Imagine living in a capital city without its own major film festival. Or, welcome to Brisbane. After three years, the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival has been cancelled, to be replaced by screenings throughout the year that will be tied to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Whether you're an avid cinephile and festival-goer with a stack of old film fest programs on their shelves (yep, hi!), or a casual Brissie movie fan eager to see more than superheroes and transforming robots monopolise the city's screens, it's terrible and downright unacceptable news. "After careful consideration and engagement with industry and partners, a decision has been taken to discontinue the standalone film festival format of BAPFF," reads a statement from the festival, which then goes on to mention a "focus on a more accessible, year-round APSA screening program". The organisation behind the industry-focused awards will instead put together a range of screenings with other like-minded events, as well as others when the APSAs roll around in November. Just what the latter will look like is yet to be revealed. If you're wondering what the APSAs are, that's completely understandable. The awards ceremony celebrated its 10th year in 2016, but they're hardly well-known by general cinema attendees. And if you're wondering why the Brisbane City Council and Screen Queensland, the two government bodies that provided the bulk of the funding for BAPFF in its three-year run from 2014 to 2016, would favour giving out shiny trophies (or hand-crafted "award vessels", as they're called) to actors, directors and other filmmaking folks over actually showing Brisbane viewers an array of international cinema, that's understandable too. It's worth remembering that this is the second major government-funded Brisbane film festival that has been scrapped in three years. When BAPFF came into existence, it was because the powers-that-be decided to cancel the successful, 22-year-old Brisbane International Film Festival. BIFF was popular and well-attended, providing Brisbane with its own equivalent of the Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival. Massive lines, initially down the Queen Street Mall when the festival was based in the former Regent Cinema, current hole in the ground, then around Palace Barracks, Centro and now-neglected Tribal Theatre, were common. Hey, there was even a sold-out and lively midnight session for The Human Centipede 2. Upon announcing BAPFF back in June 2014, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk mentioned that it would be a "a high-calibre film event showcasing the filmmakers, films and documentaries of the APSAs". Does that sound familiar? It's certainly a comment that's all the more telling now, although it always was indicative of the preference for the industry event over an audience-centric fest. In shining a spotlight on cinema from the Asia Pacific, BAPFF scaled down the number of flicks on offer, from BIFF's 130-plus features to around 80. And, while it screened plenty of great titles over its brief existence — here's our list of picks from 2014, 2015 and 2016 — it didn't receive quite the same audience response as BIFF did. That's not a shock. There's a reason that BAPFF's now final fest included a healthy contingent of films from outside of the Asia Pacific, after all. Basically, first the city's major film festival was replaced with a smaller festival that was tied to the APSAs, with fewer films, a narrower scope and smaller audiences as a result. Now, because it wasn't successful — again, to the surprise of absolutely no one — that second festival is being dumped too. Saying that "this step is being undertaken to strengthen APSA as the Asia Pacific region's leading film competition, academy, ceremony and screening program that recognises and promotes the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the vast region," as today's announcement does, is both further proof that the awards have been deemed more important than the film festival, as well as a slap in the face to everyone that has supported both BIFF and BAPFF over the past 24 years. And, you know, to people who like going to the movies. Yes, more movies more often is a good thing. But, are we really going to get the equivalent of 80 new films that wouldn't be screened in Brisbane otherwise spread out over the year? You can bet that that won't happen. And, there's nothing like being immersed in a city-wide film festival that truly celebrates cinema from all around the world for a concentrated block of time. Brisbane will continue to host an array of other country-focused festivals, of course, as well as the Queensland Film Festival — which was actually started to help screen the kinds of movies that BAPFF was overlooking. If we sound angry, that's because we are. As everyone who loves film in Brisbane should be. What kind of place has a major international film festival for 22 years, replaces it with a smaller, Asia-Pacific focused cinema showcase for three years, and then decides to opt for neither after "engagement with industry and partners"? Note, audiences weren't mentioned there. "Give me Brisbane any day" might be the city's current slogan, but it's now a mocking taunt to cinephiles. Image: Lion, screened for VIP closing night at BAPFF 2016.
Dreaming about a different life is a staple of coming-of-age films, with many a movie focusing on uncertain children or unhappy teenagers wishing for an existence far removed from their own. It's also a part of Australian documentary In My Blood It Runs; however, ten-year-old Arrernte/Garrwa boy Dujuan Hoosan and his friends aren't yearning to step into someone else's shoes. Instead, even at their tender age, they can simply see how they're being treated by Australian society at large. In one early scene, Dujuan and a group of other kids stand on a hill outside the Hidden Valley Aboriginal Town Camp, in Alice Springs. "That's where all the rich men come from," one comments, peering down at the city. "How come this mob get clean houses and not us?" asks Dujuan. "I wish I was living on that side," voices another kid. The chatter goes on, especially about the golf course in clear view. As Dujuan and his friends talk, they all note how much nicer the area looks compared to their own. A healer who's skilled in administering bush medicine, hunts proficiently and speaks three languages, Dujuan is deeply tied to his heritage and culture. "I was born a little Aboriginal kid. That means I had a memory, a memory about Aboriginals. I just felt something, a memory, history — in my blood it runs," he explains. He doesn't want to leave that behind, but rather for all Indigenous Australians to be treated fairly and equally. Whether he's sitting through school lessons about the First Fleet or speaking about his great-grandmother's upbringing as part of the stolen generation, he's acutely aware of Australia's historical attitudes towards the country's Indigenous population, as well the enduring effects on First Nations peoples today. With insight, wisdom and determination beyond his years, Dujuan is just as cognisant of what all of the above can mean for himself and other Indigenous children, too. The fact that this bright, charming, passionate, socially engaged kid is considered a poor student, and earns the attention of both welfare services and the police, speaks volumes. In late 2019, after the film initially started screening at festivals both in Australia and worldwide, Dujuan spoke to the United Nations about Australia's approach to youth incarceration, particularly in the Northern Territory — but, before he can get to that point, In My Blood It Runs chronicles his everyday struggles, including balancing western and traditional education, and meeting white society's expectations of a young Indigenous boy. At one point, he's told by his aunt that being sent to juvenile prison means "you're only going to end up in two places: a jail cell or a coffin". As shot over nearly four years — and interwoven with reflections from Dujuan, his mother Megan, grandmothers Carol and Margaret, and father James, as well as informative archival materials — the result is a compellingly candid and expressive window into Dujuan's mindset, desires and experiences, as told by a skilled filmmaker committed to doing his story justice. It has been five years since Maya Newell gave Australia one of its most engaging and diverse slices of childhood life in the form of the applauded Gayby Baby, and this follow-up continues to ponder the country's next generation, their hopes, dreams and everyday existence, as well as the way that today's attitudes and policies may impact their future. Now available to watch via ABC iView, In My Blood It Runs is also an observational documentary not only featuring Dujuan as its subject, but made in collaboration with him, his family and his community. It doesn't just feel empathetic as a result, but intimate and authentic, too. Dujuan himself shoots some of its footage, Newell made films alongside Arrernte Elders and families for a decade before starting this project, and the Arrernte and Garrwa families depicted were all consulted during every stage of production. The end product is a must-see movie dedicated not only to painting an accurate portrait of Dujuan's experiences, but to showing how it epitomises Indigenous childhood in Australia. Check out the trailer below: https://vimeo.com/358942768#at=1 In My Blood It Runs is available to stream via ABC iView until August 4. Top image: Maya Newell.
As happens each and every year, more than a few Australian films will hit screens big and small throughout 2021. More than a few have already actually, given that the year is in its home stretch. Some have proven exceptional, others have earned the exact opposite description and plenty fall somewhere in the middle. But only one happens to be the best Aussie film of the year, as well as the homegrown title that's been grabbing attention since it was first announced in 2020. That movie: Nitram. Read the movie's moniker backwards, and you'll see why it started garnering plenty of notice before anyone had even seen it. Now, Aussies are getting the chance to watch the movie themselves — with the film currently screening in Australian cinemas where they're open, and then heading to streaming service Stan from Wednesday, November 24. When it was initially announced last year, the film sparked debate about whether any feature should explore this traumatic chapter of Australia's past. Now that the end result is here, it's both intense and exceptional, as well as extremely careful about its subject matter. The latter shouldn't come as a surprise given that Nitram reunites Snowtown and True Story of the Kelly Gang filmmaker Justin Kurzel with screenwriter Shaun Grant, who penned both movies. With their two earlier collaborations, Kurzel and Grant amassed an impressive history when it comes to tackling the nation's darker and thornier moments, and that doesn't change here. Only ever referring to the gunman responsible for murdering 35 people and wounding 23 others via the movie's moniker, Nitram steps through the lead up to those events in Port Arthur 25 years ago. Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) plays the eponymous figure, who lives with his mother (Judy Davis, The Dressmaker) and father (Anthony LaPaglia, Below), and finds a friend in a reclusive heiress named Helen (Essie Davis, Babyteeth). The film isn't specifically about the tragedy of April 28 and 29, 1996, instead focusing on the time leading up to those dates, but every Australian knows where the story goes from there. Earlier in 2021, Nitram became the first Aussie feature to play in the Cannes Film Festival's coveted competition in a decade. It won Jones the prestigious fest's Best Actor prize, too. And you can expect to hear more about it again — and for the movie to collect more shiny prizes — as Australia's film awards season pops up at the end of the year. Check out the trailer below: Nitram is currently screening in Australian cinemas where they're open, and will be available to stream via Stan from Wednesday, November 24. Read our full review.
Since hitting Broadway five years ago, notching up 11 Tony Awards, nabbing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and just becoming an all-round pop culture phenomenon, Hamilton was always going to make the leap to cinemas. So, it's no wonder Disney leapt at the opportunity. The Mouse House was originally meant to bring Lin-Manuel Miranda's historical hip hop musical to cinemas in October 2021 — via a filmed version of the stage production, rather than a traditional stage-to-screen adaptation — but it's doing us all a solid in these rough times and fast tracking it to streaming. And it lands this winter. Hamilton fans around the world will be able to watch the filmed version of the original Broadway production on Disney+ from July 3 (the day before Independence Day in the US). That's a whole 15 months ahead of schedule. Shot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway back in 2016, this cinematic screening of Hamilton is still a big deal. Actually, given the fact that it features the original Broadway cast — including Miranda in the eponymous role — it's a huge deal. Everyone who missed out on the opportunity to see tale of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton live as it toured the US or on London's West End will be able to do the next best thing, with Hamilton jumping on the popular trend of screening filmed versions of plays and musicals in cinemas. In addition to Miranda — who stars, and wrote the musical's music, lyrics and book — this filmed version of the production features Daveed Diggs (Velvet Buzzsaw) as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder on the Orient Express) as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson (When They See Us) as George Washington, Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter) as King George, Renee Elise Goldsberry (The House with a Clock in Its Walls) as Angelica Schuyler and Phillipa Soo (the Broadway version of Amelie) as Eliza Hamilton. Once you've watched the small-screen version, you can get excited about seeing the stage production, too, as it's finally set to arrive in Australia in March 2021. Under the circumstances — and with international travel still banned for the foreseeable future — it's possible that this could be delayed, though. Hamilton is just the latest film to be fast-tracked to streaming, with other big-name flicks, such as Birds of Prey, The Invisible Man and Disney's Onward, also hitting small screens ahead of schedule. You can check out 12 of our favourites over here. While you're eagerly awaiting Hamilton to hit Disney+, you can watch (and rewatch) the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSCKfXpAGHc Hamilton will hit Disney+ globally on July 3, 2020. Updated June 22, 2020.
Fatcow was a beef-eating favourite in its original digs at Eagle Street Pier — and the aim is to repeat the feat now that it has moved to Fortitude Valley. It was back in late 2023 that Tassis Group announced that Fatcow on James Street, which was known as Fatcow Steak & Lobster during its CBD days, would return in 2024. It lost its previous site, where it had operated since December 2020 in the spot that was formerly home to fellow upscale steak joint Cha Cha Char, when the Brisbane CBD precinct was torn down to make way for an upcoming new $2.1-billion waterfront precinct. Now, since May 2024, the new Fatcow is welcoming in patrons. The restaurant has relaunched in the Fortitude Valley spot that Space Furniture and David Jones each used to call home. The design led by Allo Creative and Clui Design harks back to steak-slinging eateries in the mid-20th century, complete with a bar made out of solid marble. Patrons can also peer through a window to the chef's grill to see where the culinary magic happens. Two private dining rooms are also on the premises at Fatcow 2.0, but just eating at a booth here means stepping into your own world. Each one comes with a floor-to-ceiling curtain that screens off the rest of the restaurant. That's another luxe touch at the steakhouse's new digs. Also on the list: wagyu tasting boards and a gold-wrapped 400-gram rib fillet on the menu. Neither comes cheap; the first costs $285 for three types of steak and three sides, and the second — aka the Golden Fatcow — is $190 for a 150-plus-day grain-fed black angus cut from the Riverina region that's wrapped in gold leaf. Under Head Chef Garry Newton, a Fatcow alum who also has Herve's and Rich & Rare on his resume, the new Fatcow's signature dishes also span a $199 steak-and-lobster combo and the butcher's choice, which varies in price. If it wasn't already apparant, this is a treat yo'self type of restaurant. All up, the menu features more than 16 steaks. You can also tuck into mains such as wagyu burgers, buckwheat risotto and lamb shoulder. Caviar is among the options, as are oysters fresh from Brisbane's only live oyster tank, raw scallops and beef tenderloin tartare as entrees, and tank-fresh lobster. The restaurant is taking a 24-hour approach to seafood — that's how long, maximum, the journey from the trawler to your plate will be. As for dessert, choices include a chocolate tart, lime sorbet and basque cheesecake, plus ten cheeses that come served in 50-gram pieces. To drink, a 300-strong wine list combines local and international drops, and cocktails are also among the beverages. Images: Markus Ravik.
Resurrecting horror franchises that first gleamed bright in the 70s is a trend that Hollywood isn't done idolising. Halloween did it. The Exorcist returned as well. Via remakes, Carrie, Suspiria and Black Christmas have all made comebacks since the 2010s. The Omen was always going to get its turn, then. Taking the prequel route — because the OG 1976 film hadn't spawned one yet with 1978's Damien — Omen II, 1981's Omen III: The Final Conflict and 1991's Omen IV: The Awakening, plus a 2006 remake and 2016's one-season TV series — gives rise to The First Omen, as set in Rome in 1971. Fans will know that June 6 that year was when Damien was born. Spinning backstories into new movies can create flicks that smack of inevitability above all else, but not here: this is a genuinely eerie and dread-laced Omen entry with an expert command of unnerving imagery by first-time feature director Arkasha Stevenson (Brand New Cherry Flavour), plus a well-chosen anchor in lead actor Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones). Horror, unusual babies, childminding at its most disquieting, a claustrophobic location, a lack of agency, distressing displays of faith: Free has been here before. Indeed, if Stevenson and her co-writers Tim Smith (a screenwriting debutant) and Keith Thomas (the director of 2022's awful Firestarter remake) used Servant as their inspiration in more ways than one, they've made a savvy choice. Featuring their star for four seasons between 2019–2023, that M Night Shyamalan (Knock at the Cabin)-produced series was one of the great horror streaming efforts of the past five years. The First Omen goes heavier on jolting visuals to go with its nerve-jangling atmosphere, but it too stands out. Its worst choice is being needlessly and gratingly blatant in connecting dots in its very last moments, even if nearly half a century has passed since this spawn-of-Satan saga began. For those who don't know the Damien-centric details going in, The First Omen redresses that gap in your pop-culture knowledge — except that anyone unaware of the franchise's ins and outs will have still picked up the antichrist basics; they're that well-established. Also, as per above, every decade since the 70s has given something Omen-related a whirl. In the actual first Omen film, an American ambassador in Rome adopted a boy in secret, as sourced by a chaplain, when his own didn't survive childbirth. Five years later, when the bulk of the flick takes place, a 666 birthmark proved exactly what the title described. Stevenson's movie steps in before all of that, spending its time with a novitiate from the US who is invited to take her vows in Italy and, in the lead up, to stay and work at a convent that cares for orphaned girls and unwed pregnant mothers. Free's Margaret is that aspiring bride of Christ, in Rome at the behest of Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy, The Beautiful Game), who she knows from a childhood spent entirely within the church. Despite her devotion to god, and to prim-and-proper rules, her reception is mixed; she finds abbess Sister Silvia (Sônia Braga, Shotgun Wedding) spooky, colleague Sister Anjelica (Ishtar Currie-Wilson, Lockwood & Co) unsettling and the stiff treatment of Carlita Scianna (Summer Limited Edition), one of the older girls under the nunnery's guardianship, questionable to say the least. Luz (Maria Caballero, The Girl in the Mirror), Margaret's roommate who'll also soon take the veil, encourages her to let loose before giving her body to the lord. A night at a bar, and also witnessing a mother ushering her child into the world at the orphanage, quickly sparks nightmares. Then there's Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson, The Creator), who has gone rogue to warn her about the plans for Carlita. Horror, unusual babies, pregnancy at its most disquieting, a claustrophobic location, a lack of agency, distressing displays of faith, the Catholic church trying to keep a stronghold on power by nefarious means, an American nun-to-be in Italy and in trouble, sisters and priests that can't be trusted: cinema in 2024 has been here before as well. The First Omen arrives mere weeks after Immaculate, where filmmaker Michael Mohan (The Voyeurs) helmed a Sydney Sweeney (Madame Web)-led dance with Christianity at its most devilish — but with a different progeny hoped for. Call it a case of twin films, right down to the cues taken from giallo. Releasing either side of Easter, a go-to time for Catholic horror flicks — 2023 had The Pope's Exorcist and 2021 The Unholy, for instance — call this pair a great double feature, too. One of the greatest tricks that The First Omen pulls: making its audience not give a damn whether it's an Omen movie or not by being utterly engrossing in its visuals and lead performance regardless of the nods sent in obvious directions. That's another reason why the last scene lands with the clunkiest of thuds. Former photojournalist Stevenson, plus No One Will Save You's Aaron Morton as her cinematographer, are both bold and elegant with the sights that grace the screen — images that haunt with mood and texture as they evoke a visceral response. 1981's Possession, which shares Sam Neill (Apples Never Fall) as a star with the same year's Omen III, gets a striking visual nudge. Elsewhere, black habits virtually come alive, closed curtains hold fearsome foes, walls and floors are filled with sinister scribblings, and a line of nuns hugs the floor. A face screaming in agony while trapped in a black veil, claws replacing a crowning baby's head: they provide unforgettably chilling moments, and also reinforce that The First Omen, like Immaculate, is born into an IRL world and from a country where control over women's bodies is no mere relic. Examining how religion reacts to dwindling influence lingers in The First Omen in several ways, including seeing and speaking about protesting students, who Lawrence laments have no trust or faith in Catholicism. New blood such as Margaret and Luz is just one tactic floated for connecting with non-believers, of course. There's little subtlety to The First Omen's themes or plot but, again, its deeply perturbing vibe and look, and a committed lead performance from Free (plus the always-great Braga, The Witch's Ineson putting his gravelly voice to great use, and Nighy and Charles Dance, the flick's third GoT alum, adding a creepy air), all demand adoration. With the latter, who swings between innocent and unhinged, emotional, psychological and physical devotion are part of her portrayal. In fact, when "it's all for you" is wailed in Free's vicinity — a line no Omen movie can pass up — it could be coming from Stevenson, who has made a spine-chiller that hardly needs to exist on paper, but is wholly worthy of her star's remarkable efforts.
If you're a fan of Pedro Pascal (Gladiator II), 2025 is a busy year. The Last of Us is back for its long-awaited second season. Thanks to Materialists, he's in a rom-com from Past Lives' Celine Song. With Eddington, he's battling Joaquin Phoenix for Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster. Then there's Pascal's leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The latter film arrives Down Under on Thursday, July 24, 2025, and sees the MCU finally get fantastic as it speeds towards notching up two decades of superhero movies and TV shows. As both the initial teaser trailer and just-dropped full sneak peek show, First Steps explores Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch's beginnings in the 1960s — family dinners, big life changes, the worries that come with that, facing stresses together and world-threatening foes all included. Slipping into Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm's shoes in First Steps: Pascal as stretchy group leader Richards; Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), who is bending light as one of the Storm siblings; Joseph Quinn (Gladiator II) proving fiery as the other; and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), who is no one's cousin here, instead getting huge, rocky and super strong. Directed by WandaVision, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Succession's Matt Shakman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps pits Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach against Ralph Ineson (Nosferatu) as space god Galactus and Julia Garner (Wolf Man) as the Silver Surfer — both of which pop up in the latest trailer. Also co-starring in the film: Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), John Malkovich (Ripley), Natasha Lyonne (Fantasmas) and Sarah Niles (Fallen). Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach's characters aren't new to cinemas. Before there was a MCU, there were Fantastic Four movies. The first two to earn a big-screen release arrived in 2005 and 2007, with the latter hitting the year before Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Deadpool and Wolverine did 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine, the Stan Lee- and Jack Kirby-created superhero quartet now join the list of characters who are being brought into the MCU fold, as has been on the cards ever since Disney bought 20th Century Fox. Pascal and company are taking over from two batches of past film takes on the superhero team. In the 2005 and 2007 flicks, Ioan Gruffudd (Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Jessica Alba (Trigger Warning), a pre-Captain America Chris Evans (Red One) and Michael Chiklis (Accused) starred. Then, in 2015, Chronicle filmmaker Josh Trank gave the group a spin — still outside of the MCU — with Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick), Kate Mara (Friendship), a pre-Black Panther Michael B Jordan (Sinners) and Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers). Check out the full trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps below: The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Images: courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and 2025 MARVEL.
To say that artist, Danie Mellor's, background is interesting would be an understatement. He was born in Mackay, grew up between Scotland, Australia and South Africa before studying his passion for art at North Adelaide School of Art, the Australian National University and Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. Mellor's skills are vast as he produces prints, drawings, paintings and sculptures all with exceptional artistic skill. Mellor also has strong ties to his Indigenous heritage which is expressed in his artwork. His latest exhibition, Exotic Lies Sacred Ties, explores Australia's complex history and Mellor's great contribution to the national body of art. The showcase includes major pieces from public collections such as the Australian Museum, National Gallery of Art and many more. Have a look at the public program for more details. High school students are in luck as Mellor will be holding a masterclass just for you guys.
Grabbing a meal. Going to work. Eating at a restaurant with friends. Making a living cooking up a storm or waiting tables. We've all had a bite to eat at a cafe, and many of us have worked in hospitality — and we should all be able to enjoy both in a safe space. With tensions rising across the United States since the election of Donald Trump as the country's 45th President, a new initiative has emerged to ensure both patrons and employees can do just that. Sanctuary Restaurants provides resources to eateries to help ensure that people can dine and work in a discrimination-free environment, and to assist with supporting customers and staff that find themselves targeted. Establishments that join the movement — currently 64 at the time of writing — have a zero tolerance policy for sexism, racism, and xenophobia. More explicitly, they do not allow "any harassment of any individual based on immigrant/refugee status, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation to occur in their restaurant". After signing up, they're advised to place a sign in their windows advertising their policy: "SANCTUARY RESTAURANTS: A Place At the Table for Everyone". While such an initiative should definitely be commended, as should the restaurants signing up and the effort to make sure that restaurants remain inclusive and welcoming for all, the fact that it is needed really says plenty about the current climate of hatred and fear festering around the globe. As long as something like this is necessary, here's hoping more places join in — and that the commitment to cultivating safe spaces continues to spread, including beyond America. Via MUNCHIES.
When global media giant Condé Nast Traveler releases its annual Readers' Choice Awards lineup, it's usually guaranteed to instantly have you dreaming of far-flung holiday destinations. But one of this year's award winners might just foster a newfound appreciation for what's in your own backyard, with Sydney ranking among the world's top ten in the Best Cities in the World list for the third year in a row. The awards are significant as they always pull a high number of votes — this year, more than 600,000 readers participated. As happened last year, they scored so much feedback that the Best Cities list was once again split into two, separating the the top ten small cities, as well as their top ten 'big city' counterparts. Unlike the 2018 result, Sydney chalked up a win in the indulgent age-old battle with Melbourne, with the New South Wales capital earning a spot on the list over Victoria's capital. Moving up from tenth place last year, and sixth the year before that, Sydney ranked fourth in 2020. The Condé Nast team once again described the city as "an ideal getaway no matter the season", praising its al fresco dining, outdoor lifestyle and cultural calendar. The magazine specifically suggests visiting Redleaf, dining out in Paddington and catching a ferry over to Manly, which it calls "Australia's answer to Montauk". [caption id="attachment_702755" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Manly Beach by Paros Huckstepp[/caption] While Melbourne came in third in 2018 — three spots above Sydney — it hasn't made the 2020 list at all. Topped by Kyoto, Lyon (France) and Singapore — coming first, second and third, respectively — this year's selection also includes Vienna, Tokyo, Porto, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Lisbon in the bottom six. If, rather than basking in Sydney's glory, you're looking for holiday suggestions around Australia, the Top Trains list includes The Ghan (which travels between Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin) and The Best Islands in the World list stars Kangaroo Island and Tasmania. Want to start dreaming of holidays even further afield? While overseas travel may be off the cards for a little while, there's nothing stopping you dreaming of international sojourns. The Top 20 Country list might help as well. Italy came in first, followed by Sri Lanka, Portugal and Japan. You can check out all the winners of Condé Nast's 2020 Readers' Choice Awards over here.
Not long ago, we saw the online sensations of planking, owling and other bizarre poses in memes and photos on our Facebook and Instagram feeds. The latest postural fad? ‘#Mamming;’ a trending campaign that encourages women to get mammograms during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The idea is for ladies (and gents, with a little creativity) to rest their busts on random surfaces and objects and pose as if they were doing the most ordinary thing in the world. Snap it, tag it, throw it up on the 'gram and voila! You have ‘mammed’. By imitating the mammogramming position on things like cats and photocopiers, mamming cleverly embraces the awkwardness of the procedure and creates a solidarity front against the nasty disease. Prevention is always the best cure, so hopefully it will inspire women "to ‘mam’ where it matters most — the doctor’s office". This isn’t the weirdest thing we’ve seen. Compared to other well-intentioned but gone horribly wrong campaigns like ‘Motorboating Girls for Breast Cancer Awareness’ and ‘Go Braless for Breast Cancer Day’, ‘#Mamming is witty and refreshingly funny. The promotional video posted last week features the campaign founders (one of who is a breast cancer survivor) and Jillian Bell from The Comedy Channel’s Workaholics. Quickly becoming a viral hit, #Mamming has spurred hundreds of clever Instagram posts that are worth checking out for a chuckle. Or if you want to try it yourself, go ahead. It’d make a good story at your actual appointment.
America's Southern cuisine is the stuff of legend. After all, who hasn't devoured Southern fried chicken, dreamed of a crawfish boil or salivated over a decadent mac and cheese? Whether you want to sample the authentic version of familiar favourites or enliven your palate with new, never-before-tried flavours, we've partnered with Travel South USA to uncover a mix of the region's must-visit establishments and must-try dishes. From Memphis-style barbecue to a comforting porridge that's a specialty of the region, here's our guide on where to go and what to eat. Gumbo at Mr B's Bistro, Restaurant Rebirth: Louisiana Countless dishes in the South have reached legendary status both within the US and abroad — among which gumbo stands out as a must-try. Not only is gumbo Louisiana's official state dish, the flavours and ingredients are an iconic example of the state's cuisine, reflecting its cultural history and blending together French, Spanish, African and Caribbean flavours. It's a stew that has infinite iterations; it can feature seafood such as shrimp and crab, meats like duck, chicken or sausage, and although there is a traditional style to making gumbo, each bowl is unique to its maker with variations in seasonings, proteins and thickness, making it a dish to try at many different restaurants. Head to Mr B's Bistro for a gumbo that the locals love, made with fresh regional products, or Restaurant Rebirth for a Creole Cajun gumbo that's made with farm-to-table ingredients. West Indies Salad at Wentzell's Oyster House of Mobile: Mobile, Alabama The southern border of Alabama just happens to be the Gulf — which means one sure thing: mouth-watering, fresh seafood. A must-try dish of the state is the distinctive West Indies salad, which notably is made with ice cubes and ensures the salad tastes exactly as it should — fresh and light. The salad is a pride of Mobile, where it has been served since the 1940s, and calls for fresh crab meat, making it a local specialty that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Hot Brown at Brown Hotel: Louisville, Kentucky The South is often synonymous with comfort food and Kentucky's Hot Brown is one of the finest on offer. The open-faced sandwich is a Kentucky culinary classic, originating in the 1920s at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, where it has stood the test of time and continues to be a menu favourite a century later. It features layers of turkey and bacon on thick slices of bread smothered in a decadent Mornay sauce, before being baked to perfection. Barbecue at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous: Tennessee Barbecuing in the South isn't just one or two dishes, it's a tradition with countless regional variations and quirks. So much so, neatly demarcating the different styles of barbecue from region to region is a tall order, but there are four major variants that come up again and again — of which Tennessee's Memphis-style barbecue is one. The Tennesseean variant often sees pork selected as the meat of choice, with a focus on ribs and shoulders. Memphis is brimming with barbecue joints featuring everything from hole-in-the-wall hidden gems to world-class dining experiences. Once you step into Tennessee, it will quickly become apparent why Memphis-style barbecue has ascended to one of the greats; it's a state where barbecue culture thrives with incredible, smoky morsels always just around the corner. Elsewhere in the state, there are tomato and vinegar-based sauces in the mountains, while Nashville blends all of the state's traditions into one big culinary melting pot. [caption id="attachment_990176" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Austin Walsh[/caption] Burnt Ends at Arthur Bryant's: Kansas City, Missouri When in Missouri, do as the Missourians do and try Kansas City-style barbecue, another one of the four major styles of 'cue in America. In Kansas City the local specialty is burnt ends, and for fans of tender, slow-cooked brisket, these bite-sized meaty morsels are a must. Served sans sauce typically as a side dish or part of a wider barbecue plate, they're the perfect crispy platform for the smoke to shine and take centre stage. Head to the longstanding restaurant Arthur Bryant's, where burnt ends originated, to try this local favourite for yourself — but get in early because they sell out on the regular. Of course, the dish is now a staple of the state so there are plenty of other restaurants to try your luck at and sample these delectable bites. Shrimp and Grits at Slightly North of Broad: Charleston, South Carolina Grits are one of the great culinary staples of the South — and they pair perfectly with the abundance of fresh seafood throughout the region. Head to the culinary hub of Charleston to sample a bowl of the most refined version of this uniquely creamy style of porridge made with maize. Look out specifically for shrimp and grits which may have originated in the South, but has since found favour through the country. Helmed by chef Frank Lee, who has long been a proponent of South Carolinian cuisine, Slightly North of Broad (affectionately known as SNOB by locals) is an excellent stop to try this quintessential recipe of the region. '1010 Cut' at 1010 Bridge Restaurant: Charleston, West Virginia West Virginia is unique for its cultural heritage which spans both the South and Appalachia. Combining the best of both worlds is 1010 Bridge Restaurant in West Virginia's capital city, Charleston. The cosy restaurant offers a menu that reflects Appalachian roots matched with low country influence, owned and operated by chef Paul Smith, a winner of the prestigious James Beard Award. On the menu, you'll find a wide variety of meticulously crafted dishes including lamb loin, gourmet seafood and the iconic '1010 Cut' dish of cast iron-seared steak and lobster mac and cheese. Steak at Doe's Eat Place: Greenville, Mississippi If you're making a stop in Mississippi on an empty stomach, chart a course to Doe's Eat Place for your next feast and to experience Southern hospitality firsthand. Stop by for generously-sized steaks, tamales and a welcoming, no-frills atmosphere. With a storied history as a family-run establishment, there's a sense of tradition and community that you'll immediately feel from when you first step foot through the restaurant's door all the way until you roll out of your seat and back to your car. Fresh Seafood at Salt Box Seafood Joint: Durham, North Carolina The menu changes with the seasons at North Carolina's Salt Box Seafood Joint. Owned and operated by chef Rickey Moore, a James Beard Foundation Award winner, the Durham restaurant celebrates local, fresh seafood with dishes that prove why the South's seafood is so remarkable. The one constant on the menu is the oysters, which are also found in many restaurants around the state, since North Carolina is home to a sustainable oyster farming industry. Find your next adventure in the South. Discover more unforgettable destinations and start planning your trip with Travel South USA.
Not content with boasting Nigella Lawson's touch on its culinary program, Vivid Sydney 2025 has enlisted another huge name in the world of food and television: Martha Stewart. The Harbour City's winter festival is bringing the businesswoman and TV personality Down Under for a one-night-only in-conversation session, where she'll take to the stage to chat about her career. On the agenda: discussing everything from her start as a stockbroker, her 101 books and winning Emmys to becoming the first self-made female billionaire — and likely her 2024 Netflix documentary as well. How did Stewart become a globally known name in all things home and hospitality, and in design and TV, too? Expect to take that journey from her first book in 1982, through her Martha Stewart Living days and since with her at the International Convention Centre Sydney on Wednesday, May 28. How has she remained a pop-culture figure for four decades — and relevant as well? That'll also be discussed, so you can probably also expect to hear about her friendship and collaboration with Snoop Dogg, plus her 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover at the age of 81. [caption id="attachment_998032" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] "I have made some wonderful memories traveling to Australia over the years, so I am thrilled to return for Vivid Sydney. The conversation will be fun and honest, covering many aspects of my life and career. I'm always looking for inspiration when I travel, so I'm excited to see what Sydney has to offer," said Stewart. "Vivid Sydney is unrivalled in its ability to offer exclusive, unmissable and one-of-a-kind events to visitors. It's incredibly exciting to welcome one of the most-revered and fascinating minds to Sydney. We could not think of a better figure that encapsulates this year's theme of 'dream' more than Martha Stewart," added Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. Stewart heads to Vivid Sydney as part of its Global Storyteller series, which has seen Parks and Recreation's Amy Poehler, The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White, filmmakers Baz Luhrmann (Elvis) and Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), and Australia singer Troye Sivan get chatting in previous years. Stewart also joins a 2025 Vivid program that already includes Lawson curating the Vivid Sydney Dinners series in Martin Place's lit-up Muru Giligu pedestrian tunnel, Tangerine Dream and Anohni and the Johnsons on the music lineup alongside Sigur Rós performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Portishead's Beth Gibbons , an immersive Stranger Things experience at Luna Park, lighting up Sydney Opera House's sails with work by the late David McDiarmid, Vincent Namatjira taking over the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia's facade and plenty more. If that's not enough to fill the New South Wales capital between Friday, May 23–Saturday, June 14, there's also still a few festival announcements to come. [caption id="attachment_998033" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] In Conversation with Martha Stewart takes place on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at the International Convention Centre Sydney, with tickets on sale on sale at 9.00am AEDT on Friday, April 4 via the festival website. Vivid Sydney 2025 runs from Friday, May 23–Saturday, June 14 across Sydney. Head to the festival website for further information.
Here's some news worth slathering whichever type of food you love in McDonald's coveted Szechuan sauce: in less than a month, Rick and Morty will return for its sixth season. Anything can happen in the animated show's next batch of episodes, because that's the kind of dimension-hopping sci-fi series it is. Don't just take our word for it, though — the just-dropped full trailer for the upcoming season drips with chaos, unsurprisingly, and also paranoia. Well, actually, the sneak peek is set to the sounds of 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath, but it's also a rather apt theme tune for the show's titular duo. When you're zipping around the galaxy and sliding through time, changing multiple worlds, making a whole lot of enemies and just generally causing interstellar mayhem in the process, being suspicious and mistrustful is bound to come with the territory. As for what'll occur from there, the trailer teases lectures about Die Hard, killer robots, vanishing from reality, alien armies, Wolverine-style claws, using Jerry as a human shield, arcade shootouts and exploding cars. So, just your usual Rick and Morty shenanigans. As always, anyone keen to get schwifty with the episodes can probably expect that Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith (both voiced by show co-creator Justin Roiland, Solar Opposites) will keep wreaking havoc, and that the series will keep zooming between as many universes as it can. And, because that's the way the news goes, Rick and Morty's hijinks will keep drawing in Morty's mother Beth (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), father Jerry (Chris Parnell, Archer) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer, Tell Me a Story). Everywhere across earth where television is screened and streamed — interdimensional cable, too — Rick and Morty is set to return on Sunday, September 4 in America. That's on Monday, September 5 Down Under, where the series beams into your queue via Netflix. And if you're wondering what kinds of chaos are in store this time around, Adult Swim, the US channel behind the show, has advised that the new season will pick up with its titular pair "where we left them, worse for wear and down on their luck". "Will they manage to bounce back for more adventures? Or will they get swept up in an ocean of piss! Who knows?! Piss! Family! Intrigue! A bunch of dinosaurs! More piss!" the network also teased. Check out the trailer for Rick and Morty's sixth season below: Rick and Morty's sixth season will premiere globally on Monday, September 5 Down Under. It streams via Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn3sK4WiviA ON THE ROCKS Not once, not twice, but three times now, Sofia Coppola has given the Bill Murray-loving world exactly what it wants. One of the great comedic talents of the past half-century, the Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day star is also a greatly charismatic talent — and, understandably, viewers want to spend more time in his inimitable company. So, Lost in Translation and 2015 Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas made that happen. Now On the Rocks does as well. These are films and specials predicated upon the very idea of palling around with Murray or the character he's playing, and this one hits that mark as perfectly as its predecessors. Murray steps into the shoes of a debonair playboy art dealer who is determined to help his New York-dwelling adult daughter discover if her husband is being unfaithful, his pairing with Rashida Jones is both joyous and lived-in, and Coppola once again strips bare her own life experiences, fictionalises them, and creates something both thoughtful and moving. On the Rocks' premise really isn't far removed from Lost in Translation. The film's female protagonist is a decade older this time, her romantic troubles are complicated by both marriage and children, and another bustling city provides the backdrop, but the basic idea remains mostly the same. With Murray as the lively Felix and Jones as his overstressed offspring Laura, the movie takes them hopping around NYC as they endeavour to ascertain if the latter's workaholic other half, Dean (Marlon Wayans), is cosying up to his attractive young colleague (Jessica Henwick) while Laura is raising their two young daughters. In the process, Felix and Laura chat about anything and everything, covering topics both important and trivial. They eat and drink, and do so in luxe spaces while Felix naturally captivates everyone in his orbit and turns everything into an adventure. Over the course of their investigative escapade, Felix helps Laura work through her struggles, too — although here, their own complicated relationship is actually one of them. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVb6EdKDBfU THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Combine A Few Good Men's setting with The West Wing's faith in democratic ideals, and that's where The Trial of the Chicago 7 lands. Yes, they're all products of writer, TV series creator and director Aaron Sorkin — and while Sorkin's work can veer from exceptional (see: The Social Network) to frustrating (see: The Newsroom), his second stint as a filmmaker after 2017's Molly's Game makes the very most of his usual traits. Given the true tale he's telling — a story of vocal dissent against unpopular government actions and latter's retaliation, spanning protests and violence on the streets involving both activists and police — that's hardly surprising. That Sorkin has amassed a typically top-notch cast to sling his words helps considerably, including Bridge of Spies Oscar-winner Mark Rylance, The Theory of Everything Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and Watchmen Emmy-winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, plus everyone from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Keaton to Sacha Baron Cohen and Succession's Jeremy Strong. In the summer of 1968, as the Democratic Party assembled in Chicago for its national convention to confirm the party's nominee for the presidential election, several activist groups decided to make their displeasure known. There was much to rally against: the Vietnam War was raging and American soldiers were dying, both Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy had been assassinated in separate incidents months earlier, and civil unrest was mounting across the country. The Trial of the Chicago 7 first introduces six figures making plans for the day, then cuts to the commencement of legal proceedings for eight defendants, all charged by the US federal government the next year. The complicated case that results is catnip for Sorkin, who unleashes his trademark flourishes on not only passionate speeches, but also infuriating courtroom incidents and the festering disagreement between codefendants, as well as in recreating the fateful protests. There's nothing unexpected about the way the filmmaker handles this story visually, narratively or thematically, but the end result proves an example of applying the right approach to the right tale. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nf--afqelY ANTEBELLUM Watching the sprawling, roving and weaving single-take shot that opens Antebellum, it helps to know what the movie's title actually means. The term refers to a time before a war, and is typically used in relation to the American Civil War — but in the film's eye-catching introduction, it certainly seems as if that historical conflict is raging away. On a southern plantation, Confederate soldiers under the leadership of Captain Jasper (Jack Huston) terrorise the property's enslaved Black workers with brutality and cruelty. Attempted runaway Eden (Janelle Monáe) is one of them, and subject not just to beatings, brandings and forced labour, but also raped regularly by the general (Eric Lange) who has claimed her as his own. She's planning another escape; however, thoroughly unexpectedly given the surroundings, a mobile phone suddenly rings. Now Monáe's character is called Veronica Henley, she's a well-known activist and author, and everything about her life (including the conference in New Orleans she attends) is firmly set in the 21st century. Obviously, how Monáe's dual roles intertwine is best discovered by watching — as is the involvement of Jena Malone's (Too Old to Die Young) Elizabeth, the plantation's resident belle as well as a modern-day caller for Veronica — but Antebellum proves far less powerful and clever than it thinks it is. While first-time writer-directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz blatantly try to follow in Jordan Peele's footsteps, using horror to explore race relations in America both in the present day and in the country's history, their efforts rely so heavily on one big twist that the movie resembles M Night Shyamalan's lesser works more than Get Out, Us or TV series Lovecraft Country. In endeavouring to unpack systemic racism, there's a smart idea at the heart the feature. Visually, Antebellum's always-lurid, often-violent imagery isn't easily forgotten, and the film also boasts a masterly performance by Moonlight and Hidden Figures star Monáe. And yet, connecting all those pieces together feels more like an exercise in making a provocative genre film than actually saying something meaningful about engrained prejudice in the US — a topic that, sadly, continues to remain timely, but is treated here as stock-standard horror fodder. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0FnJDhY9-0 THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO Watching Jimmie Fails in The Last Black Man in San Francisco, it never feels like you're viewing the work of a feature debutant. Played with the weight of the world not just carried on his shoulders, but oozing through in every quiet glance and gaze, his is a deeply nuanced and naturalistic performance — although given that the film is based on his own story, and he's starring as a fictionalised version of himself, perhaps that's to be expected. The on-screen Jimmie has been sleeping on his best friend Montgomery's (Lovecraft Country's Jonathan Majors) floor in the titular city's Bayview-Hunters Point neighbourhood. That's his latest stop, after years spent squatting with his dad (Rob Morgan), sleeping in cars and living in group homes. All Jimmie wants is his own house, and a specific one at that: a multi-storey abode in the Fillmore District that he grew up in, at least for a few years; that he contends his grandfather built in the 1940s; and that is now inhabited by an older white couple who aren't taking care of the property to Jimmie's standards. On paper, The Last Black Man in San Francisco's narrative sounds straightforward; however, as helmed by Fails' friend and Sundance-winning director Joe Talbot, this is an entrancing, almost fable-like film. It doesn't ever merely rally against gentrification in a simplistic manner, but paints a complex portrait of San Francisco as it now stands, of the city's scattered Black community and how they've been affected by its transformation, and of the shift away from artists and eccentrics in favour of bulldozers, technology and so-called progress. This is a movie about mourning for a past lost as well as reckoning with the future that's sprung in its place, and the evident love of details on display — in the house that Jimmie is so attached to, but also in his and Montgomery's daily bus trips, walks and skateboard rides throughout the hilly locale they call home — couldn't be more crucial in that regard. Sometimes, the film leans more on mood than story, but that approach fits when you're not only surveying and lamenting a place and a modern world that's losing its character, but turning that process into a piece of cinematic poetry. Indeed, there's a tender, heartfelt feel to The Last Black Man in San Francisco that, combined with its stellar cinematography, never feels less than authentic and moving in every frame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh-oOnZ2Di0 SPUTNIK When Ridley Scott's Alien let a chest-bursting extra-terrestrial loose among a spaceship's crew, and John Carpenter's The Thing remake set a violent critter loose amongst an Antarctic research station, they didn't just create two of the best science fiction films ever made — they also inspired a wealth of imitators. And, at first, it seems that Russian sci-fi thriller Sputnik is one of them. Here, two Cold War-era cosmonauts see something strange during an orbital mission. Then, upon returning to earth, it appears that sole survivor Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov, The Blackout) isn't the only creature inhabiting his body. It's 1983 and, as anyone who was watched the also 80s-set Chernobyl knows, the USSR isn't keen on big scandals. Accordingly, Colonel Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk, also one of the film's producers) is determined to keep Veshnyakov locked up in a secret south Kazakhstan facility until he can work out how to control the alien, enlisting boundary-pushing psychiatrist Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina, The Bourne Supremacy) to help. While watching Sputnik and thinking of similar flicks from years gone by go hand-in-hand, first-time feature director Egor Abramenko does more than simply nod to his influences. There's a grimness and a weightiness to this film that's all its own, even as it toys with familiar components — a specificity to the characters, and specifically to Veshnyakov and Klimova's efforts to navigate Soviet Russia's heavy-handed to control, too. And, when it comes to sustaining a mood of tension and suspense, evoking a forbidding sense of its time and place, and coming face to face with the slithering alien, Sputnik excels. Sparse in its look, firm in its tone and led by an impressive Akinshina, it never plays like a carbon-copy B-movie, either. There's an art to ensuring that even the most recognisable genre elements can feel fresh, entertaining and engaging — and suitably unnerving, which this narrative clearly calls for — and that ends up being the case here. Sputnik is screening in select cinemas in Sydney. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; and September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle and The High Note. Top image: The Trial of the Chicago 7 via Niko Tavernise/Netflix © 2020
Stare at The False Mirror at Magritte, one of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' just-announced big summer exhibitions, and the masterpiece of a painting from 1929 will peer right back. One of Belgian surrealist René Magritte's most-famous creations, the piece features a giant eye looking at the viewer, while also filled with a cloudy blue sky. It's an unforgettable work, and it's one of the stars of the 2024–25 Sydney International Art Series. Another striking painting that's hitting the Harbour City from Saturday, October 26, 2024–Sunday, February 9, 2025: Golconda, Magritte's 1953 work that brings two other pieces of popular culture to mind. Just try not to think about Mary Poppins and The Weather Girls' song 'It's Raining Men' while you feast your eyes on the sight of bowler hat-wearing men streaming down from the heavens. [caption id="attachment_959955" align="alignnone" width="1920"] René Magritte 'Golconda (Golconde)' 1953, oil on canvas, 80 x 100.3 cm, The Menil Collection, Houston, V 414 © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024, photo: Paul Hester.[/caption] At Magritte, which is exclusive to Sydney, The False Mirror, Golconda and 1952's The Listening Room (La Chambre d'Écoute) — which shows an oversized apple — will have ample company at AGNSW's south building Naala Nura. In total, 100-plus works are set to display. This will not only be a huge retrospective dedicated to the artist, but also Australia's first retrospective dedicated to the artist. More than 80 of the pieces will be paintings, demonstrating why he's considered one of the most-influential figures in 20th-century surrealism; however, archival materials, photographs and films will also feature. Sydney International Art Series isn't just about one major exclusive showcase, of course. From Saturday, November 30, 2024–Sunday, April 13, 2025, AGNSW will also host Cao Fei: My City. Over at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia from Friday, November 29, 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025, Julie Mehretu will be on display as well. [caption id="attachment_959956" align="alignnone" width="1920"] René Magritte 'The listening room (La chambre d'écoute)' 1952, oil on canvas, 45.2 x 55.2 cm, The Menil Collection, Houston, gift of Fariha Friedrich, 1991-53 DJ © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024, photo: Adam Baker.[/caption] Cao Fei: My City is also an Australian-first retrospective and the largest showcase of its namesake's pieces Down Under, putting the Guangzhou-born, Beijing-based artist in the spotlight. Expect cyber futurism to grace AGNSW's walls in a 1300-square-metre space in Naala Badu, the gallery's south building, as part of an exhibition designed by Cao Fei with Hong Kong's Beau Architects. Your entry point: a replica of a Beijing cinema from the 60s. And your exit point isn't a gift shop, but a Sydney yum cha restaurant. As for Julie Mehretu, it will be the southern hemisphere's first major survey of the Ethiopia-born, New York-raised artist's output, spanning over 80 paintings and works. Some will date back as far as 1995. Others have been created just for the exhibition. Mehretu herself will also be in Sydney for the showcase's opening. [caption id="attachment_959957" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cao Fei 'Nova' 2019, single-channel HD video, colour, 5.1 sound, 97:13 min, 2.35:1 © Cao Fei, Vitamin Creative. Courtesy Sprüth Magers.[/caption] "Magritte and Cao Fei are giants of their respective times and leading figures in both the modern and contemporary art worlds. Magritte will consider the Belgian artist's groundbreaking contribution to surrealism in an exhibition that highlights the uniqueness and independence of his artistic vision. This Art Gallery-exclusive exhibition will give Australian audiences the chance to experience Magritte's practice in deeper and more profound ways than ever before, providing a real glimpse into the evolution of his practice," said Art Gallery of New South Wales Director Michael Brand. "Naala Badu, our new SANAA-designed building, allows us to stage inventive kinds of exhibitions as never before, and the imaginative format of Cao Fei: My City is Yours befits the playfulness of one of the world's most prominent and innovative living artists. This exhibition builds upon the Art Gallery's proud history of staging exhibitions of Chinese art since the 1940s, and with this show we celebrate the pioneering creativity of this globally acclaimed artist, as well as the boundless possibilities that art offers for deeper understanding and connection. With both Cao Fei and Magritte on show this summer, we have an unmissable offering for visitors to Sydney and local art lovers alike," Brand continued. [caption id="attachment_959961" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TRANSpaintings (green ecstatic), 2023–24, courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery; TRANSpaintings (emergence), 2023–24, courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery; TRANSpaintings (recurrence), 2023, Pinault Collection; TRANSpaintings (skull), 2023, courtesy the artist and White Cube; TRANSpaintings (mask), 2023, courtesy the artist and White Cube; Your Eyes are two blind eagles, That Kill what they can't see, 2022–23, private collection. Installation view, Julie Mehretu. Ensemble, 2024, Palazzo Grassi, Venezia. Ph. Marco Cappelletti © Palazzo Grassi, Pinault Collection.[/caption] "The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is delighted to be presenting to audiences in Australia this remarkable exhibition by an artist who is undoubtedly one of today's most exciting living painters, and whose dynamic language of abstraction speaks so powerfully to the contemporary world in which we live," added MCA Australia Director Suzanne Cotter about the Julie Mehretu exhibition. "The experience of Mehretu's paintings is nothing short of a visual and physical event. We are proud to present this year's Sydney International Art Series with Julie Mehretu to build upon the MCA's history of introducing to the public in Australia the work of today's most influential artists." [caption id="attachment_959954" align="alignnone" width="1920"] René Magritte 'The false mirror (Le faux miroir)' 1929, oil on canvas, 54 x 80.9 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 133.1936 © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024, photo © The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence 2024.[/caption] Sydney International Art Series 2024–25: Saturday, October 26, 2024–Sunday, February 9, 2025 — Magritte, Art Gallery of NSW Friday, November 29, 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025 — Julie Mehretu, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia Saturday, November 30, 2024–Sunday, April 13, 2025 — Cao Fei: My City, Art Gallery of NSW [caption id="attachment_959963" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cao Fei 'Nova' 2019, single-channel HD video, colour, 5.1 sound, 97:13 min, 2.35:1 © Cao Fei, Vitamin Creative. Courtesy Sprüth Magers.[/caption] Sydney International Art Series 2024–25 runs from October 2024 — head to the AGNSW and MCA websites for further details. Top image: excerpt of René Magritte 'The false mirror (Le faux miroir)' 1929, oil on canvas, 54 x 80.9 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 133.1936 © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024, photo © The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence 2024.
It might've scored a tick of approval from one of the biggest music stars in the world, but Za Za Ta has closed after almost six years of serving up Middle Eastern-inspired bites at Ovolo The Valley. Next time that Billie Eilish is in Brisbane, she won't be dining at the vegetarian kitchen and bar, which she added to her list of favourite plant-based spots around the planet. The venue has already shut its doors permanently, the hotel announced. "From its inception, Za Za Ta blended Middle Eastern flavours with contemporary cuisine, creating unforgettable dining experiences. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our guests, followers and team members for their unwavering support," advised the Ovolo The Valley in a statement. The 240-seat venue opened back in 2019, giving the Ann Street accommodation spot — which took over the Emporium Hotel's old Fortitude Valley location — its first onsite restaurant. While it didn't start out its life with a solely plant-based menu, that became the eatery's focus, also giving the River City one of its best places to eat sans meat. Some of Za Za Ta's dishes will still live on next door, at Ovolo The Valley's all-day venue Kazba. Thankfully, the halloumi doughnuts and the pistachio ice-cream sandwich aren't being lost to Brisbanites. As for the restaurant's digs, its conservatory dining room is set to become a private event space. One of the hotel's hospitality joints might've said farewell, but things are literally looking up at Ovolo The Valley, with a new bar set to join the site. For the next addition, patrons will be heading up to the rooftop, to a watering hole that'll be part of the pool deck. A name for the new sky-high spot for a sip hasn't been announced yet, and there's no name for exact opening date so far, either, but it will launch before 2025 is out. One of Eilish's Brissie faves might be no more, but you can follow in her dining footsteps elsewhere around town — at Spring Hill's Vega Cafe, South Brisbane's El Planta, West End's You Came Again, Riser in Toowong and Neon Ramen in Everton Park. Za Za Ta has closed at Ovolo The Valley, 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. A new rooftop bar will open on the hotel's pool deck later in 2025 — we'll update you with more information when it is announced, and keep an eye on the venue's website for more details in the interim.
One of soccer's biggest events is heading Down Under, with the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 unleashing a month of fierce global competition across Australia and New Zealand this winter. There's no shortage of ways to celebrate the tournament, including heading to matches, barracking for the local squads, donning team colours head to toe, watching along at the pub or turning your couch into World Cup central. Here's another: hitting up the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, June 25. For one morning only, to celebrate 25 days until the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 kicks off, the Harbour City's famous structure will close to traffic and open to soccer festivities instead. Whether you're keen for a kick, run, jog or dance across the iconic roadway, or to be in the company of local and international football legends, this'll be an event like no other. At a festival of football that's been dubbed the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Sydney Harbour Bridge Unity Celebration, the fun will start from 6am, running until 8.45am. Exactly what the lineup will entail hasn't yet been revealed — or who those soccer stars will be — but there'll be activities and activations linked to the Women's World Cup, music from participating nations, and grassroots football and multicultural communities coming together. If you do want to take the invitation to dance across the bridge literally, that's encouraged. In fact, there'll even be a 'unity beat' for you to bust out your best moves to. Folks eager to head along will need to book in a free spot in advance, with registrations open now. "Football unites the world," said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, announcing the World Cup 2023 Sydney Harbour Bridge Unity Celebration. "The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be the perfect setting to rally and unite our communities and create an enticing and distinctive experience that truly goes beyond greatness!" The tournament itself runs from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20, with Sydney hosting at least 11 matches, including the Australian team's opener against the Republic of Ireland and the final a month later. Games will also be played in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, as well as Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Hamilton. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Sydney Harbour Bridge Unity Celebration will take place on Sunday, June 25 on the Sydney Harbour Bridge — and registrations for tickets are open now. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 runs from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20 across Australia and New Zealand, with tickets available from the FIFA website. Images: Destination NSW.
Before you complete that huge spring clean, chucking out all the 'useless junk' that is taking up space, stop and think for a second if it could be transformed into something of use. Upcycling is all about using old materials to create new, useful and often beautiful products. These pieces of upcycled furniture have taken pieces of trash and turned them into treasure, with inventive designs that will be sure to get you rummaging through your storage or local warehouses. Milk Crate Staircase Danish architecture firm Lendager Arkitekter created this milk crate staircase as a key feature of their million dollar 'Upcycled House', and is made entirely from milk boxes and OBD boards. Washing Machine Drum Stools Knit Knacks is the new range from the designers Junk Munkez - creative designers with a green conscience - located in Beirut. These nifty little creations emerged from washing machine drums to create colourful and fun embroidered stools. Ski Chandelier Helsinki-based travel agency Elamysmatkat were searching for an interior design that reflected their philosophy that snow travel should be fun and daring. Enter Dutch designer Willem Heeffer, who created this chandelier, created from skis donated by Heeffer's Facebook friends and fans. Magazine Stool This innovative design, The Hockenheimer by German company NJU Studio, provides an original piece of seating from a stack of old magazines. Sea Chair British designers Studio Swine collect plastic from the UK's most polluted beach, Porthtowan, and compress this waste to create a series of beautiful and functional Sea Chairs. Nautical Mat Sophie Aschauer founded SerpentSea in 2011 after a sailing trip in which she started weaving mats by hand out of reclaimed marine ropes. The mats use four style of knots each named after the most infamous pirates from the 17th Century - Bonnie, Drake, Morgan and Killigrew. Suitcase Medicine Cabinet Give an old suitcase new purpose by hanging one up on your bathroom wall and transforming it into a medicine cabinet. Add some shelves inside and a mirror on the outside and you've got yourself a fancy wall feature to store your toiletries in. Watering Can Shower Jazz up your shower to make the daily ritual more exciting with an old watering can. The Interweb Chair The Interweb Chair comes from BRC Designs, a studio in South Carolina fronted by mastermind Benjamin Rollins Caldwell. The 1cm blue plastic sheets that frame the chair were originally bathroom dividers in an old mill. Binary Table The Binary Table is an assemblage of old computer and electronic parts that were discarded in a warehouse and rendered obsolete. The table is decked out with motherboards, CDs, computer chips, hard disc drives and LED screens held together by sheet metal screws.
Incorporating green habits into our day-to-day lives is more important now than ever. Avoiding fast fashion, recycling our kitchen waste and reducing our car mileage all work towards a happier and healthier planet. But, what happens when we go on holiday? It's easy to get overwhelmed when organising a travel itinerary and forget to prioritise eco-friendly choices. Luckily, sustainable living doesn't have to stop when your holiday starts. Tropical North Queensland is brimming with low-impact ways to explore the natural environment and tour operators that are passionate about marine and rainforest conservation. Five-star hotels are proud to detail their eco-friendly touches, with 'responsible luxury' being much more than just a buzz term. Plus, hyper-local ingredients are sourced from a network of dedicated farmers to supply a thriving food scene with the freshest produce. [caption id="attachment_845844" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cape York, Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] IT'S A NATURE LOVER'S THEME PARK If you love the outdoors, then Tropical North Queensland will have you spoiled for choice. This spectacular region is the only place in the world with two natural UNESCO World Heritage Areas side by side — namely, the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. You'll also find the sweeping Gulf Savannah and the unspoiled wilderness of Cape York. In Tropical North Queensland — which boasts the highest concentration of Ecotourism Australia-accredited experiences in the country — you'll have a near-endless list of ecotourism activities to choose from, including snorkelling, scuba diving and hiking tours. Impressively, more than 15 operators in Tropical North Queensland have been inducted into Ecotourism Australia's Hall of Fame. This honour is awarded to tour operators who have maintained their eco-certification for over 20 consecutive years. [caption id="attachment_829660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ochre, Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] YOU CAN ENJOY A TROPICAL SPIN ON PADDOCK TO PLATE Choosing ingredients that are local and in season goes a long way in reducing our food mileage. The popularity of 'paddock to plate' eating is more than just a passing trend, and sourcing from local producers supports the wider agricultural industry. Best of all, the food requires little handling and is naturally bursting with flavour. Our favourite sustainable dining spots include Ochre Restaurant and Catering in Cairns, and Nautilus Restaurant in Port Douglas. Or, take it one step further, and try catching your own. Indigenous-owned tour companies such as Strait Experience and Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours offer guests the opportunity to learn traditional methods for catching fish, prawns and crabs. [caption id="attachment_827693" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] THE HOTELS TAKE SUSTAINABILITY AS SERIOUSLY AS YOU DO Accomodation costs often take up the majority of your holiday budget, so it's important to direct those dollars towards a company that prioritises the environment. The Crystalbrook Collection opened its first hotel in 2018 in the region and has since saved millions of plastic bottles from ending up in landfill across its three Cairns-based properties. Its bathroom amenities are proudly 100-percent waste-free, including toothbrushes made from sugarcane and shampoo bottles that are fully biodegradable. This sustainable mindset extends throughout the rest of the resort, with recycled key cards and coat hangers, plus paperless technology practices. [caption id="attachment_844234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] YOUR JOURNEY THERE COULD EARN YOU (LITERAL) GREEN POINTS Qantas flies direct to Cairns from most Australian capital cities, with Cairns Airport also servicing international routes. Qantas recently added a new Green tier to its Frequent Flyer program. Sitting alongside the existing levels, this Green tier membership rewards Qantas frequent flyers who make sustainable decisions both at home and on holidays. By making sustainable choices such as installing solar panels, offsetting flight emissions, or walking to work, members will be rewarded by the Green tier program. You can also score points towards Green tier status by completing sustainable activities while on holiday, including staying at eco-accredited hotels. For more information on the Green tier program, head over here. Ready to check it out for yourself? For more information and to start planning your trip, visit the website. Top image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland
While a lot of people are wondering about the future of journalism in general, some people are thinking about the future of just the magazine in particular. Craig Mod, once part of the team behind slick, newsreading app Flipboard, coined the genre name of a new kind of small magazine: "Subcompact Publishing". It's an interesting new form that's getting played over in the States, especially on the iPad, and most notably by the Weekend Companion of pioneeringly-profitable blog the Awl, the Atlantic Weekly and — inspiration for Mod's original manifesto — the Magazine. Now Australian publication the Lifted Brow is throwing its hat in the subcompact ring, one of the first publications to try it over here. Though not the first, as it turns out. The Brow is a literary mag — originally with a strong McSweeney's influence — that grew up amongst a bunch of Brisbane writing students in 2007 and now runs big name, international authors alongside local Australian talent. Now based in Melbourne, they've got a back catalogue that includes literary wunderkind David Foster Wallace, Aussie comics star Eddie Campbell and sex advice from Benjamin Law. And his mum. It's big. To say, as a reader, that each issue can be hard to finish isn't exactly a flaw: it's just that they each have so much stuff in them. Because, First World Problems Craig Mod's idea of the subcompact magazine is kind of the opposite aesthetic to the Brow's all-inclusive, physical incarnation. It describes a world of smaller digital publications that eschew the idea of replicating print's design, size and digital slowness. Following his style lets you avoid a few first world problems. Downloads, for a start. A single issue of Wired on the iPad, say, can weigh in at just over 600 megabytes. A month or so of mobile phone data for some people. Subcompact-only the Magazine, by contrast, can go from pressing download in the the app, to reading its trial issue's opening story about roller derby, in about 18 seconds. One of these small magazines will typically have just a few articles, so it's much easier to get your head around the range of stuff in it. These, and other, small usability problems addressed by the subcompact format seem really do seem like first world issues. But we read magazines for fun. It's nice not to have to kill yourself to enjoy reading one. Ease and comprehension are good things. Less is More Mod saw the rise of small, mostly iPad-based magazines through the historical metaphor of Honda's development of subcompact cars. In his telling, Honda's cars weren't as big or feature-heavy as the big US cars they were competing with. But they were good enough, efficient enough, nimble and cheap. He suggests that the magazines of this new digital world should take a similar approach. An important word here is closure. The idea of internet addiction, with accompanying thoughts of switching off and the "digital sabbath", is a bit of a rising meme. Closure isn't a thing that you run into too often online. I mean, how often do you get to the end of the internet? A lot of sites are easy to browse, but hard to finish. Think Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook. Design = Journalism Australian immigration detention monitor, Detention Logs had already got its subcompact on before the Lifted Brow hit the app store. It uses freedom of information requests to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to gather and publish records of incidents at immigration detention centres. They have over 7000 of these records up so far, each incident encapsulated into its own tiny and individual webpage. On their Principles page they specifically single out Mod's Subcompact Publishing Manifesto alongside their other ethical and design considerations. For them, this nimble and lightweight form seems to actually be a kind of journalistic muscle. "Small parts loosely joined" is how Detention Logs co-founder Luke Bacon describes it. He adds that using selections from Mod's manifesto publishing model is, essentially, a case of reporting form following function. "The form in which we received this information from DIAC could be seen as the opposite [of an appropriate and useful format]: one enormous, inaccessible PDF file, poorly labeled and thoroughly redacted. Transforming this complex information into easy to access and understand chunks is an act of design and journalism." Why Change What Now? So will "easy to access" work for the Brow? The new Lifted Brow iOS app is pretty slick. It's published by 29th Street Publishing, who put together minimalist iPad periodicals like Maura Magazine, the Awl's Weekend Companion and free, investigative subcompact ProPublica. The Brow is voluminous and dense in a way that 29th Street's publications are not. By going subcompact, the Brow is using the format both to boost, and cut through, their print legacy. They have a strong bench. Their all-star back catalogue of local and overseas writers sold the idea to 29th Street, according to Brow Digital Director Elmo Keep. "It has a great mix: a very strong roster of international writers, and an amazing cadre of Australian writers, so it was a perfect way for both 29th Street to reach outside the US and for the Brow to reach outside Australia." This small format makes that reach easy. Every fortnight, in a small, digestible format, you'll get the chance to catch up with new work, and their back catalogue. "It's going to be a mix of sort of teaser content from upcoming issues with reprinting stuff from the archives which a lot of people only joining us now could have missed." It will be a finite amount of short articles bimonthly, distributed via Apple's Newsstand service. There's a free trial, but the model banks on you being interested in subscribing. (Old issues will remain, if you unsubscribe.) Pixels Make It Better It's low maintainance. And that's no mistake. "There's so much opportunity to do things on digital that would be not be so cost effective to do in print," says Keep. She feels like a lot of the hard work has been done for her already. "I just move some things around in a content management system, and TA DA. (Not really, but kind of.)" The plan is to split the money the digital version makes between the writers and 29th Street. "There isn't a huge amount of money to be had by anyone in this entire transaction, so we want there to be ways for writers to make money beyond what we can pay them initially [in print]." In an age where it's easy to be asked to write for free the Brow prizes paying its contributors. PLEASE BUY OUR MAGAZINE So the Brow's writers will get a little more money, the Brow finally gets a wider audience ("realistically, there will only ever be so many printed copies that can be produced") and the public gets a newer gobbet of casual reading. (29th Street's Creative Designer, Tim Moore, compares the subcompact style to a cheap Pengiun paperback.) It all seems like a pretty good deal. And, on the iPad, an Aussie first. But these new digital steps aren't necessarily part of a war between online minimalism and print. "There will always be the magazine, in its dense and intense full-page glory," says Keep. "PLEASE BUY OUR MAGAZINE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME." Photo of Honda N360 by Tennen-Gas, Looking for Loretta artwork by Total Bore. Revised myth of superman artwork by Colin Panetta. Update: Luke Bacon's full email response, quoted in part for this article, is worth reading. It's up now at his blog Equivalent Ideas.
Despite the increasing levels of shopping restrictions currently in effect across Australia, limiting the amount of various products anyone can buy at one time, trying to get your hands on — and covered in — sanitiser is much harder than it should be at present. The liquid disinfectant is on everyone's must-buy list, causing empty supermarket shelves seemingly everywhere. But if you'd like to slather your digits with hand sanitiser made from gin, that'll soon be on the cards. In normal, non-COVID-19 times, north Sydney's Manly Spirits Co makes gin, vodka, whisky and liqueurs. Of course, these aren't normal times, so it's switching part of its focus to making hand sanitiser. The distillery was inspired by its own staff's troubles buying the coveted product, and decided to use some of its high-grade alcohol to whip up its own. Specifically, Manly Spirits Co is re-distilling some of its gin alcohol — so you'll not only be able to disinfect your hands, but make them smell like gin botanicals, too. That's likely to make you thirsty, so the company is making 50ml bottles available for free with every Manly Spirits Co bottle of spirits purchased. To discourage stockpiling, however, there is a limit of one free sanitiser per person. Manly Spirits Hand Sanitiser with Gin Aroma will also be supplied to local community groups, charities and organisations in larger five-litre sizes, to assist with their crucial operations. The hand sanitiser is expected to become available next week — and, for folks outside of Sydney, the distillery's online store delivers Australia-wide. A specific date hasn't been announced, so keep an eye on the company's Facebook and Instagram for updates. Manly Spirits Hand Sanitiser with Gin Aroma will be available with spirits purchases, with one 50ml bottle available for free per person. For further details, visit the distillery's website. Images: Manly Spirits Co.
There's something about summer ending that gets everyone thinking about getaways, even if everyone's favourite holiday season won't be back for another nine months. Thankfully, autumn, winter and spring are still mighty fine times to leave your daily life behind for a weekend, few days, or a week or so. To help make those yearnings for a break become a reality, Qantas has just-dropped week-long sale. You'll need to be dreaming about jetting off to somewhere in Australia, and you'll also want to travel from April. Dates vary depending on the route, but some have fares available up until mid-December — so you can book in another summer holiday after all. In total, more than one million discounted flights are on offer. Whether you're a Sydneysider thinking about a Gold Coast jaunt, a Melburnian keen to spend part of winter in Tasmania or a Brisbanite eager to hit The Whitsundays, you have options. And, on 34-plus routes, one-way flights will cost you under $150. Everywhere from Queensland's tropics to the Apple Isle's cities are covered, and from Perth to Sydney, too — alongside all the other state capitals, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Broken Hill and more. The two cheapest options, as tends to be the case on most flight sales, are the Sydney–Ballina and Melbourne–Launceston routes at $109. Other highlights include Adelaide to Kangaroo Island for $139 — and Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, Melbourne to Albury and Brisbane to Mackay all for $149. The sale runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, March 11, so you'll want to get in quickly to get a bargain. And, as always, 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 Monday, March 11, 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.
Dining out with friends is all good fun until someone tries to split the bill. If Tim, Tahlia and Tony shared a bottle of wine, Thomas had an entree, Tamika ordered three gin and tonics, Tim couldn’t help but have dessert, meanwhile Tahlia and Tony crack a second bottle - you’ve got a mighty mess on your hands. And besides, it’s not fair on ‘budget-wise Tess’ to split the bill even if she refrained from dessert or even a sneaky vino. Enter, Vapiano. This is not casual dining as you know it. Walk in the door and be handed a plastic card - your own personal tab. No messy sharing, you’ll walk out with no bitter disputes. The venue is massive - a double storey mega-complex hidden in a lane just off Queen Street Mall. Not exactly a date venue, the solid wooden tables are designed for four or more - each features a small marble planter with a lamp and fresh basil or rosemary plants to enhance your food. The design is clean and unique - making it hard to believe Vapiano is indeed an international franchise with the same fit-out replicated across Europe and in Egypt, Brazil and South Korea. Food wise, the highlight was most certainly the antipasti plate. Stacked high with an amazing buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, pepperoni, parmesan, olives, roast veges and bruschetta, the small size ($13.9) was on par with many boards you’d find elsewhere for double the price. We couldn’t let the L’acacia pizza go past without a try. Almost dessert-like in flavour, a strong hit of honey reaches your taste buds before the salty prosciutto and tomato base weigh out the sensation. The pizza base is beautifully thin and crisp with a great woodfired taste that allows the toppings to shine. A little sparse on the fig, but not on other flavours. We also opted for the Gamberi e Rucola, with classic italiano flavours the olives and prawns ran beautifully with a generous topping of fresh rocket giving a healthy and light flavour. The rocket and walnut salad ($10.9) was tasty, albeit a little drowned. Despite receiving a mixed leaf base rather than rocket, the lettuce leaves were crisp and very fresh. Vapiano’s pasta is made fresh on site. You line up to watch your dish being made and while it’s fun to interact with the chefs as they work, it’s a little alarming seeing how much butter, oil and cream gets added to each dish. They say ignorance is bliss, but thankfully the taste makes up for it. Staff are friendly and upbeat - our pasta cooker was a bit of a joker, asking how our night was - and the venue has a great relaxed and fun vibe. With bars on both levels, cocktails aren’t far - nor is dessert. At $3.9 a pop, get yourself a jar of cheesecake, tiramisu or panna cotta. You won’t regret it, because Tess, life’s too short not to order dessert.
A stunning new Melbourne arts, cultural and entertainment precinct has beat out stiff competition across the globe to take out the Architecture of the Year prize at the International Design Awards 2017. Bunjil Place, which was designed by acclaimed architectural studio Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt), also scooped up gold awards for two design disciplines: 'institutional' and 'landmarks, symbolic structures, memorials, public'. Opened to the public in October 2017, the $125 million Narre Warren project was imagined as "an inviting central heart for the community that celebrates participation, belonging and pride". Both its name and its impressive design are linked to cultural themes of importance to the traditional owners and inhabitants of the land, the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. fjmt Design Director Richard Francis-Jones is understandably stoked with the win, though says he's been just as happy with the design's reception closer to home. "While recognition in the form of international design awards is much valued, more important has been to see the community embrace Bunjil Place as their own," he noted. Those keen to get up close and personal with the award-winning design can experience Bunjil Place during Open House Melbourne Weekend on July 28 and 29. It's set to host a whole range of activities, including film screenings, design talks and guided tours with VIP access behind the scenes. You can find Bunjil Place at 2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren.
Eerie things happen in shipping containers when Realscape Productions is around. Across the country, the team has been creeping everyone out with its immersive installations for a few years now, with Séance, Flight, Eulogy and Coma each serving up different unnerving experiences. Sensory deprivation, simulating sitting in an aircraft cabin when events turn unsettling, wandering through a labyrinthine hotel, falling into a dream state in a bunk bed: they're all part of the Darkfield suite, terrifyingly so. Next up from the Realscape Productions crew comes a dance with sci-fi, this time in a 40-foot haulage truck. Future Cargo sees Darkfield's David Rosenberg join forces with UK-based choreographer Frauke Requardt on an otherworldly outdoor performance, which will make its Australian premiere at 2024's Adelaide Fringe from Friday, February 16–Saturday, March 17. The aim: combining a vast spectacle with intimacy, and putting on a dance show filled with shiny aliens and seduced humans that will lure in all kinds of audiences, even if watching dance isn't normally high on your to-do list. So, as attendees sit in the open air at twilight, the truck will roll up its side to reveal a machine, which starts a mysterious process. Cue power surges, electromagnetic waves and making contact, with viewers listening in via binaural sound while wearing headphones. "We've come together to develop Future Cargo because David and I are constantly fascinated by how to connect performance and audiences in unique ways in public space," explains Requardt. "By working with different architectural constraints and inviting audiences to discover bold and beautiful contemporary dance in and amongst them, we hope to ignite a passion for the arts in people who wouldn't usually watch dance, while also captivating those already in love with the art form." So far, only an Adelaide run is confirmed — but cross your fingers that Realscape will tour its latest production, as it has with Séance, Flight, Eulogy and Coma. "David and Frauke have developed a show unlike anything that has ever played in Australia before. We know Australians have developed an appetite for multidimensional experiences, and Future Cargo brings something new to Adelaide Fringe, creating a spectacle through dance, lighting, binaural sound and science fiction. We can't wait to watch Adelaide fall in love with a new way to experience dance at the Garden of Unearthly Delights come February," said Realscape Productions producer Amy Johnson. Future Cargo will premiere at Adelaide Fringe 2024 from Friday, February 16–Saturday, March 17 at the festival's Garden of Unearthly Delights — head to the fest website for further details and tickets. Images: Camilla Greenwell / Henry Curtis.
Whether it celebrates music, performances or film, every arts festival is a gift. When it's brand new and combines all three, it's like Christmas. And, when it also boasts Solange's return to Australia, it's the adult equivalent of scoring the pony or bike that you always wanted when you were a kid. The event ticking all of those boxes? Volume, the newly announced fest that'll take over the Art Gallery of New South Wales this spring When it debuts from Friday, September 22–Sunday, October 8 at the Sydney gallery, Volume will hero the cutting edge and the contemporary in all of its chosen artforms — and, given that it's calling itself a festival of sound and vision, that's where it'll be focusing. Solange has the headline slot, but the Grammy–winning R&B singer-songwriter has ample company, including Sampa The Great, Mount Eerie and Sonya Holowell. [caption id="attachment_738150" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Max Hirschberger[/caption] Also taking to the stage: everyone from Black Belt Eagle Scout, crys cole, Datu Arellano, Fuji|||||||||||ta and Hamed Sadeghi to Jeff Parker, Joe Rainey, Kim Moyes, Lonnie Holley and Maissa Alameddine, and the list keeps going from there. Via Dean Hurley, KMRU, Lea Bertucci, Loraine James, Megan Alice Clune, R Rebeiro and salllvage, Volume will also host the world premieres of seven new music recordings, all commissioned by AGNSW. All up, the fest will showcase 27 local and international musicians, with the venue's music and community curator Jonathan Wilson putting together the impressive roster of talent behind the microphone. That program includes an experiential live music performance series called Play the Room, plus local and international composers creating and playing new scores courtesy of the fest's Playback sessions. [caption id="attachment_881769" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] And, thanks to the gallery's new North Building, the setting is as stunning as the lineup. The Tank, which is a former-WWII oil tank-turned-art space, will host shows — and give its acoustics a workout — as will the 13-metre-high atrium and sculpture gallery spaces. Volume's film and performance lineups will be announced in August, with AGNSW's film curator Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd picking the moving-image works and the venue's curator of contemporary art Lisa Catt doing the honours with the dance performances. Expect 50-plus music, film and performance events in total — some free, some ticketed, and with the program running during the day and into the evening. [caption id="attachment_906009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter[/caption] "While the visual arts have traditionally been the Art Gallery's focus, our expansion, through the Sydney Modern Project, has created an exceptional opportunity for us to extend our programming as part of our new curatorial narrative to include more cutting-edge live music, film and performance. Volume is the manifestation of this vision," said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand, announcing the new festival. "Featuring some of the most compelling artists of our time, Volume sets a new standard for music curation in public art museums and is the most exciting performative live music and art festival to be staged in Sydney." [caption id="attachment_880684" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Art Gallery of New South Wales, Iwan Baan[/caption] VOLUME 2023 LINEUP: Solange Sampa The Great Mount Eerie Sonya Holowell R. Rebeiro Toni Muñoz Datu Arellano KMRU Lonnie Holley crys cole TENGGER Maissa Alameddine Sumn Conduit Loraine James Jeff Parker Kim Moyes Joe Rainey Mourning (a) BLKstar Lea Bertucci Black Belt Eagle Scout Hamed Sadeghi Megan Alice Clune Oren Ambarchi salllvage FUJI|||||||||||TA Naretha Williams Dean Hurley Volume runs from Friday, September 22–Sunday, October 8 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with ticket pre sales from 10am on Tuesday, July 18 and general sales from 10am on Wednesday, July 19 — head to the festival website for further details. Top image: Ibrahem Hasan.
We adore our sport here in Oz, perhaps more than any other nation. Some of the biggest events of the year and we're all in the mood for some good old fashioned sporting excitement, there's really nothing that beats the primal, up close and personal thrill of live competition. Happily, there are a bunch of world-class events making their way to NSW over the next few months that you'll definitely want to attend. From statewide NRL rivalries to monumental city marathons to the all-out automobile action, there's truly something for everyone. Get ready to laugh, cry, lose your voice, and, hopefully, revel in the unparalleled joy of victory.
Not that long ago, inner-city Brisbane was a hive of movie-going activity, with no fewer that five cinemas operating within the CBD. However, in recent times film lovers have become accustomed to seeing theatres close rather than open — but the approved new use for the Tara House building on Elizabeth Street is about to reverse that trend. That's right Brisbanites, the iconic CBD building is will soon be the Elizabeth Picture Theatre — and it's full steam ahead after the Brisbane City Council gave the project the tick of approval. After working wonders turning the old Village Twin on Brunswick Street into the revitalised New Farm Cinemas after more than a decade of inactivity, and running the Yatala Drive-In as well, the Sourris family have set their sights on turning the space previously known as the Queensland Irish Club into a seven-screen cinema. According to the development application, the heritage-listed venue will retain many of its existing features, including transforming the current first-floor ballroom into a grand yet intimate 121-seat theatre, alongside another 57-seat screen on the same level. Five other darkened rooms will grace the ground and basement storeys, and accommodate between 22 and 34 patrons each. Street-level retail tenancies — aka shops and eateries — will also feature. As we first reported last September, the new cinema will mark 179 Elizabeth Street's first significant change since 1919, when the Irish Club first moved in. Prior to that, it housed produce merchants and warehousing firms, with the building initially springing up in 1878. Of course, Elizabeth Picture Theatre's location won't escape the attention of the city's cinephiles; it's directly across the road from what's currently a giant hole in the ground, but previously housed the much-loved Regent Cinema until 2009. As well as its close proximity to the now-demolished movie theatre, it's just up the road from two other former cinema sites: the Forum on the corner on Albert and Elizabeth Streets (which then became a Borders and is now a Topshop store) and the Albert around the corner, which Dymocks, Vapiano and more now call home. Over in George Street, fellow CBD venue Tribal Cinema is still standing, but hasn't been in operation since 2013, though it was listed for lease in 2015. Via Skyscrapercity.com / Brisbane Times.
If you're a Brisbanite who hasn't ever visited Annerley Road's heritage-listed The Princess Theatre, you're definitely not alone. That'll change come August 2021, however, when the 133-year-old spot just past the Mater Hospital will reopen after a hefty makeover The Woolloongabba venue is actually Queensland's oldest-standing theatre — and it'll soon be giving fans of live tunes and performances plenty of reasons to stop by. The Tivoli owners Steve Sleswick and Dave Sleswick have joined forces with local businessman Steve Wilson to snap up the building, and now they're revitalising it as part of their big future plans. As they did with The Tiv back in 2016, the Sleswick brothers will help preserve and revamp The Princess, with an aim of turning it into Woolloongabba's new music and arts hub. So, you'll soon have a new must-visit spot just a stone's throw away from the CBD, South Bank and the Gabba — and Brisbane will gain a new live music venue in a part of town that's sparse on gigs otherwise. As part of the makeover, the eye-catching building will become home to a state-of-the-art auditorium that'll be able to welcome in 900 standing patrons, or sit a 500-person crowd — so expect concerts and shows aplenty to grace its lineup. Also in the works: four different bars, a public cafe and private event spaces, giving Brissie residents several reasons to drop in. Princess Theatre's renovation will fit it out with a rehearsal room, co-working creative office and workshop space, too, plus an outdoor courtyard. And, it'll see visual theatre company Dead Puppet Society call it home, using it as its base and a workshop and gallery space. As for what you can expect to check out come August, the venue's relaunch program will be announced in mid-May, spanning music, contemporary performance, programming for families and younger audiences. In a statement, Dave Sleswick revealed that The Princess Theatre will share "the same independent spirit as The Tivoli and will have live music at its heart, providing a home for Brisbane and Queensland artists, musicians and entertainers, as well as those from throughout Australia and across the world." "The Princess was created as a theatre in 1888, originally known as the South Brisbane Public Hall. We feel it's vital for us to reclaim the building for Brisbane's vibrant world-class arts sector and return it to the community to be used as it was originally intended," he continued. Works are currently underway, courtesy of architecture firm JDA — who also helped revitalise the Elizabeth Picture Theatre — plus interior designer Sophie Hart and builder Herron Coorey. Find The Princess Theatre at 8 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba — with the venue's renovations presently in progress ahead of a slated August 2021 reopening.
The building might be 97 years and heritage listed, but the coffee and belly-busting treats on offer at Kenilworth Country Bakery are anything but stale. This mecca of baked goods is located in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and has a prodigious selection of filled, iced and glazed doughnut worthy of a Saturday morning road trip from Brisbane. There are the classic cinnamon-dusted, jam-filled and glazed morsels, but you can step into modern territory with doughy boys taking on the flavours of Golden Gaytimes, Tim Tams, and peanut butter and jelly. In addition to this, Kenilworth also does old-school bakery faves like meat pies, vanilla slices and ice cream heavy milkshakes. You could pair one of these decadent baked goods with a latte, but you may as well get your coffee in a doughnut. The bakery hollows out a doughnut, fills it with Nutella and then pours in a shot of espresso and milk. It's messy but worth it for the novelty. And then there's the OTT one-kilogram doughnut challenge that sent Kenilworth viral a few years ago. The cream-filled monster costs $20, but is free if you can finish it in under an hour. We suggest sticking to the regular doughnuts so you don't ruin any future visits.
A good musical should have a lasting impact on the industry and its audiences for years to come. So the fact that Miss Saigon has been hitting stages and receiving awards since its debut in 1989 is a clear indication of quality. The show takes inspiration from the even older (but just as popular) Madama Butterfly — they're both tales of women in Asia falling in love with men from America only to have their hearts broken. The key difference between the two is the setting. Madama Butterfly is set in Japan, while Miss Saigon (as you might be able to guess from the title) is set in Vietnam, specifically during the end and lasting aftermath of the devastating Vietnam War. This production of the musical is from Cameron Mackintosh, who was also behind on other world-famous musicals like Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Mary Poppins. Coming to the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, August 17 and running until Friday, October 13 — the Australian cast includes the debut of Abigail Adriano as Kim alongside Nigel Huckle (Les Misérables, West Side Story) as Chris, Sean Miley Moore (The Voice) as The Engineer, Kerrie Anne Greenland (Les Misérables) as Ellen, Nick Afoa (The Lion King) as John and the Australian debut of Laurence Mossman as Thuy. Miss Saigon runs from Thursday, August 17 to Friday, October 13 at the Sydney Opera House, for more information and to book tickets, visit the website. Images: Johan Persson
Snow Eggs, passionfruit puddle pies, Buddha's Delights... these dishes have all made marks on Australia's culinary landscape. And they were all created — or brought long-lasting fame — on MasterChef Australia. Last month, the reality cooking show, which aims to unearth the nation's best home chefs, launched its tenth season. Yep, it really has been a whole decade since Julie Goodwin and Poh Ling Yeow went head-to-head in the final episode of Season One. To celebrate the anniversary, we've partnered with MasterChef Australia to take a look at its impact on our national foodie scene. Here are five chefs who, since appearing on the show, have continued to shape how we cook, what we eat and where we source our food. Even if you're not a devotee of the show, chances are, you've fallen under their influence one way or another, somewhere along the way. ANDY ALLEN When 24-year-old electrician Andy Allen won MasterChef Australia Season Four in 2012, he became the youngest-ever champion. Unlike the other chefs on this list, he didn't grow up with a particular culinary tradition. "I like to explore each and every cuisine, from all corners of the globe," he said. "I'm learning new things every day and want to share those things with the people who dig food as much as me." To that end, Allen's brought tonnes of adventures into Aussie kitchens. His recipes are all about experimenting with simple combinations of fresh ingredients. Think beer- and maple-glazed pork belly or roast cauliflower with pickled grapes. He's big on foraging, too, so natives appear in recipes such as salt and pepperberry abalone, crisp-skinned butterfish with quandong jam and chilli mud crab with green mango, coconut and herb salad. These two passions combine in Allen's TV show, Andy and Ben Eat Australia, which sees him and his mate Ben Milbourne (who also starred on MasterChef Australia) go off the beaten track on all sorts of food-related escapades. Meanwhile, in Sydney, Allen helps run Three Blue Ducks Rosebery, the second incarnation of the eponymous Bronte original. [caption id="attachment_673952" align="alignnone" width="1920"] adamliaw[/caption] ADAM LIAW Adam Liaw's 2010 victory over runner-up Callum Hann at the end of MasterChef Australia Season Two attracted more viewers than any other non-sporting event in Australian television history. Since then, the Malaysian-born lawyer-turned-celeb chef hasn't stopped. Each of his five cookbooks is devoted to an aspect of Asian cooking. Asian After Wok (2013) teaches you how to whip up fresh, authentic Asian dishes at home, even when you've only 20 minutes to spare, while The Zen Kitchen (2016) combines Japanese recipes with zen philosophies, hoping to bring better health and more tranquility to the Australian kitchen table. Meanwhile, through his TV show Destination Flavour, Liaw, along with co-hosts Renee Lim and Lily Serna, has transported us to the deepest culinary corners of Japan, Singapore, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand. With him as our guide, we've travelled down Singapore's satay street, found out how to butcher a crocodile in the Northern Territory and joined the indigenous Sami people of far northern Norway on a reindeer-herding expedition. In all his spare time (what spare time?), Liaw represents Australia at UNICEF as our National Ambassador for Nutrition. [caption id="attachment_673947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @pohlingyeow[/caption] POH LING YEOW We got to know Poh Ling Yeow, another Malaysian-born celeb chef, at the same time we did Julie Goodwin. The two battled it out for the inaugural MasterChef title in 2009, with Yeow coming in as runner-up, by a teeny-tiny margin. The defeat in no way held her back, and today Yeow is responsible, not only for making Buddha's Delight famous, but also for thousands of us creating edible gardens — the subject of her much-followed reality TV show Poh & Co. It carries us into the daily life of Yeow, her husband Jono Bennett and their two dogs, as they go about transforming the backyard of their Adelaide home into a veggie patch. Before that, you might've caught her in Poh's Kitchen, where she demonstrated how to make Malaysian pineapple tarts, cakes and epic sushi platters, among many other decadent dishes. One particularly influential episode encouraged us to re-think the traditional Christmas table, as Yeow teamed up with a bunch of international chef mates to create a multicultural feast. If you're keen to catch up with her in real life, then get yourself along to Adelaide Central Market, where she runs Jamface, a cafe peddling home-style sangas and pastries, all made from scratch. Every Friday evening, you can sit down to a six-course extravaganza. [caption id="attachment_673946" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @justineschofield[/caption] JUSTINE SCHOFIELD MasterChef Season One gave us more than its fair share of killer chefs. As well as Julie Goodwin and Poh Ling Yeow, there's Justine Schofield. Her main claim to fame is her TV show Everyday Gourmet which, since launching in April 2011, has aired more than 600 episodes and is still going strong. Schofield's chief legacy has been bringing the art of gourmet cooking into Australian homes, in a way that's accessible and down-to-earth. Many, many ingredients that once alienated us with their hard-to-pronounce names and obscure origins have – since travelling through her kitchen – become household names. Among the hundreds of recipes in Schofield's portfolio are beetroot and walnut tart tatins with goat's cheese, fudgey flourless chocolate cake and ricotta and ham omelettes. One of her tricks is keeping things simple: by substituting just one or two ordinary ingredient with slightly fancy ones, you can create a whole new dish. What's more, she proves that going gourmet can be done while staying healthy and meeting unusual dietary requirements, with nutritionists joining her on various episodes to collaborate on recipes. [caption id="attachment_673950" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @_juliegoodwin[/caption] JULIE GOODWIN MasterChef Australia started with Julie Goodwin, when, in 2009, she became our first ever champion. Almost immediately, passionfruit puddle pies and lemon diva cupcakes – two of her most memorable MasterChef creations – appeared on tables across Australia. But that was just the beginning. In 2010, on a mission to get folks back into their kitchens, the Central Coast-based chef starred in TV show Home Cooked! With Julie Goodwin. Visiting the homes of various celebs — including cricketer Steve Waugh, radio host Amanda Keller and actor Gyton Grantley — she shared her cooking tips and tricks. At the same time, Goodwin launched her first cookbook Our Family Table a collection of recipes covering everything from lazy Sunday morning brekkies to camping cook-ups, including several passed down through Goodwin's family over generations. These days, should you happen to fancy a trip to Gosford, you can meet the original MasterChef in-the-flesh at Julie's Place, where she hosts workshops, masterclasses and special events, such as high teas and long lunches. Catch the latest season of MasterChef Australia from Sunday to Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten.
Pull out that old Discman, break out the cargo pants and start practising your smoothest 90s and early 00s dance moves — the pop tour of your wildest teenage dreams is hitting Aussie shores this summer and it's got more stars than a TV Hits sticker collection. Next February, the So Pop festival is set to deliver a huge serve of nostalgia to venues across the country, pulling together a juicy lineup of old-school icons, headlined by none other than Vengaboys — celebrating their 25th anniversary, too. Stages in Auckland, Cairns, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth and will be transported back to the 90s and 00s for one glorious night each, playing host to the pop-drenched soundtrack of your youth. Heading up the show are Vengaboys, with Cowboy Donny, Captain Kim, PartyGirl D'Nice and SailorBoy Robin bringing their party-starting smash hits like 'Boom Boom Boom Boom!!' and 'We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)' from the Netherlands — and yes, you now have both tunes stuck in your head from reading this. They'll be joined by Danish artist and producer Whigfield, who'll break out 'Sexy Eyes'; the UK's N-Trance, which means hearing 'Set You Free', 'Stayin' Alive', 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy' and 'Forever'; and Reel 2 Real teaming up with The Mad Stuntman, which is where 'I Like To Move It' and 'Go On Move' come in. Dutch trance/pop outfit Alice DJ is also on the lineup in Australia only, so Aussies can get ready to hear 'Back in My Life', 'Will I Ever' and 'Better Off Alone'. And in both Australia and New Zealand, Nick Skitz is on DJing duties — after releasing Skitmix 59 (DJ Mix) in 2021. SO POP 2023 LINEUP: Vengaboys Whigfield Alice DJ (not performing in Auckland) N-Trance Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman Nick Skitz SO POP 2023 DATES: Saturday, February 4 — Spark Arena, Auckland Wednesday, February 8 — Gilligan's, Cairns Thursday, February 9 — The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Saturday, February 11 — Night Quarter, Sunshine Coast Sunday, February 12 — Forum Melbourne, Melbourne Thursday, February 16 — Big Top, Sydney Saturday, February 18 — Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide Sunday, February 19 — Metro City, Perth So Pop 2023 tours Australia and New Zealand in February 2023. Frontier Member pre-sale tickets are up for grabs for 24 hours from 12pm local time on Monday, October 31, while the rest are on sale from 12pm local time on Wednesday, November 2.
Whether you're working in the CBD or hanging out at South Bank, crossing from one side of the Brisbane River to the other is a straightforward prospect, especially if you're making the trip on foot. No fewer than five bridges for pedestrians are located between Hale Street and Gardens Point; however, that's clearly not enough, with the busy stretch of the river about to gain another crossover. Proposed as part of the Queen's Wharf development, the Neville Bonner Bridge will reach from the new precinct over to the Cultural Centre Forecourt. Earmarked solely for foot traffic and named after the country's first Indigenous Australian parliamentarian, it'll link Queen's Wharf's restaurants, bars and retail hub with South Bank's venues, plus the surrounding parklands. Construction and opening dates haven't been revealed, but the Queensland Government has just announced that the tender for the project will soon be unveiled, meaning that work could be underway sooner rather than later. An exact cost for the bridge hasn't been revealed either, but, speaking to The Courier-Mail, Tourism Minister Kate Jones noted that it's expected to range around the $100 million mark. She also advised that it would be paid for by the consortium behind Queen's Wharf — Destination Brisbane Consortium — rather than taxpayers. Of course, if you're thinking the obvious — that is, do we really need another piece of cement crossing the river in a part of city that already has plenty of them? — you're not alone. The Neville Bonner Bridge will sit between the Victoria Bridge and the Goodwill Bridge, after all. The former runs from QPAC to the Treasury Casino, is open to cars, buses, bikes and folks just using their legs, and is located incredibly close to the new bridge (particularly its southern section). The latter is already purely for pedestrians, spanning from the other end of South Bank over to the Queensland University of Technology. As for Brisbane's other three bridges with pedestrian access in the area, they're all nearby too — the foot traffic-only Kurilpa Bridge runs from the Gallery of Modern Art over to Tank Street, the mixed-use William Jolly Bridge links Grey Street with North Quay, and the Go Between Bridge, which caters for vehicles, cyclists and walkers, runs from Merivale and Cordelia Streets in West End to Hale Street in Milton. Perhaps the idea is for Brisbanites to spend more time walking across bridges, and less time walking to get to one? For further details about the Neville Bonner Bridge, visit the Queen's Wharf development website. We'll keep you updated with an opening date when we have one.
It's not only the playing of tennis that works up a healthy appetite — it's also the watching of it. But, when you're at the Australian Open, surrounded by fellow ravenous spectators in 40-degree heat, working out where to get a decent bite can be a challenge. So, we thought we'd save you some trouble by tracking down the best places to eat in and around Rod Laver Arena this year. Whether you want to stick to the village or roam over to the CBD or Richmond, here are some spots to try. And if you're visiting from out of town, you'll also get to tick a few of Melbourne's best places to eat off your list. [caption id="attachment_704328" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 400 Gradi[/caption] GRAND SLAM OVAL, AUSTRALIAN OPEN VILLAGE Grand Slam Oval – located within the Australian Open village – is a gathering place for pop-ups, food trucks and bars. You'll find OTT kebabs by Biggie Smalls, Mexican street food by Collins Street's Mamasita, burgers by Neil Perry's Burger Project, some of the world's best slices from 400 Gradi, and, from Beijing Betty, Chinese fusion snacks created exclusively for the event. There are also bars for drinkers of all kinds, including one dedicated to champagne, one to beer and another to Aperol Spritz. Ideal if you don't have much time before the coin toss or can't be bothered to leave the village between matches. HARLOW, RICHMOND If you're looking for a new adventure, settle in at Harlow, a pub that, in December, took over the space then belonging to the Great Britain. It's on Church Street, Richmond. Whether you hang out in the dining room or head into the beer garden, you'll be starting with creative bites, like mini crab doughnuts and duck and bacon sausage rolls. The mains list is more about decadent takes on classics: there's a steak sandwich loaded with maple bacon and Swiss cheese, a smoked beer hot dog and a behemoth vegan burger. It's open from midday right through until late. ARBORY AFLOAT, SOUTHBANK Cool off by the Yarra at Arbory Afloat, at 69-metre-long floating bar that, since 2015, has set up on the river every spring, ready to get you through long hot days and balmy evenings. Downstairs is a citrus-and-fig grove, inspired by the Cinque Terre, while upstairs is dotted with day beds. Wherever you are, you'll be sipping on blood orange Aperol spritzes, watermelon sangria and piña coladas, and tucking into Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas, seafood platters and salads. Arbory Afloat is at 2 Flinders Walk – just a 15-minute walk down the Yarra from the Australian Open. THE CORNER HOTEL, RICHMOND Two years ago, this Melbourne live music stalwart scored a rooftop refurbishment and a tasty new menu. Thankfully, it hasn't lost any of its down-to-earth good vibes. If you haven't caught enough sun at the Open, go straight upstairs to relax in the fresh air; otherwise, stay downstairs where many a band has played into the wee hours. Either way, the food offerings include fried chicken, roast chicken roulade, the Corner parma and the Patti Smith beef burger. Craft beers a-plenty are on-tap. The Corner is a 15-minute walk from the Open. GAZI, CBD Weekend attendees can factor in a little trip to the Greek Islands at Gazi. This Hellenic eatery is hosting yum cha every Sunday, from midday till 3pm. The dishes have their roots in Mediterranean cuisine, but pay homage to Chinese, too. Among them are spanakopita gyoza, feta honey sesame spring rolls and sweet bread filled with lamb. A reasonable $49 buys a ten-course banquet and, for $35, you can add bottomless cocktails. Gazi is at 2 Exhibition Street in the CBD – 15 minutes from the action. FEAST OF MERIT, RICHMOND Fuel up before you hit the court at Feast of Merit, on Swan Street, around a 20-minute walk from the Rod Laver Arena. Among street art, vintage furniture and hanging greenery, you'll be feasting on hearty, Middle Eastern-influenced brekkies, such as börek, a vegetarian dish of corn fritters, poached egg, garlic yoghurt, feta and dukkah, or smoked ocean trout with asparagus, potato rosti and sour cream. For hardcore ticket holders, it's hard to knock back the büyük kahvalti, a big breakfast piled with eggs, sucuk sausage, haloumi, spinach, heirloom cherry tomatoes and flatbread. It's also open for dinner if you're looking for something post-match. [caption id="attachment_636986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emily Blake[/caption] CUMULUS INC., CBD Take a rest from the heat, grit and grunts in a low-lit corner at Cumulus Inc., a dreamy escape designed to soothe your every sense. Owned and run by chef Andrew McConnell (Builders Arms Hotel, Cutler & Co. and Supernormal), this all-day eatery celebrated its tenth anniversary last year and has been stocking up on Good Food hats since 2010. Begin with beef tartare, tarragon and anchovy toast, then move onto snapper with mussels, fennel pollen and dill oil. There's also a tasting menu, which changes daily. Cumulus Inc. is at 45 Flinders Lane – 15 minutes' walk from the tennis. Top image: Visit Victoria.
When you can't venture to an art gallery, let the exhibition come to you. It's been a challenging year for artists and art institutions across the nation, but one of the good things to come out of this global pandemic has been the number of ways Australians have been able to access art without leaving their homes. Whether it's through online talks, tours or filmed performances, galleries have found alternative ways to share art with us. One of the institutions leading the way is the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), which is the host of 2020's Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards exhibition. For the first time this year, the gallery in Darwin is accessible no matter where you live, as you can explore all 65 artworks on display via its virtual gallery. To give you a taste of what you can expect, we've picked out five artworks that drew our attention — and some of the stories behind them. [caption id="attachment_782787" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charlie Bliss[/caption] 'NGALYOD AND KOLNG (PALM TREE)' BY PAUL NAMARINJMAK NABULUMO One of the first works you'll see when you enter the virtual gallery is a hollow log burial pole painted with the image of a serpent. That's Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent, who is an important ancestral being for the Kuninjku people. Northern Territory painter and sculptor Paul Namarinjmak Nabulumo, who lives and works in Yikkarrakkal Outstation, created 'Ngalyod and kolng (palm tree)' in 2020. He only paints depictions of his ancestral country, as, he says if he painted other people's "it would kill us". The 49 year old is the son of acclaimed artist Mick Kubarrku (who passed away in 2008), and Nabulumo says his father's art practice had a huge influence on his work. In this artwork, you can see Nabulumo's fine, elegant rarrk (cross-hatching) work and the Rainbow Serpent emerging from a palm tree (kolng) at an important site called Dilebang. It's believed that Ngalyod supports the growth of water lilies, vines and palms that grow around freshwater sources. 'MUM BETTY' BY BESSIE DAYLIGHT In the same gallery space, point your cursor to a picture on the wall of a woman with angel wings. Western Australian artist Bessie Daylight has adorned a digital print of her mother Betty Carrington (also an artist) with a halo and wings to show just how precious our mothers are. "She worked all her life supporting us children," says the 53-year-old artist from Warmun Aboriginal Community. "Mothers are angels in disguise and we don't appreciate what our mothers do." Daylight says she painted Joonba dots on her mother's face as when Bessie was growing up, Betty was always singing and speaking in language. She grew up with traditional lore and culture and, along with other senior women, taught Daylight how to collect, grind and paint with natural ochre. "She is a mother, a grandmother, a friend. She is a councillor, a support person to many who come in contact with her, and she's an artist in her own right," says Daylight. [caption id="attachment_782271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lynnette Griffiths & Erub Arts[/caption] 'EUM NORR (DYING REEF)' BY JIMMY K THAIDAY Digital metres away from 'Mum Betty' is a display unit, on top of which is Torres Strait Islander artist Jimmy K Thaiday's work 'Eum Noor (Dying reef)'. Thaiday has used clay and reclaimed ocean rope to make a statement about our ongoing environmental impact on the Great Barrier Reef. The 32-year-old artist says the balls represent the isolated bleaching incidents on the coral reef as the sea temperatures rise. They "bloom like flowers". The artwork is a timely reminder of the importance to care for our planet, and especially our waters. For the artist, whose clan is Peiudu, one of four tribes on Erub (Darnley Island), the waterways and the reef play a vital part in his daily life and culture. "We do not want to see our reefs suffer the fate of other coral reefs," he says. The netting used in his art has drifted into the water where he lives. "I feel that by combining clay with reclaimed rope, I can highlight an important message: look after the sea and the sea will look after you." 'BATJBARRA' BY MARY DHAPALANY Click through to the second exhibition room to find Mary Dhapalany's 'Batjbarra' (2019), seemingly suspended from the gallery ceiling. The Northern Territory artist and Mandhalpuy woman has been a practicing artist for four decades, and her weaving artwork is representative of traditional craft passed down through generations of women weavers in her family. The 70-year-old artist uses natural dyes, extracted from earth pigment or plant roots, to colour the pandanus leaf (gunga) used in her work. Batjbarra is the name of a scooping object that's used to gather water chestnuts (rarrgi/rakayi), and the artist has honoured the traditional object with her choices of colour, size and perspective. You can take a 360-degree view of the work in the virtual gallery. 'MY STORIES FROM ERNABELLA MISSION' BY NYURPAYA KAIKA BURTON Found in the far exhibition room, to the right of 'Batjbarra', is a photographic work by South Australian multidisciplinary artist Nyurpaya Kaika Burton. Three black and white photos printed on Belgium linen are covered in writing, in Pitjantjatjara language. Burton, who is a longstanding director of Tjala Arts in Amata Community and chairwoman of the APY Art Centre Collective, wants to share the stories of her time growing up at Ernabella Mission. The now published author, singer, weaver and former teacher, says she started going to school there without any clothes. The 71 year old says, "We lived the traditional way, in a wiltja (shelter), no house with no clothes, a long way from the mission." Burton says she walked to school every day, hungry to learn. "We'd get water from the hose to shower, and after the shower we'd wait for the bell to ring and we'd line up ready to go in." Burton's images are of her and her brother on a donkey's back looking for wild figs, of children and teachers playing games, and of teenagers sitting in front of a teacher's house. "I loved learning to read and write and still do today." Discover more artworks in the Telstra NATSIAA exhibition, here. Top image: Charlie Bliss
All killer, no filler: when it comes to HBO comedy Barry, that firmly applies. The premise is pure TV gold, following an assassin who'd rather be an actor, but finds it hard to cut ties with his murderous gig. Making it even better across two seasons now, with a third set to drop in April: the pitch-perfect casting of former Saturday Night Live great Bill Hader as the eponymous hitman. Here's the setup: when Hader's Barry Berkman heads from Cleveland to Los Angeles for his job, he discovers a previously unknown passion for acting after he stumbles into a class held by veteran thespian Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, The French Dispatch). The catch? Barry kills people for money, and that isn't a line of work that you can leave easily, especially when you become caught in the Chechen mafia's violent and deadly dramas. As SNL fans will already know, Hader is an on-screen treasure, but he's never been better than he is in this part-comedy, part-tragedy series. Barry's struggle mightn't seem that relatable on paper, but it proves exactly that with Hader in the role. Also excellent is Winkler, expectedly. And, similarly great is Bill & Ted Face the Music's Anthony Carrigan as Chechen gangster Noho Hank — who befriends Barry, isn't that skilled at the whole crime business and quickly becomes one of the most memorable characters to ever grace a TV series. It's no wonder that fans have been hanging out for the third season of this Emmy-winner, which finally arrives in April — on Monday, April 25 in Australia via Binge, in fact — after a three-year gap since season two. Based on the just-dropped first teaser trailer, Barry's quest to go on the straight and narrow — and pursue acting — is still as chaotic as ever. In fact, this season will focus on the other factors, including his own psyche, that saw Barry become a killer to begin with. Another big part of the new episodes, according to HBO: fellow characters trying to make the right choices. Also returning are Stephen Root (The Tragedy of Macbeth) as Barry's former handler Monroe, who is in hiding; Sarah Goldberg (The Night House) as Barry's girlfriend Sarah, who is also an actor; D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place) as a fellow acting student; and Sarah Burns (Werewolves Within) as Detective Mae Dunn. And Hader isn't just phenomenally excellent on-screen in Barry — he also co-created it, has directed a heap of episodes, and also co-wrote others. Check out the first teaser trailer for Barry season three below: Barry's third season will start streaming via Binge in Australia from Monday, April 25. In NZ, look out for the new season via Neon. Top image: Merrick Morton/HBO.
Whether you're after world-renowned cocktails, bevs with panoramic views or elegant twists on classic tipples, there's a bar in Singapore that caters to every whim and mood. The city's multitude of bars shine at crafting inventive drinks that highlight local flavours and showcase the creativity and diversity of its multicultural population. A night out in the city doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket — with the help of Singapore Tourism, we've rounded up some top-notch happy hour deals at popular bars around Singapore, so you can sip and sit back without worrying about your wallet. At the time of publishing, 1 SGD is equal to about 1.14 AUD. [caption id="attachment_981032" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Elephant Room[/caption] The Elephant Room Step into the vibrant world of Little India at The Elephant Room. Ranked as one of Asia's 100 Best Bars, the cocktail bar in Chinatown showcases the flavours, aromas and culture of Singapore's Little India district. The drinks menu includes bold, spice-forward cocktails inspired by the area, as well as Indian twists on classic drinks and a selection of spirits from India. Jothi's Flower Shop is named after the iconic store that has served the community for over 50 years, while Buffalo Road recreates the gin and tonic using native ingredients flown in from India. There are even cocktails derived from Indian cuisine, like the Briyani, Chicken Curry and Spiced Crab Rasam. If you prefer your food in more solid form, pair your drink with one of the naan pizzas or small share plates. Between 5–7pm every day, you can sample any of the signature concoctions for only 20 SGD. Jigger & Pony If you're visiting Singapore, you can't leave without having a drink at Jigger & Pony. The esteemed bar has been featured in the top ten of Asia's 50 Best Bars and listed as one of The World's 50 Best Bars for the past six years. A themed cocktail list is released each year, presented in a 70-page menu-magazine (or "menuzine"). Some of the drinks for this year are the Smashing Sundae with gin, vodka, fernet, melon, green tea, shiso and vanilla ice cream; Ugly Tomatoes with gin, tomatoes, kummel and elderflower; Strawberry Fields with tequila and cold-extracted strawberry; and Champagne Ramos Fizz with gin, cream, lemon, vanilla, bread, port and champagne. Happy hour is available daily from 6–7.30pm and includes a cocktail of the month or one of three signatures for 19 SGD, wine for 14 SGD and beer for 12 SGD. Morton's The Steakhouse Next up on the cocktail tour, we're travelling stateside. Morton's The Steakhouse is a popular American chain with over 55 locations in the US and eight locations internationally. The Singapore outpost is situated at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, right by Marina Bay. Stop in for Power Hour between 5–7pm during the week for 12 SGD beers, 20 SGD wines and 19 SGD cocktails. If you order the signature MORtini, you'll also get to munch on a complimentary filet mignon sandwich before you head out for the night. [caption id="attachment_981855" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Store[/caption] The Store Now that you've had a touch of glitz and glam, it's time to go hip and homey at The Store. Hidden behind an unassuming teal door, the laidback bar feels like you're sipping in the elegant living room of your coolest friend. Drinks include accessible and elevated cocktails such as the Clamatoberry with tequila, clarified clamato, sherry, strawberry and umami bitters; Shibuya Sour with whisky, sake, elderflower, yuzu and wasabi; and Prickly Pearloma with mezcal, Ancho Reyes Verde, pear puree and grapefruit soda. Drop in between 4–6pm on Tuesday–Saturday for 11 SGD cocktails and appetisers. Southbridge For panoramic vistas across Singapore, head on up to Southbridge. The rooftop bar is perched next to the Singapore River, with views from Parliament House to Marina Bay Sands and Raffles Place. Southbridge's happy hour is perfectly timed between 5–8pm on Monday–Thursday, so you can enjoy the sunset as you sample oysters with a range of toppings for 23 SGD and sip on glasses of sparkling for 16 SGD, spirits from 12 SGD and buckets of Singapore Lager for 78 SGD. You're in for a treat if you visit on a Sunday, as the happy hour deals run all day. Hopscotch With three central locations across Singapore (Gardens by the Bay, Gillman Barracks and Capitol Arcade) Hopscotch is a convenient option for a refreshing drink after a long day of exploring. The casual venue pours inventive cocktails and shooters inspired by the city, incorporating local flavours such as pandan, kaffir lime, calamansi, mangosteen, gula melaka, milo and even savoury bak kut teh (pork and herb broth). The happy hour runs from 5–8pm every day, with wine, beer and house spirits starting at under 10 SGD, and all cocktails priced at 18 SGD. Book your Singapore holiday now with Flight Centre. Images courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board, The Store and The Elephant Room.
UPDATE, June 2, 2023: Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When Anthony Bourdain strode around the world, and across our screens, in food-meets-travel series A Cook's Tour, No Reservations, The Layover and Parts Unknown, he was as animated as he was acerbic and enigmatic. Beneath his shock of greying hair, the lanky New Yorker was relatable, engaging to a seemingly effortless degree and radiated a larger-than-life air, too. The latter didn't just apply because he was a face on TV, where plenty gets that bigger-than-reality sheen, but because he appeared to truly embrace all that life entailed in that hectic whirlwind of travelling, eating and waxing lyrical about both. Arriving three years after his suicide in 2018, documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain captures that. It's so filled with Bourdain thanks to all that time he'd spent in front of the camera, it'd be near-impossible for it not to. But it also lurks under a shadow due to its now-infamous choice to use artificial intelligence to add dialogue that its subject didn't speak. Watching the film, there's no way of knowing which words Bourdain merely penned but didn't utter; the technology truly is that seamless. It still resounds as an unnecessary move, though, especially when such lines might've been incorporated in ways that wouldn't sit at stark odds with his visible liveliness. Roadrunner delves behind the facade that Bourdain presented to the world, of course. It notes his death immediately and goes in search of the sorrow and pain that might've led to it, as mulled over by friends such fellow chefs David Chang and Éric Ripert, and artist David Choe; crew members on his shows; and his second wife Ottavia Busia. Still, once you know about the AI, there's a sense of disconnection that echoes through the doco — because it surveys all that Bourdain was, compiles all of this stellar material and still resorted to digital resurrection. Thankfully, the passion and curiosity that always made Bourdain appear so spirited — yes, so alive, as compared to being vocally recreated by AI after his death — still makes Roadrunner worth watching. That's true for Bourdain fans and newcomers alike, although director Morgan Neville (Oscar-winner 20 Feet From Stardom) doesn't use his two-hour-long film as a birth-to-life primer for the uninitiated. Crucially, as also proved the case with his 2018 Mr Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Neville jumps through the details of Bourdain's life in a way that also muses on what his success and popularity said about the world. Why he struck such a chord is as essential an ingredient in Roadrunner as how he went from cook to celebrity chef, TV host, best-selling author and travel documentarian. The footage of Bourdain — from his shows, obviously, as well as from a plethora of TV interviews, behind-the-scenes clips and home videos — is edited together with the same restlessness that the man himself always exuded. You don't spend most of your year travelling if you can be easily pinned down, after all. It's a wise choice on Neville and editors Eileen Meyer (Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution) and Aaron Wickenden's (Feels Good Man) parts, but Neville has long had a knack for making his films feel like his subjects. Talking-head chats are spliced throughout, offering further details and grappling with how Bourdain's story ends; however, Roadrunner is repeatedly at its finest when it's peering at him and showing how his work encouraged us all not just to watch, but to eat, travel, think, talk and live. That said, those interviews aren't merely filler. With Chang and Choe in particular, they show Bourdain's friends confronting the type of grief that doesn't ever fade. Biographical documentaries about famous figures who are no longer with us inherently offer the same kind experience to the masses — giving viewers the opportunity to reflect upon their central figures, all while gifting us with more time in their presence — and seeing Chang and Choe struggle so openly cements that parallel. If only Roadrunner was as sensitive when covering Bourdain's relationship with actor Asia Argento, his girlfriend before his death. Argento isn't interviewed but, in the film's second poor choice, its search for a reason behind Bourdain's suicide makes an uncomfortable and overt swerve in her direction. Whether made now or after more time had elapsed since his passing, a film about Bourdain was always going to be complicated. The big, obvious, easy draw — spending longer with him on-screen — is there for all to see, and delightfully so. It's bittersweet, naturally, because there's no divorcing all those images and soundbites from the reason that this movie even exists. It's heartwrenching as well, a sensation heightened every time his upset, angry, frustrated pals make appearances. It's thoughtful in pondering what Bourdain gave the world, and what it took from him in return. It's also messy because there are no answers to much that it contemplates, and also because it sits under a cloud sparked by that superfluous AI. As its title plainly states, Roadrunner is indeed a film about Anthony Bourdain, though — and, even with its missteps, it recognises the complexity of that task. It really didn't need to put his words back into his mouth to make you wish his tale, and his life, was still simmering; that's what it was always going to plate up regardless.
Summer is almost here for another year, and that means that festival season is almost here as well. We all know that the latter always comes in two parts, however. Before we spend our sunny days and balmy nights dancing in crowds, there's the anticipation phase — that time when it seems like every fest in the country is announcing plans and lineups to get us all excited. After Wollongong's Yours and Owls, new touring fest Summer Camp, Sydney's NYE in the Park and Melbourne's Beyond the City all dropped their latest details in recent weeks, it's now For the Love's turn. The waterfront music festival will hit up the Gold Coast, Wollongong, Melbourne and Perth in February and March 2022, with Dom Dolla, Crooked Colours and Mallrat leading the lineup. Running Touch, Allday, Boo Seeka, George Maple, Telenova and Ebony Boadu are also on the bill, and the folks at Untitled Group — the same minds behind Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts and Ability Fest — are still running the show. The Gold Coast's Doug Jennings Park, Wollongong's Stuart Park, Catani Gardens in Melbourne and Perth's McCallum Park are set to be transformed into blissful dance destinations — and punters will also have the opportunity to kick back in style in one of For The Love's VIP lounges, presented by Aussie streetwear label Nana Judy. If it all sounds a bit familiar, that's because a number of acts on the bill were due to play For the Love this year, only for 2021's events to get pushed back to 2022. But that chaos has meant that a Wollongong festival has now joined the tour, which is obviously great news for New South Wales residents. If an evening spent cutting shapes by the water sounds like a much-needed addition to your calendar, you can now register for presale tickets until 4pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 23. Presale tickets go on sale from 6pm AEDT hat same day, with general public tickets up for grabs from 1pm AEDT on Wednesday, November 24. FOR THE LOVE 2022 AUSTRALIAN DATES: Saturday, February 19 — Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast Saturday, February 26 — Stuart Park, Wollongong Saturday, March 5 — Catani Gardens, Melbourne Sunday, March 6 — McCallum Park, Perth FOR THE LOVE 2022 LINEUP: Dom Dolla Crooked Colours Mallrat Allday Running Touch Boo Seeka George Maple Telenova Ebony Boadu For The Love 2021 tours the country in February and March 2022. Head to the festival's website to register for presale.
A soon-to-be-released app is promising a brand new superpower: reading at the speed of light. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it is posing some rather extraordinary possibilities – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 77 minutes, War and Peace in ten hours and Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time (all 3 million words) in two days and twelve hours. You might assume that Spritz, as it’s named, would deliver such miracles via watered-down, abridged versions of the classics. But that's not the case. The user still reads every single word — just at a much faster pace than most of us thought was possible. But how? Rather than presenting books in the page-by-page format that we’ve come to accept as gospel, Spritz delivers them one word at a time. The average university student reads at a pace of about 200-400 words per minute, but with the app (and some practice), this can bump up to 500 or even 1,000. Check it: That was 250wpm. Think you can do 350wpm? 500wpm is below. If you're not dealing, look away for a while; you may find your brain adapts scary-fast. Its success depends on the existence of an 'Optimal Recognition Point' (ORP), also known as a 'fixation point', which is found just to the left of the middle of any word. When we read, we unconsciously jump from one of these to another. So Spritz gives us a speed injection by highlighting ORPs in red. This trick differentiates the app from previous speed-reading tools that have utilised the one-word-at-a-time format, such as Velocity and Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP). Spritz is bound for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Gear 2 watch. It's been in development for three years and, now that it’s ready for take-off, its creators are looking for developers, technicians and database experts. If you’ve been looking for a reason to move to Utah, here’s your chance. Via Huffington Post.
Introducing Sketch Chair, a project from London and Lisbon's design studio Diatom. Sketch Chair is a software program allowing anyone and everyone to design their own chairs, regardless of how design-savvy they may be. The program uses a 2-D drawing interface that incorporates a physics engine which automatically tests the stability of a creator's design. Users can even simulate sitting in the chair with a customised virtual version of themselves to guarantee the highest level of comfort. Once a chair design is completed, a cutting pattern for the pieces of the chair is sent to the digital fabrication machine. The parts of the chair are then created and delivered so users can assemble their designs on their own as well. All custom designs come in lightweight but sturdy pieces that are easy to assemble - no glue required. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q36rJMjM1OU
Perhaps your pooch really loves seeing cars drive across the small screen. Maybe they seem to adore Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs. One day, you might've even come home from work to find your puppy watching the television all by themselves — because they'd stepped on the remote, accidentally turned it on, then gotten comfy. Every pet owner has noticed their four-legged companion staring intently at the tube once or twice — and likely more than that. Usually, though, your TV-loving canine isn't watching a streaming platform that's been designed especially for barking, tail-wagging, bone-coveting viewers. Dog TV is exactly that kind of streaming service: an online channel that's all about entertaining your woofer, and creates videos that are specifically designed to do just that. Now available in Australia, it features content filled with sights and sounds that'll appeal to your pooch. Some programs aim to relax them, focusing on calming and soothing your little fluffball. Others endeavour to keep them mentally stimulated, and feature scenes of dogs and other animals playing. Indeed, making sure that your pupper is fine when you go out is one of Dog TV's big motivations — with its content also made to ease doggo boredom. If you're the kind of person who leaves the television or radio on for your pooch when you head off to work, then you're familiar with the concept. Here, though, your canine can feast their eyes and ears on footage and audio created especially for them, and not be forced to endure whatever daytime TV is currently serving up. Some clips attempt to do more than just relax or stimulate — by helping dogs get used to car rides and ringing doorbells as well. In fact, you could say that the entire streaming platform is designed to help canines cope, given that anyone who has recently transitioned from working from home full-time to venturing back into the office is now forced to leave their four-legged friend in the house alone far more often. Overall, the whole service takes into account a dog's usual daily cycle, including when they're most active, and tailors its content to match. "Three programs, including stimulation, relaxation and exposure, have been scientifically created to keep your dog feeling happy and confident," says Dog TV General Manager, Beke Lubeach. "Each program is scheduled throughout the day, exposing dogs to visual stimuli and sounds that positively impact their behaviour and reduce feelings of anxiety." If you're eager to add another streaming platform to your list of subscriptions (well, to your woofer's list), Dog TV has launched in Australia via Petstock — and if you're one of the retailer's members, you can access a month for free. Monthly subscriptions cost $8.95 otherwise, or you can pay $69.95 for an annual pass. For more information about Dog TV, or to sign up for your pooch, head to the streaming service's website — or to Petstock's website.
Earlier this year, we wrote about how Elon Musk's high-speed vacuum tube transport system could be a reality by 2018. Well, because it's Elon Musk, the whole thing looks like it's actually running on schedule — and potentially coming to Australia. What, here? Where everything comes last? Yep. According to The Australian, Los Angeles-based firm Hyperloop One — who Musk has given the task of bringing this thing to life — are looking for a place to test the technology, and they have the Sydney to Melbourne corridor firmly on their radar. "We're very keen to explore the potential for doing proof of operations in Australia and the reason for that is there's a clear long-term need for ultra-fast transport on the Australian east coast," Hyperloop One's vice president of global business development Alan James told The Australian. "So we would be looking, either in NSW or Victoria, or possibly in ACT, to develop the first section of that route, to prove the operation of Hyperloop, to get regulatory approval." Described by Musk as a "cross between a Concorde and a railgun and an air hockey table" the proposed Hyperloop system — which is almost cartoonish in design — would consist of a long route of elevated vacuum-sealed steel tubes, through which pressurised capsules ride cushions of air at speeds of up to 1220 kilometres per hour. Hyperloop One claims it can have you travelling from inner-city Melbourne to inner-city Sydney in only 55 minutes. 55 minutes. (Do you hear that? It's the sound of Tiger and Jetstar quaking in their boots.) To drive between Melbourne and Sydney would set you back about nine hours; currently, to get the train, it takes 11.5 hours. Australia — and particularly the Sydney-Melbourne corridor — is the perfect candidate for high speed rail transport because the track could slip nicely along the Hume Highway. There has, of course, been much talk and debate over a high-speed rail system connecting the two cities, but so far no government has been willing to commit to the project. The Hyperloop One team seem to have made rapid progress since they started testing in LA last year. They recently revealed the first prototype will be up and running in the Nevada desert early in 2017 before (potentially, hopefully) kicking off the large scale trial in Australia in 2018. Can it be the future already? For too long we've been at the mercy of Tiger's delays, expensive terrible airport coffee and the drive down the Hume with only Maccas to break up the monotony. We, for one, welcome Musk and his terrifying pneumatic tubes. Via The Australian.
Beaches, pools, rooftop bars, outdoor cinemas: nowhere in Australia can have too many when summer hits. For movie lovers, Sunset Cinema is one such spot to see a film under the stars — and it's back for its 2023–24 season with stops new and old, plus flicks that fit both categories. Over the the next few sunny months, then heading into autumn as well, this excuse to hit the pictures in the open air has seven stops on its itinerary: its new venue in Bondi, which is on now; a return to Canberra, which is also taking place at the moment; and comebacks at North Sydney, Mt Martha, Wollongong, St Kilda and Brisbane all to come. The dates vary, as does exactly how long that Sunset Cinema is getting its projector whirring in each place, but cosy date nights and easy group hangs outdoors all await. Bondi's season runs until Saturday, December 23 at Dolphin Court, with Jaws, Saltburn, The Marvels, and Christmas titles such as Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas on its roster for its final days. In Canberra, you have until Saturday, February 24 to head to the Australian National Botanic Gardens, where highlights include festive fare — of course — as well as Barbie, an advance screening of the Mean Girls musical, Wonka, Priscilla and Poor Things. North Sydney will enjoy a three-month stint from Friday, December 8—Saturday, March 9 at North Sydney Oval. In addition to Christmas movies — a staple at every Sunset Cinema that's running in December — the lineup includes many of the above titles, as well as other standouts such as Past Lives, The Boy and the Heron, Ferrari, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 and perennial favourite 10 Things I Hate About You. From Wednesday, December 20—Friday, January 20 at The Briars at Mt Martha gets in on the action. Then, the Wollongong Botanic Garden joins in from Thursday, January 11–Saturday, March 24. In St Kilda, you'll be able to head along from February 2024, with exact dates and a venue to be announced. And Brisbane gets its turn from sometime in March 2024 at Maritime Green at Northshore, where Sunset Cinema set up shop in 2023. At all stops around the country, BYO picnics are encouraged, but the event is fully licensed, so alcohol can only be purchased onsite. Didn't pack enough snacks? There's hot food options, plus plenty of the requisite movie treats like chips, chocolates, lollies and popcorn. SUNSET CINEMA 2023–24 DATES: Bondi, NSW: until Saturday, December 23 at Dolphin Court Canberra, ACT: until Saturday, February 24 at Australian National Botanic Gardens North Sydney, NSW: Friday, December 8—Saturday, March 9 at North Sydney Oval Mt Martha, VIC: Wednesday, December 20—Friday, January 20 at The Briars, Mt Martha Wollongong, NSW: Thursday, January 11–Saturday, March 24 at Wollongong Botanic Garden St Kilda, VIC: from February 2024, exact dates and venue TBC Brisbane, QLD: from March 2024, exact dates TBC, at Maritime Green at Northshore Sunset Cinema's 2023–24 season runs at various venues around the country on various dates. Head to the Sunset Cinema website for further details.
Food is food and booze is booze, but both of these glorious gifts from the heavens are always made better if the surrounds are designed to punch you in the face with panache, and then gently guide you through your experience in a habitat of nice things. Last night, the Eat Drink Design Awards took place in Melbourne to celebrate the very best of hospitality interiors from Australia and New Zealand. Top gong for Best Café Design went to Higher Ground in Melbourne, with design team DesignOffice being lauded by judges for "considerable restraint in defining the space, creating a host of experiences at different levels" where "each occupant is rewarded with a different voyeuristic perspective on the gathered crowd." The Best Bar Design went to Adelaide this year, with bin-alley turned log cabin booze vendor Pink Moon Saloon taking out the top prize. Judges praised the bar for being completely sustainable, which can be taken down and returned to its former function at any time, and by the fact the design by Sans-Arc Studio "taps into that deep Australian memory of long-forgotten cubby houses and sheds." Heston Blumenthal's first permanent digs in Australia, Dinner by Heston in Melbourne, clinched the award for Best Restaurant Design, with the judges frothing on the feeling that "you are somewhere special, and special things are about to happen." Praise went to designers Bates Smart for "eschewing the brittle formality that can accompany the high-end gastronomic experience," and instead aiming for something that is "equal parts theatrical and delightful." Best Retail Design went to Lune Croissanterie in Fitzroy, crafter by the team from Studio Esteta, and Pink Moon Saloon took out their second gold in the Best Identity Design Category. Sydneysiders featured heavily in the shortlists, but didn't take any top awards this year. Il Bacaro in Melbourne was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, with the team from Chris Connell Design taking their place among the antipodean design legends. Have a squiz at the sexiest places to eat and drink.
The Amazing Type-Writer iOS app from Doormouse Manufacturing gives typing on the iPhone a vintage feel by re-creating the look and sound of typing on an antique typewriter. Keeping true to the old-school aesthetic, users can't backspace and some of the more modern symbols, such as the @ sign, won't function. This might be a little frustrating for some, but now you know how your older relatives felt when they had to send out birthday invitations to all their buddies. You'll just have to type over your mistakes and pray that it's legible. This ability to type over existing writing also means you can make tonnes of different patterns and scribbles. According to Doormouse Mfg, the app has "combined the latest in mobile pneumatic tubes technology with the highest-quality digital micro-swingarms available." This means that you'll be able to shift the carrier all over the screen and mark your letter however you like. After you've finished your masterpiece you can save it to your own camera roll, e-mail it, or post it in a public gallery. Perhaps best of all, you can select other people's pieces from this gallery and re-interpret or ruin their works however you like. This gives you the potential to post your own questions or thoughts, and see how many people will respond to it. This app will be perfect for pensioners who miss the good old days, overly-ambitious hipster poets, or people who want to send creepy letters to their ex-girlfriends. Two dollars won't get you much nowadays, but it will buy you the endless joy of having your own nifty little typewriter in your pocket. A limited amount of these are available through iTunes.
By the beard of Zeus, everyone's favourite TV newsman is back — in podcast form. Not content with his regular job at KVWN Channel 4, or with being the star of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Ron Burgundy is giving another medium a whirl. Co-produced by Funny or Die, The Ron Burgundy Podcast is headed to the iHeartRadio platform in 2019, with two 12-episode seasons on their way. The first batch will hit your ears in the first quarter of the year, with Burgundy telling everyone why it's kind of a big deal, we expect. If you want to stay classy with the second season — and likely hear the anchorman chat while sipping scotchy scotch scotch and talking over his beloved dog Baxter — it's due mid-year. Fans can reasonably expect that Will Ferrell will reprise his role as the fictional San Diego newscaster, although that's not actually mentioned in iHeartRadio's announcement. As well as playing the character in two films, Ferrell is one of Funny or Die's co-founders, so it's a safe assumption that the actor will be involved. In true Ron Burgundy style, he had some words about the news. "Listen, I don't know what a podcast is, but I currently have a lot of time on my hands and a lot to talk about. I am also broke. Therefore, I am very excited to do this podcast. It is literally saving my life." If you're now in a glass class of emotion, a trailer for the show will drop in the coming months. The Ron Burgundy Podcast will be released on iHeartRadio in 2019.
