When you chat with your friends, family and co-workers about your latest streaming obsession, do you tell them where you've been watching? Not which platform, but where you're sat while your eyes are glued to the screen? If you're one of the approximately 2.8-million Australians who've apparently watched Netflix on the toilet, you likely haven't mentioned that — but you might if you hit up loos based on Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris. Rarely one to miss the opportunity to take its shows off the screen and into real life, especially in Sydney — see: its Stranger Things rift on Bondi Beach, the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll by Sydney Harbour and a pop-up Heartbreak High uniform shop in Newtown, all in the past few years — Netflix has taken the research about dunny viewing and run with it. For one day only, aka today, Thursday, February 22, the streamer has set up pop-up toilets that take their theming from some of its hit series. The toilets — or the "tudunnies", as Netflix likes to call them — are indeed functional. That said, the main aim of this installation at Hickson Road Reserve in The Rocks in Sydney is to get everyone snapping while they're on the sets. So, if your social media feeds are filled with toilet pics today, this is why. If you're in the Harbour City, you can drop by between 9am–5pm for the ultimate pop culture-inspired bathroom break. If you're making a detour from work, you might need more than a bathroom break's worth of time if the installation proves popular. And that research? It hails from YouGov, as commissioned by Netflix, and found that 21-percent of folks who responded to the survey about their viewing habits had watched the platform's shows while on the throne. As for the choice of shows for the service's pop-up tudunnies, all three of Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris will drop their latest seasons in 2024. Find the Netflix toilets pop-up at Hickson Road Reserve, The Rocks, Sydney from 9am–5pm on Thursday, February 22. Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris are available to stream via Netflix — read our review of Squid Game season one and review of Heartbreak high season one.
Sifting through eBay on the hunt for that perfect vintage gem can often leave you with a sense of mothball-infused disappointment. Sympathetic to the plight of the online-shopping fashionista, Rie Yano and Jie Zheng co-founded Material Wrld, an online pop-up store which allows you to shop your favourite tastemakers' closets. Participating tastemakers (fashion bloggers, stylists, and the like) have been rounded up, and their wardrobes curated. When the site launches, these pieces will be available for sale, creating the opportunity for special finds with personal stories behind each. The pop-up store is open through April 4; check it out today and get a sneak-peek of what is in store for the site's upcoming launch. Although currently only available to US customers, Material Wrld is set to go global soon. So browse away, and know that these covetable closets will soon be yours for the taking. [Via PSFK]
Sometimes, finding bliss is as easy as sinking a cold one. At other times, an energetic bout of bending and stretching hits the spot. Beer yoga combines the two, obviously — and to raise money for the bushfire appeal, it's returning to Brisbane's XXXX Brewery. To answer the question that has probably popped into your head: yes, it's very likely that your exercise session will be scented by the yeasty smell that hangs over the Milton venue. The whole suburb has adopted the aroma, after all. Of course, once you're done testing your flexibility for an hour, you'll smell that beer smell while you're downing a schooner of XXXX Gold. Run by Yoga Flex Studio, the class takes place at 4pm on Saturday, February 15 — and arriving slightly beforehand to get set up is recommended. Bringing your own mat if you have one is, too. Tickets cost $20, with all the proceeds being donated to the Australian Red Cross's bushfire appeal.
Instrumental outfit Grails are bringing their enigmatic live show to The Zoo. The five-piece are known for skipping around genres, unable to be pinned to any certain classification and yet so eloquently fill many of them. They’ve found inspiration in unexplored terrain, from Japanese psychedelic drone to Turkish ‘60s rock; near-cinematic soundscapes have wooed audiences with playful unpredictability and pinpointed minimalism since the early 2000s. The Zoo has hosted many similar acts in the past—mini-festivals of psych rock and instrumental groups have found themselves at home in one of Brisbane’s stellar music venues. Tickets are still available to this alternative show that will surely prove unforgettable.
Prepare to exclaim "yeah, science!" like Jesse Pinkman — and to see a whole lot more of Aaron Paul's Breaking Bad character. The acclaimed series is making a comeback, cooking up a movie that serves as a sequel to the show's finale. In the spotlight: Walter White's former student and protege, who happens to be in a spot of trouble (again). When we last saw Pinkman in Breaking Bad's final episode six years ago, he had just escaped captivity, all thanks to Walt (Bryan Cranston). The latter was injured in the process, but when he asked his former meth cooking partner to kill him, Pinkman couldn't bring himself to do it. So, Pinkman ran, and Walt lost consciousness just a cop arrived. And, that's how the series ended — until now. As happens when every great show comes to a conclusion, we've all wondered what happened next. Come October, fans can find out. First revealed last year, and initially given the working title of Greenbriar, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie will continue Pinkman's tale in a thriller written and directed by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. While details are being kept scarce, the film is set "in the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity", with Jesse being forced to "come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future", according to the official synopsis. Although this follow-up will span a single package rather than run across multiple episodes, it is still coming to a small screen near you thanks to Netflix. Dropping the debut teaser over the weekend, the streaming platform also revealed that El Camino will arrive soon — on October 11, so mark your calendars. As Better Call Saul diehards are well aware, Breaking Bad has never completely gone away since the OG show wrapped up in 2013; however fans eager to look forward in the show's chronology, not backwards at the early life of Bob Odenkirk's shady lawyer Saul Goodman, have something to add to their must-watch list. Whether Cranston will show up in El Camino is still the subject of rumour, but the date announcement clip does reveal another familiar face, with Skinny Pete (Charles Barker) being questioned by the cops about Pinkman's whereabouts. Check out the El Camino teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZKqMVPlDg8 El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie hits Netflix on October 11. Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
UPDATE, FEBRUARY 25, 2022: Due to Brisbane's wet weather, Beer Fest On the Grass has been postponed from Saturday, February 26 to Saturday, April 9. This article has been updated to reflect that change. Thirsty? If you're not now, you will be once you've read this. That's the only appropriate reaction to a festival of beer, after all. Just think of all the amber liquids and foamy goodness. Okay, enough drooling; here are the important details that every ale-lover needs. When Beer Fest On the Grass returns from 11am on Saturday, April 9, 2022, more than 130 beers and ciders will be on offer. To line your stomach, there'll also be a range of international food trucks. Basically, if there's a beer heaven, this is it. It's the ninth year that Eatons Hill Hotel has hosted the tipple-fuelled shindig, once again celebrating drinking, eating and enjoying a day in Brisbane's glorious outdoors. If you're serious about your beverages, you'll want to taste, sip, sample and chat to folks from a huge selection of breweries. And if you're serious about fun, you'll want to gather some mates and take part in the event's other fun activities — in previous years, there's been an inflatable beer obstacle course, a keg-stacking comp and a life-sized game of foosball. Tickets are on sale now, with entry starting at $18.70. Top image: Brisbane Beer Fest.
UPDATE, February 15, 2024: Supernormal Brisbane is now set to open in 2024. Head to the Supernormal website for further details. Big culinary names making a move to southeast Queensland: now that's a trend that Sunshine State residents love to see. In just the past couple of months, Guy Grossi has announced plans to open an Amalfi-inspired restaurant in Brisbane, and Hong Kong's Michelin-starred cantonese restaurant T'ang Court just launched on the Gold Coast. The latest eatery that's set to join them: Melbourne's famed Supernormal. Acclaimed chef Andrew McConnell has revealed that Supernormal will launch a second location in 443 Queen Street, Brisbane, in a new residential tower that's due to open in late 2023. It'll sit on the riverfront, and boast views of the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge — and also be perched between the Queen Street Mall and Howard Smith Wharves. "There is a special combination of relationship, location, environment and architecture at 443 Queen Street that we are seriously excited to be a part of," said McConnell, announcing the news via Trader House — the collective that spans his restaurants, specialty retail stores and events. "For the past seven years, we've welcomed many interstate and international guests to Supernormal in Melbourne. Now, we look forward to contributing to Brisbane's already growing and vibrant food scene." "There's also a bounty of some of the country's best produce available. What a thrill to be able to explore this as we refine our offering," McConnell continued. Supernormal Brisbane marks Trader House's first venue beyond its Melbourne base, and will seat around 120 diners both inside and out — including in a private dining setup. While it's obviously too early to reveal the menu, the Brisbane restaurant will feature a hefty focus on Queensland produce and seafood, while plating up contemporary Australian dishes that also take inspiration from McConnell's time in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. Fingers crossed that Melbourne's marinated claims, New England lobster rolls, Hunan-style beef tartare and whole roasted flounder make the jump. On architectural and interior design duties: Vince Alafaci and Caroline Choker of Sydney's ACME, with the agency also working on the design of Melbourne's Gimlet at Cavendish House — the only Australian venue to make the longlist in 2022 for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, coming in in 84th position. Brisbanites can expect Supernormal Brisbane to link in with the Brisbane Riverwalk precinct — 'tis the location for it — and operate seven days a week, including offering an all-day dining menu. The new venue will start welcoming in patrons 22 years after McConnell opened his first restaurant, Dining Room 211, in Melbourne in 2001. And, it folds into a career that's spanned plenty of other notable Victorian sites, including Cutler & Co, Cumulus Inc, Marion, Builders Arms Hotel, Meatsmith and Morning Market. Supernormal Brisbane is set to open at 443 Queen Street, Brisbane in late 2023 — we'll update you with an exact launch date when one is announced. For more information about Supernormal Melbourne, head to the restaurant's website. Images: Supernormal Melbourne, Nikki To / Jo McGann / Kristoffer Paulsen.
Been meaning to plan a Sydney jaunt? Time your visit to coincide with Vivid Sydney and thank us later. Not only will you get to see those classic Sydney structures, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, you'll get to see them up in lights. And they're not the only icons getting a bedazzle during the festival. Also set for a makeover is the legendary Luna Park face, as Samsung joins in the fun with an epic light and sound experience dubbed The Night. Reimagined. Running throughout Vivid Sydney, from Friday, May 25, until June 16, the immersive installation will pop-up on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. The impressive two-storey, 90-metre labyrinth, with two kilometres of LED lighting, will be split into two pathways — and two very different journeys. Take the first path and you'll become the new face of Luna Park. You'll be able to create an augmented reality selfie using the AR Emoji function on Samsung's new Galaxy S9 and S9+ phone, which will then be projected via live feed onto the Luna Park entrance. There'll also be a viewing platform, where you can watch your animated face from across the Harbour. You'll need to get in early, though, as there are limited spots for the AR projection and, naturally, high demand is expected. On the first path, you'll also experience slow motion at its best in the Super Slow-Mo booth. Here, you can capture mesmerising shots of yourself frolicking among a bunch of chrome-plated balls. Or, you can take the second path, and you'll be taken on an immersive audio light and soundscape experience, transporting you through the night and beyond. Samsung's The Night. Reimagined. will pop-up on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt from May 25–June 16. To learn more, head to the website.
When it comes to kicking back and relaxing, some people swear by a nice warm bath. Others prefer tapping their toes to their favourite tunes, having a boozy beverage or just switching off from their always-vibrating phone. And, for another group, there's nothing that induces bliss better than listening to the one and only Keanu Reeves. Actually, that last category should really apply to everyone. If you're someone who finds the actor behind John Wick, Neo, Johnny Utah and Ted "Theodore" Logan particularly soothing, then you'll want to make a date with A World of Calm. Announced earlier this year, made by HBO and now heading to Australia via SBS over the Christmas break, it's giving the world exactly what we want: Keanu's voice reading a narrative that has been scientifically-engineered to induce a feeling of tranquility, as paired with music and footage that's also designed to do the same. Ideally he'll say "whoa!" more than once. In HBO's first leap into health and wellness-style content, the ten-episode series is based on the popular Calm sleep, meditation and relaxation app, with the US TV network pairing up with the folks behind the latter. The two companies have really just found a way to bring Calm's Sleep Stories to the screen — which have been called "bedtime stories for grown ups", have notched up more than 250 million listens, and are all about calming and soothing listeners. Keanu only does the honours on one of A World of Calm's half-hour episodes, which is about a master woodworker carving a canoe. That said, the rest of the series definitely doesn't slouch in the star-power stakes. Joining him is a cast that'd do any movie proud, spanning not only Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz, Kate Winslet, Lucy Liu, Cillian Murphy and Priyanka Chopra, but also two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. Kidman kicks off the series via an episode about bird migration, Chopra narrates an instalment about chocolate in Central America, and Winslet takes viewers into the world of horses. Also on offer: Isaac narrating an episode about making noodles, Murphy focusing on snow, Ali waxing lyrical about water, Kravitz focusing on glassmaking, Liu exploring coral and Elba heading into space. As for what you'll be looking at while your ears soak in the dulcet tones of all of the above A-list stars — who are basically guiding you through a televised relaxation session — HBO advises that the series serves up "mesmeric imagery". Created with Nutopia, the folks behind National Geographic's One Strange Rock and Disney+'s The World According to Jeff Goldblum, that includes visuals from the company's global network of cinematographers and filmmakers. Intrigued? Need to destress after 2020's challenges? Eager for whatever new slow TV event SBS serves up, after previously delivering extended train documentaries and tours of the Cadbury chocolate factory? The Australian network is dropping new episodes of A World of Calm daily from Friday, December 25–Sunday, January 3, airing at 7.30pm — and you'll find them on SBS On Demand afterwards. Check out the trailer below: A World of Calm airs on SBS daily at 7.30pm from Friday, December 25–Sunday, January 3, with each episode hitting SBS On Demand afterwards. Images: HBO Max.
When summer starts to scorch, we'll do anything to cool down. And while we'd like to be able to fling ourselves into the ocean at every 30-degree-plus opportunity — which, let's face it, is quite often in Brisbane (and not just in summer) — that's not always an option. That's when we usually turn to air conditioning. But while it might be a convenient way to keep your cool, it has its drawbacks — from dehydrating effects and the potential to spread bacteria to its massive energy consumption (which is both a drain on your wallet and the planet). And of course, some of us are living in stuffy rental properties where clicking on that air-con remote isn't even an option. So, now that summer's here with a vengeance, we thought we'd bring you a few simple hacks for avoiding air con — or just surviving without it. You'll need ice, water and — if you're really keen — some trees. Go nuts. HACK YOUR FAN On scorching days, fans can be rudely ineffective, seeming to do little more than blow more hot air into your face. But a quick hack can work some magic. Find a big bowl, fill it with ice, and place it between your fan and you. The propellers will work on the now-cooled air, sending it straight your way, transforming your fan into what feels like an air conditioner. Another option is to hang a bag of ice (or bottles of frozen water) directly in front of the fan. You can also place a wet, cool towel over the fan itself, which should get you an hour or so of extra crisp air. MAKE CLEVER COLD DRINKS Just carried the beer in from the car? Wrap each bottle in a soaked (but not dripping) paper towel and pop it in the freezer. The moisture will evaporate and cool speedily, and within 15 minutes, you'll be sipping on an ice-cold brew. You can swap your hot caffeine hit for an iced one by turning just-made coffee into ice cubes — for something different, make it Vietnamese-style by adding a dash of condensed milk. Or, if you're kicking all the habits this summer, add frozen berries to a glass of water, which cools down your drink while upping the taste factor. MIST-IFY YOURSELF Got an empty spray bottle lying around? Give it a good, thorough clean and fill it with cold — or icy — water. Then, whenever you feel your temperature start to rise, spray yourself and everyone else in your vicinity. It's a basic trick, but an easy one. If possible, keep the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer (for short periods only – don't let the water turn into ice). Otherwise, just re-fill that baby as often as you can. APPLY COLD THINGS TO YOUR PULSE POINTS Anyone who's ever spent term one or four in a Queensland primary school should already know this trick, but just in case you missed out: the easiest way to cool down quickly is by applying a source of cold to your pulse points. Start by holding your wrists under running water for at least three minutes. Afterwards, apply an ice pack (or equivalent; heck, some frozen peas will do) to your wrists, neck, back of knees and/or ankles. These strategies cool the blood running through your veins and decrease your body temperature. PUT PLANTS IN FRONT OF YOUR WINDOWS Got pot plants? Got windows that let in lots of light? Well, there's an energy-saving match, right there. Use said plants to block said windows. The taller and leafier the better (consider that your permission to stock up on even more plant babies). In fact, if you're serious about keeping cool, it's worth investing in some dense trees or even vines, as long as you have a way to hang them from the windows. Not only will plants reduce the light and heat entering your home, but they'll also provide you with cleaner air. GIVE YOUR FEET A COLD BATH When you need to sit in one spot for a while — maybe you're getting some work done or watching a flick — fill a container with cold water (and ice, if you can hack it) and stick your feet in. Immerse your ankles if you can — they're pulse points, so when they're cool your whole body temperature tends to drop. Should this work for you, go one further with a bath or shower. Or, if you'd rather avoid hanging around in the bathroom all day, invest in a kiddy pool to use either indoors or outside. CLOSE ALL THE WINDOWS Up to a third of heat inside a house comes in through open windows and doors. So, go on a closing rampage — and tell your family or housemates all about it so they can get on board. While you're there, cover windows as effectively as possible by drawing blinds and curtains, and shutting shutters. If nighttime brings any relief, open them up again. And, to increase the effect of any cooler air, hang wet sheets in front of the windows. As the evening breeze blows through, the moisture will drop the temperature even further. Just don't forget to close everything again in the morning before it heats back up. FREEZE YOUR PILLOWS AND SHEETS One of the biggest challenges of an air con-free summer is getting to sleep. To produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, your body needs to reduce its core temperature. But once the thermometer hits 25 degrees, this becomes a tough task. To make it easier, stick your pillows and sheets in a plastic bag and shove them in the freezer for 30 minutes, before making and hopping into your bed. As the night wears on and you start to warm up, you might find yourself waking up — if you're really committed, keep a spare set of PJs in the freezer, so you can do a quick switcheroo. TURN OFF YOUR APPLIANCES You'll be surprised how much heat is generated by your appliances. The obvious one is your oven. Even a seemingly harmless spurt of baking can give the thermometer a major surge. If you've got people coming over for dinner, an outdoor barbie is the best solution. Beyond the oven, there are loads of other heat-creating suspects, including your microwave, electric kettle, television, bedside lamps, dishwasher, washing machine and computers. Whenever possible, switch them all off and unplug them — it'll help you stay cool and save energy. SPICE IT UP There's a good reason why spicy food is so popular in steamy parts of the world like India and Bangladesh. When you ingest all that chilli, your body starts to sweat and, as you know, sweating cools you down. Make your meal hot enough and you'll be so deep in the sweats you won't know what season it is. What's more, spicy food comes with a heap of potential health benefits, from increasing life expectancy to preventing cancer. [caption id="attachment_828682" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] ESCAPE TO THE WATER Of course, if your house is too hot to handle sans air con, your best bet might be a shaded body of water where you can head for a cooling dip. For inspiration, check out our lists of rivers near Brisbane for swimming, waterfalls nearby that you can swim under and local snorkelling spots. Our summer day trips rundown also includes plenty of beaches, because of course it does. Otherwise, scout out a shady piece of real estate at one of the city's public pools and get a good rhythm going between dipping and lounging. We have a list for that as well — and also another that includes water-adjacent activities for soaking in the breeze, too.
From Milton to West End, Woolloongabba to Morningside and Fortitude Valley to Newstead, it isn't hard to find a brewery in Brisbane's inner-city suburbs and their surrounding locales. River City drinkers are spoiled for choice, in fact. Maybe it's thanks to the yeast and hops smell that's long lingered over the inner west courtesy of the XXXX factory, but this beer-loving town has never been one to say no to more breweries, especially over the past decade. Brissie loves new spots making beer as much as new bridges. Opening a brewery on Ann Street in the city's CBD feels like an inevitability, then — and Little Miss Sunshine is that place. By the time that July 2024 ends, it'll be pouring brews and serving up Queensland cuisine, all from the back of the ground floor of an office building. Little Miss Sunshine is both a bistro and a brewery. With its name and its vibe alike, it's getting playful — and it wants patrons to drop in for after-work drinks, cruisy weekend sessions, dinner and everything in-between. Although an exact opening date hasn't been announced, hanging out here across the end of winter and beyond will mean either getting cosy inside or making the most of the venue's outside area. Wherever you choose to say cheers, 28 taps will be pouring. The beer lineup hasn't been revealed as yet, either, other than spanning both house-brewed tipples — including small-batch sips — alongside favourites from elsewhere picked by the team. The food menu is also still mostly under wraps, but Moreton Bay bug spaghetti is one example of the Little Miss Sunshine's Queensland-skewing culinary options. There'll be beer-battered barramundi as well, plus Mediterranean-inspired dishes such as beef and chicken shawarma, and lamb kofta. Patrons can look forward to live tunes, too, all in a space that you've probably walked past countless times — especially if you work in the CBD — without considering that a brewery could one day live there. Find Little Miss Sunshine at 80 Ann Street, Brisbane, from sometime in late July 2024 — we'll update you with an exact opening date when one is announced. Head to the venue's website, Facebook and Instagram in the interim.
"Do you remember the first time you saw a dinosaur?" asks Bryce Dallas Howard in the latest instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise. We do. It was 25 years ago, as John Williams' iconic score built to its majestic climax and the cast of Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster rose from the seats of their jeep, tore off their glasses and stared wide-eyed at a beautiful, towering Brachiosaurus. It's been a quarter of a century since the first Jurassic Park captured the imagination of moviegoers the world over and ushered in the brave new world of CGI-enhanced filmmaking. The whole thing was classic Spielberg: a rollicking, family-friendly adventure that pushed the boundaries of innovation whilst remaining grounded in entirely relatable human stories. Its extraordinary success made sequels inevitable, but unfortunately none except perhaps 1997's The Lost World have come even close to recapturing the magic and wonder of the original. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom we have a film significantly better than its immediate predecessor, yet one that still falls well short of the bar set back in 1993. Much of the problem with this instalment lies with the franchise's so-called villains. In Jurassic Park the combination was perfect: flawed human antagonists in Dennis Nedry and John Hammond, existential menace in the form of technological hubris, and, of course, those dinosaurs. Between the thuggery of the T-Rex, the cunning of the raptors and the toxic spit of the Dilophosaurus, every step through the failing park held unbearable peril for its characters, instilling a dread that overflowed into the audience. Since then, however, the Jurassic movies have relied largely on a generic recurring villain: InGen, the unscrupulous genetics corporation behind all that Dino-DNA splicing. Even worse, the raptors and T-Rex have become, thanks to their broad popularity, inadvertent heroes, leaving the Dino-threat to come from species that never even existed. Here again in Fallen Kingdom it's that same formula at play: InGen is secretly cooking up some new dinosaurs to sell as weapons (still as ridiculous a concept as it was in Jurassic World), and the big scary dinosaur is a genetically-engineered ultra raptor. Around them are cookie-cutter human bad-guys in the form of mercenaries, big game hunters and money-hungry suits, as well as franchise regular Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), the original Jurassic Park geneticist who continues to learn precisely zero from all his past mistakes. There is still a lot of fun to be had here, and even a few unexpected feels as director J.A Bayona (A Monster Calls) reminds us that monsters of choice are always worse than monsters of instinct. The film's central conceit, too, is a compelling one: a volcano on the island upon which the dinosaurs currently reside is poised to erupt, meaning they will again become extinct without human intervention. To rescue or not to rescue becomes the burning question for Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Dallas Howard) and returning fan favourite Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). InGen, predictably, wants the animals saved for far less noble reasons than preservation. The scenes set on the island are the strongest in the movie, and include perhaps the most affecting moment in the entire franchise in the form of a heart-wrenching callback to that iconic Brachiosaurus shot from all those years ago. Thereafter, Fallen Kingdom transforms into a semi Gothic horror film as the action shifts to an isolated mansion in which the characters are stalked by Wu's latest creation. Toby Jones and James Cromwell give spirited performances during this phase, but the weaknesses of the script refuse to be covered up. The bad get eaten whilst the good survive, and it honestly never feels like our heroes are in any genuine peril. As part two of a planned trilogy, the end-point of Fallen Kingdom certainly offers some interesting possibilities for the final instalment. That said, absent a more nuanced and, dare we say, sympathetic villain, this franchise, like Dr. Wu, seems destined to repeat the mistakes of its past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn9mMeWcgoM
What's set to feature synth-heavy tunes, a big blender, plus Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act chatting Australian audiences through one of the huge music events of every year? In 2025, that's how the Eurovision Song Contest will play out. Another May is in full swing, which means that another round of acts are taking to the stage to compete for Europop glory. Flying the flag for Australia at the 69th Eurovision: Go-Jo with the song 'Milkshake Man'. The place: Basel in Switzerland, thanks to Nemo winning Eurovision 2024 with 'The Code'. And the dates for your diary: Wednesday, May 14–Sunday, May 18 Down Under. The event's 2025 semi finals take place at 5am Australian time on Wednesday, May 14 and Friday, May 16, with Go-Jo featuring in the second. Then, this year's winner will be crowned on Sunday, May 18. To watch along from home, you'll be heading to SBS and SBS on Demand — which is where Armstrong and Act come in. As announced back in April, the pair are fronting the Aussie commentary team this year, with the ex-AFL footballer-turned-TV presenter (Eat the Invaders) teaming up with the Australian Idol and RuPaul's Drag Race alum to guide audiences through the full 2025 Eurovision experience. Act was part of the 2024 coverage, too, as SBS's backstage Eurovision correspondent. Go-Jo, aka Marty Zambotto, was named in February as Australia's latest entrant. While you might've been among the folks helping his single 'Mrs. Hollywood' notch up 60-million digital streams and one-billion views, he's performing 'Milkshake Man' at Eurovision. Enter that big blender for the Manjimup-raised, now Sydney-based performer, another former footballer (in the West Australian Football League), who was the ninth most-streamed Australian artist in the world in 2023. "The Milkshake Man's purpose is to inspire people to embrace the loudest and proudest version of themselves, and I can't think of a better place to share that message than the Eurovision stage. It's an absolute dream come true to represent such a beautiful and diverse nation, and I've never been more excited to share my art and vision with the incredible Eurovision fans around the world," said Go-Jo when he was announced at 2025's Aussie competitor. And that blender? It's part of Go-Jo's staging, and measures four metres in height — with Australia going big, literally, to mark ten years since first competing in Eurovision when Guy Sebastian entered the 2015 contest with 'Tonight Again'. [caption id="attachment_1003691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Henley[/caption] For newcomers, Eurovision started back in 1956 as a competition between a mere seven nations. Now, nearing seven decades later, it's a glitter-strewn and spandex-fuelled global musical phenomenon. Thirty-seven countries not only in Europe but from elsewhere are competing in 2025 — hello Australia — and viewers tune in en masse to watch, sing along and add new pop tunes to their queues. When Go-Jo performs his track in the semi final, he'll be up against performers from Ireland, Austria, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Montenegro, Latvia, Armenia, Lithuania, Malta, Georgia, Czechia, Luxembourg, Israel and Serbia. If he then makes his way through to the grand final, he'll be one of only 21 acts making the cut,. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are automatically guaranteed spots. You have choices if you're keen to watch — depending on whether you want tear yourself out of bed before it's light. If you want to view the proceedings live, you can from 5am on the relevant days. Streaming replays will also be available mid-morning. Or, if you can somehow manage to avoid the internet and social media, both semis and the grand final will also screen in primetime across Friday–Sunday. Can't decide whether to beat the sun or wait and host a party at sensible hour? It's worth remembering that Australians can indeed vote for Eurovision, but only until around 18 minutes after the last song is performed in each live semi-final broadcast and about 40 minutes after the last track ends in the grand final. Voting is open to everyone in all finals — whether you're from a country participating in that final or not — and the artists who get through from the two semi finals to the grand final will be solely chosen by the audience at home. Still remaining the same: the rule that says Australians can't actually vote for Go-Jo, because no one can vote for the country they represent. [caption id="attachment_1003694" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Wilson[/caption] "I'm so excited to jump into the world of Eurovision with the one and only Courtney Act, who has already taken me under her wing. I'm definitely not envious of her brilliance and my jealousy won't make it on screen I promise. Eurovision holds such a special place in so many hearts around the world. I look forward to being a part of the spectacle along with Courtney," said Armstrong when his Eurovision hosting gig for SBS in 2025 was announced. "I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy Eurovision last year — and this year I'm back, now with everyone's favourite IT man Tony Armstrong (who I can confirm is just as delightful and dashing in real life as you'd expect). I'll be offering my commentary expertise on every costume reveal, key change, wind machine and pyro moment I know Switzerland will deliver. Tony's already taught me a thing or two about team sport energy, and I'll be returning the favour with a crash course in camp," added Act. Eurovision 2025 Broadcasts Live broadcasts: Semi final one: 5am AEST on Wednesday, May 14 on SBS and SBS on Demand Semi final two: 5am AEST on Friday, May 16 on SBS and SBS on Demand — featuring Go-Jo Grand final: 5am AEST on Sunday, May 18 on SBS and SBS on Demand Streaming replays: Semi final one: from 8.30am AEST on Wednesday, May 14 on SBS on Demand Semi final two: from 8.30am AEST on Friday, May 16 on SBS on Demand — featuring Go-Jo Grand final: from 10.30am AEST on Sunday, May 18 on SBS on Demand Prime-time TV 'access all areas' broadcasts: Semi final one: 7.30pm AEST on Friday, May 16 on SBS Semi final two: 7.30pm AEST on Saturday, May 17 on SBS — featuring Go-Jo Grand final: 7.30pm AEST on Sunday, May 18 on SBS SBS' Eurovision 2025 coverage runs from Wednesday, May 14–Sunday, May 18. For more information, head to the broadcaster's website — and for more information about Eurovision, head to the event's website. Eurovision rehearsal images: Alma Bengtsson / Sarah Louise Bennett / Corinne Cumming.
Maybe you don't ever manage to find the time to celebrate International Lobster Day each September. Perhaps you're just keen on an indulgent October and November feast. Or, you could simply want to treat yo'self to lobster whenever and wherever you can. Whichever one of these categories fits, you've got a date with Kangaroo Point's One Fish Two Fish from Tuesday, October 1–Saturday, November 30. The Main Street eatery is celebrating all things lobster, clearly — and, yes, by serving up the obvious. And, it's doing so across two entire months. No wonder that it's calling the event House of Lobster. Make plans to dine in and you can tuck into a $125 multi-course feast, which starts with lobster toast as an appetiser and lobster soup complete with tail pieces for a starter. From there, after pineapple and lime granita as a palate cleanser, there's two options to pick from for entrees and mains. So, you can go for a lobster salad or lobster spiral ravioli, then lobster masala or lobster mornay. And for dessert? Your choice of either raspberry sorbet or deep-fried vanilla ice cream. Booking quickly is recommended, with seats available for dinner Wednesdays–Fridays and lunch Fridays–Sundays. Updated Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Perhaps you've always wanted to spend summer enjoying an island getaway, but haven't yet had the chance. Maybe spring to you means checking out Queensland's beaches. Or, you might like to start each new year with a holiday to wherever takes your fancy. Stop dreaming and start planning, because Virgin is doing another big flight sale. This time there's 500,000 cheap fares on offer to both Australian and international locations. Prices start low, at the usual $49, which once again gets you from Sydney to Byron Bay — the normal cheapest fare in any flight sale — and vice versa. From there, the domestic side of the sale spans everywhere from the Gold Coast, Launceston and Darwin through to Hamilton Island and Newcastle. Virgin's Get Set, Jet sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Wednesday, August 2 — unless sold out earlier, with fares to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide also covered. That means paying $69 one-way from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, $79 from Melbourne to Hobart, and $99 for a trip from Brisbane to Cairns or Canberra to the Gold Coast. Or, still on local deals, the specials also cover $69 from Melbourne to Launceston, $109 from Adelaide to Sydney, $169 from Brisbane to Darwin and $209 from Melbourne to Perth. Internationally, trips to Fiji cost $519 from Sydney and $569 from Melbourne. Bali fares come in at $539 from Adelaide, $549 from Brisbane, $559 from the Gold Coast or Sydney, and $599 from Melbourne. And, you can head to Queenstown from Sydney for $269 and from Melbourne from $265. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the fares cover between October 11, 2023–March 14, 2024, all varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack the rest of 2023 and the start of 2024 with holidays. Virgin's Get Set, Jet sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Wednesday, August 2 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
A Royal Tenenbaums rollercoaster? A Life Aquatic submarine ride? A Grand Budapest Hotel cable car? Your wildest, most whimsical dreams are about to come to fruition; Wes Anderson has announced his plans to team up with Devo-co-founder and longtime Anderson collaborative composer Mark Mothersbaugh on their very own theme park. If you've watched a few Wes Anderson films, you would have heard Mothersbaugh's iconic scores — the man's worked on Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to name a few. But the Devo legend is also an applauded artist who's releasing his own visual art book: Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia. When Anderson's book foreword was revealed, so were the pair's theme park plans. "I hope to soon secure the means to commission the construction of an important and sizeable theme park to be conceived and designed entirely by Mark Mothersbaugh," Anderson wrote in the foreword . "For 40 years he has set about creating a body of work which amounts to his own Magic Kingdom, where the visitor is amused and frightened, often simultaneously." We're waiting for the finer details with baited breath, perhaps a ride on the Darjeeling Limited or a wild ride through the tunnels of the Fantastic Mr Fox? If Mothersbaugh's art is anything to go by, things are going to be a little weirder than we're used to with twee king Anderson. Here's one of Mothersbaugh's best Anderson score moments, just to get you squealing a little higher. https://youtube.com/watch?v=214w5Bh9mp4 Via Flavorwire.
Grab your bowling ball and swap your bathrobe for your best purple outfit — The Jesus Rolls, the two-decades-later spinoff to the Coen Brothers' 1998 cult comedy The Big Lebowski, is due to hit the big screen this year. Instead of abiding by The Dude (Jeff Bridges), this follow-up spends time with John Turturro's Jesus Quintana, whose love of flinging gleaming balls down lanes means that he obviously isn't a golfer. Of course, if you still want to pour a white russian to celebrate this return excursion to the Lebowski universe, that's both understandable and warranted. Turturro not only stars, but writes and directs The Jesus Rolls, which was actually filmed back in 2016. Cast-wise, he's joined by a heap of familiar faces, including Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, Jon Hamm, Susan Sarandon, Christopher Walken and Pete Davidson. In addition to following Quintana's exploits post-Big Lebowski, The Jesus Rolls also acts as a remake of 1974 French film Going Places. As per the official synopsis, the picture is set joins its eponymous figure "hours after being released from prison", when he"pairs up with fellow misfits Petey (Cannavale) and Marie (Tautou), and embarks on a freewheeling joyride of petty crime and romance". And that's exactly what happens in The Jesus Rolls' just-dropped first trailer. As revealed last year, the movie will release in the US in March, just in time for The Big Lebowski's 22nd anniversary — and while plans Down Under haven't yet been revealed, start crossing your fingers. Check out The Jesus Rolls' trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLAmpku4fyg&feature=emb_logo The Jesus Rolls hits US cinemas on March 6, 2020. We'll update you with local release details if and when they come to hand.
UPDATE, Friday, November 3: Fingernails screens in select cinemas from Thursday, November 2, and streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 3. In the world of Fingernails, 'Only You' isn't just a 1982 pop song that was made famous by Yazoo, is easy to get stuck in your head, and is now heard in this film in both French and English. It's also the philosophy that the first English-language feature by Apples filmmaker Christos Nikou has subscribed its characters to as it cooks up a sci-fi take on romance. In a setup somewhat reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes' claims to have revolutionised blood testing (see: The Dropout), Fingernails proposes an alternative present where love can be scientifically diagnosed. All that's needed: an extracted plate of keratin, aka the titular digit-protecting covering. At organisations such as The Love Institute, couples willingly have their nails pulled out — one apiece — then popped into what resembles a toaster oven to receive their all-important score. Only three results are possible, with 100 percent the ultimate in swooning, 50 percent meaning that only one of the pair is head over heels and the unwanted zero a harbinger of heartbreak. When Fingernails begins, it's been three years since teacher Anna (Jessie Buckley, Women Talking) and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear) underwent the exam, with the long-term duo earning the best possible outcome — a score that's coveted but rare. Around them, negative results have led to breakups and divorces as society's faith is placed not in hearts and souls, but in a number, a gimmick and some tech gadgetry (one of the sales pitches, though, is that finding out before getting hitched will stop failed marriages). Even folks who've obtained top marks aren't always content to stop there. Some seek to reaffirm their positive result years down the track. To boost their chances of nabbing a love certificate, other couples take courses to amplify their amorous feelings for each other. Sessions include watching Hugh Grant movies ("nobody understands love more," exclaims the cinema marquee), tracking your paramour's scent, getting breathless underwater while staring into your other half's eyes and the adrenaline rush of tandem skydiving. As their friends go the retesting route — satirising the need for certainty in affairs of the heart pumps firmly through this movie's veins — Anna hasn't been able to convince Ryan to attend The Love Institute as a client. She's soon spending her days there, however, feeding her intrigue with the whole scenario as an employee. When she takes a job counselling other pairs towards hopeful ever-after happiness, she keeps the career shift from her own significant other. Quickly, she has something else she can't tell Ryan: a blossoming bond with her colleague Amir (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal). As the operation's head Duncan (Luke Wilson, Fired on Mars) steps her through the official details, including the fact that it is biologically impossible for one person to be in love with two people according to the testing method, Anna starts feeling sparks fly with the co-worker assigned to show her the ropes. Amir has his own girlfriend (Annie Murphy, Black Mirror), but clearly reciprocates. Haddaway's Saturday Night Live- and A Night at the Roxbury-adored 1993 tune 'What Is Love' doesn't get a spin in Fingernails, but that's the question that Nikou and co-screenwriters Stavros Raptis (returning from Apples) and Sam Steiner (a feature first-timer) probe. The Greek writer/director and his collaborators contrast fondness as a contrived series of sensations with affection as a lived-in routine and passion as a butterflies-in-the-stomach response. So, Nikou's picture sees the mechanics, the comfort and the involuntary swirl — and sees Anna torn between everything that she's told, what she's supposed to be satisfied with and the yearnings that she's not meant to be experiencing. The filmmaker also makes a flick that pairs well with fellow new release Foe, exploring what technology can and can't tell us about love, and what will always remain innate, although Fingernails is never as dystopian, nor a thriller — and trades a definite future date for an undetermined era where mobile phones are welcomely absent. When he made his full-length debut with 2020's Apples, Nikou also sought love in an offbeat place, amid a pandemic of amnesia. In the process, he dived into the Greek Weird Wave that's become synonymous with The Favourite's Yorgos Lanthimos, whose own breakout Dogtooth was nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar. Fingernails' helmer was the second assistant director on Dogtooth, in fact, and now adds a picture to his resume that follows in the wonderfully absurdist footsteps of Lanthimos' The Lobster. Both are deeply romantic movies at their core, as well as sharply shrewd and witty flicks about human nature and societal norms. Both rally against conformity and expectation, too, and make physical the pains and struggles that come with the pursuit of affection. That said, Fingernails takes a more tender approach to its scenario. Dispelling the fascination with chasing one definitive perfect match by flouting that itself, it'd also make a great double with Celine Song's Past Lives, where there's nothing simple about a heart torn in two directions. Nikou's knack for casting is no different to Lanthimos' supreme skill in the same domain; what a quietly pining duo that Buckley and Ahmed make. Never seeming at risk of demanding that "yes chef!" be yelled his way, White gets myopic about relationships rather than cooking in a canny supporting role as someone who's blissfully emotionally oblivious — but, like Anna and Amir themselves, viewers are desperate to spend more time amid the real heat. Buckley and Ahmed turn in vulnerable portrayals that sear, even when the pacing unfurling their tale and the hues splashed around them are both muted. Nikou knows how feelings can both explode and simmer, serving up each. As he did in Apples, he also provides more memorable and meaningful dancing, this time as Amir cuts loose, Anna watches on, everything is evident and nothing needs to be said. The film looks away from the actual ripping out of nails — the idea remains suitably squirm-inducing, yet is never seen in gory detail because the audience flinches at the very notion anyway — but cinematographer Marcell Rév (Euphoria, The Changeling) utterly adores peering at Buckley and Ahmed. With different stars, he demonstrated the same focus in Malcolm & Marie with similarly intimate results. The premise here might be as high-concept as plots come, but seeing the longing, loneliness, melancholy, uncertainty, desire and revelations in Fingernails' two key performances couldn't feel more real. This is a movie that tingles with emotion — in its fingertips and everywhere.
Despite years of public rallies, crowdfunding efforts and court action, Sydney's Brutalist, box-like Sirius building is officially up for sale. Although the New South Wales government first announced that the 70s-era structure was on the market back in December, expressions of interest just opened yesterday, Friday, May 25, with Savills Australia now actively seeking buyers for the iconic location. While it's a blow for the vocal Save Our Sirius campaign, the 2-60 Cumberland Street address will apparently be subject to some restrictions. The government "will maintain interest in the site, ensuring any future developments are sympathetic to the surrounding area," according to Savills Australia. And, a proposed State Environmental Planning Policy amendment will apply, imposing new controls regarding the zoning, height, maximum gross floor area, active street frontages and design of the site. It has been a particularly eventful year for the 79-unit tower, which stands tall by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Final public tours took place in January, a farewell party for the structure's last remaining resident — 91-year-old Myra Demetriou — was held the same month and Save Our Sirius revealed they'd be lodging their own purchase bid. In response to the official launch of expressions of interest, Save Our Sirius restated their quest to retain the building in its current form, ensure it is used as affordable inner-city housing for workers in the area, and to have its historical significance officially recognised. "We again call on the NSW Government to stop the sale, deploy Sirius for key worker accommodation, and list Sirius on the State Heritage Register," the group advised in a statement. Even with the government restrictions, if Sirius is bought by developers, the 79-unit tower is highly likely to be demolished to make room for new apartments. As well as wiping out a crucial part of '70s architectural history, it'll also mean saying goodbye to an important public housing initiative, allowing people on low incomes to live in the centre of this expensive city and enjoy harbour views. With the situation certain to keep developing over the coming months, take a look through our gallery of the building as it currently stands. Images: Katherine Lu / Kimberley Low.
“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo,” wrote William Shakespeare, and even with all the tragedies he imagined, he may have meant it. Romeo and Juliet serves up family feuds, forbidden lovers, fateful pacts, interfering relatives and several cases of terrible timing. There’s bad luck, there’s tragedy, and then there’s the plight that awaits the star-cross’d duo. The latest stage version provides all that and something more, the added extra coming courtesy of Shake & Stir. Known for treading the boards with the next generation, the contemporary youth theatre company thrusts the top 35 competitors from the 2014 Queensland Youth Shakespeare Festival into the famous performance. Live music helps the play dance along; however, the emerging cast are the real stars of the show. You might know the tale told, and the characters as well, but you won’t be familiar with the shining new talents in this interpretation.
It took a mere one episode when House of the Dragon premiered for HBO to sign on for season two of the Game of Thrones prequel. That second season debuts on Monday, June 17, 2024 Down Under, but the US network behind the TV adaptations of George RR Martin's novels just can't wait to go all in on more battling Targaryens, already renewing the show for season three. Yes, Succession may be over, but the fight for the Iron Throne between half-siblings Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney, Rogue Heroes) and Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy, Mothering Sunday) is sticking around for at least another batch of episodes after 2024's return to Westeros continues the story before the hit fantasy series everyone watched from 2011–19. Both figures want to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Both claim the famous seat as theirs. Both are destined for war: the Targaryen civil war between the green and the black camps known as the Dance of the Dragons. "We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivalled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three," said Francesca Orsi, the Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, and Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, about the renewal. There's no details yet on when season three of House of the Dragon will arrive — including if it'll be in winter in Australia and New Zealand, as has proven the case for both season one and two — but this account of flowing long blonde hair, carnage, fire, dragons, conflicting factions and fights for supremacy is nowhere near done yet. When the show's season season premieres, it will arrive two years after the first debuted in 2022. If you haven't yet caught up with the series so far, which is based on Martin's Fire & Blood on the page, it dives into a prior battle for the Iron Throne. Paddy Considine (The Third Day) started the series King Viserys — and it's exactly who should be his heir that sparked all the fuss. The words "succession" and "successor" (and "heir" as well) got bandied around constantly, naturally. Also, Australian actors Milly Alcock and Ryan Corr were among the stars. As this first Game of Thrones spinoff jumps back into House Targaryen's history, the initial season kicked off 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story — and gave HBO its largest American audience for any new original series in its history when it debuted. If you're thinking that House of the Dragon is basically a case of new show, same squabbles, as it was easy to foresee it would be, you're right. It's pretty much Game of Thrones with different faces bearing now well-known surnames — and more dragons. Game of Thrones was always going to spark spinoff shows. Indeed, when HBO started thinking about doing a prequel six years ago, before the huge fantasy hit had even finished its run, it was hardly surprising. And, when the US network kept adding ideas to its list — including a Jon Snow-focused series with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show, to name just a few prequels and spinoffs that've been considered, but may or may not actually come to fruition — absolutely no one was astonished. So far, just House of the Dragon has hit screens; however, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the Dunk and Egg adaptation, is now due in 2025. Also returning among the cast when House of the Dragon season two hits: Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses) as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith (Morbius) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Ser Otto Hightower, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Rhaenys Targaryen and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, plus Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), Ewan Mitchell (Saltburn) and Sonoya Mizuno (Civil War). HBO is also adding new faces to the mix, with Clinton Liberty (This Is Christmas) as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew (Warrior) as Hugh, Tom Bennett (Black Ops) as Ulf, Tom Taylor (Love at First Sight) as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan (One Piece) as Ser Rickard Thorne. They join Abubakar Salim (Napoleon) as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin (Perry Mason) as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox (The Great) as Ser Gwayne Hightower and Simon Russell Beale (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Ser Simon Strong among the season two newcomers. Check out the full trailer for House of the Dragon season two below: House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand, with season two arriving on Monday, June 17, 2024. Season three doesn't yet have a release date. Read our review of season one. Images: HBO.
It has not been a good month for controversial bike sharing service oBike. First, it was announced that the ill-fated bikes were vanishing off the streets of Melbourne. Now, the Singapore-based company has announced via Facebook and its app it will no longer be Singapore-based, stopping operations in the city on Monday, June 25, 2018. oBike was launched in Singapore a little over a year ago — in January 2017 — but faced difficulties meeting the requirements of the city's Land Transport Council. The council passed new laws in March 2018 requiring bike-sharing operators to register for new licences that regulated fleet size. Regulations were the reason the service pulled out of Melbourne, too, as the company was unable to comply with new guidelines imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, in which abandoned bikes blocking streets for more than two hours would prompt $3000 fines. There are also reports flooding social media that oBike is refusing to return deposits ($49 in Singapore and $69 in Australia), with some users saying the refund button has disappeared altogether and others saying that the deposits have been converted into subscriptions. If this affects you, a Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesperson recommends "consumers should first contact the business to seek a resolution. If the business does not resolve the issue, and a credit card was used for payment, the consumer can contact their bank or credit card provider for a chargeback." There's no word yet on whether the infamous yellow bikes will be leaving Sydney, with the oBike's recent announcement stating, "this decision will not affect oBike's operations in anyway in countries outside of Singapore". The company is still promoting its new rewards for parking responsibly and in designated parking spots in Sydney via Facebook. We'll continue to update the story as further announcements are made.
After moving out of its OG home in the Emporium precinct in 2019, Mecca Bah has settled in nicely to its digs at Gasworks Plaza. The 2.0 version of this legendary Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant and bar boasts all the style of its old self with an injection of fun thanks to a pastel-hued interior and a laid-back approach to feasting. Graduating from its moody interior of old, the alfresco dining area is eye-catching, to say the least. Millennial pink peacock feather shades overhang plush pink booths and animal print pillows. Inside, deeper reds and blues make for a more intimate setting. On the back bar, you'll find top-shelf spirits held mid-air by an artistic decorative metal tree. In true Middle Eastern fashion, the food here is made to be shared with mezze, tagines, Turkish pides, and seafood all staples on the menu. When it comes to more novel dishes, a pide gets a surf 'n' turf makeover while steamed Persian green dumplings also make an appearance. For whetting your whistle, expect signature cocktails that are a modern ode to the menu's roots. The drinks constantly making an appearance at the bar? A Turkish Delight Martini and the Marrakesh Kiss. From Fridays to Sundays, bottomless boozy brunch is available for groups of six or more with a banquet menu, cocktails, wine and beer all on the cards. Images: Kiel Wode
It has been 22 years since the Valley Fiesta first turned Fortitude Valley's live music scene into a weekend-long street party — and when it returns for its annual spin in 2018, it'll be bigger (and possibly better) than ever. Taking over every space it can around Brunswick, Wickham and Ann streets, as well as the Chinatown mall, this year's Fiesta will feature live music, theatre and arts from August 29 to September 2. If that sounds longer than normal, that's because the event will enjoy an extended run across five days. While the actual lineup is set to be announced in the coming weeks, Brisbanites can look forward to plenty of local and Australian bands playing plenty of tunes, as part of a program of both free and ticketed events in the Valley's various venues, laneways and shops. That includes outdoor gigs — there's nothing like seeing half of Brisbane descend upon one of the area's streets, after all — plus a huge art showcase that'll involve lighting, projections, installations and themed decor. There'll also be a special focus on active activities designed to get punters moving beyond making shapes and tapping their toes. Announcing the expanded event, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk noted that Valley Fiesta will "provide a fantastic platform for our city's emerging musical and creative talent, with a packed program of performers." As far as the packed part of that statement goes, the Valley is certain to be busy regardless of the lineup — up to 65,000 attendees are expected over the five days. The 2018 Valley Fiesta will run from August 29 to September 2 — keep an eye on the festival website for more details.
Think Lunar New Year, and you likely think Chinatown. That understandable — but it's not the only Fortitude Valley spot celebrating the occasion. Over at Bakery and California lanes, the two patches of pavement are putting on a Chinese New Year Celebration. There'll be food. There'll be booze. There'll be dragon dances and live music as well. From 6pm on Saturday, February 1, the Year of the Rat will get into full swing with a lively laneway party. Fat Dumpling will be serving up their titular dish (naturally), Nom Nom Korean and Nom Nom Ramen and Sake Bar will both be helping full your stomach, and Cakes & Sh!t will be whipping up 'misfortune' cookies. Those sweet treats come dipped in chocolate — and we're guessing that you won't mind if they bring you bad luck. Also on offer: lychee martinis and other cocktails at a heap of the two laneways' bars. All that celebrating is thirsty work, after all. Plus, dragon dances will take place at 7pm in Bakery Lane and 8pm on California Lane. Top image: Fat Dumpling.
Once located in Spring Hill, Happy Boy moved to the heart of Fortitude Valley at the end of 2017. Situated under dappled fairy lights on East Street, the larger kitchen space has given the Happy Boy team room to play with the cuisines of Xinjiang, Canton and Sichuan. While the existing menu remains largely the same to appease old fans, new flavours have made an appearance over the years. The menu is perfect for sharing with friends, so make sure you order a range of dishes to experience the best of what's on offer. Breakfast is no longer on the menu, but you can come for lunch and dinner every day except Monday, tucking into some great deals. Lunch specials all come in under $17, so if you've been looking for a shake up from your usual sarnie you just might have found it with the Cha-Siu style BBQ chicken either served on fried rice or wok-tossed noodles ($17) or the rich beef brisket stew with noodle knots ($15). Dinner includes Taiwanese fried chicken sliders, prawn and pork wontons in a spicy broth and the ever-classic Beijing duck pancakes. Choose some vegetable dishes to supplement your mains or, if you're vegetarian, choose from some of the many exciting meat-free options available. Perhaps try the gold and burnt broccoli with black beans or many mushroom much tofu with broccoli and light soy. When it comes to meats and seafood you've got plenty of choices at Brisbane's Happy Boy, with the Chinese BBQ offering roast duck or crispy pork belly, or perhaps try the flash fried lamb in Sichuan spiced oil. Truly, the best option is simply to head along once and try what you like, and then come back a second time to tick the rest of your choices off the menu. The wine list is comprehensive, staff are knowledgeable and friendly and you'll love the buzzing atmosphere of the open dining room. Truly, Happy Boy is a Valley must-do. Images: Anwyn Howarth
Spring has almost sprung and we couldn't be happier as we're about to see the return of some of Australias most vibrant flower festivals. This year's events will make you feel like you're frolicking in Dutch tulip fields or wandering through the cherry blossom-filled streets of Japan (with plenty of photo opportunities along the way). If the millions of flowers on display aren't enough, there are also food and wine festivals, loads of local markets and a bunch of music events to keep you interested. So, round up your friends, grab your camera and make the trip to these best flower festivals happening across Australia in 2019.
It's not everyday that you hear the words 1000 litre pool, inner-city backyard and theatrical garments uttered in the same sentence. Yet this is exactly what artist Meg Cowell does. Inspired by the forgotten pieces of clothing strewn about the footpath from somebody’s big night, she set about recreating these pieces of women's clothing (with the addition of couture). She did this through the use of a pool of water to allow buoyancy and an unusual method of display. They end up as illuminated pieces of fabric, which exist in blackness, with only a hint of the water that they are floating within remaining. The result is ghost-like, and the viewer is left with a tactile and emotive image. The pieces of fabric end up looking as if they are “inhabited” by bodies, with movement being created by carefully arranging the clothing with balloons, and being sewn into place. The yellow bustle Girclee print Lens Mist in particular took a few days to position before it was able to be photographed with such a long exposure. While shooting this series, Cowell, who graduated with honours in photography from the University of Tasmania in 2007, had to overcome the difficulties of photographing fabrics in water in her small inner-city backyard. She says this is because the “water adds its own organic force and shifts the fabric in ways that are impossible to control. Because of this, each shot takes about a week to make.” She was “constantly up and down the scaffolding manipulating a collar or adjusting a piece of lace to be "just so". There was “also a certain aspect of mischief in my productions as many of the hired garments are 'dry clean only'," says Cowell cheekily. This added an “element of drama to my process, especially as the owners took my credit card details as bond against damage. My methods for getting around this involve a hair dryer, tissue paper and a pair of straitening irons.” Which are hardly the usual concerns for the average photographer. But luckily it paid off and no bonds were lost. See more of Meg Cowell's photography on her website. Her exhibition, To the Surface, opens at Sydney's Dickerson Gallery opens on July 24 and runs to August 15.
Greenlighting Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell as its leads must've been among Hollywood's easiest decisions. One of the rom-com's stars has been everywhere from Euphoria and The White Lotus to Reality of late, plus Sharp Objects and The Handmaid's Tale before that, and has a stint in the superhero realm on Madame Web to come. The other is fresh off feeling the need for speed in Top Gun: Maverick, including getting sweaty and shirtless in the beach scene. They both drip charisma. If this was the 80s, 90s or 00s, they each would have an entire segment of their filmographies dedicated to breezy romantic comedies like this Sydney-shot film, and probably more than a few together. From here, they might achieve that feat yet — because if there's much ado about anything in Anyone But You, it's about how well its two main talents shine as a pair. Regardless of that gleaming casting, director and co-writer Will Gluck crafts his first adult-oriented flick in 12 years — since Friends with Benefits, with Annie and the two Peter Rabbit movies since — as if it's still two, three or four decades back. The gimmick-fuelled plot, the scenic setting, the swinging between stock-standard and OTT supporting characters: they're all formulaically present and accounted for in Anyone But You. Also eagerly splashed in is the picture's biggest twist, courtesy of its filmmaker and co-scribe Ilana Wolpert (a feature first-timer sporting writing and story-editing credits on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on her resume). With Easy A, Gluck took inspiration from The Scarlet Letter, giving it a modern-day remake. Now, complete with some character names to match (there's no Dogberry, though, but there is a dog), ample matchmaking gossip and lines from the play clumsily dotted around the sets for viewers to see, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing scores the overt riffs. Always apparent as well: the fact that, even as it follows in the Bard of Avon's footsteps, Anyone But You's story constantly comes second to Sweeney and Powell's smouldering chemistry. Plus, most of its obvious jokes only land because the twosome sell them, and the whole movie. Takes on Shakespeare's 16th-century-penned, 17th-century-published rom-com have graced the big screen before. In the past 30 years, see: 1993's with Emma Thompson (What's Love Got to Do with It?) and Kenneth Branagh (A Haunting in Venice) as Beatrice and Benedick, and Branagh directing, and also 2012's with Buffyverse alums Amy Acker (The Watchful Eye) and Alexis Denisof (How I Met Your Father) for Joss Whedon (their guiding hand on Buffy and Angel). But this one is as merry as the day is long about being a playground for Sweeney and Powell first and foremost. Law student Bea (Sweeney) and finance bro Ben (Powell) meet-cute over a restroom key in a busy cafe. She's desperate to use the facilities, the staff won't let her unless she buys something, the line is morning-rush long and he claims that she's his wife to help. So begins a dreamy day of flirting, walking, talking, cooking grilled-cheese sandwiches and connecting over deep secrets like Gluck is fashioning a sped-up version of the Before trilogy, too. That heavenly first date ends badly the next morning, however. More pain is in store when Bea's sister Halle (Hadley Robinson, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) starts dating Ben's best friend Pete's (GaTa, Dave) sister Claudia (Alexandra Shipp, Barbie) months later. When an engagement is next, cue Bea and Ben's feud going international at the destination wedding in Australia, then getting a shakeup when the quarrelling duo pretend that they're together. There's kindness in this faux truce, alongside trickery and self-interest. Bea and Ben are trying stop their squabbling ruining the nuptials, yes, but they're attempting to get her parents to back off from campaigning for a reunion with her ex-fiancé Jonathan (Darren Barnet, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) at the same time — and to make his own past love Margaret (model-turned-acting debutant Charlee Fraser), Claudia and Pete's Australian cousin, jealous. Anyone But You's protagonists are also well-aware that the rest of the wedding party is conspiring to push them into love, subscribing to the whole "fighting means you like them" theory, and quickly tired of overhearing conversations that they're meant to about each other. Romantic-comedy logic dictates what happens next, of course, as packaged with slapstick gags, literal bathroom humour, sing-alongs, farce everywhere, as much flaunted bare flesh as an Aussie beach, and far more horniness than has been typically seen in 2010s and 2020s cinema. Every expected narrative beat is struck, then. Almost every genre cliche is hit as well. Nodding to other rom-com wedding flicks — My Best Friend's Wedding co-stars Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths play Bea's mum and dad, and the latter is also a Muriel's Wedding alum — is also heartily on the menu. So are fish-out-of-water Americans-in-Australia jokes, and being cheesily Aussie via koalas, endless shots of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House to make both Tourism Australia and Destination NSW proud, and Bryan Brown (Faraway Downs) and Joe Davidson (Neighbours) playing the stereotypical parts. The vision of Sydney that the film inhabits is not only overseas tourist bait, but a one-percenter paradise, as evidenced by the sprawling seaside home of Pete and Claudia's parents (Brown and Star Trek: Picard's Michelle Hurd) that becomes the movie's on-screen base. And yet, as Anyone But You needs and knows with gleeful self-awareness that it's going to get, Sweeney and Powell ace their performances and rapport, and couldn't be more watchable in the process. While no one has a particularly difficult job — least of all cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann (True Spirit), with the film's two stars and a sunny, picturesque locale to lens — it's their lively back and forth and game-for-anything commitment that keeps the picture afloat. For months, this was the feature that sparked headline-grabbing off-screen rumours about life imitating art. Now, it's an audition piece for a second silver-screen team up. Back in the 80s, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn did it (in Swing Shift and Overboard). The 90s had Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (Joe vs the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail), plus Julia Roberts and Richard Gere (Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride), while it was Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey's (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Fool's Gold) turn in the 00s. After Anyone But You, audiences won't want anyone but Sweeney and Powell to be next.
UPDATE, February 22, 2024: The Queen's Wharf precinct is now due to start opening from August 2024. The list of reasons to look forward to Queen's Wharf just keeps growing. Set to open in April 2024 after almost a decade of talk, development and construction, the new $3.6-billion Brisbane development will feature everything from a sky-high deck 100 metres above the ground to a reimagined Fat Noodle, plus four hotels, a swathe of retailers in a huge new shopping precinct, repurposed heritage buildings, the Neville Bonner Bridge and Brissie's first riverside bikeway cafe. Also coming to the River City: not only the previously announced Brissie outpost for Cherry, The Star's Sydney and Gold Coast cocktail bars, but also Cucina Regina, a sibling to NSW's Cucina Porto and the Goldie's Cucina Vivo. While its exact launch date hasn't yet been announced, Cucina Regina will make its home on The Terrace, the riverfront space that'll sit at the end of the Neville Bonner Bridge before visitors get to The Star Brisbane. Like its counterparts elsewhere, the menu is all about Italian food, with a focus on comforting dishes. Woodfired pizzas, homemade pasta and garlic-dotted house-made focaccia will sit among the offerings, as will antipasto, panna cotta and fresh figs in a balsamic reduction — to name just a few options. Welcoming in 160 diners inside and out, the restaurant will also hero Italian wine and cocktails. For the latter, think: negronis, Limoncello spritzes and amaro sours. And the vibe: on par with the OG two venues, as part of a chain that started in 2014 with Cucina Vivo down the highway. Warmth and nostalgia are the guiding principles for design studio Tom Mark Henry — and avoiding a cliched Italian look. "Those who have enjoyed the warmth and welcoming nature of our Italian venues will attest that our Cucina experience gives meaning to the heart of the home. A place where favourites are prepared with the care and precision you would expect when visiting a loved one or a dear friend, transforming the familiar into something special," said Dustin Osuch, The Star Brisbane General Manager Food & Beverage. "The venue's interiors meld traditional and modern accents inspired by Italian towns and villages, inviting guests through to a dining area patterned with textiles, bold pops of colour, natural textured layers and a curation of local art pieces to create a homely space," noted Design Manager Carla Matias about Cucina Regina. "Coloured textured glass within the shopfront bathes the space with a golden light, regardless of the weather. While the bar serves as the keystone for the venue, leaning into a neutral palette that speaks to the laidback aesthetic of Brisbane and sets the scene for an effortless transition from day to night." Cucina Regina will open at Queen's Wharf in the Brisbane CBD in 2024. We'll update you when a specific date is announced — and you can find out further details in the interim via the precinct's website. Renders: concept images of Cucina Regina for The Star Brisbane.
Much has already been made of Peter Jackson's decision to turn the relatively short novel of The Hobbit (relative to, say, anything else by Tolkien or Peter Jackson) into three, three-hour movies. The first instalment of the 'wasn't-a-trilogy-but-now-is-a-trilogy' trilogy smacked of excess — a painfully slow and padded affair that looked and felt more like an in-store demo for big-screen TVs than a sprawling epic of men and monsters. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is, in that sense, a marked improvement. For one thing, it doesn't take an hour for something to happen. Instead, after a brief yet engaging flashback to the first encounter between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Thorin (Richard Armitage), the film explodes into life with a pursuit of the Dwarf Dozen et al, and remains — by and large — a pursuit to the end. In terms of the storyline, well, it's the same as the first film because, as you'll recall, it's still the same story. The dwarves, whose names are entirely forgettable (Boring, son of Boredom and heir to the Realm of Snore), are still on a quest to reclaim their mountain kingdom from Smaug, the gold-loving dragon. Standing between them are a ferocious pack of orcs (Windows Vista) and giant spiders (OSX). Fans of the book will be surprised to discover an Elven sub-plot has been inserted into the story, meaning fans of Orlando Bloom will be happy to discover Orlando Bloom. Jackson went even further, however, by inventing entirely new characters, most notably the she-Elf 'Tauriel', played by Evangeline Lilly. Fortunately, it's a gamble that paid off, because Tauriel's scenes are amongst the film's best, both in terms of action sequences and her quiet romantic attraction to the dwarf known as…I want to say 'Kili'? (Aidan Turner). Perhaps the biggest mystery, though, is why, in a film called The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, we see an impossibly small amount of Hobbit, and don't meet Smaug until well into the second hour. It's a giant misstep by Jackson in failing to capitalise on Freeman's outstanding performance, with the actor's every confused blink and chuffed nod of the head lighting up the screen. Similarly, Freeman's scenes with Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) are the undisputed standouts, reuniting the Sherlock duo in battles of wits and words that prove far more engaging than any of those involving swords. Languishing in his ocean of gold like a 747-sized Scrooge McDuck, Smaug is a delectably menacing villain deserving of far greater screen time, and Cumberbatch's mellifluous baritone voice is perfectly applied. This is a film with enough action to entertain and enough Tolkien to satisfy; however, it ultimately feels more 'distraction' than 'attraction'. As always, the world of Middle Earth looks exquisite on screen, ensuring Tourism New Zealand will remain in good currency for years to come, but it's also a powerful reminder that the unadulterated is almost always more compelling than CGI, and that no amount of special effects wizardry can compete with actual actors acting. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OPVWy1tFXuc
It's easy to peruse the lengthy list of movies that'll be screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2024 and find parallels with the cinema celebration itself. Just like the claymation that brings Academy Award-winning animator Adam Elliot's work to life — including short Harvie Krumpet, 2009 feature Mary and Max and now MIFF's opening-night pick Memoir of a Snail — the fest expertly moulds its chosen materials into a reflection of the world around us. On par with every feature from David Cronenberg, it isn't afraid to push boundaries. As Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke ponders, it's deeply aware of both the past and the future. And exactly as all things Godzilla has, it's been a mainstay of the film world for seven decades. Running across Thursday, August 8–Sunday, August 25, Melbourne's annual celebration of moving pictures does indeed boast all of the above on its just-announced full program for this year. The Shrouds from Cronenberg (Crimes of the Future) sees the iconic body-horror filmmaker respond to the death of his wife IRL through the tale of a tech entrepreneur played by Vincent Cassel (Damaged) doing the same. The narrative of Caught by the Tides by Zhang-ke's (Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue) spans over 20 years, using footage from across just as long. And the ultimate kaiju is getting a one-night, seven-movie 70th-anniversary marathon, starting with franchise's iconic OG Japanese flick and making its way through to Shin Godzilla. "This year's MIFF program features over 250 films, with more than 400 sessions across 18 days, bringing together incredible Australian filmmaking, world cinema, drama, comedy, horror, animation, bold experimentation — things you've been waiting months to see, and others you never thought you'd get a chance to," explains the festival's Artistic Director Al Cossar about the complete lineup. "The MIFF program this year, like every year, is a multi-faceted festival of cinematic excess, designed to delight and sure to bring out the best in your imaginations. We're thrilled to welcome audiences back — come along and settle in for all too many movies at Melbourne's favourite binge this winter." Some of the fest's new highlights fill its Bright Horizons strand, aka its competition — including Flow, an animation about animals on a boat; Janet Planet, the debut movie from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker; Inside, a prison drama with Guy Pearce (The Clearing), Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) and Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders) that's directed by Charles Williams, who won the 2018 short film Palme d'Or for All These Creatures; and The Village Next to Paradise, which is the first-ever Somali film play Cannes. Other standout additions to the program elsewhere span flicks that've had the international film festival circuit talking in 2024 — and Australia's by first showing in Sydney. The Substance is also the long-awaited second effort from writer/director Coralie Fargeat, who made a spectacular debut with 2017's Revenge and picked up the Best Screenplay award at Cannes for this Demi Moore (Feud)-starring body-horror effort. Megalopolis features Adam Driver (Ferrari), with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola first conceiving of the picture back in 1977. Rumours gives the fest a dose of Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson behind the lens (reteaming after Accidence, The Rabbit Hunters and Stump the Guesser), plus Cate Blanchett (The New Boy) on-screen. The Seed of the Sacred Fig is the latest film from Mohammad Rasoulf (There Is No Evil), with the movie's place on this year's Cannes lineup seeing him forced to flee Iran after being sentenced to flogging and imprisonment. And All We Imagine as Light was the first Indian film to play in Cannes' competition in three decades. MIFF's winter stretch in Melbourne cinemas — plus sessions from Friday, August 9–Sunday, August 25 online; and across both Friday, August 16–Sunday, August 18 and Friday, August 23–Sunday, August 25 in regional Victoria — will also feature Berlinale Golden Bear-winner Dahomey, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt from poet and photographer Raven Jackson, the maximum-security prison-set Sing Sing with Colman Domingo (Drive-Away Dolls), and Hong Sang-soo and Isabelle Huppert reuniting on A Traveler's Needs after Another Country and Claire's Camera. Amid its usual celebration of variety, Timestalker from Prevenge director and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace star Alice Lowe sits beside coming-of-age tale Bookworm's reteaming Elijah Wood with director Ant Timpson after Come to Daddy — this time playing a dad — and the Ilana Glazer (The Afterparty)-led Babes helmed by Pamela Adlon from Better Things. Or, there's the cinephile-catnip Martin Scorsese-presented doco Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, Craig Silvey's Runt reaching the screen with a heap of local faces (Kaleidoscope's Jai Courtney, Colin From Accounts' Celeste Barber, High Ground's Jack Thompson and Total Control's Deborah Mailman), Indigenous Aussie horror via The Moogai, and The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre music documentary follow-up Dig! XX. If that — plus Wake in Fright getting the Hear My Eyes treatment — isn't enough, In Vitro is an Ashley Zukerman (Succession)-led Australian sci-fi thriller about a couple doing biotech experiments, the also-homegrown boxing drama Kid Snow features Phoebe Tonkin (Boy Swallows Universe), Ghost Cat Anzu brings a touch of Japanese animation, and the Kate Winslet (The Regime)- and Alexander Skarsgård (Mr & Mrs Smith)-led Lee is about WWII reporter Lee Miller. Three IRL Belfast rappers star as themselves alongside Michael Fassbender (Next Goal Wins) in comedy Kneecap; Problemista is directed by and stars Los Espookys and Fantasmas' Julio Torres opposite Tilda Swinton (The Killer); and Sasquatch Sunset, directed by the Zellner brothers (Damsel), gets Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six) and Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) playing a sasquatch family. Plus, Australia's own Romulus, My Father and Lake Mungo have scored restorations, the fest is spending an evening at Peninsula Hot Springs, an Iranian New Wave retrospective sees MIFF team up with New York's Museum of Modern Art, there's a whole strand dedicated to non-fiction films about the natural world, and Devo and The Black Keys also pop up in the Music on Film section. Not having anything to watch clearly isn't a problem at this fest. Whittling down your must-watch list? Now that's a different — and delightful — issue. [caption id="attachment_965567" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Barry Schultz, BarrySchultzPhotography.com[/caption] The 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 8–Sunday, August 25 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 16–Sunday, August 18 and Friday, August 23–Sunday, August 25 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 9–Sunday, August 25. For further details, including member tickets from 8pm on Thursday, July 11 and general tickets from 9am on Tuesday, July 16, visit the MIFF website.
In terms of products that are equally cruel and stupid, skin-lightening cream would have to be up there. And now, thanks to Anchuli Felicia King's White Pearl, it's now also brutally satirised. Fictional cosmetics company Clearday, based in Singapore, turns a very tidy profit exploiting customers' insecurities about the way they look. When one of its ads for skin-lightening products goes viral, the disapproving eye of the digital world settles on the company's pristine open-plan office. Amidst the buck-passing and fallout containment, a transformation begins to occur — what playwright King has referred to as "the shift from socialised hysteria to primal hysteria". With comedy that's blacker than bitumen and grimier than a skip in the CBD, White Pearl is here to raise conversations regarding casual racism and corporate culture. It's unlikely you needed another reason to hate on late-stage capitalism, but King will make you laugh while you do. The play is a co-production between Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta and Sydney Theatre Company, directed by Priscilla Jackman — and it's showing at Queensland Theatre's Bille Brown Theatre from Thursday, June 17–Saturday, July 10. [caption id="attachment_748064" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] White Pearl[/caption]
Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, there are restrictions on where Melburnians can travel. Check out the latest information on the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website. You can also check out more figures and graphs on its Victorian coronavirus data page. But, this doesn't mean you can't start dreaming — bookmark this for when you can explore once again. If a winter trip to Tasmania is on your agenda — and plenty of stomach-warming wine, too — then a pitstop at Devil's Corner probably forms part of your plans. Thanks to its towering onsite lookout, the well-known winery is a must-visit east coast destination even if you're not fond of vino. But for those who are partial to a drop or several, you'll find yourself sipping and soaking in the view at the vineyard's new pop-up cellar door over the next few months. Usually, Devil's Corner's cellar door is a hive of activity — and, between now and summer this year, it's undergoing a big revamp. The winery is expanding the facilities, in fact, but it isn't leaving vino lovers hanging in the interim. Instead, you'll hang out outdoors, enjoying your wine while hovering around a roaring fire pit. Called The Little Devil, the pop-up cellar door is doing wine tastings — by the glass, bottle and paddle — seven days a week. It's serving up takeaway wine sales, too. And, to line your stomach, food van Governors Bicheno is also onsite doing snacks and coffee. Like Devil's Corner's vines, visitors to The Little Devil will be exposed to the elements during the expansion. So, consider a coat, hat and even a rug mandatory accessories. When the expansion is complete, the permanent cellar door will sprawl across more space — and include both more shelter fo0r future winters, and revamped food and wine experiences. Find The Little Devil at Devil's Corner, 1 Sherbourne Road, Apslawn, Tasmania — open from 10am–4pm daily.
After viral leaks of award-winning author Adam Mansbach's new children's book for parents, Go the Fuck to Sleep, created huge hype in recent weeks, the book was finally released today. The book comes with an audiobook version that is narrated by none other than Samuel L. Jackson, and is illustrated with sweet and innocent images by artist Ricardo Cortes. A New Zealand Christian lobby group Family First is already calling for the book to be banned, writing letters to New Zealand's Booksellers Association asking that it not be distributed to retailers. The group is concerned about the effect that the offensive language and negative message could have on aggressive and dysfunctional parents. One verse from the book reads "All the kids from daycare are in dreamland. The froggie has made its last leap. Hell no you can't go to the bathroom, you know where you can go? The fuck to sleep." Most people however, have found the book hilarious, including legendary film director Werner Herzog who also plans to release a recording of the book. Film rights have now also been optioned by Fox and Canongate has already bought the UK title. The book is currently at the top of the Amazon best seller list. You can listen to a sample of the Samuel L. Jackson recording here.
When museums come to mind, so do two things typically found within their walls. Dinosaurs tend to feature across their halls of knowledge. Digging into humanity's past as well, so do ancient artefacts. Accordingly, it should come as little surprise that Brisbane's Queensland Museum started off 2024 embracing prehistoric creatures — albeit in Lego form — and that it will now end it with a big showcase of objects spanning 3000 years of Egyptian history. Hailing from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities, and already featuring at the Western Australian Museum in 2023, then the National Museum of Australia in Canberra since late the same year, Discovering Ancient Egypt now has a date with southeast Queensland. When it opens on Friday, October 25, the showcase will be filled with highlights, especially if you're interested in how ancient Egyptians approached the afterlife. Among its 200-plus items, five sarcophaguses will be on display, as will painted funerary coffins and papyrus sheets from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Discovering Ancient Egypt isn't just concerned with rituals and beliefs around dying, however, with the daily lives of ancient Egyptians, as well as their innovations, also a focus. When it arrives in Brisbane, complete with carved statues from the Saqqara necropolis as well, Queensland Museum expects the exhibition to be a hit — because diving into Egypt's history always is for the institution. In fact, this type of blast from the past has proven among the ten most-popular exhibitions at the venue. Another highlight that'll display alongside Discovering Ancient Egypt: 34 pottery vessels from Queensland Museum's antiquities collection that hail from necropolis of Esna, as unearthed by British archaeologist John Garstang. "Whether you're an avid history fan, a curious explorer, or simply seeking an unforgettable cultural experience, we're delighted to host Discovering Ancient Egypt before it returns to the Netherlands," said Queensland Museum CEO Dr Jim Thompson. "It has been inspiring to see the dedication, passion and enthusiasm that our Australian colleagues have brought to transforming this exhibition into something truly unique and exemplary," added Dr Wim Weijland, Director of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities. Discovering Ancient Egypt displays at Queensland Museum Kurilpa, corner of Grey and Melbourne streets, South Bank, South Brisbane, from Friday, October 25, 2024. Head to the venue's website for more information and to join the ticket waitlist.
Everyone knows Obama is a bit of a smooth dude. Ever since he slow jammed the news with Jimmy Fallon, he had us all won over. Now, upon his big G20 trip to Brisbane, Alfred and Constance are welcoming him in appropriate style. On Thursday, November 13, A&C will throw open their doors with a huge tiki party to make the Honolulu native feel right at home. It's not yet know if he'll be in attendance. But not to worry, A&C have a back up cardboard cut-out just in case as well as some cheeky Obama masks for those feeling underdressed. Aside from getting your photo taken with the motherflippin' President of the United States you will also be able to lei up and let loose to the tunes of Charlie Hustle, Matt Lapish, Yahn and Bliss. A&C have a few specials to get you in the festive mood too. Chow down on an Obamarama Burder and fries and wash it back with a 'Big O Pina Colada'. Who said the G20 had to be boring?
Finding somewhere to eat and/or drink along James Street is as easy as looking in any direction you like, but only one spot brings a fashion brand's aesthetic out of its clothing range and into a bar and restaurant. That venue: The Lodge Bar & Dining, the Brisbane bricks-and-mortar outpost of New Zealand's Rodd & Gunn, which has thrown open its doors in a heritage Queenslander on the popular Fortitude Valley roadway. Expanding from helping stock wardrobes to tempting tastebuds isn't new for Rodd & Gunn, which originally opened its first Lodge Bar & Dining in Queenstown in 2016, then expanded to Auckland in 2020, and also made the leap to Melbourne in 2021. Brisbane's addition to the list sports the brand's rustic-meets-sophisticated vibe in venue form — plus an impressive food and drink menu. Book in for a meal here, and you'll be tucking into a menu conjured up by The Lodge Bar Group's Executive Chef Matt Lambert, which goes heavy on seasonal produce and local ingredients. Seafood features prominently, including in entrees such as sea trout tartare; via oysters from Batemans Bay, Tasmania and Moreton Bay; and from a spread that also spans eucalyptus grilled tiger prawns, open fire grilled rock lobster and mud crab royale. Blue crab spaghetti, buttered bug rolls and grilled rock lobster are big highlights, too. And, if you feel like forking out $250 for a 100-gram serving of caviar, you'll get whatever's the best at the time. Also standouts: pork terrine, muscovy duck breast, coal-roasted sun choke gnocchi and the wagyu of the moment. The Lodge Bar Group's Master Sommelier and Group Beverage Manager Cameron Douglas has come up with a wide-ranging drinks list to match — think oh-so-many wines from Italy, France, Spain, Argentina and Australia, with 36 percent of the vino offering hailing from New Zealand; and a range of creative libations that includes a rose gold negroni. There's even a dedicated cocktail room, should they be your tipples of choice. The 749-square-metre, 150-seat space also features oak wood flooring, wool rugs, and plenty of leather and brass decor, channelling an alpine mood. But the two-storey spot also makes the most of its classic Queenslander-style wraparound balcony, giving patrons a taste of NZ and the Sunshine State at once. Peering out over both James and Robertson streets come with the territory as well, naturally. While dropping in for a bite to eat and a beverage or several is the main attraction, the ground floor has been designed to let you mosey easily from its corner bar with banquette seating through to the retail space; as a Rodd & Gunn venue, being able to shop the brand's clothing was always going to be on the cards. Upstairs, there's another bar, a private dining area and that aforementioned balcony.
More than most games, Dungeons & Dragons thrives or dies based on the people rolling the dice, creating their own characters and casting spells. Whether Stranger Things' demogorgon-slaying teens are hunched over a table imagining up their fantasy dreams, or flesh-and-blood folks who aren't just part of a TV series find themselves pretending that they're fighters and clerics, an adventure or campaign is only as good as the party at its core. Writer/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley understand this. The latter definitely should: the one-season TV great Freaks and Geeks, which gave him his start as an actor when he was just a kid, threw D&D some love, too. As filmmakers, Goldstein and Daley jump from Game Night to Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves with a clear mission: making the swords-and-sorcery flick's cast its biggest strength. This game-to-screen flick sports a stacked roster, starting with Chris Pine (Don't Worry Darling) as Edgin Darvis, a bard and former member of the Harpers who turned petty thief — complete with a Robin Hood-esque attitude — after his wife passed away. Since his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman, Avatar: The Way of Water) was a baby, he's been co-parenting with his gruff best friend Holga Kilgore, a stoic exiled barbarian, who is played with exactly the stern look that Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious 9) was always going to bring to the part. When Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves opens, however, Edgin and Holga have been in prison for almost two years thanks to a job gone wrong. Brought out of their dank dungeon to plead for their release, Edgin and Holga are determined to get free by any means necessary. And, once they're out, they're equally as committed to reuniting their makeshift family. Yes, a dungeon is indeed sighted within seconds of the film starting. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves doesn't skimp on dragons when it's their turn to arrive, either. But there's more cast members to bring into the fray — and, handily, Edgin and Holga had a whole gang back in their escapade-heavy days. Rogue and con artist Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) was one such party member. Simon Aumar (Justice Smith, Sharper), a sorcerer with hefty confidence issues, was another. These days, Forge has turned nefarious, seized guardianship of Kira, become Lord of Neverwinter, and gotten far too friendly with the fierce, fearsome and necromancy-loving Red Wizard of Thay Sofina (Daisy Head, Wrong Turn). Simon is still trying his magical luck, which is quickly needed, alongside help from tiefling druid Doric (Sophie Lillis, IT and IT: Chapter Two) and paladin Xenk Yendar (Regé-Jean Page, The Gray Man). As Dungeon Masters — co-scripting with Michael Gilio (Jolene), and working with a story by him and The Lego Batman Movie's Chris McKay — Goldstein and Daley thrust their various figures together, then shape a story around them. So, it's all classic D&D, just on-screen with copious amounts of special effects (some overdone in the usual CGI-dripping fantasy blockbuster fashion, some pleasingly looking more tangible, such as reanimated corpses voiced by Aunty Donna Down Under) rather than sitting around a board. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' tale couldn't be more straightforward, or fittingly episodic — with actions to complete, skills called upon and combat unleashed. There's no 20-sided die, but there is said bard and barbarian, and the sorcerer, druid and paladin with them, battling a rogue and wizard. And, straight out of the Monster Manual, owlbears, displacer beasts, red dragons and gelatinous cubes all make an appearance. Whether they first had everyone moving miniatures or mashing buttons, games are having a heap of big- and small-screen moments in 2023. The Last of Us is one of the year's very best new TV shows, a film about getting Tetris out of Russia and to the masses makes for a tense and entertaining streaming thriller, and The Super Mario Bros Movie gives the Nintendo favourite the animated treatment. A question lingers over all of them, though, and for fans and newcomers alike: would it be more engaging, and more fun, just to play? Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves answers by giving the act of watching the feel of playing regardless of whether you're a level zero or level 20 with its mythology — in its light, jovial and energetic tone, with the film taking itself earnestly but never grimly seriously; and in no small part thanks to its array of faces. Stranger Things has been helping broaden D&D's influence for nearing a decade now, but everything from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Futurama and Community to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The IT Crowd and Gravity Falls have nodded its way, too — and Goldstein and Daley also understand this. Their take on the game is welcomely accessible, while appropriately loving and still packed with nudges and references. That said, it's also padded and repetitive the more that it goes goes on. And Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves does go on, clocking in at 134 minutes. Some lengthy films make the time fly by — see: John Wick: Chapter 4, which could've lasted forever — but this one doesn't quite realise when a good time becomes an overly formulaic one. The fights and confrontations, the quips and character beats, the beasts and underground cells: after a while, a fantasy-101 feeling sinks in, especially in these days of ample worshipping thrown Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, The Witcher and company's ways. Mostly, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is enough of a romp — a romp with clear franchise-starting ambitions, even though there's already been three D&D movies dating back to 2000, but a romp nonetheless. Take out Pine and his on-screen pals, though, and it would've been all over the map. His charm is breezy, and his rapport with Rodriguez gives the film a likeable chalk-and-cheese duo. Page is as smooth as ever — yes, Bridgerton-level smooth — and Grant is visibly having a blast of a time getting villainous Paddington 2-style. Head, daughter of Buffy and Ted Lasso's Anthony Stewart Head, frequently shows up the pixel wizardry with just her glare and makeup. Yes, Dungeons & Dragons is all about the folks playing both on- and off-screen, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' bunch makes viewers want to play along with them.
Cheap eats don't come so easily these days. Yet the Sunnybank Food Trail is here to help, celebrating a decade of accessible, affordable bites that won't weigh heavily on your wallet. Running from 2pm–8pm on Saturday, June 28, across Sunnybank Plaza and Sunny Park, this jam-packed event is holding nothing back for its tenth edition. The lineup of food vendors is simply massive, with a record-breaking 53 restaurants and vendors getting involved in 2025. Serving a staggering 173 dishes, from sizzling skewers and barbecue pork buns to bubble tea, this is your chance to empty your spare change jar. Each plate is priced between $2 and $5, with 34 dishes available on the low end. Whether you're a regular attendee or this is your first visit, an incredible array of flavours is freshly served. There are even nine new venues making their Sunnybank Food Trail debut, with Charcoal BBQ House, Roro Restaurant and BiteJoy ready to impress. Meanwhile, returning favourites include Udonya Tokoton, Hot Cake House, Chatime and Landmark. If you're too full for even one more bite, the trail comes to life with lion dancing at 2pm and 6pm, while live music will keep the mood lively throughout the day. Plus, two dedicated family zones include face painting, balloon twisting and pop-up surprises, meaning there's no shortage of cuisine and entertainment on offer.
Eight months after Australian same-sex couples could first formally and legally tie the knot, Brisbane Festival is celebrating the occasion in an appropriate fashion — by throwing a free wedding for eight LGBTIQ pairs. While Sydney Festival put together a huge reception earlier in the year, Brisbane's equivalent is going one better by hosting the actual nuptials. And, if you're a LGBTIQ couple looking to get hitched, you might just be able to take part. Called Qweens on King, the Saturday, September 8 event is one of the three-week-long fest's opening celebrations for 2018, turning Bowen Hills' King Street precinct into a garden party filled with merriment and real-life matrimony. Entries are now open for all interested parties, with winners saying 'I do' on stage before a celebrant named Gai Lemon, scoring a wedding party filled with Brisbane's queer performers, nabbing free wedding bands and receiving a $500 voucher towards holding their reception at adjacent food truck hangout Welcome to Bowen Hills. Everything from the music to the flowers to the photographer has been arranged, with couples simply needing to register, make sure they're available on the date and pick their own outfits. Of course, if that sounds like your ideal way to spend your big day, you'll also need to be willing to share your happy moment with a considerable crowd. "I'm hoping that the eight couples we find will represent a broad spectrum of personal experiences, from those who have been through the Bjelke-Petersen time when homosexual acts were still illegal, to newcomers and the multitude of various cultures within all those letters: L-G-B-T-I-Q-plus," says Brisbane Festival artistic director David Berthold. The ceremony will also launch the 29th annual Brisbane Pride Festival, with Brisbane Pride vice president Michael James dubbing the event "a gathering of rainbow sophistication and flair". Entries close at midnight on Sunday, July 22, with Qweens on King taking place on Saturday, September 8. To register, or for more information, check out the online application
At the 2021 Emmys, The Crown won every acting award it could, with the regal series collecting shiny trophies for Olivia Colman's performance as the Queen, Josh O'Connor's portrayal of Prince Charles, Tobias Menzies' work as Prince Philip and Gillian Anderson's efforts as Margaret Thatcher. One star who didn't get a gong: Emma Corrin for playing Princess Diana. But her version of the people's princess is just one of several hitting screens — and not simply because Tenet's Elizabeth Debicki will take over the role when season five of The Crown arrives. When that new season of the show premieres in 2022, it'll continue to explore a part of royal history that's been talked about for decades, aka the difficult marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. But on the big screen, the Kristen Stewart-starring Spencer will get there first. This isn't quite a twin films situation — where two movies about the same or similar topics appear around the same time, like Armageddon and Deep Impact in the 90s, Finding Nemo and Shark Tale in the animation space, and the two Fyre Festival documentaries in 2019 — but only because The Crown is a TV show and Spencer is a feature. Otherwise, there will indeed be two different takes on the tale hitting screens small and large in short succession. In Spencer's case, it hails from Pablo Larraín, the Chilean filmmaker who has never made a bad film — see: his recent masterpiece Ema — and also directed Natalie Portman to an Oscar nomination in Jackie. In both of these movies, he's honed in on complex women in difficult situations, one fictional and one factual, and shown a stunning eye for emotion and detail. And, based on the the initial sneak peek and the just-dropped full trailer for Spencer, that isn't going away in his next feature. After last appearing in films as varied as Underwater, Charlie's Angels, Seberg and Happiest Season, Stewart plays Diana in 1991, at a time where her relationship with Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, Official Secrets) is struggling, but the royal family has gathered together for Christmas. Spencer focuses on a few specific days, as rumours swirl about affairs and divorce, and Diana attempts to navigate the obviously complicated situation. She isn't handling it well, and she certainly isn't willing to just plaster on a smile and carry on because she's married into royalty — as this new trailer delves into. Timothy Spall (The Party), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible — Fallout) also feature, but Stewart is obviously the star of the show — and looks to be settling into Princess Di's wardrobe, bobbed hairstyle and simmering yearning with aplomb. Spencer premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier in September, ahead of its US release in November and Australian debut on January 26, 2022. Check out the full Spencer trailer below: Spencer releases in Australian cinemas on January 26, 2022.
Some music festivals introduce you to your future favourites and today's biggest names. Others are all about enjoying yesterday's greats. Australia has no shortage of both kinds of events, but it's adding one more nostalgic-driven fest: the brand-new Pandemonium Rocks, which will debut on the country's east coast in April. Placebo, Blondie, Alice Cooper and Deep Purple lead the lineup, offering decades worth of tunes spanning everything from the Cruel Intentions soundtrack's 'Every You Every Me' to 70s hits 'Heart of Glass', 'School's Out' and 'Smoke on the Water'. The familiar tunes won't stop there, either, with Wheatus sure to bust out 'Teenage Dirtbag', and Wolfmother certain to give 'Woman' and 'Joker and the Thief' a whirl. The Psychedelic Furs, Dead Kennedys, Gang of Four, Palaye Royale, Cosmic Psychos, Gyroscope and Fetch round out the bill, as headed to Melbourne's Caribbean Gardens, The Domain in Sydney, Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast and Bribie Island's Sandstone Point Hotel. For Brisbanites, this means either heading north or south, with no local gig. One important note for folks in Queensland: if you want to see Debbie Harry sing 'Hanging on the Telephone', 'Rapture' and 'Call Me', you'll need to make a trip to the Goldie as Blondie aren't playing Pandemonium Rocks' last stop. The band's latest visit to Australia comes after playing Coachella 2023, which you might've caught on the fest's livestream. [caption id="attachment_938061" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Biha via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] TLC's Aussie trip with Busta Rhymes and En Vogue might've been cancelled, but there's always a new event with a retro-skewed lineup on the way. Another that's hitting the country in March, the month before Pandemonium Rocks: Aqua, 2 Unlimited and East 17. A point of difference with Pandemonium Rocks, however, is the fact that you can bring low-rise beach-style chairs that are smaller than 70 centimetres tall to the outdoor gigs. [caption id="attachment_938062" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arek Olek from Kraków, Poland via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Pandemonium Rocks 2024 Dates: Saturday, April 20 — Caribbean Gardens, Melbourne Thursday, April 25 — The Domain, Sydney Saturday, April 27 — Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast Sunday, April 28 — Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island Pandemonium Rocks will tour Australia's east coast in April 2024, with tickets on sale from 9am on Tuesday, January 30 and pre-sales prior — head to the festival website for further details. Top image: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons.
Brisbane, it's time to get the word "Jellicle" stuck in your head — again. To mark 40 years since it first hit the stage in Australia, Cats announced in 2024 that it would perform a new season Down Under from 2025. Originally the show was just headed to Sydney, but the feline-fancying experience has been adding stops elsewhere around the country. After it stops in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne, then, it'll make its way to Brisbane. Back in July 1985, Aussie audiences initially experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production, which turned a tale inspired by poems from TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. The place: Sydney, aka where Cats is playing again from June 2025. Brisbane's turn comes from February 2026, at QPAC's Lyric Theatre. "Cats is a legendary show that I've admired for over 40 years. A sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse, it was revolutionary when it first opened and enticed new audiences into the world of musical theatre," said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live about the new Aussie performances. "I'm thrilled to bring the original production of Cats back to Australia to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and I know Brisbane audiences will love to revisit one of their favourite shows. Australia has an enduring love for Cats and it's time to let the memory live again." If you're new to Cats, it spends its time with the Jellicle cat tribe on the night of the Jellicle Ball. That's the evening each year when their leader Old Deuteronomy picks who'll be reborn into a new Jellicle life by making the Jellicle choice. And yes, "Jellicle" is uttered frequently. Of late, audiences might be more familiar with Cats as a movie. In 2019, the musical made the leap from stage to screen with a star-studded cast including Idris Elba (Hijack), Taylor Swift (Amsterdam), Judi Dench (Belfast), Ian McKellen, (The Critic) James Corden, (Mammals) Jennifer Hudson (Respect), Jason Derulo (Lethal Weapon), Ray Winstone (Damsel) and Rebel Wilson (The Almond and the Seahorse) playing singing, scurrying street mousers. If you ever wanted to see Swift pouring cat nip on a crowd of cats from a suspended gold moon, or were keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Elba hasn't yet been James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail, this was your chance. For its efforts, the Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl)-directed film picked up six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. But while the movie clearly didn't hit the mark, you can see why this feline-fancying musical has been such a huge theatre hit when it makes its Brisbane stage comeback. Cats 2025–26 Australian Tour From Tuesday, June 17, 2025 — Theatre Royal Sydney From Saturday, September 20, 2025 — Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide From Saturday, November 8, 2025 — Crown Theatre, Perth From Sunday, December 21, 2025 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne From February 2026 — Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane Cats is touring Australia from June 2025, with its Brisbane season kicking off in February 2026. Head to the musical's website to further details and to sign up for the Brisbane ticket waitlist. Images: Alessandro Pinna / international tour company in Xiadong.
New year, new resolutions, new you. That's how it works, right? There's another new thing that January 1 always heralds: a new batch of movies to add to your watch list. 2018 was filled with great films, whether you fell head over heels for the year's best picture Oscar winner, reignited your love for web-slinging superheroes or found yourself laughing (and nodding) along to a savage satire. And, yes, we're calling it already — 2019 will serve up another ace cinema slate. We've said it before and we'll say it again: there's never a bad year for movies. With more than 400 hitting Australian cinemas across each and every 12-month period, that's more than 400 chances to be blown away by the latest big-screen offering. They won't all be winners, but some will boast something special. We've got our fingers crossed for crime epics, animated gothic families and the return of everyone's favourite assassin — and the rest of our ten must-sees. JOJO RABBIT When you've made the leap from offbeat New Zealand comedies to one of the most memorable Marvel movies in recent years, what comes next? A film about a young boy trying to survive the Second World War and just casually playing with an imaginary Hitler, obviously. Yes, that's Taika Waititi's next project. As well as writing and directing Jojo Rabbit (as based on Christine Leuen's book Caging Skies), Waititi is playing the Nazi leader, with Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Stephen Merchant, Rebel Wilson and Game of Thrones' Alfie Allen also among the cast. And if you're wondering about the tone, Waititi put it best when asked about being a Maori playing Hitler: "what better 'fuck you' to that guy?!" Release date TBC. THE ADDAMS FAMILY They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, and altogether ooky. They're also headed back to the big screen. The first two 90s-era Addams Family movies are still black comedy delights (just don't ever, ever watch the awful third effort, Addams Family Reunion), so here's hoping that the new animated version lives up to their legacies. And the legacy of the 60s TV series that started it all, of course, introducing the world to an all-round eclectic clan. Simply called The Addams Family, the 2019 flick certainly has the right voice cast, with Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Charlize Theron as Morticia, Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, and Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester. That said, a live-action version starring Isaac really wouldn't go astray. In cinemas December 5, 2019. [caption id="attachment_702544" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lady Bird[/caption] LITTLE WOMEN After earning audience applause and critical acclaim for Lady Bird, anticipation was always going to be high for Greta Gerwig's second solo directorial effort. With the Oscar-nominated filmmaker now tackling Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, it's even higher still. Immersed in a family of sisters in 1860s Massachusetts, the novel is a classic for a reason — and, in its eighth big-screen adaptation, it'll come to life with a plethora of fantastic actors. Gerwig not only reunites with Lady Bird's Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet, but also directs everyone from Emma Watson, Lady Macbeth's Florence Pugh and French star Louis Garrel to Bob Odenkirk, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep. Release date TBC. US You shouldn't judge a movie by its poster. You shouldn't judge a movie before you've seen it, full stop. But you should definitely get excited by the first glimpses of Us, which both boast a very welcome phrase: "a new nightmare from the mind of Academy Award-winner Jordan Peele". In his follow-up to 2017's Get Out, the comedian turned writer-director is serving up something creepy once again, this time focusing on two couples (Lupita Nyong'o and Black Panther's Winston Duke, plus Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker) holidaying by the beach. Like Get Out, it's probably best to know as little as possible before you see the psychological thriller, but your interest should well and truly be piqued. In cinemas March 14, 2019. [caption id="attachment_698252" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Shoplifters[/caption] THE TRUTH As well as winning this year's Palme d'Or for Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda has made eleven films this century alone. His twelfth promises something different, however, with the prolific Japanese auteur making his English and French-language debut. He has quite the cast to help, including French stars Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ludivine Sagnier, as well as Ethan Hawke. Story-wise, The Truth focuses on family, as Kore-eda so often does in such an empathetic way. Here, he's charting the reunion of an actress and her daughter, all while the former plays a mother who never ages in her latest sci-fi movie. Release date TBC. [caption id="attachment_621299" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Okja[/caption] PARASITE Whether he's making monster movies or murder thrillers, forcing the remnants of humanity onto a constantly moving train or pondering loveable super pigs, a new Bong Joon-ho film is an event. Two years after Okja, his next effort takes the director back to his native South Korea — and back to working with Memories of Murder, The Host and Snowpiercer's Song Kang-ho. The feature's narrative is reported to follow two families, who are different but alike. It's being called a drama, and yet anything could happen from there in Bong's hands. That said, if you were hoping for something completely otherworldly and odd, apparently Parasite's title isn't as literal as you might expect. Release date TBC. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD If Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really is Quentin Tarantino's second-last film — he's said he'll stop directing movies after ten — then he's working up to retirement with a bang. The filmmaker's ninth movie features Leonardo DiCaprio as a struggling actor, Brad Pitt as his stunt double and Margot Robbie as his neighbour, who happens to be Sharon Tate. If you know both your Hollywood history and your US crime history, then you'll know that QT's latest isn't just an account of Tinseltown in the 60s. With Australian actor Damon Herriman going all helter skelter, it's also a Manson family murders flick. The rest of the cast is a who's who of Hollywood today, including Tarantino regulars Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Zoe Bell and Michael Madsen, plus Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Al Pacino, Timothy Olyphant and Luke Perry. Oh, and up-and-comers Maya Hawke and Rumer Willis as well, aka the daughters of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, respectively. In cinemas August 8, 2019. [caption id="attachment_622453" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] John Wick: Chapter 2[/caption] JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 Many a franchise will serve up many a next instalment in 2019, but only one really matters. It happens to be one of the best roles of Keanu Reeves' career. We'd all love a new Bill and Ted movie to happen. Some of us might just faint from excitement if Keanu made a Point Break sequel (Kurt Russell could swap in for Patrick Swayze, easy). But while we're waiting/dreaming for those, John Wick just keeps coming back. Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston join the cast for John Wick: Chapter 3, which sees the skilled assassin trying to stay alive while shooting his way out of New York. Once Keanu's stunt double, director Chad Stahelski is back in the hot seat for the third time, which should mean more kick-ass action scenes. In cinemas May 16, 2019. ` [caption id="attachment_536827" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Girlhood[/caption] PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU In 2011, Tomboy was one of the best films of the year, telling a tale of a young girl's struggle to be herself. In 2014, Girlhood was also ranked among the year's greatest, exploring teenage life on the outskirts of Paris. Come 2016, My Life as a Courgette achieved the same feat, with a gorgeous claymation account of an orphan's quest to be loved. They all stem from the pen of Céline Sciamma, with the French filmmaker also directing the first two — and now she's both writing and helming Portrait de la jeune fille en feu. Starring Valeria Golino (Daughter of Mine) and Adèle Haenel (BPM (Beats Per Minute)), the drama follows Heloise, who, after escaping convent life, is about to be married. Then, as was custom at the end of the 18th century, an artist, Marianne, arrives to paint her wedding portrait. Release date TBC. [caption id="attachment_579627" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Paterson[/caption] THE DEAD DON'T DIE Let's just throw a heap of great names at the page, like Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Tom Waits, Adam Driver and Steve Buscemi. They've all worked with Jim Jarmusch before, and they're doing so again in The Dead Don't Die. If that roster of talent didn't instantly earn your intrigue, the film sees the Paterson, Ghost Dog and Dead Man writer-director enter zombie comedy territory. If he can make a haunting vampire movie, aka Only Lovers Left Alive, then of course he can tackle another type of the undead. The cast keeps going, too, with Chloë Sevigny, Selena Gomez, Caleb Landry Jones and Danny Glover also featuring. Release date TBC.
Coveting a piece that you spied on Instagram? Searched high and low for an object with absolutely nothing to show for your efforts? It's a dilemma we often find ourselves in, too. So, following our recent video with interior stylist Steve Cordony, produced in partnership with Samsung, we decided to help you bring some of the goods straight to your shopping carts. From style-heavy couches to smaller, more intricate choices, how you dress up your home should reflect your personal style. Make like Cordony and recreate his clean aesthetics, or pop your own stylist hat on and pick and mix with pieces you already own. THE SERIF, SAMSUNG (FROM $1389) Using Samsung's The Serif as the statement piece, Cordony was challenged to zhoosh up two living rooms in our recent styling video series. The boundary-pushing TV was conceptualised by Paris-based design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and is a chic-yet-functional choice for any household. With clean lines and exceptional specs, it's the versatile piece you've been looking for. It boasts a sleek 360-degree design with a unique 'I'-shaped profile that acts as a shelf and has removable legs — so it's going to suit any space you're styling. This is all complemented by Samsung's QLED picture quality and powerful sound. HUXLEY TRACK ARM SOFA BED, COCO REPUBLIC (from $5775) If you're after comfort that's equally matched in style, this is the lounge for you. Natural linen is an ideal colour when forming the base palette of a room, leaving your finishings to bring the pops of colour or texture. INDIGO MERINO RUG IN SAND, CADRYS ($3600) If you want to nab this exact rug, you'd better hop to it. It's a one-of-a-kind on offer from Cadrys, the family-run business that's in possession of Australia's largest collection of antique rugs. Enjoy the pared-back colour, luxe material and the perfect base for your styled room? Find something similar here. LARGE FLOW BOWL, DINOSAUR DESIGNS ($450) Adding small, considered pieces to your space is an effortless way to add a personal touch. Splurge on a forever piece like the Flow bowl from resident resin-experts Dinosaur Designs — with a large range of colours and sizes, the hardest part will be choosing your favourite. EMILY BELLE ELLIS VASE, THE DEA STORE ($289) From Sydney-based contemporary ceramicist Emily Belle Ellis comes a vessel that allows you to get experimental with texture and form. Pop by Redfern's The DEA Store to check out this beauty among many other design-centric objects. CLASSICS CUSHION RANGE, LUCY MONTGOMERY ($285) These fringed cushions — courtesy of Lucy Montgomery, the Sydney-based interior architect and designer — allow experimentation with colour, sans commitment. Not quite ready for a bright feature wall? Or a statement lounge? Quell your desire for colour with accessories instead. MOON DISH IN ZEST, DINOSAUR DESIGNS ($80) This delightfully unique dish brings both a pop of colour and a home for trinkets — maybe shells from a morning beach walk or chic and fun marbles for a more playful edge. When it comes to a room that really shines, it's all in the details. CALACATTA NERO QUARTZ PLINTH, EN GOLD ($580) Made of solid stone, this plinth offers the perfect access point to considered style. Adding smaller pieces in differing heights will catch the eye, as well as create a base for your plant-filled pots and vases. JULIETTE BOWL, GARDEN LIFE ($70) A surefire way of making a room a delight to be in? The bright viridescence of plants. Start with your pots — play with colour, shape and size — then grab plants that are happy in the light conditions of your room. Plant your green friends in pots that are only 25 percent larger than their current ones and they'll be given their best chance to thrive. SIMONE KARRAS SPECKLED RAKU VASE, JARDAN ($390) Choosing a uniquely shaped vase will add an element of interest to any room. Sit this one atop a chic quartz plinth or side table to play with heights and finishes. Want to pop a cherry on top? Fill this speckled number with freshly picked florals or some bright citrus fruit. REX COFFEE TABLE, MCM HOUSE ($1950) From the luxury, Australian-designed furniture-heaven that is MCM House comes this circular table (which is available in two sizes and is sure to receive compliments). Designed by Sam Whitman, the table's smooth marble top and powder-coated legs form the perfect addition to any room, regardless of colour palette. VINTAGE CANE ARMCHAIRS, THE VAULT (POA) Sourcing the perfect vintage pair can be a pain, so you're best to leave it to the experts — namely, the curators at The Vault. When picking core pieces of furniture, don't be afraid to mix different styles — vintage cane chairs around a sleek coffee table or vintage books atop sleek marble plinths. MEDIUM ROUND BASKET, ORIENT HOUSE ($80) Storage and style combine in this cane basket from the treasure trove that is Orient House. Tucked under a table or with a pot plant propped up inside, it's the perfect way to add texture to the room. COLLECTION PARTICULIERE MEDIUM BOS VASE and RIPPLE TRAY, ONDENE (POA) Add finishing touches to a room in high-quality materials that are sure to go the distance. Placed on top of a side table, or the landing pad to your Serif's remote, these considered pieces from Collection Particuliere combine function and style seamlessly. To find out more about The Serif TV, visit the Samsung website.
It's one of Fortitude Valley's most distinctive and historic buildings, and it'll finally start welcoming in Brisbanites again within weeks. Back in 2022, Artesian Hospitality announced that it was giving GPO Hotel a huge revamp, and earlier this year it revealed that the venue's new guise would arrive this winter. Now, the revitalised GPO has an official launch date: Saturday, July 8. There's no changing the iconic facade that surrounds the Fortitude Valley General Post Office building, of course, which has stood on Ann Street since back in 1887. But when GPO reopens its doors, it'll do so following a massive $9-million makeover behind its heritage-listed exterior. Brisbanites can expect new spaces aplenty inside — including a Gatsby-themed lounge bar, a second bar called The Tax Office and a sprawling ground-floor restaurant filled with natural light. [caption id="attachment_896922" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gatsby[/caption] Clearly, it's a significant makeover for the 136-year-old site, which will sport a focus on food and drinks. Two venues within the precinct will open to celebrate the site's relaunch: the fittingly named The Gatsby and TAMA, a contemporary dining venue. The first is a late-night, walk-in-only cocktail and whisky bar on the building's upper level. The mood here will be luxe and upscale, as the name makes plain, including velvet booths, leather accents and brass features as part of the design. It'll also feature the building's original, now-restored 1887-era vault, pride itself on its drinks, and soundtrack the sipping with DJs and a live saxophonist. [caption id="attachment_896924" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gatsby[/caption] "Our impressive beverage selection spans 50 pages, drawing inspiration from across the globe. Our skilled sommeliers and mixologists are ready to help you find the perfect drink or craft a bespoke cocktail tailored to your personal tastes," says Alan Hunter, the sommelier and ex-General Manager at OTTO Brisbane, who is helping oversee the GPO's new guise. "Choose from timeless classics like the old fashioned, manhattan, negroni or martini — or explore exclusive creations like the tantalising chilli-infused tequila and mango Gasper." As for TAMA, the 100-seat restaurant is taking over the site's ground level, offering diners a radiant experience thanks to the high ceilings and double-storey windows in the two-storey atrium that doubles as the main dining room. There'll be stone and marble flooring, bursts of greenery, velvet-clad booths and soft furnishings, too, while making use of the original beams and custom chandeliers. And the vibe: thoroughly old-school. Expect the wine to be a big drawcard, given that there's a cellar stocked with 1000 handpicked bottles of vino and champagne. In the kitchen, Executive Chef Richard Ousby will use his experience overseas and locally to shape the restaurant's menu. [caption id="attachment_896918" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TAMA[/caption] "TAMA offers something for all occasions with an expansive ground floor restaurant and a mezzanine that can play host to private dining for 40 guests, and more intimate rooms for parties of six to eight," Ousby notes. "From pastas served tableside to carefully selected seafood and steaks, including a two-kilogram angus tomahawk and cut-to-order wagyu scotch fillet, TAMA's menu will cater to anyone looking for a casual meal through to those wanting a seriously elevated experience," he continues. "The majority of bottles won't break the bank, sitting between $50–200; however, we will have a variety of selections and vintages that are exclusive to the venue and sit within our private cellar. There's something to fit every budget, taste and occasion," says Hunter of the vino list. [caption id="attachment_896919" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TAMA[/caption] Hunter comes to the new GPO with plenty of accolades, including being named the Pol Roger 2013 Sommelier of the Year, and helping lead OTTO Brisbane to nabbing the Wine List of the Year award in the Good Food Guide in 2019. As for Brisbane local Ousby, he's drawing upon his time in England at Michelin three-star restaurant Waterside Inn, in Sydney at Sous Chef at Quay, and as Executive Chef of Stokehouse's restaurants in Melbourne and Brisbane. Down the track, GPO will also feature The Tax Office. When it starts welcoming in patrons, it'll do so around an island bar with lounge-style seating — and it's being put forward as a go-to for post-work drinks and midweek dinners. Outside, the building's Victorian Italianate facade has been preserved, as have its balconies, stairwells and ceilings (with heritage paint tones a big feature after a colour study). And back inside, the design pairs modern finishings with OG touches — so exposed beams and brick, plus fireplaces. The end product is the result of a collaboration between The Royal Historical Society of Queensland, Brisbane City Council, heritage architects, Zero9 Builders (The Dorsett Hotel, The Star, and Edwards and Co) and Space Cubed Design Studio (Donna Chang, Iris Rooftop and Boom Boom Room). [caption id="attachment_896925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Tax Office[/caption] GPO Hotel is located at 740 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, and will reopen from Saturday, July 8 — head to the TAMA and The Gatsby websites for more details
Boasting first-class wineries, coastline, bushland and surf beaches, Margaret River has more than earned its reputation as one of Australia's most beautiful places to explore. It's a region where you can go mountain biking along twisty old logging tracks, seek out Australia's megafauna fossils at Mammoth Cave and visit Busselton's eight-metre-deep Underwater Observatory — all in one action-packed day, should you choose. If it gets too much or you're due a little 'me time', Margaret River has just as much to offer those who want to wind down and experience some of the finer things in life. From sampling wines at one of the oldest wineries in the area to sitting in natural spas or simply watching a beautiful sunset over the ocean, the region has no shortage of bounties in the self-care department. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your road trips, weekend detours and summer getaways so that when you're ready to hit the road you can Holiday Here This Year. Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, there are some restrictions on where you can go on a holiday. But, you can start dreaming. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. [caption id="attachment_720253" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] WATCH THE SUNSET AT SURFERS POINT A ten-minute drive from the main town of Margaret River, Surfers Point in Prevelly is one of the best surf beaches in Australia. But it's not only the waves that draw people to its white shores; well equipped with viewing platforms and benches, Surfers Point is also one of the best spots around for admiring the stunning pinks, oranges and reds of a sunset over the ocean. For those who want next-level sensory delights, pack a picnic basket with local wine and cheese to enjoy while you take in the views. Trust us, you won't regret it. [caption id="attachment_720296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jarrad Seng[/caption] VISIT THE INJIDUP NATURAL SPA Nothing says serenity more than a secret natural spa. Found at the end of an unmarked gravel path, near the car park at the end of Wyadup Road in Yallingup, Injidup (or Wyadup) Spa is a natural rock pool with amazingly clear water that bubbles up like a jacuzzi as waves from the ocean are pushed through the crevasse. Now that the word is out, it's not quite the secluded spot it used to be, but if laying your tired body against warm rocks while water foams and flows around you is appealing, it's worth a visit. TREAT YOURSELF TO A MASSAGE AT BODHI J Nestled in the cliffs above Injidup Beach and offering panoramic views of the Indian Ocean is Bodhi J at Injidup Spa Retreat. Treatments range from body wraps to mineral facials and spa baths, but the Li'Tya Marta Kodo rock massage is a signature. Inspired by Aboriginal Australian techniques for realigning energy flow, the massage includes applying hot stones to your body's pressure points in a rhythmic massage that'll have you feeling so boneless you'll be floating on air long after it's over. STAY IN A LUXURY VILLA WITH YOUR OWN PRIVATE SPA AT THE LOSARI RETREAT Fancy being surrounded by 100-year-old peppermint trees while you sip champagne in a hot tub overlooking a pristine lake? Then the Losari Retreat is the place for you. Set on 26 hectares of lush greenery, the boutique hotel is only an eight-minute drive from the Margaret River town centre but makes you feel transported to a secret country escape much farther away. The four limestone villas each have their own private outdoor spaces with spa baths, as well as cosy lounge areas and fireplaces that are perfect for when the weather gets a little cooler. And, as if that wasn't enough, there are also in-villa spa treatments and massages for when you really need pampering. HIKE A PORTION OF THE FAMOUS CAPE TO CAPE TRACK White sand beaches, clear blue waters, rugged cliffs — Margaret River is filled with show-stopping scenery, and there's no better way to enjoy it than by hiking a portion of the famous Cape to Cape Track on one of Walk into Luxury's guided tours. Along the way, you'll explore the likes of surfer favourite Redgate Beach, bash through Boranup Karri Forest bush and witness spectacular ocean views at Canal Rocks. Once you've satisfied your sense of adventure, it's time to do the same for your appetite, via gourmet platters, lunch hampers and a particularly indulgent midday meal at Vasse Felix, Margaret River's first vineyard and winery. Whether you're planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you'll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country's diverse landscapes and attractions. Top image: Injidup Spa Retreat.
