The espionage antics. The shaken-not-stirred martinis. The suits. The theme song. Think James Bond, and all four come to mind. Indeed, they've all played a part in the long-running franchise, which first started back in 1962 — and they're all now coming to the Sydney Opera House with a live score. Following in the footsteps of the Star Wars and Harry Potter films, Bond is bringing one of its spy instalments back to the big screen with help from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It's the first time in Australia that the franchise has been shown in this way, and it'll hit Sydney on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1 in 2019. Audiences will relive Daniel Craig's 007 debut while hearing the music behind as they've never heard it before, all as part of Casino Royale in Concert. For those in need of a refresher on the 2006 flick, it takes the franchise back to the beginning of Bond's career. He's newly licensed to kill, and he's soon falling in love with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) while trying to hunt down terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Directed by Martin Campbell, it was a huge hit — the biggest Bond film, box office-wise, ever released at the time, a mantle that was later overtaken by 2012's Skyfall. As the film hops from the Bahamas, to Montenegro to Venice's Grand Canal, the SSO will perform composer David Arnold's music. Yes, the classic theme track that's served the franchise so well for more than half a century now also features. Casino Royale in Concert plays the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1 in 2019. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the SSO website.
When it premiered at Sundance in January this year, Spaceship Earth wouldn't and couldn't have seemed as topical as it does at present. The documentary's subject: Biosphere 2. If the name isn't familiar, it refers to a biodome in the Arizona desert that played host to eight inhabitants for two years in the early 90s — all isolating themselves from the world by choice, in the name of silence, to see if a closed-off, fully self-sustaining vivarium could work. Yes, it sounds like pure sci-fi. We can guarantee that this is 100-percent reality, however. Exploring a tale that has to be seen to be believed, filmmaker Matt Wolf takes viewers through the unusual and fascinating experiment — wth the help of a treasure trove of archival material, as well as present-day interviews from many of the folks involved at the time. While it would've been very easy to play up the outlandishness of the whole project (indeed, as seen in media clips from the era, many an onlooker did), this doco approaches Biosphere 2 and the passionate people who made it happen with thoughtfulness and appreciation, in what proves a supremely interesting and engaging film. And, if you'd like to check it out, you can do so for without paying a cent as part of the new Visions, Speculations and Dystopias: A Deep Dive Into Spaceship Earth event hosted by The Capitol in Melbourne. There are multiple components, all free and all online — and streaming the movie is one of them. You'll need to RSVP to get sent the details, and then you can view it at your leisure in the lead up to three virtual events. The first, a watch party, takes place at 7.30pm AEDT on Wednesday, November 4. After that, you can catch a panel about whether humanity should leave earth, as held at 5.30pm AEDT on Thursday, November 5, and then check out a masterclass with Spaceship Earth's director Matt Wolf at 10am AEDT on Friday, November 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGvYFB6GHRY
What do slicing-and-dicing villains in horror movies and Monster Fest's annual weekend-long mini film festival have in common? Both can strike at any time. Each year, usually at the end of the year, the broader fest showcases genre and cult movies — but it also pops up before then to host Monster Fest Weekender. In 2023, the latter took place in winter. In 2024, it's bringing the scares, plus a focus on slasher films, in autumn. If you like frightening flicks, then you'll want to make a date with Event Cinemas Brisbane City from Friday, May 3–Sunday, May 5. Across three days, just one type of horror film will be on offer — and yes, of course the lineup includes Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th titles, as well as a Sleepaway Camp marathon. Wes Craven's Freddy Krueger franchise is represented with both the OG A Nightmare on Elm Street and also 1994's New Nightmare, each of which are marking anniversaries — 40 and 30 years, respectively. Prefer movies about Jason Voorhees instead? Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is also on the bill, and also celebrating its 40th anniversary. Other pictures that'll get the projectors whirring at Monster Fest Weekender: Slasher Edition span Deranged, which commemorates its 50th anniversary with the first-ever showing of its complete and uncut version in Australian cinemas — and I, Madman, which has also never been seen in Aussie picture palaces. And if you can handle the Sleepaway Camp Slash-athon, it features the first, second and third films.
This summer, you'll have another excuse to enjoy a G&T as a heap of gin and tonic gardens pop up across the country. Taking over outdoor spaces, they'll be setting up shop not only in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but in Canberra, on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, and in Cairns too — so whether you're eager for a drink close to home or you'll be holidaying in a sunny spot, cocktails laden with juniper spirits await. Settling into the outside areas at pubs and bars in each locale, the gardens will feature plenty of gin and tonic (obviously), as well as DIY garnish stations. The idea is that you can learn more about different botanicals, then mix, match and experiment to find your ideal G&T combination. That sounds like a task that we'd all gladly accept; however there'll be tonic pairing menus on hand should you need some pointers. At the time of writing, Sydneysiders can scratch their G&T itch at the Woolhara Hotel and the Shelbourne Hotel in the CBD, plus Newtown's Union Hotel — while Melburnians can make a date with Ciao Cucina in Port Melbourne, as well as Richmond Social, the Notting Hill Hotel and the Lower Plenty Hotel in their respective suburbs. Brisbanites can head to Covent Garden in West End, Blind Tiger in The Gap and Sandstone Point Hotel on Bribie Island; mosey down to the Goldie to the Surfers Paradise Beer Garden, the Burleigh Heads Hotel, Baskk in Coolangatta; or venture north to Circa Rooftop Bar in Maroochydore. More locations will pop up across the country over the summer, with a handy interactive map tracking new venues. The gardens are the work of Fever-Tree, so the company's tonics will be splashing in your glass. It's the outfit's latest G&T-focused venture after putting on a gin and tonic festival in Sydney back in September. Fever-Tree's Gin and Tonic Gardens are popping up around the country between now and March. To find your closest spot, visit the brand's website.
Is your response to February 14 more about drinking and less about roses and chocolates? If so, Cobbler's Anti-Valentine's Day party is your ultimate destination, particularly if you like a certain animated espionage agent. Yes, all things Archer are in flavour at the West End bar — which basically means lots of booze, possibly someone wearing a turtleneck, and perhaps a few conversations about the glory of Magnum PI. The theme is hardly surprising, and not just because this is an annual event; Cobbler does also currently boast a Top Gun-focused cocktail menu, complete with its very own Danger Zone drink, remember? Knocking back one of those is a must, of course — but other than that, how you choose to hang out is up to you. We recommend gathering up a group of your pals, speaking only in Archer quotes and completely ignoring the commercialised celebration of romance otherwise overtaking the city.
When winter rolls around, nobody wants to eat salad. Chilly nights and grey days call for carbs — lots of carbs — and hot stews, soups and curries. And because everything tastes better when somebody else makes it, it's important to know where to find these things. Family-owned Taj Mahal is New Farm's favourite Indian restaurant, and it's the ultimate winter dinner destination. Located in a quaint wooden shop on the corner of Brunswick and Annie streets, you'll be drawn in by the warm decor, but you'll stay for the social atmosphere, amazing curries and plate-sized naan breads. Oh, and it's BYO, so bring a cold weather-appropriate bottle of red to wash down dinner with. Everyone loves samosas, right? With mince or vegies wrapped in a thick pastry casing ($4.90), you just can't go wrong. They go great with tandoori chicken wings ($6.90) or chicken tikka ($8.90). Taj Mahal caters generously to vegetarians, and if you're partial to a creamy, sweet curry, you must not miss the Dal Makhani ($11.90). Made from lentils cooked in a thick sauce of butter, garlic and herbs, it's a flavour revelation. Other top vegie picks are the Aloo Gobi (potato and cauliflower curry, $13.90), Vegie Korma (creamy mixed vegie curry, $15.90) and the Saag Bhajee (spinach curry, $13.90). For the carnivores in the room, the Prawn Madras (coconut-based curry with ginger and garlic, $17.90), Saag Gost (spinach curry with your choice of meat, $16.90) and the old classic, Butter Chicken ($16.90) are all delicious. Of course, no Indian meal is complete without a hot, buttery Naan bread, and the potato-stuffed Aloo Naan ($3.90) and the cheese and spinach Saag Paneer Naan ($4.20) are great accompaniments. For those with major appetites, the deluxe banquet package gives you entrees, Tandoori chicken, a main, a Naan and sides for $27.90 per head. If you can fit anything else in after you're main is finished, desserts available include ice-cream ($4.90), Gajjar Halwa (carrot pudding, $5.90) and Ras Malai (dumplings in milk, $5.90). The service is polite and meals hit the table quickly, although you might have to chase up water for the table (especially if you're hitting that BYO bottle of red). The central location just outside of Fortitude Valley, jovial atmosphere and table setup inside the restaurant makes it ideal for group dinners and parties or a meal before a night out. Food can be ordered to takeaway, but if it's simply too cold to leave home, you don't have to miss out. Delivery is available to most inner suburbs.
The silver-screen experience is always worth celebrating. A darkened haven dedicated to watching movie magic? Films projected big enough to span entire walls? Ideally no phones or other distractions? No matter how many times you've seen a flick in a picture palace, it's pure bliss. And, like everything, there's a day to mark it: National Cinema Day. In 2024, make that two days at Reading Cinemas, with the chain expanding the celebrations across an entire weekend. Of course, every single day is a great day to hit up your favourite theatre, but Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 come with a bonus at Reading sites across Australia: $5 tickets. That's all you'll pay for a standard session all day for two days only. Fancy a premium, Titan Luxe or Titan XC movie instead? That'll only set you back $10. Keen for the chain's Gold Lounge and SoHo Lounge theatres instead? That's $15. Reading operates six cinemas across Queensland, including Newmarket, Jindalee and the Angelika Film Centre in Woolloongabba, if you're wondering where to go to see a cheap flick. And your viewing options? They vary per cinema, but include Deadpool & Wolverine, It Ends with Us, Alien: Romulus and Blink Twice. Two caveats: the deals aren't available for event screenings, and there's still a booking fee if you're getting your tickets online.
This time next week sees the culmination of the silly season for many of us, Christmas day. This equals presents, family gatherings and friends, but most importantly, it means food - good food. No doubt many of you will either be hosting your own event, or attending an event at somebodies house. Whether you're tasked with baking a ham or bringing dessert, it's always comforting to know that you are bringing the best produce you can find, which is why we've highlighted Brisbane's top five food markets to pick up a last minute treat and some good grub to keep everyone happy and content on Christmas day, Black Pearl Epicure If you have champagne tastes and a champagne budget then Black Pearl Epicure is the place for you to go. They are one of the leading distributors in fine food and are also Australia's largest importer of caviar and saffron (the most expensive spice in the world!). To ritz up your Christmas day why not enjoy some of their incredible caviar? They stock Simon Johnson's delicious products as well which could be used to make up a decadent Christmas hamper. 36 Baxter Street, Fortitude Valley; 07 3851 8517; http://blackpearl.com.au/ Dan and Andy's Hawthorne Garage New this year, the Hawthorne Garage has been a joy to locals, providing a one stop shop for fresh fruit and veg, Leavain bread, specialty items and even Sunday afternoon entertainment. For a fun and laid back experience, pop in to see Dan and Andy who can enthusiastically help you pick out some goodies for Christmas day. 285 Hawthorne Road, Hawthorne; 07 3899 5511; http://www.hawthornegarage.com.au/ Fruity Capers Toowong Westsiders are all too familiar with the delightful treats that Fruity Capers deli has on offer. Located next door to their beautiful fruit and veg store, the deli houses their large cheese selection such as the decadent truffle brie and fresh ricotta. There are plenty of items to make up a delicious antipasto plate for a mediterranean start to your Christmas feast. Ground Floor, Toowong Village; 07 3870 1801 Rosalie Gourmet Markets In the heart of Rosalie Village is the gourmet market which stocks a wide range of fine foods. The market also sells beautiful flowers, unique chocolates and also kitchenware. They have a wide range of Christmas products including cakes, mince pies and glazed ham or some turkey so make sure you head in and get what you need for a traditional Christmas lunch. 1/164 Baroona Road; 07 3876 6222; www.rosaliegourmet.com.au James Street Market James Street Market not only has all the appropriate groceries that you might be after, but amongst all of the stockists in the market is the James Street Fresh Fish Co, perfect for those of you who like to celebrate your Queensland Christmas with seafood. You can pick up some delicious crusty breads to accompany your seafood from French Twist, and for some sweet snacks pop into the Nut Market. 22 James Street, Fortitude Valley; www.jamesstmarket.com.au/changetheessence.shtml
Those Wachowski siblings certainly know what they like. Building intricate worlds, diving into stylised sci-fi, and exploring capitalism and control are at the top of their list, served up with dashes of action and a sense of humour. The Matrix trilogy, their Speed Racer manga-to-TV-to-film adaptation and the period-spanning Cloud Atlas all followed this pattern. Now, with their passion at its most dazzling, it’s Jupiter Ascending’s turn. Once more, Andy and Lana Wachowski write and direct a tale of an innocent learning that life isn’t quite what they think. Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is a house cleaner unhappy with her lot yet unprepared for her destiny, particularly when a medical procedure for cash is interrupted by an attack by otherworldly creatures. Ex-military fighter and human-wolf hybrid Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) saves the day but also delivers strange news. It seems Jupiter is the key to a family feud over property and resources between wealthy, greedy, wannabe-immortal alien beings, courtesy of genetic reincarnation. That can’t be good. If the narrative sounds a bit messy, that’s because it is. Storytelling is far from Jupiter Ascending’s strong point, despite relying upon staple themes and familiar plot points. Though they remain masters of their own universe, the Wachowskis aren’t afraid to nod to other movies and classic tales, mashing up The Fifth Element, Star Wars, Dune, Brazil, Cinderella and more. It’s an awkward mix of imitation and originality, and it shows. The filmmakers certainly don’t take the most direct route in making everything plain, either, clearly relishing the chance to spend as much time in their brightly coloured realm as possible. In keeping with their back catalogue, they throw everything they can into Jupiter Ascending: bees that can detect royalty, an extended bureaucracy gag, an over-the-top wedding and an unrelated — but no less goofy — romance included. Narrative coherence be damned. Of course, part of the joy of watching a Wachowski-made movie comes from seeing them run with their particular brand of indulgent, existential fantasy on a grand scale, which they do here with aplomb. Marvelling at the scenery and the style is a given, and while spectacular special effects-driven sights, chaotic choreography and more than a few frenetic flights and fights can’t patch over the clumsiness of the story, they certainly help. Luckily, the cast knows exactly what kind of film they are in, and play their parts perfectly in tone, if not polish. Content to drift around a space soap opera, Eddie Redmayne is worlds away from Oscar nominations, but he’s clearly having fun as the pouting, sneering bad guy. Tatum does his usual beefy, brooding but slightly comic thing (sometimes without his shirt off), and though Kunis has to play it blank and straight in contrast, her transformation from doe-eyed to determined works. Even a stern-faced Sean Bean looks like he’s having a good time — and if you’ve seen how his film and TV appearances tend to turn out, you’ll know that’s rare. Perhaps, just like the audience should be, he’s just happy going with the Wachowskis' sometimes silly, always fascinating flow.
The year is 2017, and sadly, Back to the Future lied to us — time travel has not yet become a reality. Thankfully, nostalgia is such a dominant force that sometimes, it's almost like we can head back several decades whenever we like. Between remakes, reboots, long-awaited sequels, reviving TV shows from the dead, reunion tours, tribute nights and wheeling out artists long past their heyday, it's a great time to live in the past. Come February 24, a very specific step back in time is coming Brisbane's way for one evening only at the Brisbane '90s Club Reunion. In case you were wondering, yes, it's an event celebrating the hangouts and the talent that made hitting the club so fun in the period that gave us plenty to remember. Don't worry if you weren't around to enjoy it the first time — this is an event for everyone that lived through it, and everyone that wishes they did. Anyone looking to extend the blast from the past can also hop onboard the pre-party boat cruise, or have a warm up drink or two on land at '90s prices.
Aiming to evoke the feeling of carefree summer nights and overseas adventures, The Terrace by E'cco is the latest offering from Philip Johnson and Mary Randles — sibling and next door neighbour to the acclaimed E'cco Bistro. The all-weather al fresco space is set to be a go-to for casual, Southeast Asian share feasts, cocktail-matched snack sessions and plenty in between. On the menu, you'll find plates such as steamed BBQ pork buns ($8 for two), coconut-infused massaman beef curry ($28), pork san choy bow ($16) and a green papaya salad laced with mint and nahm jim ($9). Choose your own pan-Asian grazing adventure, or put yourself in expert hands with one of two affordable 'feed me' chef's selections ($40 and $55). Meanwhile, the bar's showing off strong tropical leanings of its own, with upbeat signature cocktails like the Sleeping Tiger ($20)— a blend of vodka, elderflower, bitters, mandarin and egg white — and the Beijing Bellini ($16), teaming lychee liqueur with prosecco. And, just like on holidays, you'll find plenty of excuses here to treat yourself without breaking the bank — a 4–6pm happy hour (Tuesday through Sunday) promises $1 oysters (with drink purchase), $10 cocktails and a selection of beers, ciders and spirits at just $6 a pop.
If you're a long-term fan of Veronica Mars, you can be forgiven for taking an 'I'll believe it when I see it' attitude to news of the show's resurrection. It eventually worked for the Veronica Mars movie, however, and it also seems to be working for the series' small-screen comeback, with a teaser dropping for the long-awaited fourth season. Veronica Mars initially lasted three seasons across 2004–2007, then set a crowdfunding record to get a film off the ground in 2014, and even spawned two novels and a web series spin-off after that. Now, as confirmed in September last year, an eight-episode revival is slated to hit television screens in 2019. The teenage private eye drama is getting a similar treatment to Twin Peaks — it's a revival featuring original cast members, rather than a new effort that remakes the same concept with different folks and starts all over again with its narrative. And yes, crucially, Ms Mars herself is back, with Kristen Bell resuming the role that brought her to fame. Bell is also the star of Veronica Mars' first fourth-season sneak peek, with her character sat at her desk and listing everything that's in store during spring break in her home town of Neptune — "drunks, derelicts, flashers, frat boys, sorority vomit, pickpockets, bottomless drinks and topless dancers" all included. Crucially, the teaser also delivers an important piece of information: a US air date of July 26. https://twitter.com/veronicamars/status/1116744093646905344 Hulu, the streaming platform that turned The Handmaid's Tale into the phenomenon that it is, is behind the new season. As reported by Variety last year, Veronica Mars creator and writer Rob Thomas (no, not that one) has also returned — and is executive producing and writing the first episode. Bell also executive produces alongside Diane Ruggiero-Wright and Dan Etheridge, who were both involved in the original seasons and film. The new season will see Neptune's favourite blonde-haired, pint-sized sleuth again solving mysteries in the seaside town. This time, she has been hired by the parents of a dead spring breaker to investigate a string of murders and is drawn into a power struggle between the town's wealthy elite and its working class. Familiar faces such as Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring, Ryan Hansen, Francis Capra and Max Greenfield are all returning, along with new inclusions such as Patton Oswalt, Clifton Collins Jr and Bell's The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste. There's no word yet on whether any other big names have been signed on for the show — or if any of Veronica's other ex-boyfriends will re-emerge — but, given that the original show featured appearances from Amanda Seyfried, Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat and Michael Cera, Buffy's Alyson Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter, Thor: Ragnarok's Tessa Thompson and more, you can probably expect a few familiar faces to pop up. With Hulu airing the revival, we're not sure when Veronica Mars 2.0 will be hitting Aussie and NZ TV screens — or where it'll air. Here's hoping it won't take long to head down under. We'll update you as soon as we know more.
Things are looking buoyant in southeast Queensland this spring, at least where art and leisure is concerned. A boat decked out with giant inflatable installations has been floating down the river during Brisbane Festival, a giant inflatable humanoid is peering over Portside, inflatable flowers have popped up in West End, and a multi-sensory inflatable playground has set up shop until the end of the season. Also, for two weekends, the world's largest inflatable theme park for adults is making a Brisbane comeback. Yes, the word 'inflatable' has been used a lot so far. It also applies to the next big, interactive and free installation that's set to make an appearance, this time at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast. Get ready to meet Lost Dogs Disco, the adorably named new project from Melbourne-based art studio ENESS — aka the folks behind Sky Castle and Airship Orchestra, which've been part of the aforementioned Brisbane Festival program during September. As its moniker suggests, dogs are involved in this towering inflatable work. Sixteen large-scale dog characters feature, with some measuring up to 4.6-metres tall. They'll be set up on the forecourt of HOTA's Outdoor Stage, and audiences will be able to not only walk among them, but play with them. And if you're wondering what that entails, each of the individually named dog characters will light up as you get near them thanks to proximity sensors and LED lights. They'll also unleash a soundscape that includes howls, barks and growls, as well as electronic music. If that makes your eyes light up in delight, Lost Dogs Disco forms part of HOTA's Wonder program from Friday, October 29–Sunday, November 7. You'll be able to frolic with these giant puppers from 10am–7pm Monday–Saturday and 7am–7pm on Sundays, all with the Surfers Paradise skyline as a backdrop. The Wonder lineup also includes a Gold Coast stopover for doggo theatre show Let's Be Friends Furever, as well as pooch-friendly drinks sessions with live music on Friday, October 29 and Friday, November 4. Lost Dogs Disco will be on display at HOTA, Home of the Arts, from Friday, October 29–Sunday, November 7 as part of the venue's Wonder program. Head to the HOTA website for further details.
Usually, cancer movies aren't just terrible and generic — they're insulting. Too often focusing on pretty young things succumbing slowly to the insidious disease while trying to relish their remaining time, they frequently tug at the heartstrings with shameless abandon, treating their protagonists and their plights as a mechanism to wring weepy sobs out of the audience. The Fault in Our Stars did it. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl did too, even winning awards at Sundance for dressing up its efforts with an overtly quirky, cinema-worshipping vibe. So when a film hones in on a cancer-afflicted teenager yet refuses to trot out the same old tropes and cliches in the same old ways — when it instead appreciates its protagonist as the sum of everything that makes her who she is, instead of the mere cause of everyone else's sense of loss, including viewers' — it firmly, welcomely stands out. Babyteeth is that movie, and it could never be mistaken for a standard sickness drama. As directed by Australian theatre and TV veteran-turned-feature first-timer Shannon Murphy, this lively, insightful and moving film truly sees its central figure, Milla (Little Women's Eliza Scanlen), as a person first and foremost. She isn't simply a storytelling tool used to evoke easy emotion and inspire tear-streaked faces. Nor is she a secondary figure primarily deployed to stress the extent of someone else's troubles, as many a movie that endeavours to explain away the grating behaviour of a healthy but struggling character has been known to do. Milla's flaws and difficulties aren't buffed down to a soft, saintly sheen, as has become a hallmark of illness on-screen, and her coming-of-age journey isn't presented as a bittersweet reminder that life is far too short. Rather, Babyteeth follows the passionate Sydney high schooler as she falls for 23-year-old small-time drug dealer Moses (Acute Misfortune's Toby Wallace) while her already distressed and labouring parents watch on. Milla tumbles literally at first, during the pair's meet-cute on a Sydney train platform as the instantly recognisable station announcement tone echoes through the speakers above her. While the just-evicted Moses asks for money, he's also tender and caring, even though the two have just crossed paths. And so, immediately intrigued by and smitten with this stranger who gives her more attention for just being herself than she's become accustomed to receiving, she proposes a deal: she'll give Moses $50 if he takes to her sandy, cascading hair with clippers in a pre-treatment strike, then comes back to her sprawling suburban home to have dinner with her parents. Initially introduced in a stilted psychiatry office sex scene — one that speaks to their flailing, failing quest to retain any normality they can during their daughter's illness — Milla's mother Anna (Essie Davis) and father Henry (Ben Mendelsohn) aren't thrilled with their dinner guest. He'll still become the fourth figure in their dysfunctional family as the months pass, though, as Milla relapses and undergoes chemotherapy, ex-classical pianist Anna relies upon Henry's prescription pad to help her cope, and Henry himself begins an unexpected friendship with their pregnant neighbour Toby (Emily Barclay). As adapted from Rita Kalnejais' play by the writer herself, Babyteeth strings its tale together from moments, as the film's key quartet take each minute, second and development in their lives as it comes. Some days, Moses pilfers the household's pills. On others, Milla wrestles with the supposed be-all and end-all that is her school formal. Whether sneaking out to parties and empty karaoke bars or having animated debates, they both keep butting heads with Anna and Henry, too, who both keep attempting to tread the waters of Milla's hard-earned but always-tentative grasp on happiness. From neon-hued exchanges that glow with yearning affection, to frank declarations that Milla and Moses' relationship "is complicated", Babyteeth is unmistakably built from familiar pieces — but it's how the film uses them that matters. When the pithy script has an antidepressant-addled Anna exclaim "what have you done with my daughter?!" to Milla, it also tasks the teen with giving the type of honest answer that only someone with cancer can: "I killed her". At every turn, this pattern continues, not that it ever plays as systematic, repetitive or predictable for an instant. Kalnejais' perceptive and writing combines with Murphy's keen eye for complicated emotions — and the roving, bouncing, ever-expressive visuals that enliven the film's parade of vibrant vignettes as well — to ensure that Babyteeth continually twists even the most well-worn of narrative details in their own direction. In her second role as an unwell adolescent in a row, following Little Women, Scanlen gives a vivid, assured performance beneath Milla's revolving array of naturalistic, ice-blonde and turquoise wigs — another factor that lifts Babyteeth well beyond its thematic peers. She's a ball of energy when Milla is excited, anxious, angry and rebellious, plays peaceful and resigned with the same inner force, and stomachs the ignorance and condescension of the less sympathetic with quiet pain and fortitude. Unsurprisingly given the cast, she isn't the only actor in stellar form. The wiry Wallace deservedly won the Best Young Actor award at 2019's Venice Film Festival for his thoughtful work, and Davis and Mendelsohn — the latter in straight rather than menacing mode for a change (see: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One and Robin Hood) — convey the storm of conflicted feelings whirling inside Anna and Henry. In words rarely, if ever, directed at a film about a teenager with cancer, the feature's core performers all prove raw, sensitive, astute and arresting. So does this dynamic, melancholy and memorable drama itself, and it's one of the best Aussie movies that'll hit cinemas in 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNXHJB5Mto
If you've ever sipped lamington vodka, eaten a baklava croissant or tucked into a cookie pie, you'll know that mashing up two different types of foods and/or drinks is a gift to indecisive stomachs. Sometimes your tummy just doesn't know what it's hankering for — or it does, but it wants too many things at once to make a choice. The next culinary hybrid that's certain to help the next time you can't pick between multiple options: Latina and Old El Paso's new taco-flavoured ravioli. The two supermarket staple brands have teamed up on the limited-edition dinner offering and, yes, the result is exactly what it sounds like. You'll be tucking into Latina's beef ravioli, but made with Old El Paso's taco spice mix. And if you're not that fond of zesty dishes, you'll be pleased to know that this one is mild. The new ravioli is only available in Woolworths supermarkets for a short time, for RRP$8 a packet — and if you're wondering how to serve it, the two brands suggest pairing it with beans, corn kernels and a pasta sauce, popping it in the oven with cheese on top and turning it into a pasta bake. Obviously, just cooking it like you normally would Latina's pasta, slathering it with sauce and sticking a fork in is also an option. But you won't have to decide whether your tastebuds are screaming for Italian or Mexican — because you can have both. Latina and Old El Paso's taco-flavoured ravioli is available now at Woolworths supermarkets for RRP$8 a packet.
DJ, gonna burn this goddamn beach right down — although not literally, of course. But 15,000 partygoers will be murdering the dance floor at an iconic coastal spot thanks to a headliner that's having a helluva moment right now: Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She's just been announced at the top of the bill for the 2024 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' Bondi Beach Party. In 2023, when the first WorldPride ever held in the southern hemisphere took place in Sydney, it brought with it an openair club on the sand from afternoon till evening. A massive 12,000 folks went along to dance by the water, with Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger headlining. In 2024, on Saturday, February 24, Ellis-Bextor will do the honours while everyone is rediscovering their love for 2001's 'Murder on the Dancefloor' thanks to Saltburn. It's the first of two trips Down Under for the British singer this year, as she's supporting Take That on their Australian and New Zealand tour in October and November as well. Ellis-Bextor's discography also includes vocals on Spiller's 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)', plus her own 'Get Over You' and 'Hypnotised', all of which she gave a spin on her last visit to Australia in 2022. Then, she headlined Summer Camp in Sydney and Melbourne, and also played Brisbane's Melt Festival. At Mardi Gras 2024's Bondi Beach Party, Ellis-Bextor will be joined by the previously announced Slayyyter, Jay Jay Revlon, Lagoon Femshaymer, Corey Craig, Tyoow, Mama de Leche and Beth Yen. The waterside event sits on a jam-packed festival lineup that also spans Adam Lambert, CeCe Peniston and Ultra Naté at the ten-hour, 10,000-capacity Mardi Gras Party at Hordern Pavilion. Sydney WorldPride's Ultra Violet is returning for a second year of celebrating LGBTQIA+ women; gender-diverse celebration Hot Trans Summer will take place on floating venue Glass Island; the ivy Pool Bar is back; and, from there, the list goes on and on, across 17 days, 100-plus events, and with more than 150 performers helping put on a show. Something that's sadly no longer on the bill is Fair Day, which has been cancelled for 2024 due to bonded asbestos being found in the mulch at Victoria Park. [caption id="attachment_940887" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jake Davis[/caption] Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' Bondi Beach Party 2024 Lineup Sophie Ellis-Bextor Slayyyter Jay Jay Revlon Lagoon Femshaymer Corey Craig Tyoow Mama de Leche Beth Yen [caption id="attachment_940884" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cain Cooper[/caption] [caption id="attachment_940885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gabrielle Clement[/caption] Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2024 runs from Friday, February 16–Sunday, March 3, 2024. For more information, or for tickets, head to the event's website. The 2024 Bondi Beach Party is happening from 2pm on Saturday, February 24. For more information, head to the event's website.
Australia's annual Alliance Francaise French Film Festival marked its 30th year back in 2019, and celebrated the big occasion with no troubles at all. Proving that no one loves entering their 30s, however, the event hit a few struggles when it turned 31. That happened in March 2020, when Australia started to go into lockdown. The fest was already underway, so AFFFF had to stop screening, postpone its plans, then pick things up again in July and August after cinemas started reopening. Here's hoping that 2021, the fest's 32nd year, all runs smoothly. AFFFF has 37 films on its hefty lineup this time around, and it's touring them around the country. The event will be making its usual capital city stops, so French movie fans in Brisbane can expect to spend plenty of time at Palace Barracks and Palace James Street between March 17–April 13 — and there'll also be a season playing in Byron Bay as well. As for what you'll be seeing, AFFFF will open its 2021 lineup with Eiffel, a new biopic starring Romain Duris (All the Money in the World) as the civil engineer who gave Paris' most famous attraction its name. At the other end of its program, the fest will close out with rom-com #Iamhere, which follows a French chef who falls in love via Instagram. And, in-between its two big bookending events, viewers can look forward to a heap of movies starring recognisable faces — including Monica Bellucci, Lupin's charming Omar Sy, the incomparable Isabelle Huppert and Kristin Scott Thomas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXVezkYnDL0 Highlights include The Man Who Sold His Skin, a twisty tale about a Syrian refugee, a tattoo artist and an unusual bargain; Summer of 85, the latest film from acclaimed director François Ozon; and police drama Night Shift, which dives deep into not only law enforcement, but also its handling of immigration matters. Or, there's Fahim, the Little Chess Prince, about the Bangladeshi refugee who became a national French chess champion; The Godmother, which sees Huppert tussle with the drug game; and Aline, which is inspired by the life of Céline Dion. Elsewhere, the story of France's first restaurant hits the screen via 18th-century-set period drama, Delicious; Final Set sees an ageing tennis player try to win the French Open; Miss follows a boy who'd like to enter the Miss France beauty pageant; and delightful animated feature Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary imagines Calamity Jane's early years. Fans of Deerskin filmmaker Quentin Dupieux can also check out his latest, Mandibles — and, because AFFF always shows at least one absolute classic French flick, this year it's screening Jean-Luc Godard's 1959 masterpiece Breathless.
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.
Nickel Kitchen & Bar predominantly offers up meals that will take many diners back to their childhoods, but the Fortitude Valley restaurant is also shaking things up with boozy brunches, late-night meals and something they call a 'DIY degustation'. A menu filled with homestyle dishes takes care of the first part of the equation for the Ann Street addition — think Barossa Valley chicken Kiev with garlic butter, heirloom vegetables and herb crumb (seriously, when was the last time you ate chicken Kiev?), and honey-roasted chicken paired with bacon and chive waffles. As for the latter, the details are still being finalised, but we're interested to see how a 'DIY degustation' differs from 'ordering off the menu'. Nickel is the latest venture from Nantucket Kitchen & Bar and NKB Express owners TJ and Kim Peabody, and endeavours to embody a blend of old and new across the board. Drinks-wise, that means a 250-drop wine library behind the bar boasting all the best tipples from today and times gone by, plus a hefty spirits list and a bespoke cocktail selection. Style-wise, that means anyone from the after work crowd to those keen on a boozy brunch are welcome in Nickel's art deco surroundings. Indeed, when it comes to décor, the cosy spot decks its halls with old-school fixtures, including leather booths, pressed metal and dark timber galore, and a chandelier made entirely of wine glasses. So, we're calling it: nostalgic places always try to hark back to yesteryear while giving things a forward-thinking twist, but Nickel might be the place to nail that combination.
If it seems like only yesterday that Regurgitator, Custard, Butterfingers, Resin Dogs and Screamfeeder were playing every venue around Brisbane every night, then you obviously have strong recollections of the city's 90s and 00s music scene. It was only a few months back that most of the above names teamed up to help celebrate The Zoo's 30th birthday, in fact, so your thoughts don't need to span back too far. Come March, you can also cement new memories at Units, aka what just might be the most Brisbane music festival ever. Described as "25 years of Unit in one electric stream of sound and colour", this new one-day event nabs its name from Regurgitator's 1997 album Unit, its second record and the source of synth pop-meets-alt rock bangers like '! (The Song Formerly Known As)', 'Polyester Girl' and 'I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff'. In fact, this fest is completely based around celebrating Unit's big anniversary — with more than a little help from some other huge Brisbane music names. So, that's where Custard, Butterfingers, Resin Dogs and Screamfeeder all come in, all as part of a fest that'll take over Eatons Hill Hotel's ballroom and outdoor gig space. It's a two-stage, no-clash affair, so you'll be able to see everyone on the bill. And yes, the Gurge is playing Unit in full. Dance to the band's 90s hits, with the Brissie legends also working through plenty else from their hefty catalogue — then enjoy the fellow acts that've been making Brisbane the music-filled city it is for decades. DZ Deathrays weren't releasing tunes back when Unit first released, of course, but they're also on the bill. The rest of Units' roster of talent includes Models, Flangipanis, Glitoris, Mitch, Please, The Stress of Leisure and Platonic Sex, in what's set to be a helluva day. Things don't get no better, better than you and this lineup, clearly. UNITS LINEUP: Regurgitator performing UNIT in full (and more) DZ Deathrays Custard Models Butterfingers Screamfeeder Resin Dogs Flangipanis Glitoris Mitch, Please The Stress of Leisure Platonic Sex Units takes place on Saturday, March 25 at Eatons Hill Hotel, 646 S Pine Rd, Eatons Hill — with early-bird pre sales from 9am on Thursday, February 9 and general ticket sales from 9am on Friday, February 10. Top image: Stephen Booth.
Apologies to your couch, your favourite streaming platform and that pile of old DVDs sitting on your shelves, but when it comes to watching a movie, there's nothing like seeing it on the big screen. And while heading out to the flicks is a year-round activity, it's even better when the weather's warm and outdoor cinema season is in full swing. Getting comfy on a beanbag, sipping brews and bubbles in the open air, staring up at the silver screen as the sun goes down — that's what catching a film at this time of year is all about. In fact, that's exactly what's on the agenda at Sunset Cinema, which returns to Mt Coot-tha from Thursday, February 28 to Saturday, April 13. Taking over the Botanic Gardens for a month and a half of movies under the stars, this year's season is made for cosy date nights and stress-free hangouts with your mates. And if you're wondering what to watch, here are five blockbusters to feast your eyeballs upon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZHRBfpeNg CRAZY RICH ASIANS A word of warning, movie-goers: watching Crazy Rich Asians will make you want to do two things. Firstly, you'll start craving plates upon plates of delicious Asian food. Secondly, you'll have a hankering for a Singapore getaway — so maybe invite your favourite travel buddy to come along for the show. Bringing Kevin Kwan's book of the same name to the screen, this feel-good charmer follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) when they jet to the bustling island country for a wedding that doubles as a meet-the-parents visit. It's a rom-com, a drama about being yourself, a Singaporean travelogue and a hangout flick — the latter coming courtesy of the movie's hilarious scenes between Rachel and her college bestie (a film-stealing Awkwafina). Showing: Thursday, February 28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S9c5nnDd_s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Fresh from rocking the Golden Globes, where it picked up Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody is here to rock Sunset Cinema. And if you've already seen this immensely popular Freddie Mercury biopic and had to stop yourself from singing along, you're in luck — that's on the agenda here on Saturday, March 30. The sounds of Queen will echo through the outdoor screening, charting the band's formation, its rise to fame, Mercury's private life and the group's memorable music. Just remember to stay in your seats during the fantastic Live Aid concert scenes — you'll be tempted to jump up, sing and scream, but you won't want to block the view of the fellow film fans behind you. Showing: Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dKzet0o4i0 AQUAMAN Back in 2016, the DC Comics Extended Universe pitted Batman and Superman against each other to see who'd emerge victorious; however, the film series was clearly asking the wrong question. If a battle between Justice League superheroes did arise, Aquaman would obviously come out on top. He has at the global box office, at least, with the Australian-shot blockbuster now the highest grossing flick in the franchise. It's easy to see why, with Aussie director James Wan (The Conjuring, Fast & Furious 7) helming a comic book effort that isn't afraid to be over-the-top — in its eye-popping visuals, its action both above and below the water and its use of charming star Jason Momoa. Showing: Wednesday, March 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywkF1lj5wyI A STAR IS BORN Just when you thought that Lady Gaga had done everything that she possibly could, she sheds her over-the-top persona and becomes a star — again. Playing a waitress who's thrust into stardom after a chance encounter with Bradley Cooper's booze-soaked rocker, her performance in A Star Is Born remains a revelation. It's not her first stint in front of the camera by any means, but it is her most powerful and affecting. Those two words also describe this tale of love, fame and the cost of both, which marks the fourth time a flick of this name has told this story. As for Cooper, he turns in his best work in years in front of the camera, while also stepping behind it to make his directorial debut. Be prepared to belt out Shallow with your mates for the rest of summer. Showing: Saturday, March 16 and Wednesday, April 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-j4tA8V2ac THE GREATEST SHOWMAN It's difficult to pick which makes a bigger impact in The Greatest Showman — the film's enormous all-star cast or the music they're charged with belting out. When you've got the likes of Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Michelle Williams singing up a storm in a story about entertainment entrepreneur P.T. Barnum and the spectacle he created, the answer is both. When the rousing musical originally hit cinemas back at the end of 2017, it became a monster hit and so did its soundtrack, with the latter becoming the best-selling album of 2018. And sure, you've seen it before, you bought the record and you know every single word, but have you sat under the stars and sung along, all while surrounded by fellow fans doing the same? Showing: Thursday, April 11 Sunset Cinema will take over Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens from Thursday, February 28 to Saturday, April 13. Check out the full film program and book tickets here.
Back in May 2001, Brisbanites first started hopping on the Airtrain to get to the airport. Two decades later, you can now jump on a bus as well. If you've ever flown into Melbourne and then made your way into the CBD, you'll be familiar with Sky Bus — because, unlike Brissie, the Victorian capital doesn't yet have a rail option. The company also ran a shuttle service on the Gold Coast until 2020, and currently operates in Byron Bay, Hobart and Auckland, with driving around Brisbane its latest venture. Sky Bus' bright red vehicles first hit the streets this week, on Monday, May 10, servicing both the domestic and international airports. Whether you're heading away or coming home, you can travel between the Brissie CBD and whichever airport you're jetting out of, with the service making 11 pick-up and drop-off stops along the way. If you're wondering whether to switch from the Airtrain, the route might be the deciding factor, with Sky Bus' inbound leg first stopping in Hamilton, then in Newstead, and then following Ann Street to Anzac Square in the city. After that, it ventures down Margaret Street, along Eagle Street and onto Wickham Street, finishing up near East Street. Going outbound, it simply reverses the route. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SkyBus (@skybus_aus) Times-wise, you can jump onboard between 6am–1am on weekdays and 6am–9pm on weekends. A ticket will cost you $15 one-way, regardless of where you're hopping on or getting off — for an approximately 65-minute journey from the CBD to the domestic terminal, and a 62-minute run to the international airport. Unlike the Airtrain, the Sky Bus is at the mercy of traffic, so those times could vary. For more information about Sky Bus' Brisbane service, head to the company's website. Top image: Liam Davies via Wikimedia Commons.
"We all deserve better". "Change never comes easy." "Blessed be the squad." If the latter quote didn't already give it away, they're all lines that are uttered in the first trailer for the fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale. And, as usually proves the case with the show's dialogue, they all feel like they could be said today, in reality, in everyday life. Using a deeply dystopian scenario to reflect the modern world has always been one of the acclaimed, award-winning series' strengths. It was true of Margaret Atwood's 1985 book that started it all, too. So, with the TV adaptation of the acclaimed novel now reaching its fourth season, it's no wonder that it's continuing what it has always done best — and that the first glimpse of the new season feels even more timely at present. First, some bad news, though: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Handmaid's Tale won't return to our screens in 2020. Instead, viewers will have to wait until a yet-to-be-revealed date in 2021 to find out what happens next in Gilead (no, not the masterplanned Sydney community with the same name), and what the future has in store for the show's protagonist, June (Elisabeth Moss) after season three's cliffhanger ending. The good news, of course, is that this tale of rebellion and revolution isn't anywhere near done yet. Toppling a totalitarian society that's taken over the former United States, tearing down its oppression of women under the guise of 'traditional values', and fighting for freedom and equality doesn't happen quickly, after all. The first sneak peek of the ten-episode fourth season doesn't reveal too much; however fans should prepare for not just an uprising, but a war — and for the return of Bradley Whitford's Commander Joseph Lawrence and Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia, too. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WLqBUi4r6o The fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale will hit screens sometime in 2021 — we'll update you with further details when they're announced.
What's the deal with trivia nights based on pop culture commodities? They're awesome, that's what — and they're here to stay. This week, it's Seinfeld's turn. The show about nothing has inspired an evening about everything that made its nine-season, 180-episode run so great. Round by round, the fun unravels at the Flying Cock, in what marks their first large-scale trivia night. Think of it as Festivus coming early for those who think they know every conceivable detail about the hit '90s sitcom — and about Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine. The gang at Man vs Bear trivia will put your affection to the test, potentially covering everything from soup to sponges, puffy shirts to Pez dispensers, and even the parade of famous faces that played Jerry's girlfriends. Yada, yada, yada — you get the picture. Of course, the bar will also be serving their usual array of drinks, in case those pretzels make you thirsty.
Summer's well and truly kicked into gear, and we've been busy making the most of it with catch-ups with mates, family dinners and backyard barbies with the crew. But not all summer hangs are created equal. First, the set-up needs to suit the occasion, whether that's on an airy rooftop for sundowners or comfy garden seats for your crew to chill out on while basking in sunshine. What you're drinking is also key — and you can't go run with gin in the warmer months. And, if you're hosting an at-home do, you need the quintessential Aussie tool: a barbecue. To help take the fuss out of summer events (which should always be laidback), we've teamed up with UK distillery Whitley Neill Gin to bring you everything you need for lazy days in the sun. One lucky winner in Australia will score four bottles of Whitley Neill gin — namely, two bottles of its Original London Dry and one bottle of both its raspberry and blood orange-flavoured gins. To serve up your summery sips, you'll also score a Whitley Neill Gin carafe and four balloon glasses. And because every backyard event needs a barbie, we're also throwing in a Weber Family Q barbecue. Whether you've been meaning to get one since you moved house or need to upgrade, this top-quality grill is a big drawcard. Finally, to deck out your garden, courtyard or balcony, the prize pack comes with four branded deck chairs, too. Keen to win this epic prize? Enter your details below to go in the running. [competition]837183[/competition]
When Flee won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, it collected its first accolade. The wrenchingly affecting animated documentary hasn't stopped notching up deserving acclaim since. A spate of other gongs have come its way, in fact, including a history-making trifecta of nominations for Best International Feature, Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars, becoming the first picture to ever earn nods in all three categories at once. Mere minutes into watching, it's easy to glean why this moving and compassionate movie keeps garnering awards and attention. Pairing animation with factual storytelling is still rare enough that it stands out, but that blend alone isn't what makes Flee special. Writer/director Jonas Poher Rasmussen (What He Did) has created one of the best instances of the combination yet — a feature that could only have the impact it does by spilling its contents in such a way, like Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir before it — however, it's the tale he shares and the care with which he tells it that makes this something unshakeably exceptional. Rasmussen's subject is Amin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee using a pseudonym. As his story fills Flee's frames, it's also plain to see why it can only be told through animation. Indeed, the film doesn't cover an easy plight — or a unique one, sadly — but Rasmussen renders every detail not just with eye-catching imagery, but with visuals that flow with empathy at every moment. The filmmaker's protagonist is a friend of his and has been for decades, and yet no one, not even the director himself, had ever previously heard him step through the events that the movie chronicles. Amin is now in his 40s, but he was once a kid in war-torn Kabul, then a teenager seeking asylum in Copenhagen. His life to-date has cast him in other roles in other countries, too, on his journey to house-hunting with his boyfriend as he chats through the ups and downs for his pal. That path — via Russia and Sweden — is one of struggle and acceptance. It's a chronicle of displacement, losing one's foundations and searching for a space to be free. It's also an account of identities fractured and formed anew, and of grasping hold of one's culture and sexuality as well. Flee explores how global events and battling ideologies have a very real and tangible impact on those caught in their midst, a truth that the feature's hand-drawn look underscores at every turn. And, it's about trying to work out who you are when the building blocks of your life are so tenuous, and when being cast adrift from your family and traditions is your status quo. It's also an intimate portrait of how a past that's so intertwined with international politics, and with the Afghan civil war between US-backed rebels and the nation's Soviet-armed government, keeps leaving ripples. Plus, Flee examines how someone in its complicated situation endures without having a firm sense of home, including when acknowledging he's gay after growing up in a place where that wasn't even an option. Clearly, Flee is many vivid, touching, devastating things, and it finds an immense wealth of power in its expressive and humanistic approach. There's a hyperreality to the film's animation, honing in on precisely the specifics it needs to within each image and discarding anything superfluous. When a poster for Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport can be spied on Amin's 80s-era Kabul bedroom, for instance, Rasmussen draws viewers' eyes there with exacting purpose. There's impressionistic flair to Flee's adaptive style as well, with the movie firmly concerned with selecting the best way to visually represent how each remembered instance felt to Amin. A scene set to A-ha's 'Take on Me' presents a fantastic example, especially given that the Norwegian group's pop hit is famed for its animated music video — something that Rasmussen happily toys with. Flee uses its music cues bewitchingly well across its entire duration. The sounds of Swedish duo Roxette are never unwelcome echoing from screens large and small, as everything from Pretty Woman and Long Shot to Euphoria have capitalised upon, and the use of 'Joyride' during a plane trip is a sublime masterclass in emotional juxtaposition. And, when the movie lays bare its most stunning sequence in a club where Amin wholeheartedly embraces his sexuality, it's immaculately soundtracked to Daft Punk's 'Veridis Quo'. Flee isn't the first feature to lean on that particularly enchanting song to such strong effect, after Eden did as well, but the tune's use here is nothing short of divine. Of course, any movie can whip up a killer soundtrack, but it's how these songs are deployed to so perfectly encapsulate exact slices of Amin's life that's repeatedly phenomenal. We all listen to music to help us process the world, and our traumas. We're all drawn to images to aid in doing the same, and we each have recollections of life-changing events that are tied to pop culture — the songs we heard, the movies we loved and the like. Flee is as skilful as films come at conveying this sensation, which is a coming-of-age staple. Yes, that's another genre that this animated documentary biography, which boasts actors Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) among its executive producers, also slots into commandingly. How astoundingly it achieves everything it sets its mind to is breathtaking, especially the feat that it its number-one aim: giving Amin's plight the attention, justice, respect and room to resound that it deserves, all while making it clear that this is just one of countless refugee stories with similar complexity. Evocative from its first glimpses to its last (including when it weaves in IRL footage from news clips and protests), Flee overflows with individual successes, be it scenes that glow with potency, animation choices that express a world of feeling, pitch-perfect needle drops or the pure details of Amin's life. Every description they earn applies to each second of this poignant and shattering feature, too, which manages something truly extraordinary overall. To peer into Amin's eyes, as painted here with nothing but lines, shapes, colours and pixels, is to feel like you're staring deeply at the flesh-and-blood Amin. Flee takes us home to him, while mirroring the reality that home has been a constantly shifting concept for its subject, and for everyone else who has shared even part of his journey. No wonder this film proves so innovative, sincere, heartbreaking, harrowing and poetic in tandem, and also simply astonishing.
With social-distancing rules firmly in place, autumn babies have copped a raw deal this year. With venues are closed and group hangs are off-limits, the classic birthday party has been scrapped until further notice. But there's nothing like some forced isolation to stir up a bit of creativity and inspire fun new ways to celebrate another turn around the sun — even at a government-approved distance. While the best birthday present would be a one-way ticket back to normal life — of course — we've found a few pandemic-friendly alternatives that should help cheer up the b-day boy or gal. From drag bingo nights to virtual drinking sessions with all the trimmings, here are the best ways to celebrate a mate's birthday, isolation-style. THE HOME-DELIVERED BIRTHDAY CAKE [caption id="attachment_768155" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Attica's Celebration Cake[/caption] A birthday just ain't a birthday without a belly full of cake and luckily, that's one thing that's still on the menu, even in isolation. Spread some love by getting a decadent dessert delivered straight to your mate's door. In Melbourne, even one of Australia's top restaurants is turning its talents to the cake game, promising to infuse any birthday do with fine-dining flair. Attica's Ben Shewry is whipping up a limited-edition, double-decker vanilla Celebration Cake, filled with white chocolate ganache and topped with a whipped yoghurt cream. There are just a handful being baked fresh each day — order via the website for delivery to a range of Melbourne suburbs. When the mood calls for something a little bit flash, try Sydney's Koi Dessert Bar. The renowned sweets spot by MasterChef dessert king Reynold Poernomo is hand delivering a whole menu of crafty celebration cakes, from a green tea and rose number to the signature Nomtella — a fusion of espresso mousse, salted caramel and rich brownie. And famed cake shop Passiontree Velvet has a lineup of special occasion cakes and mini cakes that simply ooze birthday cheer. Offering weekday delivery options for Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sydney, it's serving festive creations ranging from a classic red velvet sponge to the Italian-inspired Tiramisu Bliss. THE VIRTUAL ART CLASS [caption id="attachment_767056" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cork & Canvas[/caption] Feeling inspired? Why not gather the crew for a creativity jam session, in the form of a boozy virtual painting class? Plenty of Aussie studios have taken their drinks-matched art classes online, creating a primo birthday situation for any creative souls out there. The long-running Cork & Canvas is one venue that's made the shift, now offering a calendar full of guided online painting classes. You can join in one of the upcoming live streams for $20 per person, or pay $25 to enjoy a session on-demand. They can even set you up with all your canvases, paints and brushes, with handy home-delivered Creativity Kits starting from $65. Meanwhile, Cork & Chroma is live-streaming its Zoom painting sessions almost daily, which you can enjoy from the comfort of home for just $20. The class details list which materials you'll need, though the studio's also got a range of art supply kits it can send to your door. Just pick a date, grab tickets as a group and stock up on wine, and you're all set for a birthday art party. THE AT-HOME BIRTHDAY DRINKS [caption id="attachment_694104" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cocktail Porter[/caption] Going out for 'birthday drinks' is off the cards for now, but that needn't mean going thirsty. Plenty of local bars and drinks slingers are now happily delivering celebratory libations straight to your door. In Melbourne, renowned dive bar Heartbreaker has reinvented itself as an online bottle shop and booze delivery service, running drinks along with food from on-site pizza kitchen Connie's. You'll find a range of combination party packs, as well as chilled, ready-to-quaff bottled cocktails from sibling The Everleigh. Online drinks service Cocktail Porter is proving to be an isolation saviour, turning home bars across the country from drab to fab with its DIY cocktail kits. Each one comes stocked with all the ingredients you need to create multiple serves of a classic concoction, from the negroni to a cloudy apple spritz. And Sydney's Prince of York is taking care of all the hard work, with its new Party @ Home packs. A selection of meal kits, one-litre cocktail batches and exclusive DJ mixes from Moonshine Music, sent straight to your house. Place an order, round up the friends via video chat and you've got yourself a virtual group sipping session. THE PLANT BABY DELIVERY [caption id="attachment_746647" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Jungle Collective[/caption] Nothing brightens up a birthday quite like a present that's lush, green and living — especially if it's housed in a pretty pot and dropped at your front door. And if you are looking to gift a new plant baby to a mate in isolation, there's a stack of Aussie companies that'll have you spoilt for choice. The crew behind those much-loved roaming pop-up plant sales, Jungle Collective now has a nifty online space to sling its gorgeous greenery. The team's launched a series of virtual plant sales, available to various cities on select dates across the next few months. You'll find a sprawling selection of plants to browse and buy online, with delivery usually available within 25 kilometres of your local CBD. Brisbane plant-lovers will find a huge edit of green gifts over at Pot Me Pretty's online store, ranging from cute terrariums, to indoor plants housed in charming ceramic pots. There's even a choice of add-ons, if you fancy a luxury candle or bottle of prosecco to round out your present. The company's doing weekday drop-offs to suburbs right across the city, with next-day delivery from $12.95. THE VIRTUAL DRAG BINGO NIGHT [caption id="attachment_768186" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr/Sara[/caption] If anyone knows how to inject some colour and spirit into that lockdown celebration, it's the drag queens of Australia. And luckily for your birthday crew, a bunch of them are now hosting online appearances, streaming live and loud to your respective living rooms. Gather your mates virtually and dial up the mood with a drag bingo night, courtesy of Melbourne bar Pride of Our Footscray. The venue's new Self Bingolation series streams online from 7.30pm Wednesdays, hosted by the power duo of Aurora and Archie Arsenic. Tickets are $9, which gets you a front row seat to a hilarious night of comedy, drag and prizes. Or, you can make a date with one of the new regular online drag bingo sessions helmed by Sydney starlet Prada Clutch. Sign up to play for $10 and they'll email you a printable bingo card, along with access to the video chat. Then, all you need to do is crack open a bottle of wine and don something fabulous — there's weekly prizes for the best dressed players. THE AT-HOME DANCE PARTY [caption id="attachment_760387" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hot Dub Time Machine by Pat Stevenson[/caption] The clubs might be closed, but your living room dance floor is open and ready for business. Tee up a Zoom or House Party session with the gang, to enjoy an at-home, virtual dance party guided by some of your favourite DJs and venues. The legendary party masters behind Poof Doof have headed online to unleash a series of live-streamed Saturday night sets, guaranteed to get you moving. Time-travelling dance party Hot Dub Time Machine is also serving up some hard-hitting Saturday feels, taking audience requests for its weekly Facebook Live DJ sessions. Melbourne club OneSixOne is answering your cravings with a huge four-hour, DJ-fuelled live stream every Friday and Saturday night. And if you're after a bit of midweek d-floor action, No Lights No Lyrca's Aussie collectives are now heading up regular Zoom dance parties, in place of their usual IRL sessions. Turn up the speakers and bust out some carefree moves, every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. THE ONLINE KARAOKE PARTY There's no room for birthday blues when you're belting out some bangers with your besties. Even if that sing-along session's happening over the internet, instead of in person. Video chat platforms like Zoom and House Party have become social go-tos in this strange age of isolation, but they also happen to be perfect for hosting rousing virtual karaoke parties. Set a date, invite the crew and start working on your best lung-busting material. Themes and dress-ups are definitely encouraged, and if you're stuck for ideas, you'll find plenty of online karaoke catalogues to browse and inspire. Keen for something more large-scale? Some genius recently created a 24-hour online karaoke party dubbed Karaoke Camp, where you can belt out tunes with up to 100 random people simultaneously.
When the Queensland Symphony Orchestra turned 75 in 2022, it put on a huge free concert to celebrate, taking over QPAC's Concert Hall for an evening. It doesn't have a milestone birthday to mark in 2023, but it is hosting another free gig anyway — this time outdoors as part of a new annual tradition. Taking place at Roma Street Parklands, Queensland Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Under the Stars will enjoy its debut hour-long outing on Saturday, March 25, in what's set to launch a yearly show. "Queensland Symphony Orchestra is a wonderful cultural asset of this state and, importantly, it is accessible. We belong to all Queenslanders, and we are thrilled to be able to share the gift of music through this live, free outdoor event," said QSO Chief Executive Yarmila Alfonzetti, announcing the gig. "This is the beginning of what will be an annual outdoor orchestral concert, and we invite you, your family and your friends to enjoy." During its lengthy run, QSO has played many things, of course — including all of the classical greats, beloved film scores live as the movies screen, tunes for sweeping operas and teaming up with musicians well outside the classical realm. That longevity and adaptability is something worth not just celebrating, but continuing. While Roma Street Parklands show will stick with classical faves, it will still showcase plenty of variety. Attendees will hear 'Fanfare for the Common Man' by Copland to begin, followed by Tower's 'Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'. Also on the list Dvořák's 'Carnival Overture', Delius' 'Summer Evening', Dohnányi's 'Symphonic Minutes', Tchaikovsky's 'Capriccio Italien' and Glinka's 'Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila'. Given how popular last year's 75th-birthday show was, expect the maiden Symphony Under the Stars to prove the same. Although attendance is free, registration from 9am on Sunday, February 26 via the QSO website is recommended. Bringing picnic baskets is encouraged, too, and there'll be food options available onsite. If you're wondering about the history of the QSO, it made its debut on March 26, 1947, with 45 members playing to a crowd of 2500 people at Brisbane City Hall. It now boasts 74 musicians, and is the state's largest performing arts organisation. Queensland Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Under the Stars will take place from 6.30pm on Saturday, March 25 at Roma Street Parklands. Entry is free but registration from 9am on Sunday, February 26 via the QSO website is recommended. Images: Peter Wallis.
What's a Brisbanite to do when they want to go slipping and sliding in a big way? Head to Wet 'n' Wild on the coast? Fashion their own in the backyard? Trek further down south? With previous attempts to bring this type of giant, watery, inflatable attraction to town falling short, they've been the options so far. That was before Slideapalooza was born. Part fundraising effort to raise cash for cancer organisation Tour de Cure, part excuse for everyone in the city to unleash their inner child, the slip 'n' slide to end all slip 'n' slides is due to roll out its plastic on November 18 and 19. Other particulars — where and how much, specifically — haven't yet been announced, but keen parties can register their interest to find out more when the details drop. At 400-metres-long, Slideapaloooza's website claims its slide is largest of its type in the world. However, a quick Google shows that the current Guinness World Record is held by this waterslide in New Jersey at 600 metres. So not quite the longest on Earth — but it's probably the longest in Australia. Brisbane will be the second place in Australia to experience sliding after the Hunter Valley became the first last weekend. The event's website also lists Canberra, Townsville, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and the Gold Coast as future locations. Slideapalooza is due in Brisbane on November 18 and 19. For more information, keep an eye on the event Facebook page and website.
Imagine a room filled with pinot noir, with red drops after red drops from wineries around the country poured for your sipping pleasure for hours. If that's your preferred type of vino, it likely sounds like your idea of boozy heaven. There's no need to just dream up the concept, however. Thanks to Pinot Palooza, it already exists, has been doing the rounds in Australia for more than a decade, and has locked in its return for 2024. A guiding principle here: that being spoilt for choice can be overrated when it comes to deciding which wine varieties you feel like at any given moment. So, let this event do the picking for you. Pinot Palooza celebrates exactly the type of vino that's in its name, and makes the sound of a light- to medium-bodied red wine sloshing around a glass its standard soundtrack, including in Brisbane in spring. Expect to hear that noise a whole heap — before the pandemic, the Melbourne-born wine-tasting festival had notched up an estimated 65,000 tickets sold globally. In 2024, Pinot Palooza is hitting up the Exhibition Building at Brisbane Showgrounds for a two-day stint across Friday, November 15–Saturday, November 16. The Pinot Palooza team has also revealed that up to 100 wineries will be taking part in 2024, up from more than 50 winemakers last year, and surveying everything from organic and vegan to biodynamic and low-intervention drops. The full list of producers hasn't been unveiled, but Tasmania's Meadowbank, Oakdene from Geelong, Murdoch Hill and Vinteloper from the Adelaide Hills and New South Wales' M&J Becker are among the names that'll be involved from Australia. New Zealand tipples will be showcased by Two Paddocks, Burn Cottage, Mt Difficulty, Te Whare Ra, Greystone and others. As always, attendees will spend their session swirling and sampling that huge array of pinot noir, and making the most of up pop-up bars and food stalls between drinks. In Brisbane, though, a cheesy time also awaits. While dairy fest Mould has already taken place in the River City in 2024, it's teaming up with Pinot Palooza in October to give the Queensland capital a hybrid Pinot Palooza x Mould fest.
Four months after it first hit Australian cinemas, Bohemian Rhapsody is still showing on the big screen — and on DVD, pay television and on planes too. Basically, it's everywhere, with the Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic proving an enormous success. It's nominated for five Oscars, and it has rocketed up the Australian all-time box office charts, currently sitting in sixth place just shy of Titanic, and only behind Avatar, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi otherwise. Clearly filmgoers love seeing the origin stories of iconic musicians played out on screen, a trend that Rocketman looks set to continue. This time around, Elton John gets the movie treatment, with Kingsman's Taron Egerton stepping into his winged shoes, oversized glasses and over-the-top outfits to relive the singer's early years. Egerton both stars and sings all of the expected tunes in the Dexter Fletcher-directed movie, which also features Jamie Bell as Elton's lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as his first manager John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as his mother. And John himself is one of the executive producers, so expect this tale of 70s excess to be of the officially sanctioned variety. The film's timing couldn't be better, with the muso himself set to play a slate of Australian gigs late in 2019 through until early 2020, all as part of his huge worldwide farewell tour. If you think it's gonna be a long, long time until then, check out Rocketman's latest trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTm5DWgL-MU&feature=youtu.be Rocketman opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 30. Image: David Appleby / © 2018 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
If you liked choosing your way through Black Mirror: Bandersnatch — or telling Bear Grylls what to do in interactive series You vs. Wild — then Netflix has more where that came from. Come Tuesday, May 12, you'll be able to decide what happens to everyone's favourite kidnapping victim turned wide-eyed New Yorker in a one-off Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt special. While the Tina Fey co-created, 18-time Emmy-nominated comedy finished up its regular run with 2019's batch of episodes, which closed out the show's fourth season, it's coming back this year to put viewers in control. Netflix has actually been in the interactive game for a couple of years thanks to its children's shows like Puss in Boots, Buddy Thunderstruck and Stretch Armstrong; however this'll mark the streamer's first interactive comedy. Always wanted to curb Kimmy's (Ellie Kemper) ample enthusiasm? Keen to steer ex-socialite Jacqueline White (Jane Krakowski) towards a few sensible decisions? Think that landlord Lillian (Carol Kane) could be more eccentric and misanthropic? Just love everything that aspiring actor and singer Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) does? Then this is for you, obviously. If you're fond of Jon Hamm's Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, too, you're also in luck — this interactive episode is called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, after all. A whole heap of other famous faces co-star as well, including Daniel Radcliffe, Amy Sedaris, Fred Armisen, Chris Parnell, Jack McBrayer and Johnny Knoxville. Story-wise, few details have been announced, other than a wedding, a journey across three US states, explosions, an evil plan and potentially starting a war against robots. Announcing the special last year, Tina Fey explained that "fans will be able to make choices on behalf of our characters, taking different story paths with, of course, different jokes," in a Netflix statement. Check out a sneak peak below: https://twitter.com/KimmySchmidt/status/1250446252786847745 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend will hit Netflix on Tuesday, May 12. Image: Netflix.
Sometimes, you're eager to spend your spare hours binging your way through serious dramas. At other times, only clever comedies will do. But, there also comes a time when you just want to feel nostalgic — including by revisiting the local TV show that absolutely every Aussie kid watched in the 90s and 00s, and more than once. For two seasons between 1990–93, then another two from 2000–01, Round the Twist adapted Paul Jennings' popular books into an offbeat fantasy series. If you were the right age, it was must-see TV. It's the source of plenty of lighthouse obsessions, given that's where the Twist family lived. And, it's also a show that knew how to balance humour, strangeness and scares. All four seasons of the show are headed to Netflix, so you'll be able to binge your way through them from Saturday, May 1. They're also currently available on Amazon Prime Video, because that's what tends to happen with older TV programs on streaming these days — one day, they're on one platform; the next, they're elsewhere. Yes, the latter two seasons of Round the Twist really aren't as great as the first two, but we're betting they're still baked into your childhood memories anyway. And, we're certain that you'll now have the show's theme tune stuck in your head for at least the rest of the day, likely until the series hits Netflix over a week away, and probably for plenty of time afterwards as well. Check out the trailer for Round the Twist's first season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjuXTD0m9Lc All four seasons of Round the Twist will be available to stream via Netflix from Saturday, May 1. Top image: Round the Twist filming location Split Point lighthouse, Natalie Maguire via Wikimedia Commons.
Ah, gluten. Scourge of coeliacs, this humble wheat protein has been making life difficult for as long as we've been eating sliced bread. But fortunately for all the folks out there with gluten intolerances, VEND Marketplace in Virginia will be a gluten-free zone for two days. Running from 8am–2pm on both Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19, this Gluten-Free Festival will feature a couple of dozen mobile food vendors setting up their stalls and rolling in their trucks to sling tasty treats without a single bit of wheat, rye or barley in sight. SoCal Tacos, The Dagwood Dog Guy, King of the Wings and Big J Woodfired Pizza are but a few of the eateries who'll make an appearance, alongside OMG Donuts, Roll It Ice Cream, Golden Churros and Mama Mac's Macarons — and others. There'll also be a number of stalls selling a variety of gluten-free products to take home, so you can stock your pantry as well. The dog-friendly event will let you take advantage of VEND's usual 130-plus small businesses, too, for a stint of shopping with your gluten-free eats. Entry is free, but reserving a spot online is recommended.
This little Norman Park nook might be a newbie to the Wynnum Road coffee scene, opening its doors in October 2017, but Clancy's Espresso is off to an impressive start. The slick, Scandi-inspired interior is dotted with sweet succulents, stone benchtops and a mean green coffee machine. In between the enamel cups and fiddle-leaf plants you'll find plenty of Brisbane's favourite local producers, including Hrvst St cold pressed juices and loose leaf tea from West End Tea Co. Coffee is supplied by Sydney stalwart Single O. There are dashes of American influence, too — think bagels, pretzels and a subway-tiled backsplash. As well as being able to make a stellar cup of coffee, barista and co-owner Clancy Sonter-Kelso clearly loves a good pun. We challenge you to get through the menu (featuring items such as the "Chicken Out The Goods" and "Reuben Me The Wrong Way") without a solid chuckle. Dad jokes aside, this cosy corner has blitzed through its first month. By popular demand, the opening hours have already been extended, and a full breakfast menu is in the works. As an added bonus, Clancy's Espresso has also had the brilliance to add dog hooks out the front (hooks that you can easily attach your dog lead to while you run inside to grab a coffee) — perfect for some puppy perving.
By now, the fact that almost every beloved TV show arises from the dead at some point is hardly new news. From Gossip Girl and Saved By the Bell to Twin Peaks and the upcoming Sex and the City small-screen sequel series, plenty of programs have been doing it. The next former hit set to make a comeback: Dexter. Yes, that means that television's mild-mannered blood-splatter expert by day, serial killer by night is returning — so if you didn't like how the original series wrapped up back in 2013, that's no longer the end of Dexter Morgan's (Michael C Hall, Shadowplay) story. Eight years have passed when Dexter: New Blood kicks off, just as they have for audiences. As the just-dropped first trailer for the revival demonstrates, Dexter is now living a quiet life in the small town of Iron Lake, New York, and trying to forgo his murderous urges. He's also going by the name Jim Lindsay, which nods to author Jeff Lindsay, who penned the series of novels the show was initially based on. But, as fans saw again and again in Dexter's original eight-season run, resisting picking up a knife isn't all that easy for the program's protagonist. In fact, the trailer features plenty of blades — and all within its namesake's vicinity. In the sneak peek — the first look we've been given of the upcoming ten-episode limited series — Dexter finds his old ways calling after his new hometown is rocked by unexpected events. US network Showtime, which'll air the series in the US, obviously wants to keep the bulk of the plot up its sleeves for now; however, Julia Jones (The Mandalorian), Alano Miller (Sylvie's Love), Johnny Sequoyah (Believe), Jack Alcott (The Good Lord Bird) and Clancy Brown (Promising Young Woman) are all joining the cast. And, Jennifer Carpenter (Dragged Across Concrete) is set to return as Dexter's sister Debra, as is John Lithgow (Perry Mason) as the Trinity Killer — presumably in flashbacks, given the characters' fates in the OG series. Australian viewers will be able to check out Dexter: New Blood via new streaming platform Paramount+, which launches locally on Wednesday, August 11. The new show itself doesn't start airing in the US until Sunday, November 7, and just when it'll hit Down Under hasn't been announced — but fingers crossed that it'll be around the same time. Check out the Dexter: New Blood trailer below: Dexter: New Blood is set to stream in Australia via new streaming platform Paramount+, which will launch on Wednesday, August 11. The new series will start airing in the US from Sunday, November 7; however, an exact stream date for Australia hasn't been announced as yet — we'll update you when it is.
After the work-week marathon, holing up at home all weekend can be mighty tempting, especially in 2020. And while technology has gifted us with the amazing ability to get both food and entertainment without changing out of our PJs, you might still feel like sunshine and socialising. So, swap the hermit life for an outside hangout. The Sound Society is an initiative that fills Roma Street Parkland with music once a month — and, now, it's hosting biweekly jam sessions in South Bank Parklands. If ending the work week with smooth live tunes or kicking back in the sun on a Saturday is your style, meander down to River Quay from 4–6pm on Fridays and Rainforest Green from 2–5pm on Saturdays — picnic blanket in hand. Of course, you can BYO picnic and, if you're heading to the River Quay gig, you can even BYO booze. The lineup is eclectic, showcasing different local artists covering genres from jazz to acoustic pop. The Sound Society takes place at South Bank Parklands' River Quay from 4–6pm on Fridays and Rainforest Green from 2–5pm on Saturdays.
UPDATE, April 21, 2021: A Simple Favour is available to stream via Netflix, Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. A Simple Favour is an unashamed delight: a deliciously twisty mystery with the zest and kick of a strong gin martini (and the visible gloss and sparkle of one too). Based on Darcey Bell's 2017 novel of the same name, the film slings its thrills with an upbeat vibe from director Paul Feig, dynamic performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, plus a knowing but never mocking tone. It's the fun, fierce movie that Gone Girl might've become had it been vastly more playful, and boasts the flair that The Girl on the Train desperately needed. That's not a criticism of the former film, although it definitely is about the latter. If there's one thing that A Simple Favour knows above all else, it's how to turn a pulpy airplane read into an irresistible big-screen experience. Kendrick plays the widowed Stephanie, a perky, perennially helpful mum who lives for her young son. From overzealously signing up for every school activity that she can, to dispensing mothering tips on her vlog, she's a maternal wind-up bunny, to the point of ridicule by other parents (including Andrew Rannells as a snarky, scene-stealing dad). No one, including Stephanie, would've expected fashion executive Emily (Lively) to pay her any attention. The duo only start spending afternoons together downing cocktails and listening to jazzy French pop because their kids beg for a playdate. It's a chalk and cheese relationship, with Stephanie awed by her new pal's glamorous home, life and husband (Henry Golding), while Emily maintains an air of aloof, self-involved intrigue. Then Emily asks Stephanie to do her a simple favour, and nothing is ever simple again. One of Stephanie's video blogs kickstarts A Simple Favour, instantly revealing that Emily has disappeared. That's the film's basic premise — and when the movie fills in the gaps via flashback, it sets up one of its recurring motifs. As this sleuthing story slinks and snakes along a trail of gloriously unhinged developments, the truth proves slippery. Any good thriller involves duplicity, and all notable detective tales have their fair share of zigzags. Feig frequently serves up both while simultaneously fracturing the flimsy facade of suburban bliss, letting his characters spin their stories as his images expose the reality behind them. It's a technique that the filmmaker has cause to use often, and it adds to an enjoyably devilish atmosphere. Indeed, the director of Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy and Ghostbusters might be in less overtly jokey territory than usual, but Feig's trademarks are all still on show. His latest female-focused flick throws women into a realm often populated by men, yet firmly retains its own personality. As the movie charts a knotty whodunnit narrative, it also follows its protagonists as they realise just what they're really capable of — be it nice or nasty. Furthermore, A Simple Favour brandishes a cutting, subversive sense of humour, while ensuring that viewers are always laughing with rather than at his on-screen ladies. Even when Kendrick is at her peppiest, and Lively at her most gleefully cunning, siding with the two is consistently on the cards. Whatever Stephanie and Emily get up to — and this is a film with a body count, oh-so-many deep secrets and more than 50 shades of darkness — the actors behind them are flawless. Kendrick nabbed an Oscar nomination for Up in the Air almost a decade ago, and Lively ruled New York's Upper East Side for six seasons on Gossip Girl, but here they're both given roles that are intricately attuned to their individual talents. That remains true emotionally as well as physically, with Stephanie a pocket livewire who's enthusiastic, awkward but never out of her element, and Emily seductive yet savage whether she's decisively making the perfect drink or devastating everyone around her with the sharpest of dialogue. Screenwriter Jessica Sharzer is in her element, too, even if a A Simple Favour doesn't initially seem an obvious companion to 2016's tech-savvy Nerve, her previous screenplay. Both movies share a knack for finding the sweet spot between the silly and sublime as their warped plots turns themselves inside out, A Simple Favour more successfully so. Sharzer's scripts veer into ridiculousness but float above B-grade schlock, and throw winks at the audience yet never act like the whole thing is just an ironic gag — although the source material assists considerably in this case. With help from Feig, Kendrick and Lively, the end result is slick, smart, slightly sleazy and ruthlessly entertaining, and remains thoroughly committed to making viewers eat up every moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqsdrYBPjv8
Dry Gulch is the latest show from the unsettling, dark humour-loving artist Mark Shorter. In a work specifically created for Boxcopy, he'll be blocking off the space from all natural light, inviting you inside, and darting around in the dark. In a surreal and unique process, audience members will spend the time catching fleeting glimpses of Shorter and wildly trying to keep their nerves in check. Strangely enough, this isn’t a concept new to the artist — his 2012 performance Dark Contact put him in a dingy hotel room for a day-long exhibition, and we're guessing he read a lot of RL Stine as a kid. Dry Gulch revisits the complexity of the historical relationships between two entities, as the artist's body exists within the gallery during each show. Spooky right? The term 'dry gulch' itself means to sinisterly ambush, derived from the American West where outlaws would attack passer byers in dried up ravines and canyons. Think Red Redemption, Dances with Wolves, The Searchers etc. Therefore, it's safe to say this showing will be met with a bit of dry mouth and heavy sweats. Probably best to avoid it if you have a pacemaker. Dry Gulch runs from 20 to 29 November with an artist conversation and drinks on November 30 at 4pm.
As cinephiles of Melbourne well and truly know, August always marks the arrival of the Melbourne International Film Festival. That even remained the case in 2020, when the event was forced to go digital due to the pandemic. And, although the 2021 fest has had to go through a few changes itself and will now only play online, too, it is still showering film buffs with movies from Thursday, August 5–Sunday, August 22 this year. Initially, in-person sessions were set to span the festival's first week or so, before the event closed up online; however, just days before this year's MIFF kicked off on Thursday, August 5, the fest flipped that order and expanded its virtual component. It was due to then add in-person sessions from Thursday, August 12, but that'll no longer be happening. So, via its digital platform MIFF Play, the festival is screening more than 90 features for film lovers to watch from the comfort of their couches. The lineup has been growing, too, with exisiting highlights including college-set rom-com Freshman Year, Spanish influencer satire La Verónica, New Zealand thriller Coming Home in the Dark and Norwegian comedy Ninjababy. The Mads Mikkelsen-starring Riders of Justice and psycho-thriller music mockumentary The Nowhere Inn — featuring Carrie Brownstein and St Vincent — sit among the recent newcomers. More films are set to become available on Saturday, August 14 as well, such as documentary Hopper/Welles, which sees Dennis Hopper and Orson Welles meet and chat back in 1970; Night of the Kings, a prison thriller set on the outskirts of Abidjan; and Stray, a doco about the 100,000-plus stray dogs that rove freely around Istanbul. And, other titles will drop later in the fest, like Australian drama Little Tornadoes, which is co-written by The Slap's Christos Tsiolkas; Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, a documentary exploring the folk horror genre; and closing night's Language Lessons, which takes place via video calls. MIFF's digital platform is available Australia-wide, ensuring that cinephiles around the country — including those in lockdown elsewhere, like in Greater Sydney — can enjoy its lineup, too. That facet of the online program proved popular last year, unsurprisingly, with 2020's virtual festival resulting in MIFF's biggest fest yet, audience-wise. Updated August 11.
How can we streamline our thoughts, ambitions and life away from the objects that tend to drive them? Is meditation the answer? Or pained focus? Or even street-grade Ritalin. Marnie Edmiston, a visual artist based in Melbourne, aims to explore this question the best she can in her exhibition Everything Is a Distraction. Her practice tends to include the overlap and envelopment of language, text and image, with this work including sculpture, video, photography and drawing to explore this theme in as many means as possible. Through appropriation and editing, refocusing and repetition of styles, genres, gestures and distortions, the pieces in this exhibition send out a mixed message of infinite meanings and tangents. This showcase opens at Metro Arts on March 19, with the artist talk on April 4. Make a focused goal of going.
Every March, Adelaide — the only UNESCO City of Music in Australia — gears up for festival season. Its centrepiece is the Adelaide Festival, a 17-day extravaganza of music, theatre, art, talks and unusual happenings, which encompasses world music festival WOMADelaide as well as Adelaide Writers' Week. In 2019, more than 70 events will take place, including 17 Australian premieres and ten worldwide premieres, all put together by artistic directors Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield. Taking place between March 1–17 at a variety of venues around Adelaide, here are some of the most epic, creative and left-of-field. THEATRE Travelling from South Africa is theatre company Isango Ensemble, to perform the Australian premiere of A Man Of Good Hope. This musical tells the true story of Asad Abdullah, who, at eight, witnessed his mother's murder in Somalia, then travelled across six African nations alone. Also exploring the experiences of refugees is Manus by the all-Iranian Verbatim Theatre Group, which tells stories from Manus Island and Nauru. For a more experimental adventure, immerse yourself in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Melbourne's La Mama Theatre will perform the play in real time — over two days — at The Cedars, Sir Hans Heysen's former 60-acre property in Hahndorf, Adelaide Hills. Alternatively, let Portuguese theatre-maker Tiago Rodrigues teach you to memorise a poem, all while he recounts the life of his grandmother, in By Heart. MUSIC Join 90,000 other people at WOMADadelaide, a four-day world music festival that takes over Adelaide's beautiful Botanic Park every year. On 2019's program you'll find Angelique Kidjo, the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir, Julia Jacklin and the John Butler Trio, among scores of other local and international acts. Making its Australian premiere is Grand Finale by Israeli-born, London-based choreographer Hofesh Shechter, a momentous work that combines dance, live music and theatre in its exploration of demagoguery, groupthink and ecological disaster. Meanwhile, Aboriginal soul singer Emma Donovan will be teaming up with The Putbacks to perform a tribute to the late Ruby Hunter, the first indigenous Australian woman to record an album — and Tim Minchin will also be delivering the world premiere of his solo show Back. ART Headlining the art program are two major surveys. One is of Australian artist Ben Quilty, known for his work as an official war artist in Afghanistan, as well as his campaign to save Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. The other is of New York-born photographer Roger Ballen, who now lives in South Africa, where he shoots squatter camps and mine dumps, and, most famously, collaborated on Die Antwoord's 'I Fink U Freeky' video. Also capturing little-told stories will be the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography's group exhibition Another Life: Human Flows / Unknown Odysseys, which depicts various moments in refugees' journeys — from portraits of personal anguish to heartbreaking images of piles of life jackets. TALKS The core of the talks program is Adelaide Writers' Week. Inspired by the theme 'telling truths', this year's event features an international collection of wordsmiths, from Sohaila Abdulali, the Mumbai-born US author of What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape, to Kassem Eid, Syrian refugee, activist and author of My Country. Nigerian author and Man Booker Prize Winner Ben Okri will deliver the opening address, 'Imagination Redeems'. Start each festival day with brekkie and papers at The Palais, settle into a long lunch with a writer — be it Annabel Crabb or Maggie Beer — and finish up with a Twilight Talk in the Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden. PLUS On any great festival program, there are always events that defy categorisation. Take Dutch artist Julian Hetzel's Schuldfabrik, for example — it's an installation that immerses you in a mini-factory and retail outlet where human fat is turned into soap and sold, with all proceeds going to aid programs in the developing world. Then there's Legs On The Walls' Man With The Iron Neck, which combines aerial circus, video and text to explore suicide in a small, tightly-knit, AFL-loving community. And, finally, Dutch company Schweigman&'s Blaas invites you step inside a gigantic white blob and expect the unexpected. Adelaide Festival takes place between March 1–17, 2019 at a variety of venues around Adelaide. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website. Top image: Ben and Martin Photography.
Maybe you jumped on the Saltburn bandwagon early, catching Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennell's second feature when it was in cinemas. Perhaps you saw the Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin)- and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria)-starring thriller when it hit streaming over Christmas. Either way, once you watched the movie, you were probably as obsessed as Oliver Quick is about Felix Catton — and after you've ordered your Jacob Elordi's bathwater candle, you can hit up a party that's all about paying tribute to the instant cult-favourite flick. A series of shindigs is touring Australia, kicking off at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory on Thursday, January 25. From there, the Saltburn soirées will head to Ballers Clubhouse in Melbourne on Saturday, February 3, then to The Court in Perth on Friday, February 16. Come Saturday, March 2, it's Brisbane's turn at The Wickham. What does celebrating one of 2023's best movies at a boozy party entail? Dressing like it's Oliver's birthday party, for starters. From there, you'll enjoy a 'Murder on the Dancefloor' sing-along — even though you won't be dancing naked around a mansion — as well as crooning karaoke and hearing 'Mr Brightside', all while sipping Bathtub Brew, Grave Grinding Gulp and Felix's Fangirl Fizz drink specials. If you're keen to add some sparkle to your look while you're there, there'll be a free glitter bar. And the best-dressed attendee at each shindig will win a prize. In the film, Keoghan plays Oliver, who arrives at Oxford University as part of the future class of 2006, but finds himself stuck as an outsider among his well-off classmates. Enter Elordi as Felix Catton, the charming campus favourite who gains a helping hand in Oliver, then invites his new pal to his family's eponymous estate for the summer. Fennell won a rightly deserved Oscar for her Promising Young Woman script, and reteams with Carey Mulligan (Maestro) again here. Also demonstrating the actor (The Crown)-turned-filmmaker's knack for casting: 2023 Academy Award-nominee Keoghan, aka one of the screen's most interesting and talented rising stars, plus Elordi, Rosamund Pike (The Wheel of Time), Richard E Grant (Persuasion) and Lolly Adefope (Miracle Workers). As Felix's sister Venetia, Conversations with Friends' Alison Oliver is similarly excellent — as is Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story's Archie Madekwe as fellow Oxford student and Catton cousin Farleigh. 'SALTBURN' PARTY AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Thursday, January 25 — Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Saturday, February 3 — Ballers Clubhouse, Melbourne Friday, February 16 — The Court, Perth Saturday, March 2 — The Wickham, Brisbane Saltburn parties are touring Australia from January–March 2024. Saltburn is available to stream via Prime Video. Read our review.
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=W-fxRXzfi0U KAJILLIONAIRE When Evan Rachel Wood played a troubled teen in 2003's Thirteen, the then 16-year-old received a Golden Globe nomination. For her work in Westworld since 2016, she has nabbed multiple Emmy nods. So when we say that the actor puts in her best performance yet in Kajillionaire — the type of portrayal that deserves several shiny trophies — that observation isn't made lightly. Playing a 26-year-old con artist called Old Dolio Dyne, Wood is anxious but yearning, closed-off yet vulnerable, and forceful as well as unsure all at once. Her character has spent her entire life being schooled in pulling off quick scams by her eccentric parents Robert (Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water) and Theresa (Debra Winger, The Lovers), who she still lives with, and she's stuck navigating her own street-wise brand of arrested development. Old Dolio knows how to blend in, with her baggy clothes, curtain of long hair and low-toned voice. She also knows how to avoid security cameras in physical feats that wouldn't look out of place in a slapstick comedy, and how to charm kindly folks out of reward money. But she has never been allowed to truly be her own person — and, from the moment that Wood is seen on-screen, that mournful truth is immediately evident. Kajillionaire introduces Old Dolio, Robert and Theresa as they're falling back on one of their most reliable swindles: stealing packages from post office boxes. But two developments drive its narrative, and make Old Dolio realise that she's far more than just the third part of a trio. Firstly, to make a quick $20 to help cover overdue rent, she agrees to attend a parenting class for someone she meets on the street, and is struck by how far removed its teachings are from her own experiences. Secondly, on a return flight back to Los Angeles from New York as part of a travel insurance grift, her parents meet and befriend outgoing optometrist's assistant Melanie (Gina Rodriguez, Annihilation). So accustomed to playing the role dictated to her by Robert and Theresa, and never deviating from it, Old Dolio isn't prepared for the emotions stirred up by both changes to her status quo. But July's poignant and perceptive movie — a film that's a quirky heist flick, a playful but shrewd exploration of family bonds, and a sweet love story — is perfectly, mesmerisingly equipped to navigate her protagonist's efforts to reach beyond the only loved ones and the only type of life she has ever known. In fact, the result is one of the most distinctive, empathetic and engaging movies of the year. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbIxi2VHTTk BABY DONE A relic of a time when women were considered wives, mothers and little else, the public need to comment on whether someone has a baby or is planning to have a baby is flat-out garbage behaviour. In your twenties or thirties, and in a couple? Yet to procreate? If so, the world at large apparently thinks that it's completely acceptable to ask questions, make its judgement known and demand answers. Baby Done offers a great take on this kind of situation. Surrounded by proud new parents and parents-to-be at a baby shower, Zoe (Rose Matafeo) refuses to smile and nod along with all the polite cooing over infants — existing and yet to make their way into the world — and smug discussions about the joys of creating life. An arborist more interested in scaling trees at both the national and world championships than starting a family, she simply refuses to temper who she is to fit society's cookie-cutter expectations. Her partner Tim (the Harry Potter franchise's Matthew Lewis, worlds away from his time as Neville Longbottom) is on the same wavelength, and they visibly have more fun than everyone else at the party. With a title such as Baby Done, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when this New Zealand comedy soon upsets Zoe and Tim's status quo. She discovers that she's expecting and, while he starts dutifully preparing to an almost unnervingly sensible extent, she also struggles to face the change that's coming their way. Comedies about the trials and tribulations of parenthood, and of the journey to become parents, are almost as common as people asking "when are you two having kids?" without prompting at parties. But this addition to the genre from director Curtis Vowell and screenwriter Sophie Henderson (both veterans of 2013 film Fantail) approaches a well-worn topic from a savvy angle. Zoe clearly isn't a stereotypical mother-to-be, and doesn't experience the stereotypical feelings women have been told they're supposed to feel about having children — and Baby Done leans into that fact. Also pivotal in her first big-screen lead role is comedian Matafeo. Indeed, it's easy to wonder whether the movie would've worked so engagingly and thoughtfully with someone else as its star. Brightly shot and breezily toned, there's still much about Baby Done that's familiar; however, charting one woman's pregnancy experience, and her backlash to the widely accepted notion that motherhood is the be all and end all of a woman's life, proves poignant and charming more often than not here. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-Z90SEqGQ&t=20s CORPUS CHRISTI No one wants to live in a world where Parasite, the best movie of 2019, doesn't exist. But if it didn't for some reason, it's highly likely that Corpus Christi would've been this year's Best International Feature Film Oscar winner, rather than just a nominee. This Polish drama also focuses on people pretending to be something they're not. As directed by Warsaw 44 and The Hater's Jan Komasa, and written by the latter's screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz, it casts a wry eye over much about life in its homeland today, too. And it isn't afraid to call out hypocrisy, societal divisions and greed, either — literally, in the latter case, with its protagonist making a speech about it at the local sawmill. There are few other similarities between Corpus Christi and the movie it lost to, but perhaps the only one that really matters is how blisteringly and rousingly it unfurls its on-screen gifts. Well that, and how striking every second of the film looks, pairing its grey, hazy aesthetics with its complicated account of an ex-juvenile delinquent who poses as a small-town priest. The imposter's name is Daniel and, as played with soulful intensity by Bartosz Bielenia, he's a complex figure. First seen serving out the final days of his reform school sentence, he has made a fan out of the facility's head priest Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat). In fact, if his criminal record didn't preclude it, he'd follow in the elder man's footsteps and join the seminary. Instead, he's released to work in a sawmill. Through a series of events that never feels convenient or strained, however, he's soon welcomed by the locals as their new spiritual advisor. Daniel genuinely has faith and believes in his task, so the jump from playing lookout as his fellow inmates dispense a brutal beating to endeavouring to help his congregation is easy. Loosely inspired by real-life details, Corpus Christi gifts its young protagonist an unexpected second chance — and an unlikely opportunity to follow his heart and make a difference to an insular community — but he's not the only figure within its frames with a troubled past to overcome. As a film about a masquerading cleric, tension and foreboding seethes through every second, but it's the bubbling and brooding movie's contemplation of what redemption and benevolence really means that hits the most potent notes. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atKsEdLKPLo&feature=emb_logo THE WOMAN WHO RAN Alcohol. Conversation. A scene-stealing cat. Combine all three in one movie, and not only is South Korean great Hong Sang-soo firmly in his element, but he delivers exactly the type of film that has won him a legion of fans. Given how prolific the director is, it'd be easy to assume that he'll soon run out of ways to combine his usual trademarks. Similarly, it'd be understandable to expect that he'll eventually exhaust all of his ideas. But like other impressive filmmakers who seemingly never stop working — Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters), Sion Sono (Tokyo Vampire Hotel) and Takashi Miike (First Love) come to mind — Hong's features never run out of new ways to twist his favourite touches, themes and inclusions together. They're often brief, they're usually an equally melancholy and charming delight, and they're always perceptive. If you've seen his past standouts such as Nobody's Daughter Haewon, Hill of Freedom, Right Now, Wrong Then and Yourself and Yours — all of which have done the rounds of Australian film festivals, as all of Hong's movies do — then you'll know what you're in for, and you'll already be excited. In The Woman Who Ran, which premiered at this year's Berlinale, booze flows freely. (Craving soju while watching Hong's work is a common side effect.) Drinking plenty of it is Gamhee, as played by Hong regular Kim Min-hee, a 2017 Berlinale Best Actress winner for On the Beach at Night Alone. Gamhee is enjoying her first time away from her husband in five years, visiting friends around Seoul while he's off on a business trip. In the filmmaker's typical fashion, much of The Woman Who Ran unfurls as his characters simply chat — about lives, hopes, dreams, problems and, with a pesky neighbour in the movie's funniest moment, about feeding stray felines. Hong's penchant for long, patient takes, playful repetition and echoes, and expertly timed crash-zooms are all used to winning effect, in a movie that slots perfectly into his busy oeuvre (he's made 23 movies since 1996) and yet always feels distinctively insightful. Also, and it cannot be stressed enough, look out for one helluva kitty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYQzdhjHeIE&feature=emb_logo&mc_cid=ccf652e7a2&mc_eid=1628bbb5f5 HONEST THIEF Another Liam Neeson-starring movie, another bland action film with little else going for it beyond its main attraction. The genre must pay well, but it has sadly been years since the Irish actor's particular set of skills anchored a fist-flinging, chase-filled feature worthy of his talents. In Honest Thief, Neeson plays elusive bank robber Tom, who is also known as the 'in-and-out bandit'. A year after unexpectedly falling in love with psychology graduate student Annie (Kate Walsh) — and a year after he last indulged his pilfering urges, too — he decides to turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for a lesser sentence and the chance to make a real future. Answering his call, agents Baker (Robert Patrick) and Meyers (Jeffrey Donavan) are skeptical that he's actual the culprit. When their colleagues Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos) are given the case, however, they take another approach that sees Neeson rushing around Boston and fighting for his life against corrupt, trigger-happy law enforcement officials. There's only one real surprise in store in Honest Thief, a movie that writer/director Mark Williams (A Family Man) and his co-scribe Steve Ullrich (The Timber) could've almost cobbled together using scenes from other Neeson action vehicles. No one is astonished that, despite being a bank robber, Neeson's character is the movie's hero. No one should expect anything unusual in its workman-like action choreography or by-the-numbers plot, either. But the fact that the movie also features a heap of well-known names and faces alongside Neeson — including The Umbrella Academy's Walsh, The X-Files' Patrick, Fargo's Donovan, Aussie Stateless star Courtney and Hamilton's Ramos — is a little startling. They're all wasted, because Honest Thief only tasks its other actors with giving Neeson someone to talk to, kiss, hunt down or flee. That's how generic this addition to his resume proves. Indeed, 2020 hasn't been great for Neeson fans, even with Made in Italy eschewing action for father-son bonding. His most recent great roles might've only been back in 2016 and 2018, courtesy of Silence, Widows and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, but they currently seem like a distant memory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjkLx3-hK2Y NEVER TOO LATE Jack Thompson and Jacki Weaver rank among Australian acting royalty, with his resume spanning everything from Sunday Too Far Away to The Great Gatsby, and an Oscar nomination for Animal Kingdom sitting among her many credits. James Cromwell might be American, but he has earned a soft spot in many an Aussie's heart thanks to Babe and Babe: Pig in the City. Joining forces for Never Too Late definitely isn't a high point of any of their careers, however. They also feature on-screen alongside local veterans Max Cullen (Acute Misfortune), the New Zealand-born Roy Billing (Mystery Road), British star Dennis Waterman (80s series Minder) and Shane Jacobson — because few Australian films exist these days without the latter — but this broad comedy set in an Adelaide nursing home can't use its recognisable cast to distract from just how lumbering it is. Known as the Chain Breakers, Cromwell, Thompson, Cullen and Billing's characters all served in Vietnam, becoming famous for a daring escape. But, along the way, Cromwell's Jack Bronson lost contact with Weaver's Norma — until, decades later, he uses some sly trickery to cross her path again at the Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Servicemen and Women. Due to groan-worthy plot contrivances, their reunion is short-lived, inspiring Jack and his now-elderly and ailing pals to concoct another big getaway plan. Cue an Aussie spin on the geriatric heist film genre, in the same vein as Going in Style and King of Thieves but with romance as a motivation and tourism shots of South Australia featuring heavily. Never Too Late attempts to ruminate on the vagaries of ageing, the struggles of living with regret and the fact that it can take a lifetime to chase one's dream, but the film's cast sport wrinkles deeper than the movie's themes. After last directing the abysmal A Few Less Men, director Mark Lamprell is in similarly dismal territory here. 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; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; and October 1, October 8 and October 15. 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. The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta and Rebecca.
After shooting Elvis on the Gold Coast, Baz Luhrmann dubbed the Queensland city "Goldiewood". For four days in February 2024, the coastal spot will certainly become the centre of the Aussie film and television industry when the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts sweeps into town. As well as hosting its annual awards, AACTA will put on a festival around the accolades — and after announcing its first program details in 2023, that lineup has just expanded. A series of free outdoor film screenings, a Yellowjackets Q&A, and chats with the teams behind Colin From Accounts and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart lead the new additions for AACTA Festival, which takes place from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts. For those keen to see a flick under the stars, you have three options, all with Aussie ties. Of course Barbie tops the list, as part of a barbecue bash where dressing up is highly encouraged — cinephile Barbie, anyone? — and there will indeed be the appropriate food spread. Also hitting the screen: a 25th-anniversary screening of 10 Things I Hate About You, celebrating the Heath Ledger-starring film, this time with a 90s shindig. And, rounding out the movies is The Greatest Showman, complete with Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey on hand to introduce the Hugh Jackman (Faraway Downs)-led flick. Yellowjackets fans, get excited about Aussie actors Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Liv Hewson (Party Down), aka teen Lottie and teen Van, talking about the series — including its cliffhangers and supernatural elements. Leah Purcell (Shayda) will discuss The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, while the Colin From Accounts chat will feature producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson (who both also worked on Scrublands) ahead of season two's arrival. [caption id="attachment_894476" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME.[/caption] Now that the AACTA nominations have been announced — which hadn't happened before AACTA Festival's first lineup drop — sessions where you can meet both the film and TV contenders have been added as well. Exactly who'll be attending hasn't been revealed as yet, however. Also joining the bill is music by Sunny Luwe, Kent Dustin and Alisha Todd; panels about streaming's future and screen trends in general; and a speed-networking session for women in the industry. AACTA Festival already boasts a heap of other highlights, all surrounding AACTA's Industry Awards on Thursday, February 8 and then its main glittering ceremony on Saturday, February 10. If Talk to Me creeped its way onto your list of favourite Australian horror movies, directors Michael and Danny Philippou will dive into it. Warwick Thornton is also on the lineup to discuss The New Boy as part of the fest's 'meet the creators' events, as are the teams behind Limbo, Sweet As and The Newsreader. Trent Dalton will talk about the Boy Swallows Universe TV series — and, giving the event one of its international standouts, Lessons in Chemistry's Bonnie Garmus is on the bill as well. There's also behind-the-scenes explorations of The Matrix, the stunts of Mad Max: Fury Road and, for some more overseas flavour, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's animation. Or, enjoy a chat with Wellmania and The Way We Wore's Celeste Barber about her career, then find out more about Aussie-made Robbie Williams biopic Better Man and the sequel to Mortal Kombat. AACTA Festival will run from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. For further details, head to the fest's website.
Keen to learn more about coffee? Already know a bit, but want to know more? Here's your chance. Toby's Estate is inviting you to a coffee omakase at its flagship store in Newstead. You'll spend 45 minutes tasting a series of standout coffees, led by Toby's Estate's green bean buyer, Josh. While you sip, he'll fill you in on where each coffee is sourced, and how it's roasted and brewed. Since being founded in 1997, Toby's Estate has sourced specialty coffee from small communities all over the world. Its collection ranges from red bourbon beans harvested in the hills of Rimiro in Burundi to pink bourbon sourced from El Meson in Colombia. Coffee omakases are happening from 7am–2pm on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1. You can book your session online.
If you're going to watch a romantic film with your other half this Valentine's Day, you may as well do so while you're splashing around in a pool — especially if that's the kind of watery movie date that you've never had before. That's what's on the bill at Brisbane's returning outdoor cinema pop-up, aka the fittingly called Float-In Cinema. Once again setting up at W Brisbane, it's taking over the riverside hotel's WET Deck for three nights in February to pair swim-in flicks with food and cocktails. Screening from Sunday, February 12–Tuesday, February 14 — with a 6.30pm seating time for a 7.15pm start — Float-In Cinema costs $109 per person. For that price, you'll float on the water in an inflatable lounger, watch the movie (obviously), tuck into your choice of three grazing boxes, and sip a glass of bubbles or a I Heart You cocktail upon arrival. Those food options include a cheese box packed with aged cheddar, double brie, blue cheese, prosciutto, salami and stuffed olives; a savoury box with vegetarian sliders, flank steak skewers, corn ribs and fried plantain with guacamole; and a sweet box with macaroons, mini tarts, mini cakes and caramelised mixed nuts. Whichever you select, you'll need to email the venue in advance to make your pick. If you're keen, you might want to get in quick, as seats are limited per session. And as for what you'll be watching, romance is the natural theme. So, that means The Other Woman, Focus and — yes, on the day itself — Valentine's Day.
There's nothing quite like having time off, especially if that means having the opportunity to get out of the city for a good dose of fresh air, nature and countless outdoor adventures. We know figuring out where to go and how to fill your days can be a bit like putting a puzzle together. That's why we've done the hard yards for you by narrowing your choices down to eight must-do experiences in New South Wales' Mid North Coast region. Whether you're passing through on a road trip to Sydney or just keen to spend a few days over the border, you can return home with some new memories in tow and experiences checked off your bucket list. Please stay up to date with the latest NSW Government health advice regarding COVID-19. [caption id="attachment_795539" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Skywalk Lookout, Destination NSW[/caption] ENJOY PANORAMIC VIEWS OVER DORRIGO NATIONAL PARK When seeking out superb views, you'd be hard-pressed to find many as vast and stunning as the one from the Skywalk lookout in Dorrigo National Park. Walk along the 70-metre platform and, from the edge of the escarpment, you'll see everything from the dense rosewood subtropical rainforest and Bellinger Valley to the distant coastline and McGrath's Hump, also known as Old Man Dreaming, which, according to Gumbaynggirr legend, shows the profile of a warrior's face. [caption id="attachment_795540" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bago Maze and Winery, Destination NSW[/caption] GET LOST IN A SWIRLY MAZE IN BAGO We all get a little lost sometimes, but you'll probably find the feeling of not knowing where to go next more fun when you're trying to make your way through the maze at Bago Maze and Winery. With over 2000 metres of lilly pilly-lined pathways, it'll make you feel like you've entered a magical world, if only for a little while. The best part is afterwards you can enjoy a meat or cheese platter with a few glasses of wine from the neighbouring vineyard. [caption id="attachment_795547" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rotary Park, Destination NSW[/caption] CATCH YOUR DINNER IN TENTERFIELD CREEK Any keen fisherman will know a day out on or by the water is always a good time — even if you don't catch anything. Tenterfield Creek might not look like it holds many fishing opportunities at first glance, but locals know it's a great spot for snagging cod and yellow belly. Nearby spots, including Mole River Dam, Dumaresq River, Clarence River and Glenlyon Dam, are also stocked with golden perch, catfish and more (depending on the time of year). Don't worry if you're not experienced, as fishing charter companies like Northern Rivers Sportfishing can teach you the ropes for the day. Don't forget to get a fishing licence from Service NSW before casting your line. [caption id="attachment_795548" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ebor Falls, Destination NSW[/caption] HIKE TO THE STUNNING EBOR FALLS Cascading over 100 metres of graphite-coloured, lava-formed rock, Ebor Falls is quite simply one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Australia. Although the falls are broken into two sections, there are three platforms to view them from, all of which offer incredible views over the gorge and Guy Fawkes River National Park. If you visit in the warmer months, golden daisies and rare ground orchids sometimes bloom around the upper falls making the whole place seem like a scene from a fantasy movie. Stay updated on park closures here. [caption id="attachment_795549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paragliding, Unsplash[/caption] GLIDE THROUGH THE CLOUDS OVER TAMWORTH Ever had a dream that you could fly? Well, this is the next best thing. Manilla Paragliding at Mount Borah offers tandem paragliding flights that last for about 30–40 minutes. You don't need any experience, just a bit of courage. Once you're in the air, you won't regret it. If you're lucky, while you're soaring high above the rest of the world, you might spot a local wedge-tailed eagle. For dinner, make a reservation at The Pig and Tinder Box, based inside the heritage-listed bank building, and enjoy pizza and other share-style dishes. [caption id="attachment_795550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fossicking, Unsplash[/caption] SEARCH FOR GOLD IN NUNDLE Nundle is steeped in history. The quaint little town maintains its heritage gold rush era roots from the late 1800s by keeping timeless traditions like fossicking alive. With its reputation as a regional treasure trove, people come from all over to experience panning for gold and sapphire in the Peel River. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and strike it big? Panning equipment is available for hire from Mount Misery Mine or Nundle Country Cafe. [caption id="attachment_803381" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bellingen Canoe Adventures, Destination NSW[/caption] PADDLE ALONG BELLINGER RIVER AT SUNSET OR UNDER THE STARS Few would dispute that Australia is a country filled with nature worth seeing up close — and that shouldn't be limited to just walking or driving. Seeing your surroundings at water level from the comfort of a canoe or kayak is a pleasure you'll only understand once you've tried it. Bellingen Canoe Adventures in the Coffs Harbour area will take you for a relaxing paddle down the Bellinger River at any time you like, although we'd recommend a full moon tour for anyone looking for something truly peaceful. Thrillseekers won't be disappointed either — there are also whitewater options if you're keen for a rough and tumble ride. [caption id="attachment_802881" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hot Air Ballooning, Destination NSW[/caption] SOAR ABOVE THE HUNTER VALLEY WINE REGION IN A HOT AIR BALLOON Speaking of seeing things from a different point of view, what could be more special than witnessing the vast expanse of some of Australia's most remarkable vineyards and valleys from a hot air balloon? If the Hunter Valley was a painting, hot air ballooning with Balloon Aloft would be one of the best ways to step back and admire the whole thing. Nothing really compares to a bird's eye view of Pokolbin, Lovedale and Rothbury from a wicker basket at sunrise — although having a champagne breakfast at nearby winery Peterson House afterwards does come close. Start planning your great escape to New South Wales this season by visiting the Visit NSW website. Top image: Bellingen Canoe Adventures, Destination NSW
Step inside Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art this summer and you'll be whisked away to another world where forests sprawl, mirrors beckon and otherworldly creatures linger, all thanks to the South Brisbane venue's entrancing Fairy Tales exhibition. Head along specifically across Friday, January 19–Sunday, January 21, however, and you'll find a Fairy Tales Festival taking over the site — making an already-magical way to spend a few hours even more entrancing. Like the exhibition — plus much in its accompanying movie program — the three-day fest is an all-ages affair. Catering to attendees big and small, it spans pop-up performances, drop-in drawing sessions, storytelling and other activities over one big weekend. The centrepiece is still the items and art lining the gallery's walls, including pieces by Yayoi Kusama and Patricia Piccinini, as well as a costume that David Bowie wore in Labyrinth, but you can pair your wander through the halls with getting interactive. [caption id="attachment_936493" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Henrique Oliveira, Brazil b.1973 / Corupira 2023, commissioned for 'Fairy Tales', installation (detail), Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane 2023 / Plywood, tapumes veneer and tree branches / Courtesy: Henrique Oliveira / © Henrique Oliveira / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA[/caption] Once Upon a Chime, aka Patience Hodgson, Joel Woods and Lake Kelly, will be singing fairy tale-inspired tunes on the Maiwar Green Stage twice daily. A Villain's Tale will also hit up the same spot, with the performance told by a misunderstood villain. They're both free to attend, and you don't need a ticket to Fairy Tales itself to enjoy them. The same is true of watching Jim Henson's The StoryTeller television series at GOMA's Australian Cinematheque. That said, some parts of the fest do require an entry pass for the exhibition, such as hearing Brisbane Fairy Tale Ring reimagine classic fairy tales in the River Room — and picking up a pencil. [caption id="attachment_936492" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Costumes (costumier) / 'Yellow dress with hood' costume from Mirror Mirror 2012, installed in 'Fairy Tales', Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), Brisbane 2023 / Silk taffeta, polyester, nylon tulle, synthetic taffeta / Collection: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA[/caption] Top image: Anish Kapoor, India/England b.1954 / Red and Black Mist Magenta 2018, installed in 'Fairy Tales', Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), Brisbane 2023 / Stainless steel, lacquer / Collection: The artist / © Anish Kapoor. DACS/Copyright Agency, 2023 / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA.
