UPDATE, September 14, 2023: The Little Mermaid is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. For anyone without a scaly tail, communing with the ocean can be a routine dip, a refreshing splash or a sail into choppy waters. In Disney's latest dance with merpeople and the humans that its main mythical sea creature yearns for (and desperately wants to learn more about), all three prove true. The next in the Mouse House's long line of live-action remakes — albeit with ample CGI helping to bring its sea-dwelling characters to life, but no hand-drawn animation — the new The Little Mermaid is often content to wade where its beloved 1989 predecessor went before. That's the Disney do-over standard. Sometimes, though, this new effort is its own delightful paddle; when 'Under the Sea' echoes against a literal sea of colour, movement, creatures and energy, it's a dazzling Golden Age Hollywood-esque spectacular. There's no escaping the movie's bloat when it's not merrily floating, however, due in no small part to inflating the storyline from the original's 83 minutes to a hefty 135 minutes. This day at the cinematic beach — glowing highs and waterlogged lows included — keeps the same basic narrative that viewers loved 34 years ago, as loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 19th-century fairy tale of the same name. A quote from that text opens the film as Alan Menken's revisited Oscar-winning score starts to swell, advising "but a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more". The curious and adventurous Princess Ariel (Halle Bailey, Grown-ish) cries through her siren's song instead, lamenting the strict no-humans rule enforced by her father King Triton (Javier Bardem, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile). And, in rebellious teen-style, she acts out by sneaking off to scour the ocean floor's shipwrecks with her fish best friend Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay, Luca), even when Sebastian the crab (Daveed Diggs, Snowpiercer) is tracking her every move, and stashing trinkets from the world on land in a secret cave. When it's underwater, The Little Mermaid isn't served well by arriving so soon after Avatar: The Way of Water and its stunning beneath-the-waves imagery, or releasing just as Prehistoric Planet 2 is streaming its dive into ancient waters. In director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns) and cinematographer Dion Beebe's (Gemini Man) hands, plunging into the deep largely appears dark and murky. Indeed, if Bailey and Bardem's hair wasn't shimmering and flowing, it'd just look like a dimly lit set (mostly, it still does). The kaleidoscopic extravaganza that is 'Under the Sea' doesn't only stand out because that's precisely what its bright hues are doing, of course. It's a gloriously choreographed and performed piece amid a coral reef, set to Menken and late, great lyricist Howard Ashman's best (and also Oscar-winning) song, and it's an absolute showstopper. But, as made clear both before and after it drops its calypso-inspired beats, the number sets a standard that the film rarely cares to match elsewhere. When it comes to concern, Ariel has plenty. Her cup runneth over about the boats cruising above, with their sailors shooting fire into the sky, dogs and just humans doing human things — such having feet. As the story still goes, her wistful watching is fortuitous for Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King, The Flatshare). If the mermaid wasn't there to save him when he's knocked overboard, there'd be no romance. Cue a two-way obsession, plus tentacled sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy, Nine Perfect Strangers) offering Ariel a bargain to follow her feelings and taste life out of water. She's given 72 hours in human form to experience true love's kiss, after which she'll be able to stay breathing air. If that went smoothly, and if Ariel's banished aunt wasn't cackling maniacally about taking over from her brother and stealing her niece's gifts, this wouldn't even be a 90-minute flick. Like an unruly sea as a storm blows in, there's turbulence at the heart of The Little Mermaid. While it's easy to see why David McGee's (A Man Called Otto) screenplay has been padded out, it makes for an overextended voyage. Bailey is perfectly cast, and not only when Ariel is singing her heart out. Wanting to spend more time with her is as instinctive as kicking your feet in water. She's an enchanting, luminous, plucky and rousing heroine. She makes the need to know something more than just the pool she's born into feel achingly real. An added sequence where Ariel roams around Eric's library, spying his sea treasures — his equivalent of her own trove — is charming, gives both Bailey and Logan Lerman lookalike Hauer-King standout moments, and is the kind of new material that slips in easily. But the same can't be said for all the feature's new songs (this time with Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda penning lyrics) and even some of its closest recreations. Swooping somewhere new doesn't always pay off, and neither does treading water. Adored in animated form, Sebastian, Flounder and seabird Scuttle (Awkwafina, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) couldn't demonstrate The Little Mermaid's crests and drops more heartily. Diggs' voice acting and singing is unsurprisingly scene-stealing, and Awkwafina is entertainingly lively — but their new tune 'The Scuttlebutt' is instantly forgettable (other than immediately being able to tell that Miranda wrote it). Photorealism doesn't suit their characters, either, bringing The Lion King's eerie uncanny animal valley to mind. That's especially the case for poor Flounder, whose name is more apt here than it's meant to be. Loving the talent but not the execution becomes a familiar sensation throughout this version of The Little Mermaid. So does remembering that Marshall wasn't just behind Chicago and Mary Poppins Returns, but also Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Into the Woods. Back as the 80s came to a close, the first The Little Mermaid was a lifeboat, buoying Disney's animation studio when its fortunes were sinking. In its wash, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King all followed, becoming House of Mouse classics. The new The Little Mermaid marks the last of that quartet to be remade — the tale as old as time, whole new world and circle of life otherwise reappearing in that order — and, towing the company line with these cartoon-to-flesh second efforts, it smacks of playing it safe. When Ariel's latest outing surrenders to the moment and the emotion, whether showing why it's better down where it's wetter with a joyous dash of vibrance, letting Bailey's divine voice convey a lifetime of longing to be part of a different world, or having its swooning lovers dance, discover and deepen their bond, it goes swimmingly. Often, though, it's just like Ursula: biding its time calculatingly and protractedly (that said, McCarthy is having a ball, more so than much of the movie).
The underworld beckons: in 2025, hit musical Hadestown is set to take to the stage for the first time in Australia. Initially premiering as an indie theatre piece in 2006 in Vermont, then reaching off-Broadway in 2016 and Broadway in 2019, the show from musician and playwright Anaïs Mitchell plunges into the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Audiences at Theatre Royal Sydney can see the production give the ancient Greek myth a new spin from February. The Harbour City is hosting the Aussie debut season of the musical that spent 2019 and 2020 collecting accolades after accolades. From 14 Tony nominations, it won eight awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. At the Grammys, it took home Best Musical Theatre Album. If you're new to the show – which has been seen by more than three-million people and streamed over 350-million times — two love stories get Hadestown's narrative burning. Orpheus and Eurydice share the spotlight with King Hades and Persephone, as Mitchell accompanies their intertwined affairs with a soundtrack of New Orleans-inspired jazz and American folk. The production's Sydney season kicks off on Monday, February 10, 2025. Images: Hadestown Original London Cast.
The Nice Guys mightn't have scored a sequel, but The Fall Guy does nicely instead. Getting a hearty workout: Ryan Gosling's charm, comedic talent that just earned an Oscar-nominated showcase in Barbie and action skills as last seen in The Gray Man. He's back in stunts, too, as Drive first gifted the world so mesmerisingly. A loose remake of the 80s television series of the same name, The Fall Guy is a take-it-and-run-with-it kind of film, then. Not only does it grasp hold of what Gosling does best and sprint, but the same applies for co-lead Emily Blunt (Pain Hustlers) — and, of course, for director David Leitch (Bullet Train), who first took the journey from stunt performer to filmmaker with John Wick, has kept filling his resume with action fare since (see: Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw and Bullet Train) and now virtually comes full circle in helming a flick where his protagonist does the same gig that he once did. Gosling's Colt Seavers is also taking it and running with it — in a profession where it's his job to help bring whatever impossible physical endeavour is required to the screen, as well as on the gig that gets him to Sydney. The Fall Guy starts 18 months prior to his trip Down Under, however, but still with him doubling for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bullet Train), one of the world's biggest actors. Seavers has a career that he loves and steady work at it thanks to Ryder's fame. He's also happily romancing Jody Moreno (Blunt), a camera operator with dreams of doing more. Then a stunt goes wrong, leaving him badly injured, battered and bruised emotionally and psychologically, and inspiring him to quit the business. Only a call from Ryder-loving producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso) sparks his return to the industry — he makes a crust as a valet once he's fit and able in-between — and, even then, it's only really the fact that Moreno is helming Ryder's latest movie as her directorial debut that nudges him onto the plane. Upon his arrival in Australia, Seavers soon discovers that the situation isn't exactly what he's been told. Ryder is missing from the Metalstorm set, putting the future of the production at risk. Shady folks keep popping up whenever anyone — well, Seavers — goes looking for the absent star. And Moreno had zero advance idea that the man who ghosted her had been enlisted on the shoot, and is far from thrilled about it or the way that their relationship ended. Trying to win her back, getting emotional fortification from Taylor Swift tunes The Bear-style, attempting to track down Ryder, evading the unsavoury figures on this trail, bouncing around Sydney: sometimes while fending off sword-swinging foes, sometimes while wearing fluoro, sometimes while paired with an acting dog who'll chomp on command, that's all on Seavers' plate in Drew Pearce's (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw) zippy screenplay. There's an easy, breezy vibe to The Fall Guy, the kind that comes from knowing wholeheartedly that you're capitalising upon the strengths of your key players. Although Seavers dates back to the television iteration and there was a Jody on the small screen, too (Banks, not Moreno), the film's main pair were moulded around Gosling and Blunt — and it always shows. For him, it's a charisma-forward performance whether he's getting goofy, earnest or thrust into a fray. His Kenergy-fuelled comic timing is impeccable, as is his ability to sell Seavers' soul-searching stint after a career that requires him to be invincible reminds him that no one is. For her, joining a resume that also includes excellent action turns in Looper and Edge of Tomorrow, it's a portrayal built on pluck. When Gosling and Blunt are together, the film boasts as much crackling chemistry — often of the screwball type — as it does dynamic fights, explosions, shootouts and car chases (one of the latter famously on the Sydney Harbour Bridge). And there are fights, explosions, shootouts and car chases (and boat jumps, helicopter battles and vehicular cannon rolls). You don't make a movie about a stunt performer on a mystery-caper adventure while working on a mega-budget alien sci-fi war romance flick — a film that turns the Sydney Opera House into a backdrop while it's at it — without highlighting stunts, stunts and more stunts. You definitely don't hold back if this was once your life as well. The action doesn't disappoint, nor does the commitment to weaving how such action comes to fruition into The Fall Guy's action sequences, complete with underscoring the importance of practical effects in the broader feature and the picture within it. This is a winking-and-nodding movie to its primary genre, lovingly so, right down to references built into the film. With stunt coordinator Dan Tucker (Winston Duke, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Seavers swaps references to other films (The Last of the Mohicans and Rocky III, for instance). One of his prized possessions: a Miami Vice jacket. The words of 'Unknown Stuntman', the theme to TV's The Fall Guy which gets a new cover here, are clearly a guiding light for Leitch on this movie: "I might fall from a tall building, I might roll a brand-new car, 'cause I'm the unknown stuntman that made Redford such a star" is one memorable line. Accordingly, though the very basis of filmmaking's stunt performer-actor setup is that the former are meant to convince the audience that it's the latter risking their lives, revelling in everything that The Fall Guy throws Gosling's way as Seavers means relishing the work of his doubles Ben Jenkin (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Justin Eaton (The Killer). The campaign for the stunts game to be given the credit it deserves — aka an Oscar category — couldn't earn a more persuasive push, then. Leitch's feature manages something that most flicks would kill for, because action deployed for the sake of it, then shot frantically and edited messily, gets repetitive; The Fall Guy is the lively, passionate and meticulously crafted antithesis of routine smashing and bashing. Back-and-forth rom-com bantering can similarly fall flat if the stars and the vibe aren't right. There's something about Sydney of late: in Anyone But You, Sydney Sweeney (Immaculate) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) made it work in the Harbour City, as Gosling and Blunt do in the same place in The Fall Guy. So, while The Nice Guys mightn't have received a follow-up, it's easy to see The Fall Guy becoming a big-screen franchise, and welcomely. At the very least for its magnetic leads, it should set a new repeat double act in motion. Gosling teamed up with Emma Stone (Poor Things) three times on Crazy, Stupid, Love, Gangster Squad and La La Land, and makes an equally delightful duo with his current co-star. Just as there should be no underestimating stunt feats in general or in this flick, as Leitch stresses again and again, there should be no downplaying the ride that Gosling and Blunt take their characters on in this fun film, either — from doing the hard work while others win the glory to finally getting their time to shine.
Whether you're an early riser or perpetually out late with mates, Brisbane is a vibrant city with a jam-packed schedule of exciting to-dos — all year round. Sunlight or city lights, kid-friendly or up-past-bedtime, in 2023 you'll be more than set to explore the city your way. Early bird? Rejoice! You've come to the right place — it is the Sunshine State, after all. Sate your appetite for science with an intellectual festival feed. Be enraptured by song with a stellar calendar of music events. Take to the skies via artistic explorations of our earth's atmosphere in a world-class exhibition. Flock together for storytelling and cultural conversations. See your city habitat transformed by immersive installations that query the lines between art, science, human, nature and AI. There are tours and workshops, parties and playtime — all before the sun sets. Though, they don't call her Bris Vegas for nothing. Bright lights and late nights, baby. It's not the city that never sleeps — but there's more than enough to keep you occupied well into the night. In 2023, expect festivals and innovative cultural events, immersive experiences and guided night tours, groundbreaking theatre and augmented reality landscapes. Explore art, science and the space in between via pop-up installations; catch rare films in an art-gallery cinema; watch an epic opera al fresco; witness light shows and fireworks along the river; and feed your musical appetite at a huge urban festival dedicated to the most exciting, fresh talent in the Australian music scene. Whether you prefer to stay indoors or venture into the darkness, Brisbane will keep the lights on for you. Here, we've compiled a bunch of arty things to do and see in 2023, so that no matter what time you're heading out in Brisbane you're guaranteed to have a ripper time. Read on for all the daytime fun, then flick the switch above and we'll turn down the lights and show you the best events happening at night.
Feel so passionate about your Friday night pizza delivery that you want to wear it? Now you can. New Zealand fashion label YOUKNOW has teamed up with Pizza Hut to create a range of clothing dedicated to that controversial call: putting pineapple on pizza. If you're staunchly in the "it belongs" camp, you'll want to take a squiz at this limited-edition capsule collection inspired by the chain's Hawaiian Deluxe pizza. There aren't many (if any) dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants left around Australasia so this range is giving us a heap of nostalgia, thanks to the illustrations of the chain's iconic red roof and Hawaiian palm trees. The colours are all inspired by delicious pizza toppings like streaky bacon, pineapple and aioli. And now we're hungry. Designed and made over the ditch, YOUKNOW'S capsule range includes t-shirts, tote bags, shorts and bucket hats. Buy the items individually or get the whole damn 'fit for your next summer festival — according to the website, the label ships to Australia via DHS. YOUKNOW founder Joe Webb says the collaboration with Pizza Hut marks a "significant milestone" in the brand's journey. "It's a really special moment for us. It's amazing to see how this milestone translates over to the garments that we're super stoked to produce here in Aotearoa." It's not the first time we've seen a clothing line inspired by a classic takeaway feed. Who can forget this Big Mac-inspired 'fit or last year's ugly KFC Christmas jumpers? If you like to choose your clothing based on your weekend drive-thru order, you'll want to add one of these items to the current lineup. YOUKNOW's range is available to buy online now, with prices starting at $25 NZD — not including international shipping costs. Check out the full range here.
Whether it's via a post or tweet or message, in a comment or status update, thanks to a Notes app screenshot or in an email, mean words aren't hard to share two decades into the 21st century. Click a few buttons, slide your finger across a touchscreen, then vitriol can be directed virtually instantaneously worldwide. Countless people — too many, all sticklers for unpleasantness — do just that. Such behaviour has almost become a reflex. A century ago, however, spewing nastiness by text required far more effort. Someone had to put ink to paper, commit their hatred to physical form in their own handwriting, tuck it into an envelope, pay for postage, then await the mail service to deliver their malice. Wicked Little Letters isn't an ode to that dedication, but there's no avoiding that sending offensive missives in its 1920s setting was a concerted, determined act — and also that no one could claim just seconds later that they were hacked. Times change, and technology with it, but people don't: that's another way of looking at this British dramedy, which is indeed based on a true tale. Director Thea Sharrock (The One and Only Ivan) and screenwriter Jonny Sweet (Gap Year) know that there's a quaintness about the chapter of history that they're bringing to the screen, but not to the attitudes behind the incident. In Sussex by the sea on the English Channel, spiteful dispatches scandalised a town, with the situation dubbed "the Littlehampton libels". Today, much worse than the swearing and insults initially sent to Edith Swan, then to other villagers as well, can be seen on social media constantly. Someone can fire off unhinged pettiness in seconds. No one in another 100 years will be making a movie about wicked little letters of the 2020s, then — where would they start, or end? Right now, in this flick about disagreeable and distressing communications, contrasting the reality of the human penchant for mud-slinging across a century springs from a well-told story. In Wicked Little Letters' account of the Littlehampton events, Edith (Olivia Colman, Wonka) keeps receiving notes that overuse vulgar terms, and the God-fearing, prim-and-proper spinster, who lives with her strict father (Timothy Spall, The Heist Before Christmas) and dutiful mother (Gemma Jones, Emily), is certain that she knows the source of her unwanted mail. Living next door, Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley, Fingernails) is an Irish single mother to Nancy (Alisha Weir, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical), has Bill (Malachi Kirby, My Name Is Leon) as her live-in boyfriend, and is fond of a drink at the pub and of sharing her opinion. The two neighbours are as chalk and cheese as women of the time could get, but were once friendly. When Edith blames Rose, the latter's pleas that she's innocent — and that she'd just tell the former her grievances to her face, not send them anonymously — fall on deaf ears among most of the resident police. The reaction from the constabulary isn't astonishing. Papperwick (Hugh Skinner, The Witcher) and his chief Spedding (Paul Chahidi, Chad) think that it's an open-and-shut case, arrogantly and pompously so. Initially, "woman police officer" (as her colleagues insist on calling her) Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan, Black Mirror) shares the same conclusion. But when your very presence as the first female cop is treated as a novelty day in and day out at work, it isn't a leap to spot how preconceived prejudice dictates the use of the law — sparking Gladys into investigating whether there's more afoot, going against Spedding's orders, but with a trio of local women (Saltburn's Lolly Adefope, Boat Story's Joanna Scanlan and Doc Martin's Eileen Atkins) assisting. As Wicked Little Letters spins a whodunnit around its expletive-filled correspondence and lapses in accepted propriety — albeit one with low stakes, given that the culprit is largely obvious regardless of whether you know the real-life details going in — it does so with top-notch casting. Watching any Colman-starring film means seeing one of Britain's best actors put on a show, as everything from The Favourite to The Father attests. Here, it also involves witnessing a layered portrayal, not that that's unusual for the Oscar-winner. Edith is the picture of Catholic piety, but yearns for constant approval (being called a "pretty young Christian woman" gets her beaming with pride) after spending her entire existence under her abusive father's thumb. Envy also clearly courses through her veins towards the former acquaintance that she's sending to jail. Enjoying Colman's turn also means revelling in her ability to sling profanities when the narrative calls for it ("piss" and "foxy-arsed" are high among the scribe's terms of choice). Buckley, also as always, is as spirited as she is earthy — and expertly balances Rose's bold forthrightness with her inner vulnerability as the village witch-hunt keeps pointing its pitchforks Rose's way (primarily for daring to be unmarried, a mother, cohabiting with a man, known to curse and nothing but her irrepressible self). She's having as much of a ball as Colman with her part, in just-as-stellar a performance. The dynamic between Edith and Rose spells out the narrow-minded societal mindset about women at the time, including how such judgements and expectations were internalised, but neither Buckley nor Colman are stuck playing mere symbols or subversions of regressive attitudes. Also excellent is Vasan, in a role that's no less crucial, conveying a process that is never as easy to experience as it is to witness: realising how flawed the status quo is, how your existence has been shaped by it (female police officers weren't even permitted to marry or have children), then challenging it no matter the consequences. As shot with the warm hues typical of period-set English fare by cinematographer Ben Davis (The Banshees of Inisherin), this poison-pen story doesn't send much that's surprising to the screen — as a mystery, a satire, a bundle of character studies, a cop and courtroom drama, or a portrait of the era that it depicts. It also leans heavily on its strong language being entertaining. But Sharrock, comedian Sweet and their cast have such a handle on the scenario, its amusing potential, and everything that this true-crime tale says about the 1920s, 2020s and humanity's worst impulses regardless of the year, that it always works. When Colman and Buckley last appeared in the same movie, The Lost Daughter had them playing the same person; getting them sharing a frame, and swearing in it, is also worth watching.
UPDATE, December 23, 2022: The Batman is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When The Batman begins (not to be confused with Batman Begins), it's with the slaying of a powerful Gotham figure. A shocking crime that scandalises the city, it leaves a traumatised boy behind, and couldn't be more influential in the detective-style tale of blood and vengeance that follows. But viewers haven't seen this story before, despite appearances. It isn't the start of pop culture's lonesome billionaire orphan's usual plight, although he's there, all dressed in black, and has an instant affinity for the sorrowful kid. Behold the first standout feat achieved by this excellent latest take on the Dark Knight (not to be confused with The Dark Knight): realising that no one needs to see Bruce Wayne's parents meet their end for what'd feel like the millionth time. The elder Waynes are still dead, and have been for two decades. Bruce (Robert Pattinson, Tenet) still festers with pain over their loss. And the prince of Gotham still turns vigilante by night, cleaning up the lawless streets one no-good punk at a time with only trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis, Long Shot) in on his secret. As directed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes' Matt Reeves, and co-scripted with The Unforgivable's Peter Craig, The Batman clocks something crucial about its namesake and the audiences that watch him, however. The caped crusader's every move stems from his inescapable grief as always, but no one has to witness its origins yet again to glean why he's become the conflicted protector of his anarchic city. Instead, here he's overtly anguished, upset, broken, broiling with hurt and working his way through those feelings in each affray — a suave, smooth and slick one-percenter playboy in his downtime, he isn't — and it's a more absorbing version of the character than seen in many of the past Bat flicks that've fluttered through cinemas. Why so serious? That question is answered quickly. Also, badging Pattinson's turn in the cape and cowl 'emo Batman' is 100-percent accurate. It's meant to be, because violence isn't just about experiencing or inflicting pain, but also about processing the emotions stirred up. Apply the label to The Batman's unrelentingly dark and rainy aesthetic as well and, once again, it suits. Lensed with such an eye for the absence of light by Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser (a Dune Oscar-nominee) that he's painting with the shadowiest of shadows, this is a grimmer Batman than Christopher Nolan's trilogy, moodier than Ben Affleck's stint, and gloomier than the Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney-starring movies (not to mention the upbeat and campy 60s TV series that gave us the Batusi). Like teen shows, the tone of any given Batman entry reflects the surrounding times, and the tenor here is bleak, bruised and battered. Call the prevailing batmosphere cinema's own bat-signal and that's oh-so-fitting, too. Batman is bruised and battered himself in The Batman. He flinches when jumping from skyscrapers in his winged batsuit, grimaces upon impact and sports contusions beneath his mask before that. In spurts of Taxi Driver-style narration — where he could be one of screenwriter Paul Schrader's lonely men wrestling with the world (see also: The Card Counter) — he seethes about his self-appointed task, past and the state of Gotham, exposing his psychological scars as well. That doesn't change when a serial killer who dubs himself The Riddler (Paul Dano, Okja) and must love David Fincher movies (Seven and Zodiac especially) commits The Batman's opening murder, the first in a chain targeting the city's elite. This other angry mask-wearing vigilante is also waging a war on Gotham's corruption, and leaving puzzles to be solved along the way — with Batman assisting police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch), and being aided by nightclub waiter-cum-cat burglar Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz, Kimi) in turn. What makes one man's angst-riddled quest noble but the other's deranged? As The Batman broods over that conundrum, the line between its titular figure and The Riddler is the finest it has perhaps ever been. Reeves isn't interested in another hero-with-a-sob-story spin on Batman, but in surveying the tragedy that seeps through his grimy and dank rendering of Gotham — yes, even dimmer than in Joker — and plotting the choices that spirit its abandoned residents towards either improving or destroying the city. The longer he chases The Riddler, via altercations with crime kingpin Carmine Falcone (John Turturro, Severance) and club-owner Oswald 'The Penguin' Cobblepot (Colin Farrell, The North Water), the more that Bruce/Batman flies parallel to his new foe. Selina slinks along a similar route, too, as coloured by her own history — plus the missing friend she's desperate to find, which is what connects her with Batman to start with. This many different Batman films and shows in, it isn't easy to make the Dark Knight an entrancing and surprising character again — Christian Bale did, Affleck didn't — but Pattinson's casting is exceptional. Since he stopped visibly sparkling in the Twilight saga, his role choices have been near-impeccable as Cosmopolis, The Rover, Maps to the Stars, The Lost City of Z, Good Time, High Life and The Lighthouse have shown, and The Batman slides seamlessly into his enviable recent resume. There's soulfulness and tension to his portrayal of the Gotham crusader's inner turmoil, not just matching the Nirvana's 'Something in the Way'-meets-'Ave Maria'-soundtracked mood of melancholy, but also rippling in every glance, glare, step, jump and thrown fist. There's also a deep-seated intensity; a willingness to play both Bruce and Batman as weird, awkward and unsettled; and a welcome lack of boundaries between his character's two personas. Reeves hasn't just scored a pitch-perfect lead, though. At just a batwing's flap shy of three hours, his film comes packed more convenient plot developments than necessary, but it has time to cement the savvy Kravitz among the most memorable versions of Catwoman — and to refreshingly play up her sexual tension with Batman. It also ensures that the quietly commanding Wright, hypnotically unhinged Dano and prosthetics-laden Farrell all have room to shine, though The Penguin is hardly a big player. It gives the latest Batmobile a helluva revved-up entrance and breathlessly thrilling car chase, and lets wide-framed, rhythmically choreographed action scenes roll long so that viewers feel the toll they wage on the movie's main man. Spotting everything that influenced The Batman isn't an enigma, of course, and The Riddler would be thoroughly disappointed. But the way that everything is spliced and shaken together, and the mood — and it's definitely a mood — makes this weighty, heavy, sublimely shot, excellently cast, always-engaging blockbuster feel new, and all things Batman with it.
There's a moment in Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened that no one will ever forget. While much of the film falls into that category — cataloguing an utter trainwreck of a festival will do that — one scene particularly stands out. When event producer Andy King reveals what he was asked to do to secure bottled water for the fest's stars and patrons (and the fact that he'd resigned himself to doing it), it instantly underlines the scope and shamelessness of Fyre's catastrophic mismanagement. Given that the doco not only became an instant must-watch, but that the similar, Hulu-funded film Fyre Fraud did too, it's safe to say that everyone wants to know more about this story. Australians will be able to get the full details at this year's BIGSOUND, with King himself joining the lineup as a late addition. He'll be heading to Brisbane as one of the four-day conference's keynote speakers, appearing an event called Fyreside Chat with Andy King on Wednesday, September 4. King will likely be offering his advice on what not to do in the music festival industry, and why being willing to go the extra mile for a gig isn't always a good thing. As Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened demonstrates, he isn't shy when it comes to taking about his experiences — and he has a sense of humour about it. He also has a considerable resume that ranges well above and beyond Fyre Festival, spanning more than 25 years in the event business. Expect to hear about that, too, which ranges from hosting the launch of the world's tallest ferris wheel in Las Vegas to running the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation's annual gala. Amusingly, King also oversees a zero-waste event company that focuses on environmental and social impacts, including when plastic bottles of water are involved. Until he makes his way Down Under, revisit King's must-see doco moment via the Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened trailer below. The film itself is available on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ0KNVU2fV0 BIGSOUND 2019 runs from September 3–6 at various venues around Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For further details or to buy tickets, visit bigsound.org.au. To discover what to do, see, eat and drink while visiting Brissie for the annual event, check out our weekender's guide to Brisbane during BIGSOUND.
As was the case with recent release The Walk, Lance Armstrong scandal pic The Program is a film burdened by having the documentary that preceded it set a near-impossible standard for anything better. Comprehensive, compelling and absolutely exasperating, Alex Gibney's The Armstrong Lie was an exceptional piece of honest and meticulous journalism in which Lance Armstrong’s own performance proved to be a breathtaking piece of dramatic fiction. What The Program does offer, however, is a peek inside the conversations and moments that not even Gibney could record – despite his unprecedented access. Why? Because even Armstrong knew better than to let his own videographer record all the actual doping sessions and illegal deals. How the steroids were obtained, how they were snuck into France, how the cyclists took possession, used and then disposed of them - all of this is covered in great detail in The Program, as are as the methods used to defeat the drug testing that followed. As Armstrong, Ben Foster is note perfect. Beyond his remarkable physical similarity to the disgraced cyclist, Foster absolutely nails the camera-ready smile and rehearsed laugh used by Armstrong to mask both his rage and unrestrained ego. Practising in front of a mirror, we see Foster repeating again and again that he “has never tested positive for steroids”, a technical truth amidst a monumental lie that perfectly demonstrates the semantic and psychological art behind what officially became “the most successful doping program the sport [had] ever seen”. Perhaps the only great disappointment with The Program is the lack of time given to the largely unheralded role played by David Walsh – the Sunday Times sports journalist who doggedly and almost single-handedly pursued the Armstrong deception amid unbelievable resistance from every imaginable corner. Played by Chris O’Dowd, Walsh endured manifold lawsuits, professional humiliation and even abandonment by his closest friends and colleagues for investigating a fairytale that was plainly too good to be true. But while O’Dowd receives far too little screen time, The Program still does a good job of explaining why few were eager to question Armstrong’s mythic success. Given his contribution to the global expansion of the sport and the inspiration he provided for cancer sufferers via the Live Strong foundation, it's not hard to understand why we were all so keen to believe the lie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXfp859pcM0
Punk rockers unite! One of Canada's most loved bands are finally hitting Australian shores after an absence that seems an eternity. Billy Talent, have been bursting the ear drums of their fellow country men for almost twenty years, and finally it's Australia's turn to share in the audible bombardment of the senses. They are set to hit the stage at the Hifi to showcase their latest album, as well as veritable smorgasbord of blistering, fretboard melting treats from their back catalogue. Four albums in to their expansive career, the band are still rocking like it's the nineties. With a stellar set comprised of anthemic rock tunes and stadium sing along choruses, Thursday's show at the Hifi promises to be a gig that that will leave you counting down the days until their next down under stopover, and quite possibly, a little hard of hearing.
Casual face-melter Courtney Barnett is finally about to have a debut album under her already trophy-laden belt. So naturally, the Melbourne-based shredder has announced her Australian debut album tour for May 2015. This one's going to sell fast. Marking the release of her first ever LP, Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (out Friday, March 20 via Barnett's own Milk! Records and Remote Control), this tour follows Barnett's epic performances at Laneway festival around the country over the last few weeks. Having already proved herself one of Australia's brightest sparks over the last few years with her 2013 EP release The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas, Barnett's spins one hell of a live show — having nailed sets at Lollapalooza, South by Southwest and New York City's CMJ. Supported by Teeth & Tongue, Barnett will cruise from Adelaide's The Gov on Friday, May 1 to Perth's Bakery on Saturday, May 2. Then it's over to Sydney's The Metro on Friday, May 8 and Brisbane's Hi-Fi on Saturday, May 9. In classic Australian artist form, Barnett will wrap things up in her hometown of Melbourne on Friday, May 15 at The Forum. COURTNEY BARNETT AUSTRALIAN ALBUM TOUR 2015 SUPPORTED BY TEETH & TONGUE FRIDAY MAY 1 The Gov, Adelaide, SA TICKETS SATURDAY MAY 2 The Bakery, Perth, WA TICKETS FRIDAY MAY 8 The Metro, Sydney, NSW TICKETS SATURDAY MAY 9 The Hifi, Brisbane, QLD TICKETS FRIDAY MAY 15 The Forum, Melbourne, VIC TICKETS
Banging is the certainly word for it; when Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn begins, it's with high school teacher Emi (Katia Pascariu, Beyond the Hills) and her camera-wielding husband Eugen (first-timer Stefan Steel) having loud, enthusiastic, pink wig-wearing sex — and filming it. Romanian writer/ director Radu Jude (I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians) shows the explicit three-minute snippet of footage as others will see it, because others will indeed see it: the students at Emi's school, their parents and her fellow teachers among them. All genitalia and thrusting and lustful talk (and shouted queries through the door from whoever is looking after the couple's child), this graphic opening also makes a bold and firm statement. So many people within the film's frames will take issue with it as vocally as Emi and her partner are enjoying themselves — and they're unmistakably enjoying themselves — but Jude definitely isn't one of them. 2021's Berlinale Golden Bear-winner, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn also starts with a gleeful provocation — not just to those seeing Emi and Eugen's home video within the movie, but to Jude's viewers. It's a jolting opening that's exactingly orchestrated to make audiences react, then unpack their own instant reflexes in tandem with the rude on-screen posse that may as well be waving pitchforks. The underlying question: to those who object, what makes this raunchy romp between two consenting adults so shocking? Worse exists on the internet en masse all the time, so is it its unexpected arrival? Within the picture, is it the fact that Emi is a teacher, a woman or that she's unapologetic, too? Both queries speak to ideas long internalised about what we see where, who we allow to do what, and the power that comes from enforcing arbitrary and hypocritical judgements about supposed immorality and obscenity. Indeed, loving, animated, costumed and sex toy-aided intercourse between a married couple in the privacy of their own home is the nicest thing that graces Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn — until the feature's glorious climax, that is. What follows the intimate clip is a razor-sharp satire of a world that's so indifferent to so much ghastliness and so often, yet remains so unaccepting of carnality and so quick to use it as a reason to unbridle our worst sniping impulses. The film wields that notion as a weapon, all as Emi and Bucharest's other residents also navigate the pandemic. Jude could've set his scorching feature at any time, but overtly drawing attention to the daily behaviour that's been accepted while the globe battles a decimating virus — and the fact that some here would rather fixate on a different and trivial kind of viral spread — makes a blunt but perceptive point. Accordingly, in the cinema verite-style first section, Emi rushes around the city on foot, going about an ordinary day that morphs into anything but. Actually, given that she learns of the sex tape backlash while surrounded by everyday hostilities and vulgarities, this chapter reinforces an ugly truth: that the performatively horrified responses from the parents of Emi's students are all too routine. As she traverses the streets, Bucharesters yell and argue bitterly — swearing at each other in the grocery store, purposely hitting pedestrians with cars and otherwise uttering language that'd be at home in porn. Emi is one of them as she tries to get sedatives from the chemist and drops by her school headmistress' (Claudia Ieremia, I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians) home, but the mood and intent is to lay bare a city heaving and brawling in its natural state. In this portion of the film, Jude and his regular cinematographer Marius Panduru observe intently and patiently, while also spying ample evidence of Romania's transition from communism to capitalism peppered around town. That helps anchor Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn's second act, which unleashes scathing and playful cine-essay snippets about the country's past, the planet's present, human behaviour — often at its most atrocious — and how porn is used as both a scapegoat and an anaesthetic. Again, subtlety isn't in the feature's wheelhouse here, nor need it be. Compiled from factual sources, such as news and social media, Jude badges this section 'A Short Dictionary of Anecdotes, Signs and Wonders' — and, in both providing context for so many of the movie's musings and exemplifying its experimental approach, it is certainly a wonder. Lastly, a mask-wearing Emi is interrogated and publicly humiliated by parents and teachers, their punitive savagery and blatant sanctimoniousness on full display. It's the picture's first brilliant, biting and bleakly hilarious climax — what would a film about a sex tape be without more than one peak? — and it initially plays out as anticipated. Yes, "Fox News" is shouted, because Jude's commentary isn't only limited to his homeland. Still, while the kangaroo court-style inquisition Emi faces overflows with foreseeable revelations, they're still shrewd and sizzling, and the movie also saves some of its final knee-weakening thrusts for its last few twists. It also uses this segment to showcase the filmmaker's skilled handling of farce, his adaptability through the course of this free-wheeling feat, and Pascariu's exceptional performance. Trying to glean deeper expressions and emotions from above a strip of face-covering fabric is a pandemic reality; however, Pascariu turns it into tour de force. Among the sights that Jude peers at in Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn's walk-and-witness section is a closed cinema, a 'for rent' sign on its window, which punctuates a chapter filled with incident after incident of antagonism — abuse and selfishness so common that it's clearly an engrained mindset. Losing even a single space to see art, connect with something bigger than oneself, and become immersed in different stories and perspectives alters any society, and it's easy to draw a line from there to Emi's arrogant and entitled tribunal of accusers. In a film designed to galvanise when watched communally thanks to its explicit opening, it's also easy to ponder how those censorious and bumptious parents would react if they were viewing this very movie. They'd likely be the type to desecrate the darkened theatre by loading the porn video on their phone mid-flick, only to then attack and insult anyone who asked them to pay attention to the feature in front of them and stop ruining the big-screen experience for everyone else. Jude could easily make a searing and stinging film about the state of Romania and the world out of that, too.
It was first announced last year as part of the Howard Smith Wharves redevelopment, and now Jonathan Barthelmess' new Brisbane venture has a name: Greca. Set to open by December 2018, Greca brings a taverna-style restaurant to the city's new waterfront precinct underneath the Story Bridge. Taking over a heritage warehouse space, it'll fill its spartan timber and concrete fit-out with an open kitchen and a fire pit — and it'll take full advantage of its prime location with both indoor and outdoor seating. This isn't Barthelmess' first Greek eatery, with the chef and restaurateur known for The Apollo in both Sydney and Tokyo. For his Queensland spot, he'll even bring a few of The Apollo's favourites to town in remixed versions. That said, Greca will be its own overall creation. Diners can expect a share-friendly menu filled with dishes cooked over fire and wood and in stone-baked ovens, all focused on heroing simple Greek flavours with local produce. Alongside a largely Mediterranean wine list, of course. Originally from Queensland but making his name down south, Barthelmess describes Greca as "the perfect chance" to come back to his home state. Greca will join a host of other restaurants and bars at the Howard Smith Wharves precinct, including a Hong Kong-inspired Chinese eatery, a Japanese-style haunt, an octagonal bar and Brisbane's first riverside brewery. Greca will open at Howard Smith Wharf Precinct, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane sometime in December. We'll keep you updated on the opening. Image: The Apollo Sydney by Nikki To.
UPDATE, October 21, 2020: Rebecca is available to stream via Netflix. Primarily set in a sprawling British estate that'd make Downton Abbey's characters envious, starring one of that show's cast members and telling a tale taken from the pages of an iconic gothic novel, the latest version of Rebecca arrives with a splash. A visible one, too; every frame is not only elegant and atmospheric, but often overtly gorgeous. Each second of this Netflix-funded film drips with extravagance. A parade of striking visuals saunters before viewers' eyes, surveying not only the movie's main location, but the luxe furnishings within it, the scenic coastal patch of land it sits on and the finely tailored attire donned by those walking its halls. At every turn, it appears as though no expense has been spared in bringing Rebecca to the screen, and in striving to sweep audiences up in its lavish imagery and 1930s-era story. Alas, while the first part of that equation is easily, almost instantly achieved, the latter portion proves a bigger struggle. Like its source material, Rebecca starts with an evocative line: "last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again". It's uttered in voiceover by a young woman who is never known as anything but Mrs de Winter (Lily James), and who viewers first meet before she takes that moniker, when she's working as a lady's companion to acid-tongued socialite Mrs Van Hopper (The Handmaids' Tale's Ann Dowd) on a trip to the French Riviera. During the picturesque getaway, the unnamed heroine crosses paths with wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer). Tasked by her boss to pay their hotel's staff to seat him at their table (for Van Hopper's benefit, not her own), her unassuming nature soon draws his attention. Romance quickly blooms — much to the shock of the well-heeled masses similarly summering by the sea — setting Maxim and his blushing new bride en route to the family mansion he vocally treasures. Back at Manderley, however, the second Mrs de Winter can't escape the lingering presence of the movie's titular figure. Everywhere she looks, she sees Rebecca's monogrammed belongings. Every conversation in the house seems to revolve around her as well, especially her tragic passing. With housekeeper Mrs Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), all Manderley's newcomer feels is passive-aggressive and sometimes openly aggressive menace — and the fact that the stern employee was absolutely, utterly devoted to Rebecca. Maxim's mood changes drastically, too, and while those unacquainted with Rebecca's twists and turns should keep it that way going in, his second wife is increasingly troubled by the sensation that much is awry. In other words, the film's central young woman — the one that's still living and breathing, that is — is caught in the shadow of her new husband's late previous wife. In the pages of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel, on the big and small screens several times since, and in this new iteration, that's a scenario laden with ample psychological thrills. Here, director Ben Wheatley patiently teases out the details, but it's noticeable (and perhaps fitting) that he also subjects his viewers to the same kind of experience endured by his protagonist. From the moment it was announced, Wheatley's film was forever destined to be compared to Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar Best Picture-winning 1940 version of the beloved book. That's what happens when you follow in Hitch's footsteps and, now that Rebecca circa 2020 has reached viewers, that won't change. Wheatley is a stellar filmmaker, and has a resume filled with everything from Down Terrace, Kill List and Sightseers to High-Rise, Free Fire and Happy New Year, Colin Burstead to prove it. But, in his most mainstream, least boundary-pushing effort to date, he has crafted a brooding movie that engages enough, yet never surprises and rarely has a strong lasting impact. That's the case even when it deviates from the famed changes that Hitchcock's version of the story was forced to implement under Hollywood's strict production code at the time (which didn't allow content and plot developments considered morally indecent to reach the screen). This iteration of Rebecca doesn't do du Maurier's adored text or the gothic genre it hails from a disservice. It's perfectly watchable, generally handles the narrative capably and proves near-overwhelmingly handsome, in fact. And still, even for audiences coming to it anew, with zero attachment to an 80-year-old previous adaptation, everything about it proves so expected. It must be terrifying, unsettling, dispiriting and downright soul-crushing to feel as if you're haunted by your predecessor, to have someone doing their utmost to ensure that impression never dissipates and to barely exist to those around you (that James' character isn't given a first name isn't an accident). Rebecca is as moody as it is visually lush, but it can't quite nail that crucial sensation. It tries, though. While the overall movie frequently seems content to serve up a standard period-set melodrama rather than leaning too far into taunting and lurching emotional horrors, Scott Thomas' turn as Mrs Danvers is supremely, disquietingly chilling — to the point that, if casting her in the part was the sole reason this film was made, that's understandable. Too much around her isn't willing to commit as heartily, however. James and Hammer always hit their marks, but do little more, for instance. All those opulent sights catch the eye, too, but as the feature's heroine herself learns, sumptuous packaging alone is rarely ever truly and completely satisfying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFVhB54UqvQ Top image: Kerry Brown, Netflix.
UPDATE, MARCH 10: TransLink has extended its pet dogs on ferries trial, which was originally due to finish in early March. In good news for water-loving pooches, Brisbanites are now able to take their puppers for a cruise down the river until Sunday, May 31 — from Monday–Friday between 8.30am–3.30pm and 7pm–6am, and all day on weekends. Brisbane barked and TransLink has answered. After asking the city's residents whether pet dogs should be allowed on CityCats — and receiving an overwhelming yes — the State Government is running a trial over the coming months. Whether it'll become permanent is yet to be seen, but your summer and autumn plans can now include cruising along the Brisbane River with your four-legged best friend. Running from Monday, December 9, 2019–Sunday, May 31, the trial comes after 5000 people responded to the survey on the topic, with 86 percent supporting the move. TransLink will now spend the next three months monitoring how non-canine passengers respond to pooches on CityCats, and if it influences or changes their use of the catamarans and ferries. Both dog owners and people travelling without their pets are encouraged to provide feedback, which will help influence the final call on the matter. That's great news if your trusty mutt likes speeding along the old brown snake — or if you're headed out for the day via the watery form of public transport and want to take your furry pal with you — however there are a few conditions. Dogs are only allowed onboard in off-peak periods, which covers between 8.30am–3.30pm and 7pm–6am on weekdays (between) and all day on weekends. Folks hitting the deck with their woofers will need to either enclose their dog in a carrier, or secure them on a lead and make them wear a muzzle. You'll also be required to travel in the ferry's outside areas — so no, your pooch can't get comfy inside the cabin — and, understandably, carry waste bags and clean up after them. All of these conditions will be evaluated as part of the trial, too. [caption id="attachment_754200" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sheba_Also via Wikicommons[/caption] It's also worth noting that, if the boat is at capacity or there are other operational reasons, the ferry master may ask you and your dog to wait for the next service — so it might be worth factoring in some extra time if you're planning a river outing with your doggo. TransLink's pet dogs on ferries trial runs from Monday, December 9, 2019–Sunday, May 31 2020, with dogs allowed onboard from Monday–Friday between 8.30am–3.30pm and 7pm–6am, and all day on weekends. For further information, visit the TransLink website. Top image: Kgbo via Wikicommons.
Ever looked at a patch of dirt and found yourself thinking about art? It's okay if your answer is no. In fact, it's not the kind of connection most of us make all that often — including artists. To change that, a number of creatives spent six months working with soil scientists to develop pieces inspired by the ground below. Let's Get Dirty is the very appropriate name of the artists-in-residence program, which saw 5 Mile Radius, Lawrence English, Ara Dolatian, Robert Andrew, Paul Stumkat, Kate Woodcroft and Caitlin Franzmann all branch out into something earthy and new. You'll see the results of their experience at Art in Soil — which mightn't be quite as cheeky a name, but it absolutely describes just what's on offer. The exhibition runs from December 14 to 23 at POP Gallery in Woolloongabba, with special events all part of the lineup. Head along for the official opening at 6pm on the 14th, then catch artist talks at 2pm on the 16th, followed by art-science discussions at 3pm. Or, drop by from 10am to 4pm on the 17th, when guided meditation will take the showcase to another level. Last but not least, you can get interactive on the 20th — and leave thinking about soil in a completely different manner.
If you watched Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's vampire sharehouse mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows back in 2014, then instantly found yourself yearning for more, that's understandable. Smart, silly and hilarious, the undead flick is one of the past decade's best comedies — and, to the delight of viewers eager to keep spending time in the movie's supernatural world, it's the reason that New Zealand TV spinoff Wellington Paranormal and American television remake What We Do in the Shadows exist. The latter kicked off in 2019, focusing on a group of vampire flatmates living in Staten Island. If you were a bit wary it wouldn't live up to the original, those fears were quelled, fast. Featuring Toast of London's Matt Berry, Four Lions' Kayvan Novak, British stand-up comedian Natasia Demetriou, The Magicians' Harvey Guillen and The Office's Mark Proksch, it sticks to the same basic concept as the original movie, but with memorable new characters. That said, it could never be considered a mere small-screen copy. Instead, it's a lively and captivating addition to the broader What We Do in the Shadows universe. Also, it boasts two specific aces up its sleeves: the combined on-screen talents of its cast — especially Berry, Novak and Demetriou as three of the central bloodsuckers — plus the time to dive deeper into their undead world. Accordingly, it's no wonder that it was renewed for a ten-episode second season, which is now hitting Australian screens via Foxtel from Thursday, June 25. If you need a refresher, Novak's 'Nandor The Relentless' dates back to the Ottoman Empire days and is somewhat stuck in his ways, while Berry's mischievous British dandy Laszlo and Demetriou's seductive Nadja are like a blood-sucking Bonnie and Clyde, but much funnier. Guillen plays Nandor's familiar Guillermo, who'd do anything to join the undead, while Proksch's Colin is an 'energy vampire'. The new batch of episodes continue their story, charting Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja and the gang's undead antics in the New York borough. It wasn't easy being a centuries-old bloodsucker in Wellington in the movie, and it's just as tough (and amusing) on the other side of the world. The second season also delves further into Guillermo's position among the group. And, it features guest stars such as Mark Hamill, Haley Joel Osment and Craig Robinson. Can't wait to sink your fangs in? The show has also been renewed for a third season, so there's even more to come. Ahead of the season two launch in Australia, check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_ozcr43fP4 The second season of What We Do in the Shadows starts airing on Foxtel and streaming via Foxtel Now from Thursday, June 25, with new episodes added weekly.
Last-minute shopping, over-indulging at celebratory shindigs, and pretending not to be annoyed about receiving another pair of socks: they're each part of every Christmas. For kids and adults alike, so is many a seasonal-themed movie. If it has Santa or Christmas in the title, it's optimal viewing at this time of year. The folks at South Bank certainly think so, and have thrown together their yearly Christmas Cinema Series brimming with merriment. These free films aren't just for families. Any Yuletide movie held under Brisbane's starry skies and on the shores of Streets Beach at this summery time of the season is perfect for, well, everyone. Pack a picnic, bring your beach towel, and enjoy double features every night from December 15 to 23. The familiar but still festive and fun lineup includes everything from Jingle All the Way's '90s stylings to the classic treat that is Miracle on 34th Street. That's not all, with The Muppets Christmas Carol, Elf, The Polar Express, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone and more among a positively jovial and jolly selection of childhood classics gracing the waterside big screen.
Here's something that you oughta know: Alanis Morissette is heading Down Under. The famed 90s singer was actually set to hit our shores back in 2020 as part of her world tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of her chart-topping 95 album Jagged Little Pill. But the pandemic forced those plans to change, so now she'll perform in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney in 2022. Get ready to sing along to 'Ironic', 'You Oughta Know' and 'All I Really Want' at Perth's RAC Arena on November 5, Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on November 8 and 9, and Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on November 11. Morissette was also part of the cancelled 2020 Bluesfest bill, but if the festival returns to its usual Easter timeslot next year — after the 2021 fest was scrapped, then moved to October — that obviously won't happen again. At her four stadium shows, the 90s icon will be supported by Australia's own Julia Stone. Stone has released three solo albums and four together with her brother Angus, including Down the Way, which won Album of the Year at the 2010 ARIA Awards. Morissette's own collection of music awards is hefty, and includes seven Grammys and 12 Juno Awards. While her 95 album Jagged Little Pill is the most critically acclaimed, the Canadian singer has released nine albums, including her latest, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, in 2020. It's clearly a great time to be an Australian Morissette fan, with Broadway's Jagged Little Pill musical, which was inspired by her album and features a heap of the musician's songs, also headed our way. It'll reopen the Theatre Royal Sydney this September. In the meantime, though, hype yourself up for the Aussie tour by belting out the following banger: ALANIS MORISSETTE 2022 AUSTRALIAN DATES Saturday, November 5 — RAC Arena, Perth Tuesday, November 8 and Wednesday, November 9 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Friday, November 11 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Tickets for Alanis Morissette's rescheduled tour are on sale now.
Just a couple of months ago Brisbane was turned into a Marvel movie set for the filming of Thor: Ragnarok. Well, comic book and film fans — there's more where that came from. Come next year, you'll be able to grab your Mjölnir, your best Tom Hiddleston wig, an Infinity Stone and anything else that ties into the now 14-strong Marvel Cinematic Universe, and head to Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art for a massive exhibition dedicated to all things superhero. Talk about great timing. To be precise (and to state the obvious), Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe will showcase all things Marvel when it takes over GOMA from May 27 to September 3, 2017. Consider it a great lead up to Ragnarok's release in cinemas next October. It'll be the largest ever Marvel presentation in an art museum worldwide, and will feature original artworks, film props, costumes and more from the likes of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy. We'd keep listing movies, but their box office success proves that you already know what we're talking about. And yes, you read that correctly — this isn't just a retrospective screening series featuring all the flicks you've been watching since Robert Downey Jr put on a robotic suit and wisecracked his way into starting the franchise back in 2008. Instead, it's a gallery-wide, government-championed, tourist-courting, super huge event. Of course, checking out all of the relevant movies on GOMA's big screen will be part of the program. After you've seen hundreds of MCU pieces drawn from Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment and private collections, you'll probably want to rewatch the films. If you've been to GOMA, you're probably used to seeing curated art and movie choices rather than such a pop culture blockbuster showcase. This will certainly be their most mainstream (and possibly most popular) event of either art or cinema to date. That said, their Australian Cinematheque typically dallies with bigger movie selections featuring better-known, broader titles at least once a year (the recent Monsters, Fairytales and Fables, and Myths and Legends programs, for example), albeit not quite on this mammoth level.
Since launching around the country back in 2013, the British Film Festival keeps standing out for three reasons. Yes, it ranks among Australia's most obvious cultural film fests; however, it's also a star-studded affair, and a popular one. If you're keen not only for a slice of Old Blighty, but to watch well-known talents do what they do best, then prepare to spend a few weeks staring at the big screen. 2018's lineup keeps hitting those same marks. Why mess with a good thing? Running in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra until November 14, this year's program includes Kiera Knightley's latest star turn, a four-film tribute to Michael Caine that'll blow the bloody doors off, and Star Wars' Daisy Ridley in a playful take on Hamlet — plus these, our five must-see picks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfWIfwKJ7vA ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE Anna and the Apocalypse is a zombie movie. It's a high-school comedy. It's a Christmas flick. And, it's also a musical. Just when you thought you'd seen every take on the undead available, this all-singing genre mash-up pops up to prove you wrong. A crowd-pleaser at overseas festivals, it's based on the BAFTA-winning short Zombie Musical — and, story-wise, follows the eponymous Anna (Ella Hunt) as she reacts to the rather inconvenient fact that her Scottish hometown of Little Haven is now filled with the shuffling masses hankering for brains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItW6evHbE8 YARDIE After coming to fame with to The Wire, Idris Elba is no stranger to sprawling crime dramas that chart the next generation's involvement in the drug trade. With Yardie, however, he's stepping behind the camera rather than appearing in front of it. The actor's feature directorial debut hops between Jamaica and London, and between the 70s and 80s, at it charts the path of Denis. As a boy (Antwayne Eccleston), he watches his brother get gunned down on the streets of Kingston. As a young man (Aml Ameen), he finds himself selling cocaine in the UK and seeking revenge. The result is a film with vibrant style, that knows what it wants to be and knows when it's hitting familiar beats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5h1kKjVYc PETERLOO Whenever Mike Leigh has a new film, it's reason enough to rush to the cinema. The great director has seven Oscar nominations to his name for the likes of Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year, and tends to alternate between character-based and historical-leaning dramas. With his latest, Peterloo, he's operating in the latter camp, examining a momentous event in Britain's past. The feature is named after and explores a massacre in Manchester in 1819, when 700 working folks were injured — and 15 killed — during a peaceful pro-democracy gathering. Yes, it sounds more than a little relevant today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE5xbDTkzQQ STAN & OLLIE To the world, they were Laurel and Hardy — one lean and English, the other rotund and American, and both funnier and more famous when they were hitting the stage and screen together. Starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, Stan & Ollie delves into the story behind the fame, when the comedians were approaching the end of their career. The film arrives in Australia fresh from premiering at the London Film Festival, and closes out BFF with the promise of laughs, love and excellent performances. Indeed, when it comes to spot-on casting, it's already a winner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8YiltlZGB0 THE HAPPY PRINCE Another blast from the past in the BFF program, another look at a well-known figure past their heyday, and another well-known actor making their filmmaking debut, too. With the dreamily tragic The Happy Prince, Rupert Everett steps into Oscar Wilde's shoes — and it's a role that he was born to bring to the screen. Writing and directing as well, Everett approaches Wilde's dying days in a rundown Parisian hotel room with both passion and sorrow, two traits that the poet and write knew well. It's a hardly a happy portrait, despite the name, which riffs on one of Wilde's works. That said, interweaving flashbacks to fonder times and co-starring Colin Firth, it does Wilde justice. The 2018 British Film Festival tours Australia until November 14, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinemas from October 23 to November 14; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay and The Astor Theatre from October 25 to November 14; Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace Centro from October 24 to November 14; and Perth's Cinema Paradiso, Raine Square Cinemas, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema from October 25 to November 14. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Brisbane, get ready to giggle — because a whole heap of chuckle-inducing comedians are coming your way. Normally at this time in March, guffaws and chortles would already be echoing through Brisbane Powerhouse; however, as announced last year, 2022's Brisbane Comedy Festival is happening a bit later than usual. The just-dropped full lineup will still have you in stitches, though. Some of 2022's funny folks were already revealed last year, too, so you've probably already been looking forward to rolling in the aisles watching Nazeem Hussain, Ross Noble, Tom Ballard and Melanie Bracewell, plus Josh Earl, Jude Perl, Wil Anderson, Lizzy Hoo, Nat's What I Reckon and Peter Helliar. But the list of talent that'll be doing their hilarious thing across Friday, April 29–Sunday, May 29 definitely doesn't end there, with more than 100 comedians bringing the laughs across 350-plus shows. Also on the bill: the inimitable David O'Doherty, complete with his trusty keyboard; Irish star Jason Byrne, who heads back to Australia for the first time in four years; Malaysian doctor-turned-comedian Jason Leong; the BCF debut of Schapelle, Schapelle – The Musical; the return of Speed: The Movie, The Play; and everyone from the always side-splitting Judith Lucy to TV regular Dave Hughes. And, there's a big focus on local talent — so much so that BCF 2022 boasts the fest's largest-ever homegrown lineup. Becky Lucas, Cal Wilson, Claire Hooper, Mel Buttle, Zoë Coombs Marr, Rhys Nicholson, Reuben Kaye and The Chaser's Andrew Hansen: they're all on the bill, too. Plus, BCF is also shining a spotlight on well-known and upcoming Indigenous comics, including Steven Choolburra, Kevin Kropinyeri, Andy Saunders and Steph Tisdell. Other highlights from the program include the Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala, with Nick Cody hosting; the Multicultural Comedy Gala, complete with Akmal, Tahir and Ting Lim; late-night comedy sessions; and a Sunday roast at The Tivoli. Or, there's also Brisburned's comedy sketches about Brissie, after-work laughs and the return of Queerstories. Wondering which BCF show has the best name? That'd be Diana Nguyen's Chasing Keanu Reeves. As always, Brisbane Comedy Festival will takeover Brisbane Powerhouse, filling as many of the New Farm spot's spaces with comedians as it possibly can. And, venue-wise, it'll also get you giggling at The Tivoli and Fortitude Music Hall. Updated March 10, 2022.
The past couple of weeks haven't just been wet in Queensland and New South Wales. They've been catastrophically drenching, with the two states weathering not only torrential rain but also widespread flooding. And if you've been lucky enough to avoid the worst of it, you're probably eager to help out however you can — including with your next schooner, pint or several. At Australian Venue Co locations around Australia — all 180-plus pubs and bars around the country, including a heap in Brisbane — your next beer will help flood-affected folks in need. In Queensland specifically, the hospitality company is donating $1 per schooner and $2 per pint from every XXXX Gold to the Red Cross Qld and NSW Floods Appeal. Yep, in a time that hasn't had much in the way of good news, that's something to say cheers to. The whole thing has been dubbed Beers for Mates, and it's running till the end of the month. So, to lend a hand by sinking a few brews, all you need to do is hit up your local AVC venue and order a Furphys between Wednesday, March 9–Thursday, March 31. Top image: Bribie Island Hotel.
It's the garden gift that keeps on giving — and one you can give to anyone, even your plant-killing pals or your mates with not-so-green thumbs. And, it's just the thing that the folks at The Succy Bunch specialise in. When they're not helping you send a spiky surprise across Brisbane, they're hosting a one-day market so you can drop by and pick up a few in person. Whether you're going natural for all of your festive presents, or want to spruce up your own house with a spate of self-gifting, you'll want to stop by The Succy Bunch's Christmas Succulent, Cacti and Gift Pop-Up on December 9. As well as a hefty array of plants, there'll also terrariums, soy candles, photographs and prints available for sale from a variety of stallholders. Oh, and coffee from Third Wheel Espresso, in case you need some extra shopping energy.
If you've even the smallest creative bone in your body, Django Unchained will tickle it. Wildly creative, funny, and frightening, true to form yet never predictable, this is one of those films that makes you want to write one of these kinds of films. Set two years before the start of the American Civil War when slavery was still rampant in the south, it's tempting (if also stupid) to think of Django Unchained as some sort of bizarre prequel to Spielberg's Lincoln. Initially the eponymous Django (Jamie Foxx) walks wearied and defeated in a chain gang until he's unexpectedly freed by the eccentric dentist Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). This mannerly yet murderous bounty hunter then offers Django the chance to both exact revenge and make his fortune by murdering white outlaws in exchange for money. With the crosshatched scars of countless lashings on his back a daily reminder of such men's cruelty, Django leaps at the chance and soon proves a natural in the business. His wife, however, remains the property of vile plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a character so heinous and sadistic that Tarantino subsequently deemed him 'beyond redemption', and hence a rescue plan takes form. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that this Tarantino tale of slavery and vengeance dials the violence up to 11 from almost the opening scene and never looks back. It does occasionally border on 'look-away' levels of horror; however — just as it was with Inglourious Basterds — this 'revenge porn' sub-genre of cinema uncomfortably satisfies through its savagery. Moreover, Tarantino's preparedness to brutally kill off any (and, often, all) his principal characters without even a moment's notice lends every scene an undercurrent of unpredictable tension that commands your attention. Traditionally, Tarantino's main shortcoming as a director has been his fondness for playing with form in a manner that denies his audiences the opportunity to entirely immerse themselves in the experience. Whether through unexpected soundtrack choices, mid-movie title sequences or just direct conversations with the audience, you're aware you're watching a movie and hence sit entertained but not always engrossed. Those same elements are at play again in Django, but for the first time since Kill Bill, they advance and enhance the plot rather than specifically (and jarringly) draw your attention to it. In short, it's a delightful return to form. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_iH0UBYDI4g
If you've ever thought that your local pizza place needed more disco, or that your favourite club needed more Italian food, then Johnny's Pizzeria is your kind of joint. Taking over the Bakery Lane space that was previously used as a kiosk, it knows how to answer the perennial battle between showing off your fancy footwork and having a slice: here, you don't have to choose The latest venture from the Moubment Group, aka the folks behind Laruche and The Apo, is literally located behind both establishments. There'll you'll find tables adorned with classic red-and-white-checked linen, a wood-fired oven cranking out hand-stretched pizzas ranging from quattro formaggo to margherita, a drinks menu of beers and Aperol Spritzes, plus DJs spinning tunes and an outdoor dance floor. Basically, as well as sounding like the kind of place you'd find in a movie, Johnny's Pizzeria gives the Valley's coolest off-Ann Street laneway and just Brisbane in general the combination of food and fun no one has probably asked for but everyone secretly needs. Having opened its doors on May 5, it seats 60, opens from midday till late, and is about to become your new after-drinks go-to. Find Johnny's Pizzeria in Bakery Lane, 690 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. For more information, check out their Facebook page. Via The Courier-Mail.
From piecing together messages or wondrous discoveries hidden among the stars, to using the constellations as a guiding force for navigation, or simply sitting back and admiring the view, stargazing has proven to be an enduring hobby. To honour this, Vivid Sydney is taking to the skies with the return of its stunning annual drone shows, in partnership with the Australian Traffic Network. Across six nights from Sunday, May 28, you'll be able to look up and witness over 1000 drones lighting up the night sky to create the biggest drone show the Southern Hemisphere has seen to date. Written in the Stars will take audiences on a visual exploration of space, delving into the natural world of our solar system by featuring awe-inspiring landscapes from the Sun through to Jupiter — along with some unexpected stops and visitors. A rework of Gustav Holst's 'The Planets' by Peewee Ferris will soundtrack the shows, available via the Cinewav app (which you can download here), to heighten the experiential journey. And you'll be able to marvel at these sights for free. Catch the recurring light shows from 9.10pm from your vantage point of Circular Quay or The Rocks. This event will only light up Sydney Harbour for six nights throughout the duration of Vivid Sydney 2023. Written in the Stars is running from 9.10pm on Sunday, May 28 and Wednesday, May 31 then June 4th, 7th, 12th and 14th. For more information, visit the website.
First, the bad news: Ground Control might be a space oddity, however, this Brisbane Festival show isn't a Bowie-themed production. Instead, it's a queer feminist science-fiction effort that tells the tale of young astronaut trying to find a second earth to save humanity from climate change, clever cyborgs and their own misogynistic ways. So, not too far-fetched then. It's also an effort that's part science experiment and part love story — and part comedy and confronting performance too. And, if you're a fan of this experimental, urgent, immersive breed of theatre, there's more where it came from. Just check out the rest of Bris Fest's Theatre Republic program. Image: Sarah Walker.
Returning after a successful launch in 2011, the Brisbane Fitness and Health Expo is back better than ever, for two days at the convention and exhibition centre. With Michelle Bridges, best known for her role on Channel Ten’s hugely successful weight-loss show; The Biggest Loser and her renowned fitness program, on board as a guest speaker and Natalie Cook, Ky Hurst and Ellie Gonsalves being interviewed, fitness freaks are in for a real (calorie-free) treat. With activities and events including yoga, boxing and strongman demonstrations, bikini runway shows, model searches, nutritional seminars and fashion parades, visitors will be hard pressed to decide what to do with themselves. Exhibitors like the Supplement Den, Polar and On Running will be returning for the second time, along with exciting new comers like SlimPasta, Lorna Jane and PURE Health Clubs.
You might have thought King George Square looked pretty fine during the day and maybe a tad finer at night, but it's at twilight City Hall really shows off its colours. And what better backdrop when you're shopping the evening away — especially when the King George is filled with some of Brisbane's best designers and makers. The regular Brisbane Twilight Market shows off a sizeable array of stalls — more than 60, in fact — all staffed by some pretty nifty and talented local artists. Returning for 2022, the event will host an eclectic selection of items, so prepare to browse and buy. You'll be perusing everything from handmade clothing, accessories and leather goods to paper goods, homewares, art and ceramics (and more). This market is all about sound, smell and sales — so live music will provide a soundtrack to the evening, and expect to be hit with that spring flowerbed smell that always lingers when there's a soap stall around. Food stalls are also on the agenda, with 2022's slate of regular markets held on Friday, May 6; Friday, July 15; Friday, September 2; and Friday, December 2. Each event runs from 4–9pm, so take along some cash and stock up on all things crafty. [caption id="attachment_666947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] BrisStyle[/caption] Top image: Brisbane City Council.
True-crime stories have saturated all forms of media of late. If you're not listening to podcasts on the topic, you're watching Zac Efron play Ted Bundy, exploring the intersection of fact and fiction in Mindhunter or poring over a TV series about Serial's Adnan Syed. But despite the seemingly never-ending list of new additions to the genre, we're betting you haven't yet witnessed anything quite like Joe Exotic's story, which is the subject of Netflix's new Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness docuseries — and, now, an upcoming drama series as well. Clearly, Joe Exotic isn't the name that the show's mullet-wearing focal point was born with. But given Joe's love of big cats, line of work and over-sized personality, he obviously decided that the moniker fit. Between 1999–2016, he created and ran The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, which was home to hundreds of tigers, lions and other large felines. Joe also took his tiger show on the road and, because he just adored tigers so much, he literally sang about them as well. His first country music album was called I Saw a Tiger, because of course it was. He found time to run for Governor of the state and, in 2016, President of the US. He's fond of guns and just as fond of marrying more than one person at once. Oh, and the zookeeper tried to hire a hitman to get one of his rivals — Big Cat Rescue animal sanctuary's CEO Carole Baskin — killed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acTdxsoa428 Lions, tigers, eccentricity, polygamy and murder-for-hire, oh my! That's the jaw-dropping tale that Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness — and yes, it's so strange that it can only be true. It's no wonder that Netflix has turned it into a series, which is now available to stream. And, as Deadline reports, it's no wonder that a new TV drama is set to recreate these events as well. Based on the podcast Joe Exotic — the latest season of ongoing series Over My Dead Body, which is created by the podcast studio behind Dirty John, Homecoming and Dr Death — the new drama will chart Exotic's long and complicated battle with Baskin. If you've already binged your way through Tiger King, you'll know there's much more to both sides of the story, and to both of their backgrounds, including suspicions about the death of Carole's second husband. While few details have been released about the Joe Exotic limited drama series as yet, which'll only run for one batch of episodes, it will boast a big star. Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters and Yesterday's Kate McKinnon will be playing Baskin — and yes, that means she'll be saying "hey all you cool cats and kittens" more than once, as well as dressing head to toe in tiger print. The TV drama version of Joe Exotic doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is available to stream now on Netflix. Via Deadline. Top image: Netflix.
Back in Brisbane for it's fifth consecutive year is the world most prestigious exhibition of photojournalism. Travelling across 45 countries around the globe, we are very fortunate to be exposed to the amazing showcase of skill that is World Press Photo. This year's 55th annual World Press Photo exhibition profiles the globe’s top press photographers and showcases the world’s best press photos of 2011. It's hard to compare the quality of work to anything else you might have seen before. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, the world's most esteemed photography contest is the press equivalent of the Olympics. The images are literally the best in the world. It may seem hard to imagine how an image alone can shape life and history, but when taking in the imagery of the contest's winners, it becomes clear just how significant a photograph can be. To have the worlds best of anything in our town is a roaring big deal. If news and the media industry on a global scale is something of interest to you, World Press Photo is an exhibition you won't want to miss. With many confronting and controversial works on display, you will become exposed to a new degree of press culture like nothing you have seen before. Be brave and broaden your mind with World Press Photo.
If ice cream is a gift from the gods, then free ice cream is pure divinity. And that would make the Ben & Jerry's team martyrs, because this Sunday, July 16 they're giving out tubs of their ice cream, gratis. Think of it as a donation to your enjoyment on Earth. If you want to get in on this higher experience, Ben & Jerry's will be stationed at holy sites in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. This is where they'll be: Sydney: Queen's Victoria Building forecourt (next to the statue) from 11am – 1pm, then Manly Wharf from 3–6pm. Melbourne: The entry to Luna Park, St Kilda from 12–4pm. Brisbane: 168 Grey Street, South Brisbane from 1–3pm. All up, they've got 20,000 tubs to give away, including cult favourites like salted caramel, the caramel core Karamel Sutra and Chubby Hubby, which has fudge-covered pretzels and peanut butter swirls. The giveaway will celebrate International Ice Cream Day and the brand's new partnership with food delivery service Foodora. It's a great week for cheapskates, as Lord of the Fries is also giving out no-charge chips on Thursday in Sydney and Melbourne, and Brisbane's new Lucky Egg West End is doing free fried chicken burgers on Saturday and Sunday. The Ben & Jerry's Big Tub Giveaway will take place on Sunday, July 16 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For more info, visit their Facebook page.
Since Samson & Delilah arrived in 2009, earned the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Caméra d'Or for Best First Feature and proved an instant great of Australian cinema, every project from filmmaker Warwick Thornton has been a must-see. He got spooky with ghost-story anthology The Darkside, pondered the nation's relationship with the Southern Cross in documentary We Don't Need a Map and explored the country's race relations in blistering historical drama Sweet Country. Then, he co-directed the second season of the Mystery Road TV series, turned the camera on himself in meditative small-screen doco The Beach and was also behind vampires-in-the-outback show Firebite. Thornton is an Aussie icon. With his latest project, he has also joined forces with a fellow Aussie icon: Cate Blanchett. The Oscar-winning actor is following up her award-nominated role in Tár earlier in 2023 with Thornton's new film The New Boy — and playing a renegade nun in 1940s Australia, no less. As the just-dropped trailer shows, The New Boy heads to a remote monastery with a mission for Indigenous children, where Sister Eileen (Blanchett) is in charge. In a sneak peek filled with golden hues and bubbling with a thoughtful mood, her faith is tested when the titular child (newcomer Aswan Reid), a nine-year-old orphan, arrives and has his own experience with religion, which clashes with the mission's take on Christianity. Thornton writes and directs The New Boy, as he did with with Samson and Delilah and We Don't Need a Map. He also does triple duty as his own cinematographer, as he also has with the bulk of his filmography. And, on-screen, Deborah Mailman (Total Control) and Wayne Blair (Seriously Red) feature alongside Blanchett and Reid. Unsurprisingly given its helmer, star and the former's Cannes history, The New Boy premiered at the prestigious French film festival in May, and enjoys its first Aussie screening as the opening-night film at the Sydney Film Festival. After that, audiences Australia-wide will be able to check out the dream pairing of Thornton and Blanchett — and the movie debut of Reid — when The New Boy hits cinemas in general release on Thursday, July 6. Check out the trailer for The New Boy below: The New Boy opens in Australian cinemas on July 6.
When a big occasion is on its way, timely markets are always excellent for those of us who tend to leave gift purchasing until the last minute. While Etsy usually arrives towards the end of the year to lend a hand with your Christmas shopping, it's also bringing its market back to Brisbane this May for Mother's Day. Etsy Made Local is a grassroots initiative that celebrates crafters, collectors and artisans in local communities, and provides them with the opportunity to sell their creations both online and in a physical space. So whether you're on the hunt for handmade wares or vintage goods, these guys have got you covered. The market will take place in the Exhibition Building at the Brisbane Showgrounds on Friday, May 10 from 4.30–9.30pm and Saturday, May 11 from 9am–4pm. Because it focuses on the best local talent, every market is filled with different stallholders and unique creations. Supporting creative small businesses and scoring a killer gift for mum is a win for everyone involved, so head along and get your shopping sorted. Entry is via gold coin donation.
Good Italian food is delicious, but great Italian food is a triumph. And at Manny's Italian in Wellington Point, the dial points firmly to the latter. New arrival to the Main Road dining precinct, Manny's is serving up the goods every night for dinner, whether you're dining in the cosy restaurant or taking away to enjoy by the ocean or at home. You'll find interesting entrees, crisp and perfectly wood-fired pizza, tender pasta and exciting main dishes on the menu where the culinary influences of the kitchen span from Asia to Europe. While you could definitely order your own dish here and enjoy it immensely, it's far more exciting if you grab a whole lot of items to share - that way you won't miss out on trying anything. In the way of entrees, the spiced calamari ($13.90) comes with a creamy preserved lemon mayo, while the wood roasted cauliflower ($12.90) is perfectly smokey and reminiscent of Ottolenghi. There are also everyday heavy hitters like arancini ($10.90), feta fried olives ($10.90) and bruschetta ($12.90) on offer. Pizzs are always the real litmus test of a great Italian joint, and Manny's is no slouch here. Crisp bases topped with inventive and enticing toppings are the order of the day with the funghi, gorgonzola and truffle ($19.90) or the parmigiana with eggplant, napoli, mozzarella and basil ($19.90) both surefire winners. Gluten-free bases are available on request. Pasta-wise, you could pick anything from the list and not go wrong, with the duck confit ravioli and orange butter sauce ($26.90) or the saffron prawn risotto ($27.90) presenting particularly interesting choices. Head chef Manny Singh draws on a range of cuisine to deliver an exciting selection for his mains, and as a diner, you'll be the richer for it. While you can find traditional Italian classics like lamb ragu pappardelle ($25.90) you'll also be able to enjoy something a little different in the way of crispy master stock pork belly ($26.90) or harissa lamb ribs ($19.90). If you've had the presence of mind to save room for dessert then you'll be either delighted or deeply disappointed that there's no tiramisu on the menu - but there is a refreshing lychee pannacotta ($12), a Valrhona chocolate tart ($12.90), or an affogato ($10) for those who like to combine a post-dinner coffee with their dessert. There's also a frighteningly decadent-looking dessert pizza ($14) on the menu topped with salted caramel, chocolate, almonds and ice cream. Manny's also has a decent wine list with plenty of options available by the glass, and some classic cocktails as well. Add this one to your list.
For hundreds of years, El Dia de los Muertos has been one of the biggest parties in Mexico honouring the dead. The 4000 year-old tradition's history can be traced back to Mexico's indigenous beliefs of the afterlife — that death is only the beginning. Now it's Australia's turn to delve into the underworld, as The Day of the Dead finds its way to secret warehouse locations across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this spring.urated by a group of Mexican visionaries and artists, Day of the Dead 3.1. takes cues from some of the world's most celebrated immersive spectacles, everything from Burning Man to Sleep No More. Find yourself immersed in a temporary world of interactive art installations, light projections, extravagant costumes, murals created by renowned street artists and an exclusive lineup of local and international DJs and musicians. Is this a Mexican-inspired fiesta or what? Where's the nosh? Pop-ups by a handpicked bunch of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's go-to local Mexican eateries, like Playa Takeria, have been selected to create special Dia de los Muertos menus. Plus, there'll be Mexican cervezas and tequila/mezcal cocktails from Tequila Herradura and Tequila Jimador to provide you with enough sustenance to dance the night away. With instructions being sent to ticketholders just one week before the event, this is secret warehouse party business at its best. Each city's locations are more closely guarded than an abuela's special mole sauce ingredient and will only be released one day before the party. Day of the Dead will visit Sydney on October 24, then Melbourne on October 31 before ending in Brisbane on November 7. Honour the dead, celebrate the living. Get tickets early. Due to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane events selling out within hours and hundreds of emails requesting tickets, the Day of the Dead team twisted some arms and increased the event capacity. There'll be a new and final ticket release happening on Saturday, September 26 at 12.30pm, with tickets at $95. Tickets will sell out within hours, so be ready. Get tickets here.
A 90s-set musical directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. A crime thriller starring Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds. Amy Poehler's latest stint behind the camera. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence teaming up in the newest film from The Big Short's Adam McKay. They're just some of the big new movies heading our way in 2021 — and they're all coming to Netflix, with the streaming platform revealing its slate of features for the year. Miranda's tick, tick…BOOM! will mark his filmmaking debut as a director, while Johnson plays an FBI profiler forced to team up with rival crims played by Gadot and Reynolds in Red Notice. As for Poehler, she's directing (and co-starring in) Moxie, about a 16-year-old fed up with the sexist attitudes at her high school. And the collaboration between DiCaprio, Lawrence and McKay — and Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep, too — happens in Don't Look Up, about two astronomers trying to warn humanity that a comet is about to wipe out the earth. [caption id="attachment_796892" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Moxie. Colleen Hayes/NETFLIX © 2020[/caption] They're just some of the films on Netflix's lineup for 2021 — and if you can't wait to check them out, the streaming service has released a sneak peek that rounds up a heap of its other titles for the year, too. Thunder Force sees Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy play superheroes; western Harder They Fall features everyone from Idris Elba and Lovecraft Country's Jonathan Majors to Watchmen's Regina King and Atlanta's Zazie Beetz; and Escape From Spiderhead plunges Chris Hemsworth into a futuristic tale about experiments on inmates using emotion-altering drugs. Or, there's a remake of The Guilty, this time starring Jake Gyllenhaal; the third and final films in both the Kissing Booth and To All the Boys trilogies; The Power of the Dog, the latest movie from filmmaker Jane Campion; and Robin Robin, the newest release from Aardman Animation, featuring the voices of Gillian Anderson and Richard E Grant. Some flicks, like the Zendaya-starring romantic drama Malcolm & Marie, already have release dates. Plenty of others don't as yet, including zombie movie Army of the Dead, starring Dave Bautista; Blonde, a fictional portrait of Marilyn Monroe featuring Knives Out's Ana de Armas as the real-life figure; Halle Berry's directorial debut Bruised, about an ex-MMA fighter; and thriller O2, which starts with a woman waking up in a medical cryogenics unit that's no larger than a box. Either way, though, Netflix has announced that it'll be releasing at least one new movie a week for the entire year. More than a few of these titles might hit cinemas, too. The Vanessa Kirby-starring Pieces of a Woman already has in Australia, while The White Tiger, an adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, will release on the big screen in January — as will fellow page-to-screen affair The Dig. And, some were originally supposed to screen in theatres, but have made the jump to streaming due to the pandemic, such as The Woman in the Window with Amy Adams. Whether Netflix's 2021 movies get a cinema run or not, they'll obviously pop up on the platform. So, expect a hefty list of star-studded flicks sitting in your streaming queue throughout the year — and making sure that you're still well-acquainted with your couch. Check out Netflix's trailer for its 2021 films below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9t86v_JMG0&feature=youtu.be New movies will hit Netflix every week throughout 2021 — head to the streaming platform for its current catalogue.
UPDATE, September 20, 2020: Boho Luxe Market has changed the date for its next Brisbane event — instead of taking place from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27 , it'll now be held from Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29. The below information has been updated to reflect these changes. At Boho Luxe Market (their words, not ours), Byron Bay comes to Brisbane. Well, the beachy New South Wales spot's general vibe does at least. Forgoing the trappings of the city for bohemian fashion, jewellery, homewares and the like is on the market's agenda, and has been since it made the jump from Melbourne to Brisbane in 2019. Clearly we responded well to three days of dreamcatchers and flower crowns, because it's coming back again in 2020. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then block out Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29 in your diary for the market's rescheduled (from April) dates. The Boho Luxe Market will head to The Old Museum for a weekend of browsing and buying, food trucks, live music and more. Usually there's also be a dedicated vegan section, plus a kombi display and glamping providers tempting you into booking your next holiday — so fingers crossed they'll return. Entry costs $5, with kids under 12 allowed in for free. Drop by and pretend you're somewhere quiet and coastal on Friday from 5pm–9pm, Saturday from 9am–5pm, and Sunday from 9am–3pm. Boho Luxe Market will take over The Old Museum from Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29.
There's a particular texture to Los Angeles after dark that suits stories of crime and self-interest to a tee. A desolate urban badland of freeways and fast food joints, there's this eeriness; this unnaturalness; this inescapable sense of menace; that seems to creep out of the concrete and set your nerves on edge. You can feel it in Michael Mann's Heat, or in Collateral a decade later. You can feel it in sections of Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive. And you can feel it in Nightcrawler, from writer-director Dan Gilroy, as it glides out of the darkness and seizes you by the throat. Always at his best when playing characters gripped by obsession — Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain, Robert Graysmith in Zodiac, or Detective David Loki in last year's masterful Prisoners — Jake Gyllenhaal is in career-best form as Lou Bloom, Gilroy's unsettled protagonist, and our tour guide through the sordid LA underbelly. Inspired after witnessing a car accident, Lou decides to carve out a career as a 'nightcrawler', videotaping crime scenes and selling them to a local TV station for broadcast on the 6am news. As a portrait of the ratings-driven news industry, Nightcrawler is scathing, and brutally unsubtle. "Think of our newscast as a screaming woman, running down the street with her throat cut." That's the advice of Nina (Rene Russo), Lou's tough-as-nails contact at Channel 6 News. The fact that LA crime stats are actually going down is of little concern to her. In fact if anything, it makes Lou's footage ever more valuable. Watching the two of them negotiate the price of video from a triple homicide scene is so sickeningly callous that you may find yourself driven to laugher. To that end, it's tempting to call Nightcrawler a satire; a pitch black comic exaggeration of reality. And yet you can't help but wonder just how exaggerated it really is. Likewise, it's frightening to consider whether or not people like Lou actually exist. In an era in which film producers and marketing executives stress 'likability' above everything else, Nightcrawler strides boldly in the other direction. It's hard to remember the last film featuring a protagonist as flat-out sociopathic as Mr. Bloom. Hell, even Travis Bickle had good intentions. Full of wisdom cribbed from online self-help guides, Lou's wide grin and friendly demeanour is a bad approximation of humanity; a mask that hides a monster incapable of compassion or remorse.
While seeing fruit mince pies in your local shopping centre in October feels downright disturbing, there's one Christmas treat that no one ever minds arriving early: Four Pillars annual Christmas Gin. The latest iteration of the Healesville distillery's seasonal sip is coming in strong, set to hit shelves on Saturday, October 31. It's the delicious result of a yearly tradition that sees a bunch of Christmas puddings handmade with distiller Cameron Mackenzie's mother's recipe — the 1968 Australian Women's Weekly recipe, in fact — distilled with various festive botanicals to create a sought-after tipple that pretty much screams December 25. The flavours of an Aussie Christmas are captured in notes of cinnamon, star anise, juniper, coriander and angelica. The Christmas gin is then blended with some earlier gin that's been carefully ageing in 80-year-old muscat barrels. It's all finished with a hit of Rutherglen muscat for a bit of added richness and complexity. [caption id="attachment_785822" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The last five years of Four Pillars Christmas gin.[/caption] Each year, a new unique label is chosen to wrap up this Christmas creation, setting out to evoke that same festive spirit. The 2020's bottle design is the work of Melbourne-born artist Lucy Dyson, who has created a whimsical collage of a traditional Christmas day celebration happening in a surreal Aussie landscape of giant flowers and floating puddings. The distillers recommend you sip the limited-edition gin neat, mix it with ginger ale or whip up a Colada Punch with the festive gin, coconut water, sparkling wine and pineapple and lime juice. Or you can just splash a bit of it on your own Christmas pudding. If you want to nab a bottle, have your fingers poised over the 'buy' button when they go on sale online on October 31. Alternatively, you can stop by the Four Pillars HQ in Healesville, Victoria (if restrictions allow, of course) or the new Surry Hills shop. Bottles are $100 a pop and would make stellar Chrissy pressies, if you're already thinking about that. Four Pillars Christmas Gin is available to buy online, from the Healesville distillery and Surry Hills shop from Saturday, October 31. But you'd best be quick — there's only a limited amount of bottles.
On the lookout for a dope new denim jacket? Or do want to be rid of that weird-looking lamp taking up space in the living room? Then, by golly, you're in luck. The Garage Sale Trail works with local council partners Australia wide to get as many trash and treasure troves happening on the same day as possible. Last year, over 7000 garages opened their doors to bargain hunters, and they're doing it for the fourth time on October 26. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. The Garage Sale Trail began humbly in Bondi in 2010 and is growing bigger every year, so register online to pick up some sweet new threads, make a quick buck from your old junk and hang out with the friendly folks in your hood.
Nestled into the fast-growing Howard Smith Wharves precinct underneath the Story Bridge, Mr Percival's looks out over the Brisbane river — and, if that's not enough, the octagonal bar and restaurant is actually perched right on top of it. Here, you can grab a beverage and a bite to eat while both peering at the snaking central waterway and sitting in a structure elevated above it. It's Brissie's first venue of its type since Oxley's on the River in Milton was destroyed in the 2011 floods, although Mr Percival's is less about sit-down dinners and more focused on chilling out in a scenic and stylish spot. Once the doors open at 8pm on Thursday, November 29, Brisbanites can relax in a watering hole that's been designed with European beach clubs and the Brisbane's own park rotundas equally in mind. Think decking, six arched doorways, outdoor seats with a view underneath salmon-pink umbrellas, plus an indoor colour scheme that takes inspiration from the Mediterranean. Star windows, round lights, eye-catching wallpaper, 70s-style upholstered chairs, terracotta marble and a brass-fronted bar round out the hangout's inside decor, which was overseen by Brisbane interior designer Anna Spiro. With Damien Styles (The Fish House) taking on head chef duties, Mr Percival's menu aims to match its look and feel. And to think locally, too, with everything on offer inspired by produce from Moreton Bay and the general east coast region. Zucchini fritters, lobster rolls, whipped cod roe served with a warm baguette, and anchovies topped with olive oil, lemon and garlic all feature among the range of snacks, light meals and aperitivo-style nibbles. As for the drinks selection, it includes 17 different cocktails — complete with several types of spritz — as well as a 50-strong wine list that heroes rose and aromatic whites from artisanal producers. Beer-wise, Mr Percival's keeps things super local by pouring four brews from fellow HSW spot Felons through its taps. And if you're wondering about the moniker, it's a nod to Australia. Pelicans are a common waterside sight around the country, and the 1976 Aussie classic film Storm Boy features a pelican called Mr Percival. In a case of good timing, a remake of the flick will actually hit local cinemas in January 2019. Find Mr Percival's at Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane, open from 11am until late from Sunday to Thursday, and from 11am–1am on Friday and Saturday.
When July 2021 came and went, it marked two years since Stranger Things last graced our streaming queues. That's two years of wondering what's become of Hawkins' beloved police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour, Black Widow) — and where everyone else we've all come to know and love in the hit Netflix series has washed up, too. Sorry fans, you'll have to keep pondering for the rest of this year as well, as the streaming platform has officially announced that its 80s-set sci-fi series won't be returning till 2022. Fancy a sneak peek in the interim? In revealing that Stranger Things will finally make a comeback next year, Netflix has also dropped a new glimpse at what's in store. The platform has done so a few times already since the beginning of 2020, providing an initial clip back at the beginning of last year — which now seems like a lifetime ago — and a couple more teasers in May 2021. But hey, when you're hanging out for anything and everything related to the show's fourth season, each trailer and teaser drop is exciting. From that first 2020 teaser, we already know what happened after season three's big cliffhanger and Russian-set post-script — when Hopper, the mind flayer, the Russian lab below Starcourt Mall and that pesky gate to the Upside Down all had a run-in. And, we know that Hawkins Laboratory is going to feature again moving forward, with the last two clips focusing on Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong) and Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal). The new sneak peek combines both new and old footage, so parts of it will look familiar — and parts of it tease what's to come. There's little narrative detail provided, but that usually comes with the territory anyway. You already know you'd prefer to discover Stranger Things' secrets by binging your way through it as soon as new episodes become available to stream. Of course, it's worth remembering that when Netflix announced the show's renewal for a fourth season back in 2019, it did so with the catchphrase "we're not in Hawkins anymore". Naturally, we'll have to wait to see what that really means for its cast of characters — including not only Hopper and Eleven, the latter of which was last seen leaving town with Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America), Will (Noah Schnapp, Hubie Halloween) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The New Mutants), but also for Mike (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy), Max (Sadie Sink, The Last Castle), Steve (Joe Keery, Spree) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer, Things Seen & Heard). Check out the new Stranger Things season four sneak peek below: Stranger Things season four will be able to stream via Netflix sometime in 2022 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced.
It's the beloved series that's been on the air for more than a decade, and finally made the leap Down Under this year. That'd be RuPaul's Drag Race, which first premiered in the US in 2009, wholeheartedly embraced its mission to unearth the next drag superstars, and debuted its Australian and New Zealand version earlier in 2021. And, in spectacularly great news for fans of local drag talent — and of the show's namesake — RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is coming back for a second Aussie and NZ season in 2022. The original US series aired its thirteenth season this year, so this is a program with proven longevity. It has also spun off international iterations before, including in the UK — where it's also hosted by RuPaul — plus in Thailand, Holland, Chile and Canada. So, revving up the engines for another spin Down Under shouldn't come as a big surprise. And yes, RuPaul will be back on hosting duties again. After Kita Mean took out this year's first season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, exactly who'll be donning eye-catching outfits, navigating dramas and vying for glory next year hasn't been revealed — because casting is now open until Tuesday, October 5. Obviously, exactly when the second season will air on Stan in Australia and TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand in 2022 hasn't been announced yet either. Neither has the lineup of celebrity guests, after 2021 saw Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue and Taika Waititi all pop up. Fans already know the format, which features fashion challenges, workroom dramas and lip sync battles aplenty. If you're still a newcomer to all things Drag Race, you'll watch the next batch of Australian and NZ competitors work through a series of contests to emerge victorious, and join the likes of Mean and US contenders Jinkx Monsoon, Sasha Velour and Sharon Needles in being crowned the series' winner. Check out RuPaul's announcement video for Drag Race Down Under season two below: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under will return for a second season in 2022 on Stan and TVNZ. Top image: RuPaul's Drag Race.
UPDATE, December 18, 2020: Long Shot is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Binge, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Kick arse in huge action franchises. Steal scenes in beloved sitcoms. Find dark humour in different stages of womanhood. Is there anything that Charlize Theron can't do? A decade and a half ago, she rightfully won an Oscar for transforming into a serial killer in Monster, but the biggest coup of her career just might be her ability to keep evolving on-screen. After a five-year stretch that's included Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde and Tully, Long Shot is the latest example of Theron's chameleonic talents — a political rom-com that's as irreverent (and often inappropriate) as you'd expect of a flick that also stars Seth Rogen, and genuinely heartfelt and hilarious as well. Charlize Theron, romantic-comedy standout? You'd better believe it. With an accessible air of elegance and a can-do attitude but zero sharp edges, Theron plays US Secretary of State Charlotte Field, the youngest person to ever hold that position. When the current TV star-turned-"dumb-fuck president" (Bob Odenkirk) — the film's exact words — decides not to seek re-election because he'd rather move into movies, Charlotte secures his endorsement to run for the top job. But first, she has to win over the public. Her strategists warn that her wave is a problem, that she might want to cosy up to the attractive Canadian Prime Minister (Alexander Skarsgard), and that she should spearhead a new "bees, trees and seas" environmental initiative around the globe. Also, she needs to be funnier. Thanks to a chance reunion with Fred Flarsky (Rogen), a recently unemployed investigative journalist who she used to babysit when they were kids, she soon has a new speechwriter. He makes her laugh and this is a rom-com, so it's not long until more than jokes start flying, obviously. As well as referencing one of the film's climactic gags, Long Shot's title calls out both a cliche and a fantasy, as does its casting. Based on aesthetics alone, society has primed audiences to believe that this chalk-and-cheese pairing shouldn't work — although decades of movies have made the opposite case. As directed by Jonathan Levine (The Night Before) and written by Dan Sterling (The Interview) and Liz Hannah (The Post), Long Shot knows the status quo, but finds middle ground on a character level. There's plenty about the film's plot that's exaggerated for the sake of comedy, to make amusingly astute political parallels and even to bask in an idealised rom-com glow. However the importance of simply carving out engaging, multifaceted characters who complement each other in a messy and realistic way can't be underestimated. There's something else that can't be overlooked, and it's a pivotal factor in making Long Shot's protagonists work so well: chemistry. Forget all of the awkwardness that blights badly cast love stories, in which romantic leads gel about as well as the real-life US president and the truth — that's never the case here. The rapport between Theron and Rogen is loose and easy, and both the film and its characters are all the better for it. Theron brings depth (and grace, vulnerability, determination and humour) to her role, Rogen ensures that his part is never just a schlubby stoner stereotype, and they bounce off of each other from start to finish. They're surrounded by stellar comic talent, too, from obvious candidates such as Odenkirk, Andy Serkis (as a slimy Murdoch-like media mogul) and June Diane Raphael (as Charlotte's chief advisor), to Skarsgard's amusing turn (as a Trudeau-like figure) and an excellent O'Shea Jackson Jr (as Fred's best pal). Levine, who also worked with Rogen on poignant cancer comedy 50/50, deserves his own dose of credit — specifically for the snappy, outrageously funny film's pace and tone. While a two-hour rom-com might seem like a stretch, Long Shot never lags. And even with a Boyz II Men live performance, a drug-addled hostage negotiation in the situation room, a female-empowerment vibe, topical jokes and a Roxette-scored dance scene to fit in, the movie has room to breathe as well. With the latter sequence, the film gives an overt nod to the song's first big-screen appearance in 90s romance Pretty Woman. The Julia Roberts and Richard Gere vehicle mightn't be the best role model, but Long Shot gestures in its direction with more than nostalgia in mind. All rom-coms come with a dash of fairytale, however this refreshing flick saves its daydreams for making over (and making fun of) parts of the political sphere, while serving up its opposites-attract central pairing with relatable chaos and charm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ5X75F1YJw
If you watched Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's vampire sharehouse mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows back in 2014, then instantly found yourself yearning for more, that's understandable. Smart, silly and hilarious, the undead flick is one of the decade's best comedies. Thanks to two TV spinoffs, that dream has come true, letting viewers keep spending time in the movie's supernatural world — and that's not going to end any time soon. Last year, the New Zealand-made Wellington Paranormal made it to screens, following the movie's cops (Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary) as they keep investigating the supernatural. It proved a hit, unsurprisingly, and has a second season in the works. This year, an American television version of What We Do in the Shadows also started airing, following a group of vampire flatmates living in Staten Island. Featuring Toast of London's Matt Berry, Four Lions' Kayvan Novak, British stand-up comedian Natasia Demetriou, The Magicians' Harvey Guillen, The Office's Mark Proksch and Lady Bird's Beanie Feldstein, it follows the same basic concept as the original movie, just with memorable new characters. And now it has been renewed for a second season as well. Created and co-written by Clement, and executive produced by the Flight of the Conchords star with Thor: Ragnarok's Waititi, the US take on What We Do in the Shadows was first hinted at back in 2017, and then confirmed in May 2018. While the duo don't star in the new-look series, Berry, Novak and company have been doing them proud as the next batch of ravenous — and comic — vamps. Novak plays the gang's self-appointed leader, 'Nandor The Relentless', who dates back to the Ottoman Empire days and is somewhat stuck in his ways. As for Berry's mischievous British dandy Laszlo and Demetriou's seductive Nadja, they're like a blood-sucking Bonnie and Clyde (but much funnier). Guillén plays Nandor's familiar, who'd do anything to join the undead, while Proksch's Colin is an 'energy vampire'. And Feldstein's Jenna is a college student with a new craving. If you haven't caught the series yet, here's one of the first season's trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWUiU3t5udM Can't wait to sink your fangs into more? The first season is still on the air at present, and the second season will continue the story — charting Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja and the group's undead antics in the New York borough. It wasn't easy being a centuries-old bloodsucker in Wellington in the movie, and it's just as tough (and amusing) on the other side of the world. What We Do in the Shadows' first season is currently airing on Foxtel's Showcase channel weekly at 8.30pm on Tuesdays. Expect the second season in 2020. Via Variety.
Surfers of Melbourne — all 300,000 of you — don't go anywhere. Come Easter, the first waves will be rolling through Australia's very first surf park. And, no, you won't have to drive all the way out to Torquay or the Peninsula. Instead, Urbnsurf Melbourne will be located on a huge site in Tullamarine, just near the airport. Plans for the park first surfaced way back in 2016, and Urbnsurf has today announced that the park has installed its wave generator. That means it will be pumping out surf by April, with a view to be open to the public by spring this year. At the moment, the site is still a hole in the ground — but when it opens, the two-hectare lagoon will power up to 1000 waves per hour, day and night. And you'll get a choice of waves. Want to ride nothing but perfectly-formed right-handers for an hour? Or would you prefer a random selection, like what you'd experience in the ocean? You'll be able to take your pick. According to Urbnsurf founder Andrew Ross, "every wave has six different take-off spots", which equates to 3600 surfable positions every hour. The waves are created by Wavegarden technology, which was developed by a Spanish engineering firm of the same name. So how does it work? Basically, the waves come from an 85-metre pier that runs down the centre of the lagoon (which you can see in the image below). A series of pistons located on the pier then push the water to the left, then to the right, to create the waves. Ross likens the movement to "moving your hand back and forward like a shark's tail". [caption id="attachment_707250" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Urbnsurf lagoon under construction.[/caption] If you're worried about the amount of energy needed to drive such an operation, take comfort in the fact that Urbnsurf aims to run on 100 percent renewables within the first 12 months of opening. From the get-go, the rest of the facility's built environment — which includes a beach club, loads of eateries and a retail space — will be partially solar powered (with the rest sourced from renewable sources), and water will be sourced from storm water stores near the airport before being treated and filtered. Once the lagoon is filled, the team will then enter a testing period — if you're a keen surfer, you can sign up to give it a test drive before the park opens to the public in spring this year. The ability to create waves means that the park will be built for both pros who are looking for steep, barrelling waves and novices looking for a safe place to get their start in the surf. "Becoming a great surfer is all about getting waves under your feet," says Ross. "But, in Melbourne, the nearest waves are over an hour away. Unless you set up your life so you can get down there regularly, it's difficult to progress as a surfer, without dedicating decades of your life to it." At Urbnsurf, Ross predicts, most novices will stand on their board within an hour and ride across the green face within two. And not only will you get guaranteed waves — you won't be fighting for them. The park holds 84 riders per hour. And, should you get seriously hooked, you'll be able to enter amateur competitions, maybe with (or against) your mates. When completed, it will be the fourth commercial wave park in the world, and the first in Australia. But not for long. Urbnsurf has already has plans for a Sydney park approved, and it's also lodging a development application for a site in Perth. Another park has also been proposed for regional Queensland. https://vimeo.com/256710737 Urbnsurf is due to open in spring 2019 near Melbourne Airport. You can sign up to test out the surf park before it opens on the website. Top image: Wavegarden San Sebastian, by Ed Sloane. All images courtesy Urbnsurf.
Feeling a little anxious about saying farewell to Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Since it was announced earlier this year that the beloved sitcom would end after its next (and eighth) season, that's been an understandable reaction. Long-running shows become a comforting part of our routines, giving us something to look forward to with each new episode — and in the case of this supremely warm-hearted comedy, giving us all plenty of feel-good laughs as well. If you think that you're dreading B99 coming to an end, you might still want to spare a thought for Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio). If the show comes to a conclusion and sees him spend less time with Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), he obviously won't cope well. That's the angle the just-released full trailer for the series' final season takes, in fact. "No more stakeouts, or drinks after a long shift, or midnight calls when you've had a breakthrough in a case," Boyle laments — while wearing a big fluffy coat for some reason. Heart and laughs: that's been a noice, toit and cool cool cool formula for Brooklyn Nine-Nine over the years. "Title of your sex tape" jokes, Die Hard nods and Halloween heists have all worked well, too. Cross your fingers that's all in the pipeline during the last batch of ten episodes as well, which will start streaming on SBS On Demand and airing on SBS in Australia come Friday, August 13. Definitely on the bill: other districts' versions of Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller), Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) accidentally sending intimate pics, Peralta and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) trying to handle parenthood, Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) on edibles and Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) popping his pecs. And, to answer an obvious question, it wouldn't be a last ride for Brooklyn's fictional 99th police precinct without Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) making a final appearance. Check out the full trailer for Brooklyn Nine-Nine's final season below: The first two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season will be able to stream via SBS On Demand (and to view on SBS) on Friday, August 13, with new episodes dropping weekly afterwards.
This Friday is a very significant religious holiday for some, but for the non-Christians can be a nuisance for putting a stop to good times for the day. Thankfully, the folks at Alfred and Constance are saving the day and pleasing everybody with their Fish and Chip Pop Up this Friday. You can head in for lunch or dinner for a serving of rough-cut chips and fresh, local fish cooked in the wood-fired oven or alternatively, dine on seafood cooked in the Josper Oven. “We wanted to keep with tradition and serve up fish and seafood dishes alongside A&C favourites,” owner Damian Griffiths said. “It’s a popular choice this time of year and we’ve put together some beautifully simple accompaniments to go with the sweet flavours of our fresh fish.” “Plus there’s nothing much open around town and we know people are looking for somewhere to eat.” What: Fish & Chip Pop-Up – no bookings, walk-ins welcome When: Good Friday, Friday 29th March, Open from 12 noon-late Where: The Vanguard Beer Garden, Alfred & Constance, corner of Alfred and Constance Streets, Fortitude Valley
