life advice from your future self? Or, conversely, to give your younger self some words of wisdom, whether about what not to worry about or who to avoid? Focusing on Nashville's Stella as the just-turned-18 Elliott — and featuring Parks and Recreation, The White Lotus and Agatha All Along favourite Aubrey Plaza as the older version — that's My Old Ass' storyline. If you're wondering how the two Elliotts come to meet, the film uses a mushroom trip to head into magical-realism territory. When they come face to face, Plaza's 39-year-old Elliott has a specific piece of advice for the girl that she once was: stay away from Chad (Wednesday's Percy Hynes White). We all know what happens when you tell someone not to do something, especially a carefree teenager, so of course Stella's Elliott doesn't heed that warning. This is a film, however, that understands the urge to want to send your former self in a certain direction, because it understands what it's like to live with the ups and downs that life takes us on just as firmly. It equally appreciates that it's those ebbs and flows — and joys and hurts as well, so our course for better and for worse — that make us who we are. [caption id="attachment_974462" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marion Curtis / Starpix for Amazon MGM Studios[/caption] What would Stella do if the Sundance Film Festival-premiering movie's premise became an IRL possibility for her? It depends on which way the advice was flowing. Park is of the same opinion. They'd each be keen to talk to their younger selves, but not their older guises. "I've decided that I reject it. I really reject it. I've been asked this and every time I try to think of something, and I think the reason that I don't have anything is because I would not take the opportunity. I would take the opportunity to meet younger self. But the older, it just feels a little scary to me," Stella tells us. "It gets dicey. See, it goes dark quick. I mean, it really takes a turn," she continues. "Yeah, it's a it's a scary one," agrees Park. "I think I'm going to hard pass on it too, probably. I'd want to go back and meet my younger self." Thinking about these questions is unavoidable after watching My Old Ass, no matter whether you decide that you'd seize or shirk the chance that Elliott is given. Also part of the viewing experience: wishing that Plaza could pop up in your life either way. We also chatted with Park and Stella about where the idea for the film sprang from, what Park was interested in exploring with it, Stella's excitement about playing Elliott, how she approached the character, and working with both Plaza and Robbie. On What Inspired My Old Ass, and What Park Was Interested in Exploring Megan: "I think the themes that I really wanted to explore were grief and time passing, and nostalgia — and motherhood, truthfully, was a big one that I wanted. I was a new mum when I wrote this script, so it was those feelings that were really the entry point into this idea that's so universal, I think, of wanting to talk to your older or younger self. Or regrets. Regret is another big one. I think I'm such an emotionally driven writer that I'm not thinking about necessarily the structure of the story, and what's going to happen and what are people going to take from the movie — I'm just driven from that emotional place, at least I have been so far in the two movies I've written. It's all I really know how to do it. So those were the themes I wanted to explore. And then as I didn't know where it was going, as soon as Elliott came to me, and older Elliott, I just followed that lead and figured out the story as I went." On Stella's Initial Reaction to the Script, and What She Thought That She Could Bring to the Younger Elliott Maisy: "My first reaction to it was just beaming with excitement. It was funny, because I had been auditioning for so long and I really enjoy auditioning, and I really enjoy reading scripts and I read a lot of scripts at that time, and it was just my favourite thing I'd read in forever. And I was immediately met with anxiety. The second I started reading it, the thought of it being taken from me, I was like 'no!'. And it wasn't even mine at all. But the thought of not getting to be a part of this amazing project was so scary to me. So yeah, my initial reaction to it was deeply, deeply moved; really excited and inspired by it; and would have just been so grateful and lucky to have been a part of it. And it worked out for me. I'm very grateful and lucky." [caption id="attachment_974461" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marion Curtis / Starpix for Amazon MGM Studios[/caption] On the Journey to Realising That Aubrey Plaza Was the Ideal Older Elliott Megan: "Truthfully, I'd written the role for somebody to be much older, like in their late 40s, early 50s. And we cast the film around Maisy, and so we were really stuck on who looks the most like her, who's in that age range and who's available to come to Canada to film the movie. And there just was never anybody that came up that was the right match for the tone of the movie, for energetically with Maisy, for the comedy. It wasn't until there was a list of names that somebody had suggested, and Aubrey was on there. It was like 'wait a second, I'm such a fan of hers' — and I knew Maisy was a fan of hers. She was not even 40 and doesn't look anything like Maisy really, but we were like 'wait a second', and for some reason the energy and the chemistry was just such a connection. And it just made the whole movie make sense in a whole new way for me. I'm close to age to Aubrey and I thought 'wow, I've actually never felt older than hanging out with all the 18 year olds'. And there was something so funny to me about this idea that she thinks she's so old and she's not even 40. And even the title became funnier when it was Aubrey." Maisy: "Yes!" Megan: "So then, luckily we sent it to her, and only her, and she read it and loved it and wanted to be a part of it. So once we got it to her, the stars really aligned quickly, but it was kind of me getting out of my own way and being like 'wait, instead of worrying about who looks the most like Maisy, who fits into the movie?'." Maisy: "Instead of worrying about who's blonde?" Megan: "Yeah, exactly." On Collaboration When You're Playing the Younger Version of a Character While Sharing Scenes with the Older Version Maisy: "It was quick. What happened, I was filming for like two weeks when Aubrey was officially attached. So my younger Elliott was already kind of established. On anything else, if this was any other situation, I would have been meeting Aubrey — and she kind of had to meet me because I was filming. So it was a quick thing, she came for like a week and we just went for it." [caption id="attachment_974460" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marion Curtis / Starpix for Amazon MGM Studios[/caption] Megan: "She'd been watching dailies and studying Maisy a bit before." Maisy: "And then when we met, I felt Aubrey staring and filming me with her eyes, and getting the mannerisms and physicality. I think that was probably more what we focused on. And also just creating a friendship and a nice connection was probably the most important part, rather than mimicking each other. It felt more enjoyable." Megan: "I remember Aubrey asking me 'do you want me to mimic her? How deep do you want me to go with this?' And I was like 'I feel like that's not the most important part of it. I'd rather we just build the chemistry and the rapport'. And that was totally what I think was the main thing. We just spent the weekend together, talked through stuff." Maisy: "100 percent." Megan: "And it was just about building that chemistry — which, they're both genius actors, they can build chemistry so quickly. That's a skill that I think the best actors can do. And the two of them together were just able to connect so quickly." [caption id="attachment_974459" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex J. Berliner/ABImages[/caption] On Having Margot Robbie as a Producer, and How That Helped Shape the Film Megan: "As we were saying, we love an Aussie. Our other producer, Bronte Payne at LuckyChap, is also Australian. It happened really organically. I had a general meeting with the company, with Bronte, who had seen The Fallout — and she really loved the film, and she just wanted to sit and chat. And she was the one, honestly, who was like 'do you have any other ideas?'. And I was like 'I mean, there's this one thing I'm thinking about'. And she was like 'we'd love to hear more about that. We think that's a great idea'. Then she introduced me to the rest of people at the company, Tom [Ackerley, also one of LuckyChap's founders] and Margot and Josey [McNamara, another LuckyChap founder]. And they are just so — it's really hard to find good people in this industry who are really honest and smart and hardworking, and treat everybody, no matter if it's the star of the movie or the PA, they're just so consistent. And they're so grounded and down to earth, and there's a reason why they get so much repeat business with their directors. It's because it's genuine, and they're obviously very smart. So they were incredibly helpful, not only helping me build the script, but every step of the way — they've just been so invaluable and so easygoing. And just lovely, lovely human beings. I'm doing my next film with them, and I hope to work with them over and over again. They're incredible." On Balancing Playing a Carefree 18-Year-Old with Their Whole Life Ahead of Them with Elliott Getting to Take Stock of Her Existence Decades Before Anyone Usually Expects To Maisy: "Preparing-wise, I honestly read the script so many times. That was really my prep, just reading it. I didn't do too much, I didn't practice the deliveries." Megan: "We just talked through the scenes." Maisy: "We'd just talk it through. And on my own time, I had months before I went to film — but after I booked it, I enjoyed reading it so I would obsessively just read it and think about it a lot. I really lived with the concept and with the message. I thought about it a lot. I think was my preparation." [caption id="attachment_974457" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex J. Berliner/ABImages[/caption] Megan: "And you believed in it." Maisy: "And I believed in it and I meant it. I really meant it. Everything that Elliott says, I ended up meaning on the day. Even if I was learning from her and trying to mean it, I did end up meaning it." Megan: "Yeah." Maisy: "And with an indie, with the director like you [talks to Megan], where you really like things to feel like you press record and you're just like watching people exist, there's only so much you can do for prep to keep it feeling natural and real and sparky." My Old Ass opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, September 26, 2024. My Old Ass images: Marni Grossman © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Make some room in your budget for a new streaming service: soon, HBO's lengthy list of must-see TV shows will have their own platform in Australia. The network's dedicated streamer Max debuted in America in 2020, and has been rolling out through Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Europe since — and newly in Japan as well. Now, Aussie viewers will be able to subscribe sometime in the first half of 2025. Earlier in 2024, it was rumoured that Australia was on Max's list in the next 18 months. At the APOS media and entertainment conference in Bali between Tuesday, September 24–Thursday, September 26, Warner Bros Discovery's President for the Asia-Pacific James Gibbons confirmed the Aussie launch, as well as the 2025 timing. Exactly how the rollout will work across the Asia-Pacific region is yet to be revealed, and it won't be the same Max model everywhere. But Australia will have a direct-to-consumer setup, which means signing up directly for Max. "We will be flexible and diverse as to how we go about it. There will be a mixture of direct service and partnership models. Our goal is to reach the fan base," said Gibbons, Variety reports. The great streaming service rush, when new platforms seemed to appear every few weeks or so, might be a few years in the past; however, HBO bringing Max to Australia is huge news. Depending on exactly when in the first six months of 2025 that it hits, that's where you might be watching The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Euphoria when they return for their next seasons. At present, the US network's shows largely screen and stream to Aussie viewers via Binge and Foxtel. When the former launched, boasting HBO's catalogue was one of its big selling points. The deal between Binge, Foxtel and Warner Bros Discovery — which owns HBO — was extended in 2023, but it was reported at the time that Max might debut in Australia from 2025. Moving HBO's catalogue away from Binge and Foxtel would impact a hefty number of shows, with the network also behind House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and any other Game of Thrones spinoffs that make it to fruition — and True Detective, And Just Like That..., The Rehearsal, The Penguin, on-the-way IT prequel series Welcome to Derry, soon-to-arrive Dune spinoff Prophecy and much, much more. HBO's past original programming spans everything from The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Oz, Deadwood, Big Love, True Blood, Big Little Lies, Westworld and Succession to The Larry Sanders Show, Sex and the City, Flight of the Conchords, Bored to Death, Girls, Veep, Barry and Enlightened. Max is launching in Australia sometime in the first half of 2025 — we'll update you when more details are announced. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter. Top image: Macall Polay/Max.
Outbreak Day, the date that Cordyceps reached critical mass in The Last of Us — that'd be September 26 — has been and gone for 2024 in Australia. But as the occasion hit the US, HBO gave fans of the TV show based on the hugely popular gaming series a welcome gift. After dropping sneak peeks as images and in promos for the network's full upcoming slate over the past few months, the American cable TV network has unveiled a teaser trailer for the post-apocalyptic hit's second season. Prepare for a time jump. Prepare for a guitar. Prepare for hordes of infected. Prepare for a haunting feeling, too. How does life go on after not just the global devastation caused by the Cordyceps virus, but following the chaos that the first season of The Last of Us brought? Sometime in 2025, viewers will find out — but here's a glimpse now. In season two, it's been five years since the events of season one. And while there has been peace, it clearly isn't here to stay. Yes, Joel and Ellie are back — and, in their shoes, so are Pedro Pascal (The Wild Robot) and Bella Ramsey (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget). This time around, the show's main duo have company from both familiar faces and a heap of newcomers. Rutina Wesley (Monster High) and Gabriel Luna (Fubar) return as Maria and Tommy, while Kaitlyn Dever (Good Grief), Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Young Mazino (Beef), Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope), Spencer Lord (Family Law) and Danny Ramirez (Black Mirror) are the season's additions. The first teaser for season two gives fans a glimpse of plenty of the above new cast members, including Dever as Abby and Wright as Isaac. Also new: Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) as a guest star. She starts the clip setting a timer and trying to get Joel to talk. His look in response says everything. The Last of Us made the leap from video games to TV in 2023, and was swiftly renewed after proving a massive smash instantly. The series gave HBO its most-watched debut season of a show ever — and its first episode was also the network's second-largest debut of all time. Locking in a second season was also hardly surprising because the 2013 game inspired a 2014 expansion pack and 2020 sequel. For first-timers to the franchise on consoles and as a TV series, The Last of Us kicked off 20 years after modern civilisation as we know it has been toppled by a parasitic fungal infection that turns the afflicted into shuffling hordes. Pascal plays Joel, who gets saddled with smuggling 14-year-old Ellie (his Game of Thrones co-star Ramsey) out of a strict quarantine zone to help possibly save humanity's last remnants. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey. As a television series, The Last of Us hails from co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a hellscape to HBO (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Check out the new teaser trailer for The Last of Us season two below: The Last of Us season two doesn't yet have a release date, other than sometime in 2025. When it returns, it'll stream via Binge in Australia and on Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: HBO.
Every gig should be its own distinctive experience, even if a band is hitting city after city on a massive national or international tour. But there's unique concerts and then there's Sigur Rós' latest run of shows. While there's nothing quite like seeing the Icelandic band live in general, they'll be doing something different on their next trip to Australia: taking to the stage with live orchestras. Jónsi Birgisson, Georg Hólm and Kjartan Sveinsson will play with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and more when Sigur Rós' current orchestral tour makes its way Down Under. Across the rest of 2024, fans across the US and Nordic countries can catch the group joining forces with a 41-piece orchestra. Then, come May 2025, it's Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane's turn to witness quite a few new members temporarily join the band. Sigur Rós have a one-night date locked in in Adelaide to kick off their Australian visit, and then will play Melbourne for two nights, Sydney for three and Brisbane for one. ÁTTA, their 2023 album, will be in the spotlight, as the last time they toured Down Under was in 2022, before it was released — and it was was recorded with arrangements featuring a 32-piece orchestra. Fans can expect tracks from their 1997 debut Von onwards, however, spanning tunes from fellow records Ágætis byrjun, ( ), Takk..., Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, Valtari and Kveikur. [caption id="attachment_974235" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alive87 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] That last — and soldout — trip this way was part of the group's first tour in five years, but clearly they haven't left the same gap go by between then and their next tour. Sigur Rós first started doing the rounds with an orchestra in 2023, playing a limited number of gigs, before expanding the experience further. Next stop: Australia. [caption id="attachment_974239" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Goatling via Flickr.[/caption] Sigur Rós Australian Orchestral Tour 2025 Saturday, May 17 — AEC Theatre, Adelaide Monday, May 19–Tuesday, May 20 — Hamer Hall, Melbourne Friday, May 23–Sunday, May 25 — venue to be announced, Sydney Tuesday, May 27 — QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane Sigur Rós is touring Australia in May 2025, with presale tickets available from 10am local time on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 and general sales from 10am local time on Friday, October 4. Head to the band's website for further details. Top image: Kathryn Parson Photography via Flickr.
Long-running music festivals aren't just events. They become more than just beloved dates on everyone's calendars, too. Attending a fest like Golden Plains is a ritual and a pilgrimage for devotees, and it unfolds in steps. Here's the first for 2025's three-day takeover of the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre: the launch of the Golden Plains ticket ballot. Come Saturday, March 8–Monday, March 10, 2025, it'll be time to dance among the autumn leaves in regional Victoria again, in the same place that Meredith Music Festival also calls home. While the lineup isn't here yet, you can now put your name down for the chance to nab tickets. This round of Golden Plains will mark the fest's 17th year. Your best clue as to what's to come is, as always, the brief description offered by the festival team while announcing the opening of the ballot. "A premium long weekend of music and nature, sense and non-sense, in the supernatural-est habitat on earth," starts the latest word from the Aunty team. "Party largesse at the one and only Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre. Right size, right shape, with no commercial sponsors, free range camping, BYO, the No D---head Policy, and One Stage Fits All," it continues. The online ballot for Golden Plains 2025 remains open until 10.17pm AEDT on Monday, October 14, 2024, which means that clicking ASAP is recommended. Once the ballot is drawn, the lineup will be announced. Catering to 12,000 punters each year across three days and two nights, the fest has long proven a favourite for its one-stage setup, which skips the need for frantic timetabling. And, like Meredith Music Festival, its sibling, Golden Plains is also known for the Aunty crew's star-studded bills. If you're wondering how the roster of talent has shaped up in past years, 2023's fest boasted Bikini Kill, Carly Rae Jepsen, Soul II Soul and Four Tet, while 2024's featured The Streets, Yussef Dayes, King Stingray and Black Country, New Road — and plenty more. Golden Plains will return to the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre from Saturday, March 8–Monday, March 10, 2025. Head to the festival's website for further details, or to enter the ballot before 10.17pm AEDT on Monday, October 14, 2024. Images: Chip Mooney and Ben Fletcher.
General tickets for the Australian leg of Kylie Minogue's 2025 Tension world tour haven't yet gone on sale, but fans have been spinning around over presales, so much so that more gigs have already been announced. When 'Padam Padam' summer happens all over again, it'll do so with an extra show in each of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on what'll be the singer's biggest global tour in 14 years. Of course Kylie is starting her latest live performances Down Under. And of course the reaction has been huge. Headlining Splendour in the Grass 2024 mightn't have worked out after the Byron Bay music festival was cancelled mere weeks after revealing its lineup, but there's plenty of demand to see the Aussie pop superstar on home soil and to catch this tour before anyone else on the planet. [caption id="attachment_973694" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erik Melvin[/caption] Minogue is kicking off her latest shows in February 2025, still beginning with a one-night gig in Perth. From there, she also has a single date locked in for Adelaide. She's now doing two concerts in Brisbane, however, plus three shows apiece in Melbourne and Sydney. The last time that Minogue embarked on a tour this big was back in 2011. The last time that she hit the stage Down Under was in 2023 to open Sydney WorldPride. So far, the Tension tour also spans stops in Bangkok, Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Manila in Asia after her Aussie concerts, and then hits up Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, London, Nottingham and Birmingham in the UK. In what's proven a massive career since her Neighbours-starring, 'I Should Be So Lucky'- and 'Locomotion'-singing 80s era, it's been a big last few years for Minogue thanks to the huge success of the Grammy-winning 'Padam Padam', a brief return to Neighbours and a Las Vegas residency — and now the Tension tour keeps that streak running. Kylie Minogue Tension Tour 2025 Australian Dates Saturday, February 15 — RAC Arena, Perth Tuesday, February 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Thursday, February 20–Saturday, February 22 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, February 26–Thursday, February 27 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Saturday, March 1–Monday, March 3 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Kylie Minogue's Tension tour kicks off in Australia in February and March 2025. Ticket presales for the new Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane shows start from Thursday, September 26, with general sales from Wednesday, October 2 — both at staggered times. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Darenoted Ltd.
When Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) and Pedro Pascal (Drive-Away Dolls) were cast in Gladiator II, audiences instantly knew what they wanted to see. The film doesn't release until mid-November 2024, but the trailers for it so far — a first sneak peek back in July and the just-dropped latest preview — have been delivering. The pair face off, Mescal gets shirtless, and there's sandals and swords aplenty, too. There's also odious Emperors, of course, and even a rhinoceros and seafaring clashes in the Colosseum. Mescal's Lucius watched the climactic events of 2000's Russell Crowe (The Exorcism) and Joaquin Phoenix (Napoleon)-starring film, as the initial trailer explained, which is just one of the on-screen ties that Gladiator II boasts with its predecessor. Another: Connie Nielsen (Origin) returning from Gladiator as Lucilla, Lucius' mother. And, behind the lens, there's also the not-at-all-minor fact that director Ridley Scott is back to make this 24-years-later sequel. If Gladiator II's protagonist didn't have his own date with Rome's iconic amphitheatre, and his own rage to unshackle, there wouldn't be much of a film. His stint comes after Emperors Caracalla (Joseph Quinn, A Quiet Place: Day One) and Geta (Fred Hechinger, The White Lotus) take over his home. Queue a quest for revenge, plus glory for Rome, with Pascal's general Marcus Acacius becoming Lucius' target. As for Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 3), he plays power broker Macrinus. Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise director Scott has been in blast-from-the-past mode for over a decade now, first revisiting the Alien realm with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, then reteaming with Phoenix on Napoleon, and now helming his second Gladiator flick. Of late, he's also been fond of making movies set in the past — long ago and more recent — as not only seen with Napoleon, but also with House of Gucci, The Last Duel and All the Money in the World. With Gladiator II, the British filmmaker teams up two of the internet's boyfriends in Mescal and Pascal, and promises a battle-filled time following up the feature that picked up Best Picture, Best Actor (for Crowe), Best Costume Design, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. Scott also earned his second Best Director nomination, after Thelma & Louise and before Black Hawk Down gave him a third. Gladiator II hits cinemas Down Under on Thursday, November 14, 2024, which means that local audiences will see it a week before American audiences — and a week before Wicked Part One arrives in picture palaces, too, so there'll be no Barbenheimer-style release day here. Check out the latest trailer for Gladiator II below: Gladiator II opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, November 14, 2024.
When The Kid LAROI was named as SXSW Sydney 2024's music keynote speaker, simply chatting about his career was never going to be his only contribution to the festival. Upon dropping that news, it was also revealed that the globally famous star would develop professional development workshops and performance opportunities for Waterloo and Redfern's First Nations communities as part of this year's event. Here's something related on the list: presenting and introducing a showcase of First Nations talent in Tumbalong Park's free program. With SXSW Sydney's 2024 dates fast approaching — this year's fest runs from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 — the event's team is still expanding the music lineup. The First Nations show will take place on Saturday, October 19 after The Kid LAROI's conference chat. Triple J Unearthed and Blak Out are behind the gig as well. Music lovers can also now look forward to catching the UK's ENNY, O. and The Lottery Winners; South Africa's Moonchild Sanelly; Buffalo Hunt and Walker Lukens from the US; homegrown talents Ngaiire, Anieszka, Devaura, Dyan Tai, Ella Ion, Jude York, Keelan Mak, Sex Mask and Wet Kiss. They've all been added to a roster of acts that'll take over 25 stages over seven days, and that's been announcing names for months now. Similarly new to the bill: that KRSNA, KAVYA, Yung Raja and Mali from India, plus Manara from the UK, will get behind the mic at +91 Calling, also in Tumbalong Park. The gig focuses on tunes from talents out of India and from the Indian diaspora. [caption id="attachment_974070" align="alignnone" width="1920"] ChantelleKP[/caption] If you're keen to attend the opening party for the SXSW Sydney Music Festival, it's locked in for Tuesday, October 15 with Voice of Baceprot and 2Touch at The Underground. And if you're eager for parties and showcases presented by Laneway Presents, Astral People, fbi.radio and more, they're now on the lineup, too. SXSW Sydney 2024 started revealing its program details back in May, and has kept growing it since. A further announcement arrived in June, then not one, not two, but three more in July — and also another, focusing on the free hub at Tumbalong Park, at the beginning of August. Since then, more music acts, more speakers, The Kid LAROI's involvement, and two rounds of Screen Festival titles have also been added. Accordingly, no one can say that they don't have anything to see when SXSW Sydney makes its eagerly awaited comeback. SXSW Sydney 2024 will run from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. SXSW Sydney images: Peter McMillan, Jordan Kirk, Jess Gleeson and Ian Laidlaw.
"Eventually, I've come to realise that there are bad guys," says Julia Louis-Dreyfus (You Hurt My Feelings) as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the just-dropped teaser trailer for Thunderbolts*. "And there are worse guys," she continues, "and nothing else". So goes the setup for one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next big-screen releases — and it plays with a familiar template. Banding together a disparate group of characters is MCU 101. Teaming up antiheroes to take on worse folks as mandated by the government is also how Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad from DC have played out. The Thunderbolts* version hits cinemas in May 2025 Down Under, also starring Florence Pugh (Dune: Part Two), David Harbour (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story), Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money), Wyatt Russell (Night Swim), Olga Kurylenko (Paradox Effect) and Hannah John-Kamen (Breaking Point) in their Marvel returns. Pugh is back as Yelena Belova after Black Widow and Hawkeye, while Harbour again plays Red Guardian, Stan returns as Bucky Barnes and his The Falcon and the Winter Soldier co-star Russell is back as John Walker. Kurylenko played Taskmaster in Black Widow, too, while John-Kamen's Ghost was part of Ant-Man and the Wasp. This is a flick with a bit of homework, then, if you're keen to know the ins and outs of every character before they get thrust together in Thunderbolts*'s storyline, becoming a band of misfits and going on missions. The film marks the 36th in the MCU, and will follow fellow 2025 release Captain America: Brave New World into picture palaces. Behind the lens on Thunderbolts*: director Jake Schreier, who has helmed episodes of Beef, Minx, the Russell-starring Lodge 49 and more, plus films Paper Towns and Robot & Frank. Marvel has had a light year on the silver screen in 2024, with just Deadpool & Wolverine releasing. That definitely won't be the case in 2025, however, with not only Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* slated to drop, but also The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Check out the first teaser trailer for Thunderbolts* below: Thunderbolts* releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Images: courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
Missed Coldplay's sole Down Under stop in 2023, when they played exclusively in Perth? Didn't nab tickets when the British group announced 2024 shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland? Caught the Chris Martin-fronted band's Glastonbury set via the livestream and started wishing you could catch them live next time that you had the chance? Ahead of their upcoming Australian and New Zealand visit, Coldplay have dropped more tickets for their late-October and November concerts. The limited number of additional tickets are on sale now, releasing at 8am AEST and 10am NZST on Tuesday, September 24. There's no extra shows, just extra seats for their four already-announced dates in the Victorian capital, four in the Harbour City and three in Auckland. [caption id="attachment_926978" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Lee[/caption] It'll be all yellow at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday, October 30–Thursday, October 31 and Saturday, November 2–Sunday, November 3, then at Accor Stadium across Wednesday, November 6—Thursday, November 7 and Saturday, November 9–Sunday, November 10, before heading to Eden Park on Wednesday, November 13 and Friday, November 15–Saturday, November 16. Coldplay's current tour kicked off in March 2022, meaning that the band will have been on the road for almost three years when they make their return to Australia and Aotearoa. Packed stadiums have also been awaiting; when the Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland gigs were initially announced, every show between then and October 2024 had already sold out, with the group hitting up Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Athens, Bucharest, Budapest, Lyon, Rome, Düsseldorf, Helsinki, Munich, Vienna and Dublin before their return trip Down Under. When they take to the stage in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, the British band will play their first shows in each city since 2016. Fans can look forward to a setlist that covers Coldplay's 27-year history, including everything from 'Clocks', 'Fix You' and 'Sparks' to 'A Sky Full of Stars', 'Viva la Vida' and 'The Scientist. On all dates, Ayra Starr, Shone and Emmanuel Kelly are on supporting duties. Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour Australia and New Zealand Dates 2024 Wednesday, October 30–Thursday, October 31 + Saturday, November 2–Sunday, November 3— Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Wednesday, November 6—Thursday, November 7 + Saturday, November 9–Sunday, November 10 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Wednesday, November 13 + Friday, November 15–Saturday, November 16 — Eden Park, Auckland Coldplay is touring Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2024, with new tickets available online now. Head to the tour website for further details. Images: Anna Lee.
A backstage tribute to an iconic TV series. The sequel to a huge horror hit. Amy Adams transforming into a dog. A portrait of an indie band as unique as the group itself. Disquieting filmmaking becoming a family affair. If you're heading to SXSW Sydney in 2024, you'll be able to tick all five of the above boxes, all in the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival's headline slots. When it returns for its second year, the film- and TV-focused fest within the broader SXSW Sydney will feature Saturday Night, Smile 2, Nightbitch, The Front Room and Pavements. Everything except the latter is a new addition to a program that's been unveiling titles on its roster for a few months, so you've now got more movies to fit into your schedule across Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20. Directed by Juno, Young Adult, Tully and Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Jason Reitman, Saturday Night recreates how SNL's first-ever episode came to be. The Fabelmans' Gabriel LaBelle plays Lorne Michaels, leading a cast that includes Dylan O'Brien (Fantasmas) as Dan Aykroyd, Ella Hunt (Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1) as Gilda Radner, Matthew Rhys (IF) as George Carlin and Matt Wood (Instinct) as John Belushi as well. Also featuring in Saturday Night: Finn Wolfhard (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Rachel Sennott (The Idol), Kaia Gerber (Palm Royale), JK Simmons (The Union), Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), Lamorne Morris (Fargo), Nicholas Braun (Dream Scenario) and Willem Dafoe (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice). And yes, at SXSW Sydney, the film is indeed screening on a Saturday evening. If you got creeped out by Smile back in 2022, you won't be surprised that the unnerving flick has spawned a new chapter. This time, Naomi Scott (Anatomy of a Scandal) stars as a pop star caught up in the chaos around the worst grin you can see. To chat about it, returning director Parker Finn is heading to the fest to present the film, too. Nightbitch hails from The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood filmmaker Marielle Heller, and stars Amy Adams (Dear Evan Hansen) as a stay-at-home mum who turns canine. And as for the already-announced Pavements, it sees filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell) focus on the band Pavement via an experimental blend of documentary, narrative, musical and more. Then there's The Front Room, aka one of two upcoming pictures from the Eggers family. While The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman's Robert Eggers has his own take on Nosferatu on the way, his siblings Max and Sam have made their feature directorial debut with this A24-backed and Brandy (Best. Christmas. Ever!)-led affair about a pregnant woman doing battle with her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter, Poor Things). One of Saturday Night, Smile 2, Nightbitch, The Front Room and Pavements will screen nightly across the fest's Tuesday–Saturday dates. Wondering about the Monday? There's more news to come, with SXSW Sydney's 2024 Screen Festival opening-night film still to be announced. Elsewhere, as seen in past lineup announcements, 2024's SXSW Sydney Screen Festival spans cults, cat-loving animation and Christmas carnage thanks to Azrael, Ghost Cat Anzu and Carnage for Christmas. Movie lovers can also look forward to Ilana Glazer (The Afterparty)-led mom-com Babes; Audrey starring Jackie van Beek (Nude Tuesday); coming-of-age tale DiDi; the maximum-security prison-set Sing Sing with Colman Domingo (Drive-Away Dolls); and Inside, which features Guy Pearce (The Clearing), Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) and Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders). There's also doco Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, spending time with At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala; Teaches of Peaches, which goes on tour with its namesake; the Lucy Lawless (My Life Is Murder)-directed doco Never Look Away about CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth; Peter Dinklage (Unfrosted) and Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets) lead western-thriller The Thicket; and Aussie documentary Like My Brother, about four aspiring AFLW players from the Tiwi Islands. The list goes on, with The Most Australian Band Ever! about the Hard-Ons, That Sugar Film and 2040 filmmaker Damon Gameau's Future Council, and Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts from Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs' Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker also set to screen. SXSW Sydney 2024 runs from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details.
There are 8222 islands within Australia's watery borders. You could spend your entire life hopping from one Aussie island to another and never quite make them all (well, unless you're very, very quick). So, we thought we'd save you some time and handpick 12 of the best islands in Australia. They should at least get you started. Next time you start imagining yourself on a white-sanded beach with quokkas close by, sea lions in the distance and your desk a few hundred kilometres away, these are the spots to catch a boat, plane, or ferry to. Remember: when you leave the mainland, you leave all your worries there, too. Right? Recommended reads: The Best Glamping Sites in Australia The Best Beaches in Australia The Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Australia [caption id="attachment_688591" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Coral Coast Tourism[/caption] Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia The Houtman Abrolhos isn't just an island, it's an archipelago. 122 isles make up the marvel, more or less clustered in three groups across 100 kilometres. They lie 60 kilometres off the Coral Coast, west of Geraldton, which is four hours north of Perth. Lose yourself snorkelling or diving among colourful coral, spotting Australian sea lions and looking out for more than 90 species of seabirds, including majestic white-breasted sea eagles. For mind-blowing views, jump aboard a scenic flight and see the best Australian island from a bird's eye view. [caption id="attachment_688571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Ewart for Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] North Stradbroke Island, Queensland Located 25 minutes by ferry off the Queensland coast, Stradbroke Island is an easy day trip from Brisbane. It's the second biggest sand island in the world after K'gari (more on that Australian island later). For swimming in gentle waves, head to idyllic Cylinder Beach; for wilder surf, make your destination the 38-kilometre-long Main Beach. Overnight stays include beach camping, as well as an array of cottages, hotels and B&Bs. Just north of Straddie is Moreton Island, a wonderland of long beaches, clear lakes and a national park. Consider sleeping over at Tangalooma, an eco-friendly resort where you can hand-feed wild dolphins and swim around a shipwreck. [caption id="attachment_773788" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tom Archer, Destination NSW[/caption] Lord Howe Island, New South Wales Just 11 kilometres long and two kilometres wide, Lord Howe, a two-hour flight east of Sydney, is explorable within a few days. Whenever you travel on this top Australian island, you won't have to fear tourist crowds: only 400 visitors are permitted at any one time and the population is just 382. Prepare to have pretty beaches, spectacular diving sites and rugged terrain all to yourself. Among the best adventures are the Mount Gower Trail, a steep, eight-hour trek that carries you 875 metres above sea level, and Erscott's Hole, a natural wonder where you can snorkel among staghorn coral, bluefish and double-headed wrasse. With all this natural beauty, it's easy to see why it made our list of the best islands in Australia and best overall places to visit in Australia. [caption id="attachment_770035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] Bruny Island, Tasmania Bruny feels completely remote, yet it's just a 20-minute ferry ride from the coast and, with driving time added, 50 minutes from Hobart. The beauty of this proximity to the city is that, despite all the wilderness, you can find some top nosh: for fish and chips head to Jetty Cafe; for pub grub swing by Hotel Bruny; for cheese visit Bruny Island Cheese Company; and for a tipple, there's the Bruny Island House of Whisky. Meanwhile, nature lovers will find white wallabies at Inala Nature Reserve, windswept headlands at Cape Bruny Lighthouse and head-clearing watery views at Cloudy Bay. [caption id="attachment_688568" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Khy Orchard for Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Magnetic Island, Queensland There are hundreds of islands in the Great Barrier Reef area, offering everything from secluded campsites to five-star luxury resorts. But, for convenience, outdoor adventures and, most importantly, koala spotting, Magnetic Island is hard to go past — found just 20 minutes from Townsville. Get active with sea kayaking tours and yoga classes, get artsy at beachside markets and galleries or relax at stunning beaches like Horseshoe Bay. If you're keen to venture further, jump aboard a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling, diving or sightseeing tour. [caption id="attachment_688400" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Isaac Forman for SA Tourism Commission[/caption] Kangaroo Island, South Australia With a whopping 509 kilometres of coastline, Kangaroo Island could have you exploring for weeks. To get there, take a 45-minute ferry ride from Cape Jervis, on the Fleurieu Peninsula — around 100 kilometres south of Adelaide. Then gear up to share your holiday with sea lions, fur seals, little penguins, echidnas, koalas and, you guessed it, kangaroos. The Australian island is a haven for creatures who've struggled to survive elsewhere, especially local sea lions, who were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are numerous national parks and conservation areas, and the over 4000-strong population is big on food and wine. You also can't talk about this Aussie island without mentioning the spectacular beaches — our favourite being the one and only Stoke's Bay. [caption id="attachment_874908" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Guillaume Marques (Unsplash)[/caption] The Whitsundays, Queensland In total, The Whitsundays is made up of 74 islands. It's hard to choose the best, especially as each depends on what kind of holiday you're after. You can go camping on the famous Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, live it up at The InterContinental Resort on Hayman Island or even escape to an adult's-only oasis like Elysian Retreat on Long Island — one of the best adults-only accommodations in The Whitsundays. From any of these small islands in Australia, you can easily get to the Great Barrier Reef and countless other stunning natural landscapes. This region is also one of Australia's national parks, so it will continue to be preserved for many years to come — even if the reef itself does die off. [caption id="attachment_683983" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] Rottnest Island, Western Australia Rottnest Island is a 90-minute ferry ride from Barrack Street Jetty, Perth, or 25 minutes from Fremantle. Like Kangaroo Island, Rottnest has given a big dose of much-needed love to Australia's wild creatures, particularly quokkas, which now number 12,000 or so. Dedicate some time to spotting them (though please don't go touching, patting or feeding), before visiting pristine beaches, such as The Basin, where you'll find an underwater playground, and Little Parakeet Bay, backdropped by striking rock formations. The best way to explore the Aussie island is by bike, but we are also big fans of getting on a sea kayak for the arvo as well. Prefer to stay here longer than a day? We recommend spending a few nights in Discovery Rottnest Island's luxe glamping tents by the beach. Phillip Island, Victoria Phillip Island's biggest drawcard is its penguin parade. Every night, at sunset, the island's resident little penguins return to their terrestrial homes, having spent the day out and about fishing. Beyond wildlife watching, go wine and craft beer tasting, bliss out with a massage or spa treatment or conquer a trail on foot, such as the Cape Woolamai Walk, which traverses dramatic clifftops along Phillip's southernmost point. Follow the links for suggestions on where to eat and drink and the best outdoor activities on Phillip Island. Unlike most of the other Australian islands on this list, you can reach this one by road: it's around 90 minutes' drive south of Melbourne, making it one of the most accessible islands in Australia. [caption id="attachment_911608" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Kingfisher Bay Resort[/caption] K'gari (Fraser Island), Queensland World Heritage-listed K'gari (Fraser Island) is the biggest sand island in the world. There are 184,000 hectares of the stuff, made up of 72 colours and mostly in the form of magnificent dunes, much of which are covered in rainforest. If you've time on your hands, take on the Great Walk, an eight-day epic that visits many of K'gari's 100 freshwater lakes. If not, jump aboard a 4WD and cruise along 75 Mile Beach (one of our favourite adventure experiences in Australia), take a dip at Champagne Pools along the way and pay a visit to awe-inspiring Boorangoora(Lake McKenzie), a perched lake made up of rainwater and soft silica sand. [caption id="attachment_688583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Wilson for Tourism Tasmania[/caption] King Island, Tasmania You might have no idea where King Island is, but may have seen its cheese at the supermarket. King Island Dairy's decadent triple cream brie is an Aussie gourmet staple. But it's far from the only treat you'll be sampling in this lush place, which lies in the Bass Strait, halfway between Victoria and Tassie. Count, too, on super-fresh seafood, flavourful beef and a cornucopia of produce from local growers. When you're finished feasting, stroll along the white sands of Disappointment Bay, visit a 7000-year-old calcified forest and go horse riding by the sea. This under-the-radar travel destination is undoubtedly one of the best islands in Australia. [caption id="attachment_856441" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Bribie Island, Queensland Bribie Island isn't that far from Brisbane (a little over one and a half hours) but is a haven for local wildlife. That's because this Australian island is home to the Pumicestone Passage, a protected marine park where you'll find dugongs, turtles, dolphins and a diverse range of birdlife. All the classic Aussie land animals will be found all over the island, too. And, of course, the beaches are just stupidly beautiful. Whether you're a local or tourist, this island offers all the quintessential Australian sites you must see. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world. Top images: K'gari Island, courtesy of Kingfisher Bay Resort.
When you've fought for your life, plus a massive cash prize, while donning a green tracksuit, you're probably not going to shake off the deadly endeavour easily. So shows the latest teaser trailer for Squid Game season two. Lee Jung-jae (The Acolyte) is back as Gi-hun, and there's a familiar face — or mask — at his door, awakening him from a restless slumber. Soon, he's back on bunks as competitor 456. Let the games begin — again. Following a three-year wait since its award-winning first season, and after teasing the show's 2024 return since January, Squid Game will start playing once more on Boxing Day. If you usually spend the day after Christmas shopping, at the cinema or recovering from your food coma by trying to play backyard cricket, you now have other plans if you want to catch the next instalment of the South Korean thriller ASAP. It was back in August that Netflix not only advised when its huge 2021 hit — one of the best new TV programs of that year, in fact — will finally make a comeback, but also announced that there's even more in store. After Squid Game season two arrives on Thursday, December 26, 2024, Squid Game season three will drop sometime in 2025. There's no exact date for the latter as yet, but it will be the final season, closing out the Squid Game story. The streaming platform revealed both pieces of news with a date announcement teaser that featured a running track, competitors in recognisable green tracksuits, and also-familiar folks in red watching on alongside the masked Front Man — and with a letter from series director, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk. Now, Netflix has dropped its next sneak peek at the second season — including at new games. Also back: Gi-hun's nemesis (Lee Byung-hun, The Magnificent Seven). If you're wondering what else is in the works after the hefty gap — Squid Game was such a huge smash in it first season that Netflix confirmed at the beginning of 2022 that more was on the way, and also released a teaser trailer for it the same year, before announcing its new cast members in 2023 — a few further details were dropped earlier in the year. That's when Netflix previously unveiled a first brief snippet of Squid Game season two in a broader trailer for Netflix's slate for the year, as it releases every 12 months. In the footage, Seong Gi-hun answers a phone call while at the airport sporting his newly crimson locks. He's soon told "you're going to regret the choice you've made". Cue his statement of vengeance; Squid Game meets John Wick, anyone? Wi Ha-joon (Little Women) is also back as detective Hwang Jun-ho, as is Gong Yoo (Train to Busan) as the man in the suit who got Gi-hun into the game in the first place. A show about a deadly competition that has folks battling for ridiculous riches comes with a hefty bodycount, which means that new faces were always going to be essential in Squid Game season two — so that's where Yim Si-wan (Emergency Declaration), Kang Ha-neul (Insider), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory) and Yang Dong-geun (Yaksha: Ruthless Operations) all come in. If you somehow missed all things Squid Game when it premiered, even after it became bigger than everything from Stranger Things to Bridgerton, the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning series serves up a puzzle-like storyline and unflinching savagery, which unsurprisingly makes quite the combination. It also steps into societal divides within South Korea, a topic that wasn't invented by Parasite, Bong Joon-ho's excellent Oscar-winning 2019 thriller, but has been given a boost after that stellar flick's success. Accordingly, it's easy to see thematic and narrative parallels between Parasite and Squid Game, although Netflix's highly addictive series goes with a Battle Royale and Hunger Games-style setup. Here, 456 competitors are selected to work their way through six seemingly easy children's games. They're all given numbers and green tracksuits, they're competing for 45.6 billion won, and it turns out that they've also all made their way to the contest after being singled out for having enormous debts. Netflix turned the show's whole premise into an IRL competition series as well, which debuted in 2023 — without any murders, of course. Squid Game: The Challenge has already been picked up for a second season. Check out the latest teaser trailer for Squid Game season below: Squid Game season two streams via Netflix from Thursday, December 26, 2024. Season three will arrive in 2025 — we'll update you when an exact release date for it is announced. Images: Netflix.
Australia and New Zealand, you're getting more chances to dance the night away: Dua Lipa's already-huge Radical Optimism tour has expanded its trip Down Under. When it was first announced, there were three shows on the itinerary. Due to demand — and before general tickets even go on sale — the tour has been expanded to nine gigs. It's still only playing three cities, however. Accordingly, Dua Lipa fans will still need to head to Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland to catch the Grammy-winner's live shows. She's now doing three gigs in the New South Wales capital, four in the Victorian capital and two in Aotearoan city. Dua Lipa last travelled this way to bring her Future Nostalgia tour Down Under in 2022, and hit the stage at the post-parade party at the 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras before that. The Radical Optimism gigs kick off in November 2024 across Asia, with concerts in Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Tokyo, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Seoul. Fans in Australia and Aotearoa get their turn to find the star under lights and turning the rhythm up in March and April 2025, thanks to shows at Rod Laver Arena, Qudos Bank Arena and Spark Arena. [caption id="attachment_963582" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Raph_PH[/caption] 2024 has been a huge year for the 'Don't Start Now', 'Physical', 'Break My Heart', 'Cold Heart' and 'Houdini' singer, with her third studio album Radical Optimism releasing in May and then the artist headlining Glastonbury. She also popped up in Argylle in cinemas. 2023 was no slouch, either, given that 'Dance the Night' graced the Barbie soundtrack and Dua Lipa featured in the film as a Barbie. The Aussie and NZ leg will restart the Radical Optimism tour in 2025, with dates also locked in across Europe in May and June next year, and in North America in September and October afterwards. As well as Radical Optimism and Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa has tracks from her self-titled 2017 debut record to bust out, including 'Be the One', 'Hotter Than Hell', 'Lost in Your Light', 'New Rules', 'IDGAF' and 'Blow Your Mind'. [caption id="attachment_972947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tyrone Lebon[/caption] Dua Lipa Radical Optimism Tour 2025 Australia and New Zealand Dates Wednesday, March 19–Thursday, March 20 + Saturday, March 22–Sunday, March 23 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, March 26 + Friday, March 28–Saturday, March 29 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Wednesday, April 2 + Friday, April 4 — Spark Arena, Auckland Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism tour heads Down Under in March and April 2025, with general ticket sales from 1pm local time on Friday, September 20. Head to Dua Lipa's website for more details. Live images: Raph_PH via Flickr.
Put your hand on your heart and tell us: how excited are you that Kylie Minogue has not only announced a new world tour, which is her biggest in 14 years, but that she's starting it in Australia? Headlining Splendour in the Grass 2024 mightn't have worked out after the Byron Bay music festival was cancelled mere weeks after revealing its lineup, but the Aussie pop superstar is ensuring that local fans will see her new Tension tour before anyone else on the planet. It's about to be 'Padam Padam' summer all over again, with Minogue kicking off her latest shows in February 2025, beginning with a one-night gig in Perth. From there, she also has single dates locked in for Adelaide and Brisbane, plus two shows apiece in Melbourne and Sydney. [caption id="attachment_870885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darenoted Ltd[/caption] The last time that Minogue embarked on a tour this big was back in 2011. The last time that she hit the stage Down Under was in 2023 to open Sydney WorldPride. "I am beyond excited to announce the Tension tour 2025. I can't wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the Tension era and more!" said the singer, announcing her tour dates, which also spans stops in Bangkok, Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Manila in Asia after her Aussie shows, then hitting up Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, London, Nottingham and Birmingham in the UK "It's been an exhilarating ride so far and now, get ready for your close up because I will be calling Lights, Camera, Action ... and there will be a whole lot of Padaming!" Minogue's 'Lights, Camera, Action' mention references the first track on the other piece of big news, a brand-new album called Tension II that's set to drop on Friday, October 18, 2024. In what's proven a massive career since her Neighbours-starring, 'I Should Be So Lucky'- and 'Locomotion'-singing 80s era, it's been a big last few years for Minogue thanks to the huge success of the Grammy-winning 'Padam Padam', a brief return to Neighbours and a Las Vegas residency — and now the Tension tour keeps that streak running. Kylie Minogue Tension Tour 2025 Australian Dates Saturday, February 15 — RAC Arena, Perth Tuesday, February 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Thursday, February 20–Friday, February 21 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, February 26 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Saturday, March 1–Sunday, March 2 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Kylie Minogue's Tension tour kicks off in Australia in February and March 2025. Ticket presales start from Tuesday, September 24, with general sales from Wednesday, October 2 — both at staggered times. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Erik Melvin.
There's no Academy Award solely for vocal performances. If there was, Lupita Nyong'o might've added another of Hollywood's prized statuettes to her mantle when the 2025 ceremony rolls around. A decade after taking home an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, her first feature, and following standout work in everything from Black Panther and Us to Little Monsters and A Quiet Place: Day One since, she's the voice of Roz — short for ROZZUM unit 7134 — in the big-screen adaptation of Peter Brown's The Wild Robot. Unsurprisingly, she's marvellous and moving, taking viewers on an emotional journey even while playing a robot without facial expressions. When Roz is fresh out of the box, powering up on an animal-filled island devoid of humans in a futuristic vision of earth, Nyong'o lends her vocals to the perky Siri and Alexa peer that audiences will wish spoke back to them from their own devices. As the task-oriented mechanical helper learns that there's more to life than her programming — as she befriends a gosling that she names Brightbill (Kit Connor, Heartstopper) and a fox called Fink (Pedro Pascal, Drive-Away Dolls), too, and wins over other wild critters who are initially fearful of the metallic interloper — the warmth that begins to infuse Roz's tones couldn't feel more genuine. The Wild Robot doesn't only prove a gem thanks to Nyong'o's pivotal performance, but it wouldn't be even a fraction of the film that it is without her. In 2024, the actor has had two movies in cinemas. In A Quiet Place: Day One, speaking was one of the worst things that anyone could do. In The Wild Robot, Nyong'o's entire portrayal comes down to talking. "I love that you made that comparison. I hadn't even thought about it that way," she tells Concrete Playground when we point out the contrast, and also ask what she seeks out in new projects at this point in her career. "What gets me excited? I think about the character that I've been offered to play, and I think about what I will require to play the character — and what I could learn as well from playing the character, what I'm curious about. If the character makes me ask questions of the world and of myself and I'm excited to find out the answers, then I want to play that character," Nyong'o explains. When The Wild Robot came her way, she didn't say yes immediately, however. For Nyong'o, voicing Roz was always going to need to be a creative collaboration; just showing up to speak her lines and leaving it at that isn't how she wanted to work. "I don't know how to be just a voice for hire. I have opinions and I want to share them, and I want to make sure that the person I'm sharing them with wants to hear them," she notes. Nyong'o joined the film after meeting with director Chris Sanders and understanding his vision. "You shape these things together. You go on this journey together, and she is a creative force just like every other artist in this film, for sure," he tells us. "And I have to say, she's an absolute genius. Taking Roz apart bit by bit to understand her thinking kept me honest as a writer," he continues. The Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods director — and voice of Stitch — couldn't be more enthusiastic about the latest picture that now sits on his packed resume (also on his filmography from the 90s when he was starting out: production design on The Lion King, visual development on Beauty and the Beast, and story credits on both alongside Aladdin). Before signing on for The Wild Robot, Sanders describes himself as "book-adjacent" to Brown's illustrated tome, as his daughter had read it. "I saw it sitting around the house and I'd actually forgotten about it until the day I came into DreamWorks to look at what was in development. And there was the book, and they described it, and I thought 'that's the one I'm interested in'," he advises. As the feature's writer and director, he's crafted a version that takes inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki's enchanting Studio Ghibli fare, classics such as Bambi and the work of painter Claude Monet, too — and a gem for all ages. How does Nyong'o tackle a voice-acting part — and, whether she's seen on-screen or heard echoing from it, how does she find the right voice for a character? What kind of thinking and planning goes into expressing Roz's inner journey? How important was it to Sanders that the film didn't shy away from animals being animals, not just in appearance but also into recognising the food chain and cycle of life? We chatted with the pair about all of the above as well, and more, including how animated movies trade in big emotions —because we all have that flick, or several, that we'll never forget — and how that sits in your mind when you're making one. On How Nyong'o Approaches a Voice-Acting Part, Especially Playing a Character Without Facial Expressions Lupita: "I think the animators did a great service to Roz — and a great service to an audience — by not giving her facial features. Because then we stay truer to the fact that Roz is not a feeling entity. She is a robot and has a goal — she's goal-oriented and her goal, luckily, is to be of service to whomever purchased her. So that lends itself to kindness. And she's also very adaptable, so she's able to adapt to the behaviours and expressions of the wild animals that she is now living with. And through that, you can adopt sensibilities akin to emotional expression. I like figuring that out cerebrally. How do I play a character without emotions but still be able to convey a bunch of emotions, and then trust that an audience will project their emotions onto her? We are given that license because she doesn't have facial expressions, so she's not doing it for us. We were very much a part of the performance." On Finding the Right Voice for the Right Character Lupita: "It starts off with understanding the given circumstances of the character. What are the facts, right? And so for Roz, one of the main facts that was very important was that she is a programmed robot. That was very informativem and it led me to listen to automated voices like Siri and Alexa, the voices on TikTok and Instagram — they were an inspiration, their relentless, positive vibrancy was the inspiration there. For someone like Red in Us, I knew that there had been a strangulation at some point, and so that fed my imagination on what could that sound like if you were strangled. Things like that. Then I also work very closely with a vocal coach, and I worked with her on both Us and The Wild Robot, and that's really helpful to just externalise my ideas and make sure that I'm doing it in as healthy a way as possible to stave off injuries." On What Sanders Was Excited to Bring to the Screen in Adapting The Wild Robot Chris: "The story for sure. I've always wanted to do a robot movie. And the other thing that I never thought I'd get a chance to work on would be an animal movie like this. This is a lot like Bambi — the forest, the animals, the creatures. And it's a real forest, they're only slightly anthropomorphised. Bambi is a huge favourite. It always will be. One of the things I think that you cannot understate is the emotional power of that film. It has a staying power and a beauty that we wanted to emulate. Aspire to it, actually, is a better way to say it — that and the art of Miyazaki films. These are things that have a huge influence on us as animators and filmmakers. So we had big boots to fill if we were going to equal the power and the scale of those of those stories. Our animators really took to it, by the way. I didn't understand until they started working on the film the level of excitement that they had to do animals that were animals. That kind of movement, I guess, is really a huge thing for an animator. They're usually doing animals carrying cell phones and they have jobs, etcetera. Animals that are animals, there's a purity to the motion that I was really struck by. The animation went unusually quickly because of the lack of things, like jackets and coats and stuff. And so it was a joy to see all of this come to life day by day." On the Importance of Not Shying Away From the Reality of Animals Being Animals Chris: "It was critical because if there isn't consequence, then the story is just not going to work. We don't want to shy away from any of those things because we need that kind of ballast. I would actually harken back to things in The Lion King — if you don't have consequences, you're not going to have that emotional resonance, and I don't think you going to have a movie that works. So death shows up several times in this movie. The first time, of course, is the critical and pivotal event where Roz accidentally, quite literally, runs across this goose's nest by accident and that sets this whole story in motion. Later on, we revisit it, but we often revisit it with humour. We get a laugh out of it. It's a dark kind of humour, but boy is it effective. The animals on this island have programming, and that's the way that Roz looks at it. She's a creature of human programming, and she sees the animals as running programs as well. I thought that was a really interesting way to look at the world, and one of the load-bearing ideas and themes of the film is the idea that someday you may have to change your programming in order to survive. In our lives, we are creatures of habit, we resist change, and we may have to change the way we think. I think that sometimes we're so fearful of losing ourselves for some reason. I think we're very protective of ourselves. I can only speak for myself, but I get that — but whenever I've been forced to see things in a different way, I've been better for it." On What Goes Into Conveying Roz's Inner Journey Through a Vocal Performance Lupita: "I would say the intention was set at the beginning. Before I took on the role, I asked Chris why he thought I would be good for it, and he said he liked the warmth of my voice. So that was very good information for me, so that I knew what I had for free to offer Roz, and so that was where we would end up — that's the voice when Roz has taken on and embraced the role of mother most fully, that she sounds most like me. And then in the process, a two-and-a-half-year process, the script is developing, and along with it our understanding of who Roz is and how we experience her evolution is also developing. That was really quite technical, and we had certain markers, certain benchmarks for where the quality of my voice was shifting. And I did it quite technically, so it dials up in a way that when you're watching the performance is perhaps, hopefully, quite subtle and unnoticeable — until you meet the robots that are more like the other robots like her, towards the third act of the film." On the "Miyazaki by Way of Monet" Visual Approach to the Natural World Within the Film Chris: "All these things we've been talking about, what a perfect line of questioning actually, all these things are linked together like spokes of a wheel. I felt that it was absolutely critical, and I pushed very hard for this level of sophistication in the look of the movie. Think back to what we were talking about with Bambi, that level of sophistication, I felt, would make our audience see this film in the right way, if that makes sense. This is a film that kids will love. Kids should go see it. Families should go see it. But it's not a little kids' film — it's a film. And that's how Walt Disney looked at those stories as well, he always said so. So that level of sophistication helps us to get into the film in a certain way, and it really immerses us in a way that I've never seen a film like this accomplish. I have gotten so much feedback since we finished the film that it really blurs the line between a live-action film and an animated film, frankly, the way that you see it — and that was very deliberate. And I have to credit the artists and the incredible advances that DreamWorks had made technologically that allowed this look. The funny thing is all that technology opened this film up so that humans are more present than ever before. Literally everything is hand-painted. It would be as if I took out a brush and started painting dimensionally in space. That's exactly what they were doing. So there are no forms underneath the trees or the rocks. It's free handed. So the beauty that you get from that, there's no substitute for it. There's an analogue warmth that we reconnected with on this journey that we've taken through CG." On How Animation Allows Audiences to Have Big Feelings — and Thinking About That When You're Making an Animated Film Lupita: "You have to keep the audience in mind. One of the things that I remember us discussing, Roz has a lot of robotic language, just mumbo jumbo that she says — and you want to keep that in a way that allows for children to grow their vocabulary, and also a way for adults to understand and appreciate what she is saying. But you can't make it too difficult that you lose the children altogether. So those were fun workshops where we tried different words. I remember in the script, there was a time when a character asks Roz something and she goes 'hmm, let me see'. But 'hmm', that's a very human expression, and so I said 'processing' and everybody broke out laughing, and it became part of Roz's vocabulary. For children, that is perhaps maybe a new word — children never say processing, I can't imagine they do. But in that sense, you've expanded their vocabulary and stayed true to the character." Chris: "It's something I don't know if I'm really thinking about it, but in a sense I'm striving for it as I'm working on scenes. I'm scaling things. I think one of the neat things about taking a story like Peter Brown's to the screen is the potential for how big these feelings can be. I'm always going for audacity and scale. And I will run a scene over and over and over in my head, modifying it before I even commit anything to paper a lot of the time, until I'm feeling I've found every edge of the boundaries of that particular moment, and I've built it as large as it possibly can be. Because why wouldn't you, you know? Why wouldn't you? And then the really amazing thing is, I take it only so far, and then we have our actors and our and our animators — and eventually the cinematographer, the lighting, and then eventually Kris Bowers [who composed The Wild Robot's soundtrack]. I cannot overstate his contribution as well. I credit him for, I think, the gosh-darn best score I've ever heard in a movie ever." On What Nyong'o Makes of Her Career Over the Past Decade Since 12 Years a Slave Lupita: "I was sitting at the premiere of The Wild Robot at TIFF [the Toronto International Film Festival], and there was a moment, I think it was a moment when Brightbill is flying away and a feather floats into Roz's hands. And it's a very emotional moment within the story. But in that moment, I was just caught, I was struck by the truth that I have been living out my dreams and this project is another dream come true. I was just filled with gratitude, because not everybody gets to live out their dreams so exactly. And I've had that wonderful, wonderful privilege, and I just don't take it for granted. It's been deliberate. It's sometimes been scary. I've had to say no before I knew I could in order to wait for the project that felt like it would give me the kind of expansion I was looking for. And those times that I've said no have paid off. And looking at the last ten years, I'm very, very proud of the work that I've been able to do, and I look forward to continuing to live out my dreams one decision at a time." The Wild Robot opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, September 19, 2024.
Some museums are filled with art. Others are dedicated to interesting pieces of history. The National Communication Museum in Melbourne, Australia's latest, falls into the second category. It's also a museum with a hyper-specific focus, celebrating the technology that's allowed humanity to interact and, in the process, shaped how we engage with each other. Rotary phones, cyber cafes, MSN Messenger: they all get a nod here. Opening to the public on Saturday, September 21, 2024, and marking the first new major museum in Melbourne for more than two decades — since the Melbourne Museum launched — the National Communication Museum lives and breathes nostalgia, then. Phone boxes, burger phones, the speaking clock that you could call to get the time and only shut down in Australia in 2019: they receive some love as well. But this space isn't solely about looking backwards, with peering forwards also part of its remit. Yes, that means grappling with what artificial intelligence might mean for communication in the future. Emily Siddon, NCM's Co-Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director, calls the two-level Hawthorn site "a trip down memory lane", but also notes how it looks at the present and what might come. "The technologies featured in NCM were developed in response to the innate human need to communicate and connect — yesterday, today and tomorrow," she explains. "It also answers the pressing questions about communication technology today. Things like: how far away are we from uploading our consciousness? How am I tracked and where does my data go? And how can I tell real from fake or human from machine?". Across an array of rooms featuring both permanent and temporary exhibitions — located in an old 1930s telephone exchange building, which includes a working historical telephone exchange — visitors can dive into First Nations storytelling, celebrate the speaking clock, explore a 90s-era internet cafe and check out an interactive display that takes its cues from regional Australia's phone booths. There's also a section dedicated to research, spanning both successful and unsuccessful ideas, plus launch exhibitions dedicated to surveillance, the human-made satellites sent into space to circle the earth and the infrastructure underpinning digital communication. Find the National Communication Museum at 375 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, from Saturday, September 21, 2024 — open 10am–5pm Wednesday–Sunday. Head to the venue's website for more details. Images: Casey Horsfield.
Not once, not twice, but at least 17 times, Robert Pattinson (The Batman) dies in Mickey 17. In the just-dropped full trailer for the new science-fiction film, his character is not too happy about it, either. But when you've signed up to be an 'expendable', as Mickey has in this adaptation of Edward Ashton's book Mickey 7, you've agreed to kick the bucket over and over and over for a living. On the page, the lead character is the seventh version — thank human printing — working as part of an effort to to colonise an ice world and soon finding himself trying to fend off the eighth. Mickey 17 has clearly upped that to the 17th version of its lead character. And, with Korean director Bong Joon-ho writing and directing, making his long-awaited first feature since Parasite, it's leaning heavily on comedy as well. Mickey 17 has been in the works for years, even dropping an initial teaser trailer at the end of 2022. Back then, the flick was targeting a March 2024 release date; however, that changed early this year, with the movie now hitting cinemas in January 2025. Thanks to everything that the last few years have served up, 2019, when the Palme d'Or-, Sydney Film Festival Prize- and Oscar-winning Parasite released, seems like a lifetime ago. So, waiting for anything since that innocent pre-pandemic time feels like waiting forever. But a new Bong movie has always been worth it so far, as his impressive cinematic resume attests. He's also the filmmaker behind stunning crime procedural Memories of Murder, creature feature The Host, dystopian thriller Snowpiercer and the offbeat Okja, after all. Mickey 17 looks set to mark the filmmaker's third movie mostly in English after Snowpiercer and Okja, with Pattinson leading a cast that also includes Steven Yeun (Beef), Naomi Ackie (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Toni Collette (Mafia Mamma) and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things). Science-fiction fans will spot that the premise alone gives off big Moon, Sunshine and Voyagers vibes — and brings High Life, RPatz's last exceptional sci-fi flick, to mind. That said, Bong isn't a filmmaker to follow in anyone else's footsteps. How he makes this concept his own already looks like a treat to see based on the two sneak peeks so far. Mickey 17 is a return for Pattinson, too, given that he hasn't been seen on-screen since his debut turn as Bruce Wayne — although he could be heard in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron, adding a movie by another iconic director to his filmography. Check out the full trailer for Mickey 17 below: Mickey 17 releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
