Brisbane Festival's theatre lineup has been shining especially bright in recent years, after the world-premiere adaptation of Boy Swallow Universe played at the River City arts and culture festival in 2021, then fellow page-to-stage hit Fourteen did the same in 2022. Following them in 2023 are two new impressive homegrown shows — one a musical comedy from the songwriting team behind Muriel's Wedding The Musical, the other inspired by a true story. The first: Bananaland, which has been created by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall after their success treading the boards with everyone's favourite Porpoise Spit resident. This time, they're focusing on 21-year-old Ruby, who has her own protest band called Kitty Litter, which accidentally becomes a hit with preschoolers. Penned by Nuttall and featuring a score composed by Miller-Heidke, with the pair joining forces on the show's musical numbers, Bananaland promises a warmhearted but incisive exploration of chasing dreams — and an ode to performing live. It'll make its debut in QPAC's Playhouse from Saturday, September 16–Sunday October 1, charting Kitty Litter's path to following in The Wiggles' footsteps. "It has been exhilarating creating a completely new Australian musical from the ground up. With renowned director Simon Phillips at the helm, we have assembled a dream team of the most talented actors, musicians and designers. To able to achieve this in our hometown of Brisbane has been particularly thrilling," said Miller-Heidke. [caption id="attachment_884251" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jo Duck[/caption] Brisbane Festival's second big 2023 stage premiere comes courtesy of Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas!, which draws upon Estee Lee's true tale and will kick off before the fest itself, taking over QPAC's Cremorne Theatre from Friday, August 25–Sunday, September 17. Her sister Nelle Lee co-directs and also wrote the story, which focuses on the eponymous character who was paralysed in a car accident when she was six, struggles afterwards and later receives a much-needed boost from a fairy godmother (who'll be played by Maxi Shield from RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under). "This project has been one of my most demanding undertakings to date, as it hits so close to home. My sister, Tae, has always been fabulous, and her uncanny ability to discover happiness in the unlikeliest of places has always left me in awe," said Nelle Lee. "We are thrilled to share this story with the world, and to have it brought to life by an incredible cast. It's going to be honest and heartbreaking, but also camp, positive and uplifting." Brisbane Festival won't unveil its complete lineup until July, but it's been busy drip-feeding early details recently. Back in March, the event announced that it would kick off with Riverfire for the second year in a row. And, also in May, it revealed plans to break the world record for a kazoo orchestra with mass-participation piece 10,000 Kazoos, then named Paul Kelly, Gretta Ray, Groove Terminator with the Soweto Gospel Choir and a tribute to rock's Laurel Canyon era on its music lineup. Brisbane Festival 2023 runs from Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 23 at venues all around Brisbane, with Bananaland playing the QPAC Playhouse from Saturday, September 16–Sunday October 1, and Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! playing QPAC's Cremorne Theatre from Friday, August 25–Sunday, September 17. Tickets for both shows go on sale at 9am on Friday, June 2. Brisbane Festival's full program will be released in early July — for more information in the interim, head to the fest's website. Top image: Jo Duck.
Czech designer Kristyna Pojerova's latest creation ticks all the boxes - it's convenient, portable, aesthetically appealing, and it's green, too. Harmoniously combining simplicity with beauty, practicality with ethicality, her portable glasshouse is the dream of any inner-city or spatially-challenged dweller with a green thumb, finely tuned tastebuds and no backyard. It is a glass structure with four small holes for air as well as a large hole in the middle for easy access that is mounted onto a lightbulb and uses the excess heat to create a fertile and natural microclimate within it for growing herbs. Not only is it practical and eco-friendly, but it lends a homely atmosphere to your kitchen - a modern version of flowers-in-a-jam-jar-on-the-window-sill, if you will. Going to a dinner party and panicking about what to take? Why not take your portable herb garden. It's a culinary novelty and a segue into discussions regarding Eastern European design and innovation all in one. Do you often worry that your kitchen does not exude an ethos? These hanging herbs will add an element of environmental consciousness in a creative and thoughtful manner. Enraged about the recent passing of the Carbon Tax? Ensure that your electricity bills at least contribute towards your garden as well as your cravings for coriander. Utility aside, the glasshouse reminds me of designs such as these Icelandic moss rings and similar micro gardening products, which are quite beautiful, albeit ironic, in the way they try to bring us back to nature by bringing an instrumentalised microcosm of nature to us. This glasshouse has the same aroma of sweetness and nostalgia as does making your own strawberry jam from scratch, or knitting a scarf for winter. And while Pojerova states "all this is basically about making use of the otherwise useless waste heat of the (light) bulb", for all its practically and ecological benefits, this grandma element seems to me to be its true allure.
January 2014 will see Sarah Blasko embark on a short but surely sweet Heavenly Sounds tour, with the singer-songwriter choosing a restrained program of just four shows in four churches across Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. The tour will be the final round of performances celebrating her ARIA-nominated fourth studio album, I Awake. Loyal fans might have already witnessed the ideal pairing of the singer's ethereal tones and cathedral acoustics back in 2011, when her collaborative side project Seeker Lover Keeper (with Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby) launched Heavenly Sounds. Now’s your chance to settle back amongst the stained glass and enjoy a night of pure Blasko. "These will be my last shows for I Awake, and really, what better place is there to sing (apart from the shower of course) than a beautiful church?" says Blasko. "I'll be playing songs from all four albums and it's likely to be the most intimate show of mine you'll see for some time." Tour dates: SYDNEY: Wednesday 15 January, St Stephen’s Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie Street BRISBANE: Thursday 16 January, St John’s Cathedral, 373 Ann Street MELBOURNE: Wednesday 22 January, St Michael’s Uniting Church, 120 Collins Street ADELAIDE: Friday 24 January, Flinders St Baptist Church, 65 Flinders Street Tickets are $62.50 plus transaction fees and go on sale at www.ticketek.com.au at noon on Monday, 25 November. Or you can sign up for the Wednesday, 20 November, pre-sale by joining the mailing list at www.heavenlysounds.com
When you're a fan of a particular band, there are plenty of ways to show your love. Listening to their tunes, seeing them live, buying and wearing their merchandise: they're all old favourites. If you're keen on Dune Rats, you can also add drinking Dunies Lager to your list. The Brisbane musos are fond of a collaboration — already this year, they teamed up with Volley on their own line of kicks — and now they're bringing back their boozy team-up with Young Henrys. It all started back in 2017, when the brewery and the band initially joined forces on a range of cold ones. The beer in question actually arose from a pub bet about whether the group's second album, The Kids Will Know It's Bullshit, could top the ARIA charts. "We hung out with our mates Young Henrys one arvo, and it came up that we were gunning for number one when our new album dropped," the band said at the time. "The fellas said 'if you get the top spot, we'll brew you your own beer'." Now, Dune Rats are about to release their fourth album, Real Rare Whale, on Friday, July 29 — and make the rounds of the country's stages, taking their new tracks on tour. That's clearly as good a time as any to bring back Dunies Lager, with Young Henrys now selling the brew via its website, and also pouring it at the band's upcoming gigs. That means that you'll be able to knock back a few in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide between Friday, July 29–Thursday, August 4 — or whenever you like if you nab a case online. For the brew's return outing, it's still a limited-edition tipple. It's around for a good time, not a long time, basically. Dunies Lager still sports a Dune Rats-yellow design by artist Lee McConnell, of course. And as for the brew itself, it's described as a "slightly hazy, year-round smasher" that "gives a feisty first impression" but mellows "into an easy going friend that drinks for days". "After the first batch of Dunies Lager finished, there was a gaping hole left in our stomachs. We weren't sure what happened but something was missing... until now. We are so fucking stoked to announce the return of Dunies Lager," the band said. DUNE RATS 2022 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Friday, July 29 — Soundmerch, Melbourne Saturday, July 30 — White Horse Hotel, Sydney Sunday, July 31 — Coorparoo Bowls, Brisbane Thursday, August 4 — Lions Art Factory, Adelaide Dunies Lager is available to buy at Dune Rats' 2022 gigs, and via the Young Henrys website.
Instead of shooting tequila and fighting back the tears while biting on a lemon, you might be better off using it as an alternative fuel. Originally seen as a potential saviour, crop-based biofuels are now criticised for competing for arable land, driving up grain prices and being grown in conditions that damage the environment. Agave, the plant used to make tequila, might just provide a solution. Since it grows in arid conditions, it doesn't compete for arable land and water supplies, and can adapt to future changes in the climate. Research into the energy and greenhouse cost of producing agave-derived bioethanol shows that it would be preferable to current biofuel crops, and one Australian company Ausagave is already giving it a try. So, the next time someone tries to force a tequila shot on you, you can refuse on the grounds that you'll need it for the drive home. Just don't put the salt or lemon in the tank... [via PSFK]
For cinephiles who like their movies dark, twisted, offbeat and out there, Monster Fest has been a beloved name on Australia's festival circuit for more than a decade. The event started back in 2011 as a Melbourne-only showcase of weird and wild cinema, and has expanded to hit up Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, too — because everyone deserves a strange and surreal (and sometimes chilling and horror-fuelled) night or several at the pictures. In 2022, Monster Fest is back for another whirl, although you're forgiven if that idea sounds familiar: earlier in the year, it hosted weekender mini fests to sate movie buffs' appetites. Now, it's time for the full festival experience, which unfurls over four days in Brisbane, again highlighting the latest and greatest in genre filmmaking. If it's a horror, sci-fi or thriller movie and it's destined for a cult following, you'll likely see it here first. When it arrives at Event Cinemas Myer Centre from Thursday, December 8–Sunday, December 11, Monster Fest 2022 will kick off with the Yuletide terrors of Christmas Bloody Christmas, which features a robotic Santa malfunctioning, then going on a murderous rampage. 'Tis the season and all that. From there, other standouts include Stephen Dorff- and Emile Hirsch-starring The Price We Pay, which begins with two criminals on the run and gets deadlier from there; The Offering, about a family battling an ancient demon; and Swissploitation flick Mad Heidi, which has its namesake fight fascist rule in a grindhouse frenzy. Or, there's On the Edge, the latest from American Mary filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska; Subject, the sophomore release by Australian Watch the Sunset filmmaker Tristan Barr; and Ribspreader, another Aussie effort, this time about getting rid of smoking — and smokers. Closing night features Kids vs Aliens, a coming-of-age sci-fi/horror effort that sees a house party gatecrashed by visitors from another galaxy as directed by Hobo with a Shotgun's Jason Eisener. Elsewhere on the lineup, even though the idea of people fighting to survive their way through a building isn't new by any means — see: High-Rise, Dredd and The Raid, for starters — French film Lockdown Tower is giving it another go. A must-see for everyone: the special presentation of Friday the 13th Part III to celebrate its 40th anniversary, as screening in 3D and 4K. And a word of warning: if you like your movies happy and chirpy, this clearly isn't your kind of festival. For everyone else, settle in.
In Broken Eloise Laurence plays Skunk, a girl on summer holiday on the verge of her first year of high school. She lives with her lawyer father, Archie (Tim Roth), brother Jed (Bill Milner), au pair Kasia (Zana Marjanovic) and Kasia's much-admired boyfriend Mike (Cillian Murphy). Their neighbours are arrayed around the circle of their dead-end street: another single father, Bob (Rory Kinnear), raises three raucous girls, and an older couple try to nurture their mentally ill son Rick (Robert Emms). We watch adult problems through Skunk's eyes, a familiar trick that works well here. It's a trick Broken has carried through from Daniel Clay's original novel of the same name, which in turn has borrowed it from To Kill a Mockingbird. The film follows that same lead, also adding a stylistic touch of Terrence Malick's Tree of Life into its hospital-bound framing sequence. Broken successfully draws out much of the emotional richness of its earlier counterpart. Also, most of the plot. There's the decent father, rude neighbours, false accusations of assault and enigmatic neighbour — all building into a surprising, climactic confrontation. And while Roth's Archie is a decent man, Broken never gives him the same moral depth at the centre of Harper Lee's version of this story. Powerfully acted all the way through, the film observes suffering and love through a child's eyes, but it throws away its own beauty and carefully built tone to opt for a snack of needless drama at the end. It's a final melodrama that seems to come from Clay's book much more than screenwriter Mark O'Rowe's script. Some of the fun definitely lies in drawing out the parallels to Lee's book, but nothing is as much fun as simply watching these actors act. In the end, the fidelity to Lee's plot structure competes here with the story's fidelity to the characters' inner lives. Especially for Rick, whose ending seems to show a deep misunderstanding of mental illness, as well. Most of this film is fantastic. By no means avoid it. The acting alone makes it rewarding viewing. But maybe it shouldn't sit at the top of your cinematic list this weekend, either.
Just a few short months ago, hopping around Brisbane to eat and drink at a variety of different restaurants and bars was completely off the menu. When July rolled around, that meant that the city's annual Good Food Month couldn't take place in its regular slot — but, thankfully, it's now unleashing its hefty program of food-filled events in November. If you've spent this year becoming weary of your own home cooking, you'll be particular eager to sink your teeth into the culinary festival's sizeable spread. Good Food Month is operating under COVID-19 safety measures, of course, which means social distancing, limited capacities and staggered arrival times; however, it's still serving up everything from yum cha paired with Gelato Messina's desserts to a Brisbane appearance by an acclaimed Noosa pop-up. The idea of tucking into dumplings and gelato has probably already inspired a few grumbles from your stomach, and that's on offer at the event's yum cha high tea at Donna Chang. As well as the restaurant's dishes, it'll feature gelato versions of mango pancakes, baos and bubble tea — and everyone will get a whisky cocktail as well. If haven't made the trip north over the past few months to check out Esme, the latest venture from ex-Arc Dining Chef Alanna Sapwell, then you'll be pleased to hear that it's coming to Brunswick Street's Baja Restaurant for two sittings. Choose between lunch and dinner, then eat multiple courses of Sapwell's dishes as paired with wine and beer. Other highlights from Good Food Month's program include the annual Young Chef's Lunch, this time taking place at Za Za Ta Bar & Kitchen; a decadent three-course brunch featuring Moreton Bay bugs and bottomless prosecco at riverside restaurant Patina; both learning about and eating Three Blue Ducks' recipes, as guided by Head Chef Jensen Brouwer; and feasting your way through a dinner party at Stanley with the Howard Smith Wharves restaurant's Louis Tikaram and his former colleagues Adam Wolfers (Gerard's Bistro) and Alex Munoz (Labart). Or, if you'd the type of person who'd rather mosey along to a regular event whenever the mood suits — rather than a once-off meal — The Golden Pig is doing $45 banquet lunches every Friday and Saturday in November, Walter's Steakhouse is pairing three courses with three martinis on Wednesdays, and The Gresham is devoting Thursdays to freshly shucked oysters and martinis. Pour Boy is also doing daily local-focused lunches, while Popolo is hosting picnics at South Bank's River Quay Green every Friday and Saturday evening. Brisbane Good Food Month 2020 runs throughout November. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
Watching a delighted dog at the beach, in a pool, in whichever puddle it happens to be walking past, under the hose or while getting a bath is one of the most joyous sights in the world. If we could all enjoy something as much as most canines enjoy frolicking in good ol' H20, stress would be a thing of the past. Combine a stint of watery pupper-spotting with a few brews, and a mighty fine Sunday afternoon is in order at Slipstream Brewing Co. As part of Brewsvegas, the Yeerongpilly venue is hosting the Pale Tails Doggo Pool Party — so either bring your four-legged friend along for a splashing good time, or come along, sink a few beers and enjoy seeing a brewery go to the dogs. As well as plenty of pools waiting for plenty of pooches, there'll be dog portraits, dog treats and doggo-centric competitions as well. And the beer of the moment is The Good Beer Co's Pale Tail pale ale, as brewed by Slipstream and created in collaboration with the RSPCA, the latter of whom will receive 10 percent of every sale. The barking, boozing and splashing takes place between 2–4pm on Sunday, March 17 and, while entry is free, registering in advance is still required. Image: Pale Tails Doggo Pool Party.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue in April. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW DEAD RINGERS Twin gynaecologists at the top of their game. Blood-red costuming and bodily fluids. The kind of perturbing mood that seeing flesh as a source of horror does and must bring. A stunning eye for stylish yet unsettling imagery. Utterly impeccable lead casting. When 1988's Dead Ringers hit cinemas, it was with this exact combination, all in the hands of David Cronenberg following Shivers, The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly. He took inspiration from real-life siblings Stewart and Cyril Marcus, whose existence was fictionalised in 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, and turned it into something spectacularly haunting. Attempting to stitch together those parts again, this time without the Crimes of the Future filmmaker at the helm — and as a miniseries, too — on paper seems as wild a feat as some of modern medicine's biggest advancements. This time starring a phenomenal Rachel Weisz as both Beverly and Elliot Mantle, and birthed by Lady Macbeth and The Wonder screenwriter Alice Birch, Dead Ringers 2.0 is indeed an achievement. It's also another masterpiece. Playing the gender-swapped roles that Jeremy Irons (House of Gucci) inhabited so commandingly 35 years back, Weisz (Black Widow) is quiet, calm, dutiful, sensible and yearning as Beverly, then volatile, outspoken, blunt, reckless and rebellious as Elliot. Her performance as each is that distinct — that fleshed-out as well — that it leaves viewers thinking they're seeing double. Of course, technical trickery is also behind the duplicate portrayals, with directors Sean Durkin (The Nest), Karena Evans (Snowfall), Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones) and Karyn Kusama's (Destroyer) behind the show's lens; however, Weisz is devastatingly convincing. Beverly is also the patient-facing doctor of the two, helping usher women into motherhood, while Elliot prefers tinkering in a state-of-the-art lab trying to push the boundaries of fertility. Still, the pair are forever together or, with unwitting patients and dates alike, swapping places and pretending to be each other. Most folks in their company don't know what hit them, which includes actor Genevieve (Britne Oldford, The Umbrella Academy), who segues from a patient to Beverly's girlfriend — and big-pharma billionaire Rebecca (Jennifer Ehle, She Said), who Dead Ringers' weird sisters court to fund their dream birthing centre. Dead Ringers streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. AUNTY DONNA'S COFFEE CAFE If comedy is all about timing, then Aunty Donna have it — not just onstage. In 2020, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun was the hysterical sketch-comedy series that the world needed, with the six-episode show satirising sharehouse living dropping at the ideal moment. While the Australian jokesters' Netflix hit wasn't just hilarious because it arrived when everyone had been spending more time than anyone dreamed at home thanks to the early days of the pandemic, the ridiculousness it found in domesticity was as inspired as it was sidesplittingly absurd. Three years later, heading out is well and truly back, as are Aunty Donna on-screen. Their target in Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe: cafe culture, with Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane returning to make fun of one of the simplest reasons to go out that there is. Grabbing a cuppa is such an ordinary and everyday task, so much so that it was taken for granted until it was no longer an easy part of our routines. Unsurprisingly, now that caffeine fixes are back and brewing, Aunty Donna finds much to parody. With fellow group members Sam Lingham (a co-writer here), Max Miller (the show's director) and Tom Zahariou (its composer), Aunty Donna's well-known trio of faces set their new six-parter in the most obvious place they can: a Melbourne cafe called 'Morning Brown'. The track itself doesn't get a spin, however, with the show's central piece of naming is its most expected move. As demonstrated in episodes that turn the cafe into a courtroom, ponder whether Broden might still be a child and riff on Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt's 1967 disappearance, nothing else about Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe earns that description. Pinballing in any and every direction possible has always been one of the Aussie comedy troupe's biggest talents, with their latest series deeply steeped — riotously, eclectically and entertainingly, too — in that approach. Think: Richard Roxburgh (Elvis) playing Rake, even though that's not his Rake character's name; Looking for Alibrandi's Pia Miranda making tomato day jokes;. stanning Gardening Australia and skewering unreliable streaming services, complete with jokes at ABC iView's expense; and relentlessly giggling at the hospitality industry again and again. Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe streams via ABC iView. Read our full review. RYE LANE When Dom (David Jonsson, Industry) and Yas (Vivian Oparah, Then You Run) are asked how they met, they tell a tale about a karaoke performance getting an entire bar cheering. Gia (Karene Peter, Emmerdale Farm), Dom's ex, is both shocked and envious, even though she cheated on him with his primary-school best friend Eric (Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, The Secret). It's the kind of story a movie couple would love to spin — the type that tends to only happen in the movies, too. But even for Rye Lane's fictional characters, it's a piece of pure imagination. Instead, the pair meet in South London, in the toilet at an art show. He's crying in a stall, they chat awkwardly through the gender-neutral space's wall, then get introduced properly outside. It's clumsy, but they keep the conversation going even when they leave the exhibition, then find themselves doing the good ol' fashioned rom-com walk and talk, then slide in for that dinner rendezvous with the flabbergasted Gia. It's easy to think of on-screen romances gone by during British filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller's feature debut — working with a script from Bloods duo Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia — which this charming Sundance-premiering flick overtly wants viewers to. There's a helluva sight gag about Love Actually, as well as a cameo to match, and the whole meandering-and-nattering setup helped make Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight an iconic trilogy. That said, as Rye Lane spends time with shy accountant Dom, who has barely left his parents' house since the breakup, and the outgoing costume designer Yas, who has her own recent relationship troubles casting a shadow, it isn't propelled by nods and winks. Rather, it's smart and savvy in a Starstruck way about paying tribute to what's come before while wandering down its own path. The lead casting is dynamic, with Jonsson and Oparah making a duo that audiences could spend hours with, and Allen-Miller's eye as a director is playful, lively, loving and probing. Rom-coms are always about watching people fall for each other, but this one plunges viewers into its swooning couple's mindset with every visual and sensory touch it can. Rye Lane streams via Disney+. BEEF As plenty does (see also: Rye Lane above), Beef starts with two strangers meeting, but there's absolutely nothing cute about it. Sparks don't fly and hearts don't flutter; instead, this pair grinds each other's gears. In a case of deep and passionate hate at first sight, Danny Cho (Steven Yeun, Nope) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong, Paper Girls) give their respective vehicles' gearboxes a workout, in fact, after he begins to pull out of a hardware store carpark, she honks behind him, and lewd hand signals and terse words are exchanged. Food is thrown, streets are angrily raced down, gardens are ruined, accidents are barely avoided, and the name of Vin Diesel's famous car franchise springs to mind, aptly describing how bitterly these two strangers feel about each other — and how quickly. Created by Lee Sung Jin, who has It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dave and Silicon Valley on his resume before this ten-part Netflix and A24 collaboration, Beef also commences with a simple, indisputable and deeply relatable fact. Whether you're a struggling contractor hardly making ends meet, as he is, or a store-owning entrepreneur trying to secure a big deal, as she is — or, if you're both, neither or anywhere in-between — pettiness reigning supreme is basic human nature. Danny could've just let Amy beep as much as she liked, then waved, apologised and driven away. Amy could've been more courteous about sounding her horn, and afterwards. But each feels immediately slighted by the other, isn't willing to stand for such an indignity and becomes consumed by their trivial spat. Neither takes the high road, not once — and if you've ever gotten irrationally irate about a minor incident, this new standout understands. Episode by episode, it sees that annoyance fester and exasperation grow, too. Beef spends its run with two people who can't let go of their instant rage, keep trying to get the other back, get even more incensed in response, and just add more fuel to the fire again and again until their whole existence is a blaze of revenge. If you've ever taken a small thing and blown it wildly out of proportion, Beef is also on the same wavelength. And if any of the above has ever made you question your entire life — or just the daily grind of endeavouring to get by, having everything go wrong, feeling unappreciated and constantly working — Beef might just feel like it was made for you. Beef streams via Netflix. Read our full review. TOTALLY COMPLETELY FINE In Thomasin McKenzie's breakout role in 2018's deeply thoughtful and moving Leave No Trace, she played a teen being the responsible one while living off the grid with her PTSD-afflicted father. She turned in a magnificent performance in a film that also earns the same description — one of that year's best — and a portrayal that rightly ensured that more work came her way. In Totally Completely Fine, the New Zealand actor is again excellent, as she's been in Jojo Rabbit, The Justice of Bunny King, Old and Last Night in Soho in-between; however, this six-part Australian series, which makes ample use of its Sydney setting, casts McKenzie as the least responsible among her siblings. Vivian Cunningham's elder brothers John (Rowan Witt, Spreadsheet) and Hendrix (Brandon McClelland, Significant Others) are conscientious and family-focused, respectively, while she has internalised her bad decisions to the point of thinking that she ruins everything. But then her grandfather passes away when she's at a particularly low moment, wills only her his cliffside house and also leaves a note saying that she'll learn what to do with it. When Totally Completely Fine begins, Vivian is close to saying goodbye. Soon, she discovers that her inherited home is a destination for others feeling the same way. Creator Gretel Vella (a staff writer on The Great, and also a scribe on Christmas Ransom and Class of '07) doesn't shy away from a a tricky topic, as her definitely-not-totally-completely-fine protagonist becomes an unofficial counsellor to strangers — like runaway bride Amy (Contessa Treffone, Wellmania) — who step into her yard planning to commit suicide. This character-driven series doesn't ever reductively posit that only struggling people can help struggling people. Instead, it sees life's difficulties everywhere, the many ways that folks attempt to cope and don't, and the parts that others can have in that journey. McKenzie's performance is pivotal, selling the deep-seated grief that has defined Vivian's life, the chaos she's embraced as an escape, and how telling others that they have something to live for is both complicated and crucial. Totally Completely Fine streams via Stan. HUNGER Let's call it the reality TV effect: after years of culinary contests carving up prime-time television, the savage on-screen steps into the food world just keep bubbling. The Bear turned the hospitality industry into not just a tension-dripping dramedy, but one of 2022's best new shows. In cinemas, British pressure-cooker Boiling Point and the sleek and sublimely cast The Menu have tasted from the same intense plate. Now Hunger sits down at the table, giving viewers another thriller of a meal — this time focusing on a Thai noodle cook who wants to be special. When Aoy's (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, One for the Road) street-food dishes based on her Nanna's recipes get the attention of fellow chef Tone (Gunn Svasti Na Ayudhya, Tootsies & the Fake), he tells her that she needs to be plying her talents elsewhere. In fact, he works for Chef Paul (Nopachai Jayanama, Hurts Like Hell), who specialises in the type of fine-dining dishes that only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford, and is as exacting and demanding as the most monstrous kitchen genius that fiction has ever dreamed up. There's more to making it in the restaurant trade than money, acclaim and status, just like there's more to life as well. As told with slickness and pace, even while clocking in at almost two-and-a-half hours, that's the lesson that director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (Folklore) and screenwriter Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (Faces of Anne) serve Aoy. She's tempted by the glitz and recognition, and being steeped in a world far different from her own; however, all that gleams isn't always palatable. Plot-wise, Hunger uses familiar ingredients, but always ensures that they taste like their own dish — in no small part thanks to the excellent casting of Chuengcharoensukying as the film's conflicted but determined lead. A model also known as Aokbab, she proved a revelation in 2017's cheating heist thriller Bad Genius, and she's just as compelling here. The two movies would make a high-stakes pair for more than just their shared star, both sinking their teeth into class commentary as well. Yes, like The Menu before it, Hunger is also an eat-the-rich flick, and loves biting into social inequity as hard as it can. Hunger streams via Netflix. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK BARRY Since HBO first introduced the world to Barry Berkman, the contract killer played and co-created by Saturday Night Live great Bill Hader has wanted to be something other than a gun for hire. An ex-military sniper, he's always been skilled at his highly illicit post-service line of work; however, moving on from that past was a bubbling dream even before he found his way to a Los Angeles acting class while on a job. Barry laid bare its namesake's biggest wish in its 2018 premiere episode. Then, it kept unpacking his pursuit of a life less lethal across the show's Emmy-winning first and second seasons, plus its even-more-astounding third season in 2022. Season four, the series' final outing, is no anomaly, but it also realises that wanting to be someone different and genuinely overcoming your worst impulses aren't the same. Barry has been grappling with this fact since the beginning, of course, with the grim truth beating at the show's heart whether it's at its most darkly comedic, action-packed or dramatic — and, given that its namesake is surrounded by people who similarly yearn for an alternative to their current lot in life, yet also can't shake their most damaging behaviour, it's been doing so beyond its antihero protagonist. Are Barry, his girlfriend Sally Reid (Sarah Goldberg, The Night House), acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, Black Adam), handler Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root, Succession) and Chechen gangster NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan, Bill & Ted Face the Music) all that different from who they were when Barry started? Have they processed their troubles? Have they stopped taking out their struggles not just on themselves, but on those around them? Hader and his fellow Barry co-creator Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Curb Your Enthusiasm) keep asking those questions in season four to marvellous results. Barry being Barry, posing such queries and seeing its central figures for who they are is an ambitious, thrilling and risk-taking ride. When season three ended, it was with Barry behind bars, which is where he is when the show's new go-around kicks off. He isn't coping, unsurprisingly, hallucinating Sally running lines in the prison yard and rejecting a guard's attempt to tell him that he's not a bad person. With the latter, there's a moment of clarity about what he's done and who he is, but Barry's key players have rarely been that honest with themselves for long. Barry streams via Binge. Read our full review. LOVE & DEATH In the late 70s, when Texas housewife, mother of two and popular church choir singer Candy Montgomery had an affair with fellow congregation member Allan Gore, commenting about her being a scarlet woman only had one meaning. If anyone other than Elizabeth Olsen was stepping into her shoes in true-crime miniseries Love & Death, it would've remained that way, too; indeed, Jessica Biel just gave the IRL figure an on-screen portrayal in 2022 series Candy. Of course, Olsen is widely known for playing the Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as seen in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness most recently. So, mention 'scarlet' in a line of dialogue around her, and it calls attention to how far she is away from casting spells and breaking out superhero skills. And she is, given that Montgomery keeps fascinating Hollywood (see also: 1990 TV movie A Killing in a Small Town) due to the fact that she was accused, arrested and put on trial for being an axe murderer. The victim: Betty Gore, Allan's wife, who was struck with the blade 41 times. It's with pluck and perkiness that Olsen brings Candy to the screen again, initially painting the picture of a perfect suburban wife and mum. She keeps exuding those traits when Candy decides that she'd quite fancy an extra-marital liaison with Allan (Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog) — slowly winning him over, but setting ground rules in the hope that her husband Pat (Patrick Fugit, Babylon) won't get hurt, nor Betty (Lily Rabe, Shrinking) as well. For viewers that don't know the outcome when first sitting down to the seven-episode series, that bloody end is referenced in the first instalment. With restraint, sensitivity and a suitably complicated lead performance, Love & Death then leads up to it amid local scandals over a beloved pastor (Elizabeth Marvel, Mrs Davis) leaving and being replaced (by Keir Gilchrist, Atypical). It also explores the legal proceedings that follow (with She Said's Tom Pelphrey as Candy's lawyer). Olsen is terrific whether she's in bubbly, dutiful, calculating or unsettling mode, and the show itself slides in convincingly alongside writer/producer David E Kelley's recent slate of twisty tales with Big Little Lies, The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers (Nicole Kidman is also an executive producer). Love & Death streams via Binge. Read our full review. THE BIG DOOR PRIZE Sometimes Apple TV+ dives into real-life crimes, as miniseries Black Bird did. Sometimes it mines the whodunnit setup for laughs, which The Afterparty winningly achieved. The family feuds of Bad Sisters, Servant's domestic horrors, Hello Tomorrow!'s retrofuturistic dream, the titular take on work-life balance in Severance — they've all presented streaming audiences with puzzles, too, because this platform's original programming loves a mystery. So, of course The Big Door Prize, the service's new dramedy, is all about asking questions from the outset. Here, no one is wondering who killed who, why a baby has been resurrected or if a situation that sounds too good to be true unsurprisingly is. Rather, in a premise isn't merely a metaphor for existential musings, they're pondering a magical machine and what it tells them about themselves. Everyone in The Big Door Prize does go down the "what does it all mean?" rabbit hole, naturally, but trying to work out why the Morpho has popped up in the small town of Deerfield, where it came from, whether it can be trusted, and if it's just a bit of fun or a modern-day clairvoyant game are pressing concerns. When the machine arrives, it literally informs residents of their true potential. Crowds flock, but not everyone is initially fascinated with the mysterious gadget. Turning 40, and marking the occasion with that many gifts from his wife Cass (Gabrielle Dennis, A Black Lady Sketch Show) and teenage daughter Trina (Djouliet Amara, Devil in Ohio), high-school history teacher Dusty Hubbard (Chris O'Dowd, Slumberland) is nonplussed. Amid riding his new scooter and wondering why he's been given a theremin, he's baffled by all the talk about the Morpho, the new reason to head to Mr Johnson's (Patrick Kerr, Search Party) store. As school principal Pat (Cocoa Brown, Never Have I Ever) embraces her inner biker because the machine said so, and charisma-dripping restaurateur Giorgio (Josh Segarra, Scream VI) revels in being told he's a superstar, Dusty claims he's happy not joining in — until he does. The Big Door Prize streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. MRS DAVIS It was back in March 2022 that the world first learned of Mrs Davis, who would star in it and which creatives were behind it. Apart from its central faith-versus-technology battle, the show's concept was kept under wraps, but the series itself was announced to the world. The key involvement of three-time GLOW Emmy-nominee Betty Gilpin, Lost and The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof, and The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon writer and executive producer Tara Hernandez was championed, plus the fact that Black Mirror: San Junipero director Owen Harris would helm multiple episodes. Accordingly, although no one knew exactly what it was about, Mrs Davis existed months before ChatGPT was released — but this puzzle-box drama, which is equally a sci-fi thriller, zany comedy and action-adventure odyssey, now follows the artificial intelligence-driven chatbot in reaching audiences. Indeed, don't even bother trying not to think about the similarities as you're viewing this delightfully wild and gleefully ridiculous series. There's also no point dismissing any musings that slip into your head about social media, ever-present tech, digital surveillance and the many ways that algorithms dictate our lives, either. Mrs Davis accepts that such innovations are a mere fact of life in 2023, then imagines what might happen if AI promised to solve the worlds ills and make everyone's existence better and happier. It explores how users could go a-flocking, eager to obey every instruction and even sacrifice themselves to the cause. In other words, it's about ChatGPT-like technology starting a religion in everything but name. To tell that tale, it's also about nun Simone (Gilpin, Gaslit), who was raised by magicians (Love & Death's Elizabeth Marvel and Scream's David Arquette), and enjoys sabbaticals from her convent to do whatever is necessary to bring down folks who practise her parents' vocation and the show's titular technology. She also enjoys quite the literal nuptials to Jesus Christ, is divinely bestowed names to chase in her quest and has an ex-boyfriend, Wiley (Jake McDorman, Dopesick), who's a former bullrider-turned-Fight Club-style resistance leader. And, she's tasked with a mission by the algorithm itself: hunting down the Holy Grail. Mrs Davis screens in Australia via Binge. Read our full review. RECENT MOVIES FROM THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT YOU NEED TO CATCH UP WITH EMA Every project by Chilean director Pablo Larraín is always cause for excitement, and Ema, his drama about a reggaeton dancer's crumbling marriage, personal and professional curiosities, and determined quest to be a mother, rewards that enthusiasm spectacularly. It's a stunning piece of cinema, and one that stands out even among his impressive resume. He's the filmmaker behind stirring political drama No, exacting religious interrogation The Club, poetic biopic Neruda, and the astonishing Jackie and Spencer — with Natalie Portman earning an Oscar nomination for the former, and Kristen Stewart for the latter — so that's no minor feat. For the first time in his career, Larraín peers at life in his homeland today, rather than in the past. And, with his six-time cinematographer Sergio Armstrong (Tony Manero, Post Mortem), he gazes intently. Faces and bodies fill Ema's frames, a comment that's true of most movies; however, in both the probing patience it directs its protagonist's way and the fluidity of its dance sequences, this feature equally stares and surveys. Here, Larraín hones in on the dancer (Mariana Di Girólamo, La Verónica) who gives the feature its name. After adopting a child with her choreographer partner Gastón (Gael García Bernal, Werewolf by Night), something other than domestic bliss has followed. Following a traumatic incident, and the just as stressful decision to relinquish their boy back to the state's custody, Ema is not only trying but struggling to cope in the aftermath. This isn't a situation she's simply willing to accept, though. Ema, the movie, is many things — and, most potently, it's a portrait of a woman who is willing to make whatever move she needs to, both on the dance floor and in life, to rally against an unforgiving world, grasp her idea of freedom and seize exactly what she wants. Di Girólamo is magnetic, whether she's dancing against a vivid backdrop, staring pensively at the camera or being soaked in neon light, while Larraín's skill as both a visual- and emotion-driven filmmaker is never in doubt. Ema streams via SBS On Demand. Read our full review. SHE DIES TOMORROW When She Dies Tomorrow splashes Kate Lyn Sheil's face across the screen, then bathes it in neon flashes of pink, blue, red and purple, it isn't easily forgotten. It's a vivid, visceral, even psychedelic sight, which filmmaker Amy Seimetz lingers on, forcing her audience to do the same as well. Viewers aren't just soaking in trippy lights and colours, though. They're staring at the expression beneath the multi-hued glow, which seethes with harrowing levels of shock, fright, distress and anxiety. That's understandable; this is the look of someone who has just had the most unnerving realisation there is: that she is going to die tomorrow. In her second stint directing a feature after 2012's Sun Don't Shine, Pet Sematary, Lean on Pete and Alien: Covenant actor Seimetz serves up a straightforward concept that's all there in the title. Her protagonist — who is also called Amy (Swarm's Sheil) — believes that her life will end the next day, plain and simple. But it's how the on-screen Amy copes with the apocalyptic news, and how it also spreads virally from person to person, that fuels the movie. Initially, she responds by searching for urns, researching how leather jackets are made and roaming aimlessly around the new home she has recently purchased, and by brushing off her worried but sceptical friend Jane (Hacks' Jane Adams). If Amy is merely being paranoid, that persecution-driven delusion soon proves contagious, with the feature's cast also including Katie Aselton (Bombshell), Chris Messina (Air), Josh Lucas (Yellowstone), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story) and Jennifer Kim (Dr Death). Among of the joys of She Dies Tomorrow is that it's never one for obvious or easy answers, or for explaining any more than it needs to. Indeed, how it morphs from exploring one woman's fears to cataloguing a shared nightmare that spreads like a pandemic is best discovered by watching; however, Seimetz crafts a gloriously smart and unsettling thriller that toys with surreal Lynchian moments yet always feels disarmingly astute. The film was made prior to COVID-19, so it pre-dates our coronavirus-afflicted world — but, as it ponders humanity's reaction to life-shattering news both on an individual and collective basis, the way that panic and doubt spreads oh-so-quickly, and how one idea can soon overtake entire communities, it's hard not to think of the real-life parallels. She Dies Tomorrow streams via Stan from Saturday, April 29. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2022 — plus January, February and March 2023. You can also check out our list of standout must-stream 2022 shows as well — and our best 15 new shows of last year, top 15 returning shows over the same period, 15 shows you might've missed and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies of 2022.
Many people travel overseas in order to partake in a process of self-reflection and immerse themselves in foreign cultures that will somehow alter their character when they return home. Others love to travel overseas to undergo extensive retail therapy and eat food in humourously large quantities and levels of deliciousness never experienced in Australia. After the recent explosion of interest in the In-N-Out pop-up store at Barrio Chino in Kings Cross, we decided to compile a list of businesses and brands that Australia not only wants, but needs. Let's face it - travelling across national borders to grab a burger or an item of clothing is deadset ludicrous, but we've all been tempted to do it (or actually have). Keep your fingers crossed and pray for one of these to land on our streets sometime in the near future. Muji Muji is Ikea's younger and slightly more efficient Asian brother. In compliance with everything that is produced by our beloved Japanese friends, Muji's products are focused on minimalism and practicality. They stock everything from stationary to storage units, all with a delightful simplicity that espouses neatness. Furthermore, their products are also environmentally friendly. With the company's expansion into South-East Asia, let's hope that Australia is the next stop on their global tour. Shake Shack Shake Shack describe themselves as a "modern day roadside burger stand," and we'd be delighted if one of these joints opened up on our local streets. Offering hot dogs, burgers and shakes, it's distinctly American and don't we love it. Shake Shack even have their own Shack Cam, which streams footage of their store in Madison Square Park in NYC to visitors on their website. The purpose? Allowing potential customers to check the size of the queue before heading down for lunch. Tasty and amazingly considerate. Pinkberry With the immense popularity of stores such as Wow Cow and Gelato Messina in Darlinghurst, we can only assume that Pinkberry would also draw massive crowds over on our shores. After initially opening in Los Angeles in 2005, the store has since gained an international cult following. Offering frozen yoghurt in a host of vibrant flavours with fresh fruit toppings, Pinkberry's menu would be a perfect accompaniment to sweltering summer days at any beachside suburb. Their products will have even the most dedicated and masculine carnivores digging into a wonderfully light pomegranade treat. Denny's Sydney and Brisbane are severely lacking when it comes to late night feeds, and a lot of the time the only option you'll have is a cold meat pie from the local convenience store. Enter Denny's, a restaurant which prides itself on being always open, serving meals around the clock. You'll find everything from steaks to banana splits, all at a reasonable price. This is definitely what the doctor ordered for those inevitable midnight cravings. Billionaire Boys Club/Ice Cream Pharrell Williams has not only crafted some of the most memorable beats in recent hip-hop history as a member of the Neptunes, but he has also dressed rap royalty with his BBC/Ice Cream brands, a collaboration with A Bathing Ape founder, Nigo. You may recognise some of their prints after they were bootlegged extensively at markets across the nation, but these items are of the highest calibre in streetwear. They'll cost you an arm and a leg too. However, as the recent Odd Future pop-up store and Adidas x Jeremy Scott sneaker launch have proven, Sydney definitely has its fair share of dedicated urban fashionistas. Ichiran Ichiran is for those who want a no-frills feed with no fluffing about. You order ramen noodles by filling in a questionnaire detailing exactly how you want your meal cooked. Each seat is fitted with a sensor, which allows queuing customers to know when a seat becomes available through an electronic panel. Each "table" is actually a small booth isolated from the wandering eyes of other customers. This might not be the most social eatery about, but it's ideal for those nine-to-fivers who want to get in and get out. ASOS With Zara and Topshop opening their doors to hungry audiences in Australia, there are murmurs that ASOS could be the next to follow suit. After recently launching a dedicated Australian site which includes free shipping on all orders, ASOS have a healthy following that would also transfer to any offline stores. Presenting customers with their own adequately-priced clothing line as well as premium fashion brands, news of an ASOS store anywhere in Australia may be the cause of numerous hipster heart attacks. In-N-Out Burger You guys all heard about it on Concrete Playground. Some of you may have turned up to Barrio Chino only to be told that capacity had been reached, and walked away hungry and emotionally shattered. But we can only hope that last week's In-N-Out pop-up store will be a sign of permanent residence in Australia. After successfully taking over the American West Coast, In-N-Out has gained global fame with their simple menu of undisputed classics. After living off their burgers for four days on my recent trip to Los Angeles, I can say with complete confidence that a Quarter Pounder just doesn't cut it. Legoland Lego is an integral part of everybody's childhood, and no child should be deprived of hours of countless fun building castles and all sorts of other cool stuff. But kids across the globe have been experiencing Lego on a whole new level at Legoland. These theme parks are made to appear like the rides are made out of the famous building blocks, and sections of Legoland are themed after existing Lego sets. The theme parks are owned and operated by Merlin Entertainments, a British company who recently purchased a handful of Sydney attractions and are set to open Madame Tussaud's in May. Legoland should be next on their list. H&M Over 2,300 stores and not one in Australia? I know we're tucked away at the bottom of the global map, but Australians need to be dressed too. H&M began in Sweden but has expanded exponentially across the globe, to pretty much everywhere except Down Under. Several years ago they launched a collaboration with Kylie Minogue, but the pop princess wasn't enough to entice them to open up our own store. Offering complete outfits from underpants to overcoats at reasonable prices, H&M would be a Godsend.
In all the regular ways, this hasn't felt like a big year. It has been chaotic, of course, although that's completely different. Across the final three weeks of 2020, however, Brisbane Showgrounds' latest event is going to feel huge — because the inner-city site is welcoming the Factory Summer Festival to town, marking the event's first Brissie iteration after three years doing its thing on the west coast. Across select nights between Friday, December 11–Thursday, December 31, Bowen Hills is hosting everyone from The Presets, Hermitude and Peking Duck to Vera Blue, Hayden James and Illy — and a tribute evening dedicated to Daft Punk and a big New Year's Eve shindig, too. Also on offer at the huge outdoor fest: four stages, nine themed bars, a silent disco, carnival rides and a games arcade. No, you won't be bored here. Eager to celebrate Christmas Eve by dancing? Keen to do something other than hit the shops on Boxing Day? They're all on Factory Summer Festival's agenda as well. You'll need to buy your tickets to each separate date, though — so it's a case of picking when you want to party, then hopping to it.
It's about to get a whole lot harder for any New South Wales driver to get away with using their mobile phone while driving — and it's thanks to a world-first move by the NSW Government, which is adopting speed camera-style technology to detect the illegal behaviour. After trialling the high-definition cameras during October — and spying more than 11,000 drivers using their phones, according to the ABC — the government has announced that a further test will take place from January. If proven foolproof, the technology will be implemented on a permanent basis. As first reported earlier this year, the legislation giving the tech the go-ahead was passed in NSW parliament back in May. And while the technology didn't actually exist at the time, the government put the call-out to companies who were interested in providing the technology. Three outfits took part in the first trial, with Australian company Acusensus selected for the January test run. Acusensus' cameras, which use artificial intelligence, will be placed on the M4 and Anzac Parade. They can operate in all conditions — day and night, and regardless of the weather — to detect folks using their phones while they're behind the wheel. It's hoped that using the cameras will have a huge positive impact on the number of road fatalities, much like when breath testing was introduced back in 1982 and slashed fatal accidents by almost 50 percent. While most drivers will probably see this as a cash grab, fines won't be issued during the January trial. If the cameras come into effect permanently afterwards, fully licensed drivers will be looking at a $330 fine and four demerit points if caught; however NSW Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey told The Sydney Morning Herald that money raised from the camera fines will go back into a Community Road Safety Fund. Via the ABC.
Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, Fingernails) has more meals to cook, and streaming audiences are getting more kitchen chaos to consume. In delectable if hardly surprising news — and a development worth exclaiming "yes chef!" about, obviously — TV obsession The Bear has been renewed for season three. The hit series will dish up a third serving after season one proved best new shows of 2022 and season two ranks among the best returning series of 2023. So, expect more ins and outs at the titular restaurant, formerly sandwich shop The Original Beef of Chicagoland, as Carmy and his team navigate the hospitality industry's ups and downs. Exactly when The Bear will return hasn't been revealed, and neither has the number of episodes that'll be on the plate. The show's first season spanned eight instalments, while its second featured ten. Here's hoping that whenever it drops, it arrives in Australia and New Zealand at the same time as in America — it streams via FX in the US and Disney+ Down Under — which hasn't been the case for either season one or season two. If you missed The Bear's first season, it jumped into the mayhem when Carmy took over the diner after his brother's (Jon Bernthal, We Own This City) death. Before returning home, the chef's resume featured Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. In season two, Carmy worked towards turning the space into an upscale addition to his hometown's dining scene, with help from the restaurant's trusty team — including Ayo Edebiri (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) as fellow chef Sydney, plus Ebon Moss-Bachrach (No Hard Feelings) as Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend. Also key to The Bear: truly conveying what it's like to work in the hospitality industry and weather a restaurant kitchen's non-stop pressures. In both of its seasons so far, The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) has expertly balanced drama and comedy — and, in season two, he also delivered spectacular self-contained episodes that featured everyone from Olivia Colman (Heartstopper) and Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) to Bob Odenkirk (Lucky Hank) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Haunted Mansion). Guest stars aside, The Bear's regular roster of talent also spans Abby Elliott (Indebted) as Carmy's sister Natalie, aka Sugar — plus Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment) and Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) among the other Original Beef staff. "The Bear, which wowed audiences in its first season only to achieve even greater heights in season two, has become a cultural phenomenon," said Nick Grad, President, FX Entertainment, announcing the renewal. "We're so proud to partner with Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Josh Senior and the rest of the creative team, as well as the brilliant cast led by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. What they and the crew have done is truly remarkable, and we and our partners at Hulu and Disney+ join fans in looking forward to the next chapter in the story of The Bear." There's no trailer for season three yet, of course, but you can check out the trailer for The Bear season two below: The Bear streams Down Under via Disney+. Season three doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. Read our review of season one and review of season two. Images: Chuck Hodes/FX.
Christmas isn't the only source of cheer in Sydney this month, especially if you like heartwarmingly endearing baby animals. After introducing the world to its new koala joey and lion cubs earlier this year, Taronga Zoo has just unveiled footage of its pygmy hippo calf, which was born at the zoo on Monday, November 22. The calf doesn't yet have a name; however, Taronga visitors will get to see her in the flesh in the coming weeks — with the adorable critter set to make her public debut just in time for the upcoming school holidays. She was born to parents Kambiri and Fergus, and marks the first calf born at the zoo in more than four years. At the moment, the calf's day involves spending time in an off-exhibit nursery den with Kambiri — suckling, getting energetic in short bursts and napping. And, learning how to navigate the water, because pygmy hippo calves aren't born knowing how to either swim or hold their breath. So, that's something that Kambiri is teaching her offspring. Once the calf masters splashing around, she'll be able to enter the public hippo exhibit, which has had its pond floor raised so it's easier for the calf to access. The new calf will call Sydney home but, in the wild, pygmy hippos are native to West Africa's forests and swamps. Only around 2000–3000 are estimated to remain outside of zoos, which makes the species endangered. And, in the wild, they only tend to come together for breeding. That's enough words about this new cutie, because we all know that you're here to get a glimpse. Check out Taronga Zoo's footage below: [video width="1080" height="1920" mp4="https://cdn.concreteplayground.com/content/uploads/2021/12/HippoAnnouncement.mp4"][/video] [video width="1080" height="1920" mp4="https://cdn.concreteplayground.com/content/uploads/2021/12/Pygmy-hippo-antics.mp4"][/video] Taronga Zoo's new pygmy hippo calf will make its public debut sometime in the coming weeks. For further information, keep an eye on the zoo's website.
Valley Fiesta is back for another year, which means oh-so-many bands and musos filling oh-so-many Fortitude Valley spaces with tunes. To kick off the 2022 event, it also means live music on King Street in Bowen Hills — which the Fiesta is clearly counting as the Valley for this occasion. And, that soundtrack will accompany a second fiesta: the King Street Food Fiesta. Stocking up on sustenance is always a smart idea to start any festival, so Valley Fiesta is beginning with an entire celebration dedicated to tasty bites. King Street's eateries will get in on the action, serving up tasting plates of their signature dishes right in front of their venues — with prices from $6. Running from 4–9pm on Friday, November 25, this food wonderland wants you to get wandering around the precinct, tucking into whatever tempts your tastebuds, and listening to live tunes — with a focus on Brisbane talents. That same spotlight will see King Street also play host to Brissie artists, and line the road with new art.
For cheese fiends, there's only one suitable way to tuck into the beloved dairy product: all the time, or at least as much as possible. That's an idea that Australian cheese festival Mould not only understands but encourages, and has since 2017. In 2023, from May through to August, those cheese dreams will be continuing as well. Because you can never have too many occasions to eat cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette or whatever other cheese takes your fancy, Mould is back for another year, letting dairy lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. The event hails from Bruny Island Cheese Co cheesemaker Nick Haddow and the organisers of Pinot Palooza, and will hit up not just Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney but also Perth for its latest run. Running for either two or three days in each city, Mould will kick off in Brisbane in May, then head to Melbourne in early June, plus Sydney at the end of June and beginning of July. As for Perth, it's getting a Mould x Pinot Palooza combo — because cheese and wine are that fine a pairing. There won't just be a few cheeses on the menu at each stop. Usually, more than 75 artisan cheeses from around the country are ready and waiting for you to devour, spanning dairy from around 30 producers. In past years, that lineup has included Bruny Island Cheese Co, naturally, plus Grandvewe, Milawa Cheese, Yarra Valley Dairy and Stone & Crow, as well as Section 28, Red Cow Organics, Nimbin Valley Cheese, Dreaming Goat, Long Paddock Cheese and Second Mouse Cheese. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you — the fest features cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks. And it wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, vodka, gin, beer, cider, cocktails and sake, all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Unsurprisingly, Mould is mighty popular. In 2021, attendees tucked into a one million samples across the fest's three cities, and also took home over 3.5 tonnes of Aussie dairy products. So, if this the kind of event that your cheese dreams are made of, you'll want to nab an early-bird ticket ASAP for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — with the Perth event not yet on sale. MOULD — A CHEESE FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Friday, May 12–Sunday, May 14 — John Reed Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds, 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills Friday, June 2–Sunday, June 4 — The Timber Yard, 351 Plummer Street, Port Melbourne Friday, June 30–Saturday, July 1— Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh, Sydney Friday, August 25–Sunday, August 27 — Centenary Pavilion, Claremont Showgrounds, Perth Mould — A Cheese Festival tours Australia from May. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
Jeez Frozen was a terrific film. Catchy tunes, loveable sidekicks, a woodsman hero and – at its heart – two sisterly princesses thrown into turmoil after one of them discovers her power to manipulate ice and flees to establish an unforgiving frozen kingdom in the north. Jeez The Huntsman: Winter War isn't a terrific film. No tunes, stilted sidekicks, a woodsman hero with a comically bad Scottish(?) accent and – at its heart – two sisterly princesses thrown into turmoil after one of them discovers her power to manipulate ice and flees to establish an unforgiving frozen kingdom in the north. Perhaps you could forgive the makers of The Huntsman for trying to leverage some of the success of the former. After all, it is the ninth highest grossing film of all time. But 'beautiful girl doing cool shit with chilly water' isn't enough to constitute an entire story. You still need, well, 'a story', and it's on that front where The Huntsman: Winter War really falls apart. It begins with Liam Neeson's voice telling us we're about to see a prequel to 2012's Snow White & The Huntsman. And Neeson – like the proverbial mirror on the wall – does not lie. But then, about half an hour in, The Huntsman: Winter War suddenly turns into a sequel, making this about as close as a film will ever come to possessing a literal 'plot twist'. Eventually deciding it's set after Snow White has vanquished the evil Ravenna (Charlize Theron), we find our Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) moping about the South and mourning the loss of his wife (Jessica Chastain), before committing to foil the evil ice queen Freya (Emily Blunt) in her attempt to secure the famous mirror. The rest of the movie is little more than a collection of special effects, shaky fight scenes and a few funny lines from dwarf sidekicks Nick Frost and Rob Brydon. Theron, it must be said, lights up every scene she's in, reminding us that she is still absolutely the fairest and most interesting in the land. Alas, her screen time is also the most restricted, reducing her menacing smile and genuinely engaging relationship with her sister to mere bookends around an otherwise entirely dull affair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W65ndip7MM
Operational in New South Wales since 2017 and Queensland since 2018, container refund schemes are the waste reduction tactic that helps everyone. You get to exchange your used drink containers for shiny ten-cent pieces, and Australia in general benefits by removing bottles and cans from landfill — which is a small but worthy step towards a greener planet. Until August 23, 2020, swapping your empty drink vessels for loose change will also help another important party: Australia's bushfire-affected wildlife. In eligible states across the country — New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory — TOMRA Collection Solutions has launched Cans for Koalas, which'll direct your refund to WWF's Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund. Donating your refund to a good cause has always been an option; however, for the duration of the Cans for Koalas campaign, you can specifically direct your funds to the WWF. To do so, you'll need to head to a TOMRA recycling point, with more than 320 Return and Earn machines scattered across New South Wales and ten TOMRA recycling centres located around southeast Queensland. While Cans for Koalas' name singles out one particularly fluffy, adorable type of Aussie animal, they're not the only critters that'll benefit, with kangaroos, kookaburras, wallabies, wombats and a whole heap of other species all impacted by this summer's blazes. WWF will use your donation to provide food and water to affected animals in bushfire-impacted regions, help restore animal habitats via tree-planting projects, and support the veterinarians caring for and providing medical treatment to injured wildlife. The aim is to raise $250,000 by the end of May — a target that was not just met but more than doubled in the last big donation push, Bottles for the Bush. TOMRA Collection Solutions' Cans for Koalas campaign is running now until August 23, 2020. You can donate your empty drink containers via a TOMRA recycling machine in Sydney and Brisbane — for further information, visit the Cans for Koalas website.
If you've ever worn a little black dress, then you owe Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel a big thank you. Depending on your choice of suit, bag and perfume, you might owe her some gratitude there as well. The French designer's influence upon 20th-century fashion extends far and wide — and, even though she passed away in 1971, her imprint can be felt in the 21st century as well. So, when the NGV International sends some love her way at its next blockbuster exhibition, it'll have plenty to cover. Displaying at the St Kilda Road gallery from Sunday, December 5, 2021–Monday, April 25, 2022, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will arrive fresh from its current stint at Paris' Palais Galliera. Its stop in Melbourne is its first international jaunt, in fact. On show will be pieces from the French venue, as well as from the Patrimoine de Chanel, the fashion house's heritage department. More than 100 garments will grace the NGV's walls and halls, with the exhibition charting her career. You'll also be able to see what Chanel achieved with perfume, jewellery and accessory design, too. Some pieces will date back more than a century, given that the fashion icon opened her first boutique in Deauville in 1912, before making the leap to her own Parisian couture house in 1918. Expect to check out everything from black threads — obviously — to lace gowns, wool jersey and tailored tweed suits, and an array of beaded garments. As you peer at Chanel's designs, you'll see how womenswear developed, and both how and why she's left a mark that still lingers today. [caption id="attachment_819495" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Gabrielle Chanel (designer). Dress, spring–summer 1925, silk guipure lace, silk organza flower. Patrimoine de Chanel, Paris. Photo © Julien T. Hamon.[/caption] The NGV is also adding its own Chanel pieces to the exhibition, such as a white lace Evening dress that dates back to 1933, and a shirred red silk velvet and marabou-lined evening cape from around 1924–26. They'll form part of a showcase that's split into themed sections, with different parts devoted to her early work, the way her design language evolved in the 1920s and 1930s, the iconic scent that is Chanel No 5, and how the brand's pieces have favoured a look best described as "austere luxury". Also getting their own themed strands: suits, accessories and jewellery. To launch Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, which will be ticketed — and will be the first-ever exhibition in Australia that'll solely focus on Chanel's contributions to fashion and culture — the NGV is bringing back its black-tie NGV Gala, which'll take place on Saturday, December 4. [caption id="attachment_819496" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Gabrielle Chanel, c. 1930s, photograph by André Kertész. Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine. Photo © Ministère de la Culture–Médiathèque del'architecture et du patrimoine, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais /André Kertész. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria.[/caption] Announcing the exhibition, NGV Director Tony Ellwood AM said that "there is no bigger name in 20th-century fashion design than Gabrielle Chanel. Her originality, timelessness and elegance forged a radically modern vision of fashion and a singular style. Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will be expansive, visually sumptuous and will reveal the achievements and enduring legacy of the extraordinary French fashion designer." If you decide to wear a little black dress while you're checking out all things Chanel this summer, you'll likely have plenty of company. Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will display at the NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne from Sunday, December 5, 2021–Monday, April 25, 2022. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the gallery's website. Top image: Anne Sainte-Marie in a Chanel suit, photograph by Henry Clarke, published in Vogue US, 1955, retouched by ARCP. ParisMusées. © Henry Clarke, ParisMusées /PalaisGalliera/ADAGP. Copyright Agency, 2021.
In the most mathematical news since boffins discovered a pattern in prime numbers, the cast and crew behind of Adventure Time, the show that straddles generational gaps like it ain't no thing, are coming to town next March. It's going to be live, it's going to be loud and it's gonna be so flippin' awesome. Making quick trips to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Adventure Time Live will be an interactive, audio-visual festival that includes Q&As with cast and crew, cosplay competitions, live reads of classic episodes and much more to be announced. It's not a show, it's an experience, man. The event hits Australia between March 10 and March 12 next year, which will probably coincide with the largest gathering of adults pretending to be children pretending to be adults that this country has ever seen.
It's been less than a year since Scottish craft beer giant BrewDog made its much-anticipated Australian debut, opening the doors to its hefty Brisbane brewery DogTap last November. But already the team's looking to ramp up that local presence, announcing ambitious plans to open more flagship venues across Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney by the end of 2021. While the company's keeping hush for now on exactly where these new bars will be located, it has confirmed it's already started searching for sites between 300 and 1000 square metres, in each of the three above cities. It seems the choice to kickstart Aussie operations in the Queensland capital has proved a smart move for the brewery, especially given the extra COVID-19 fallout some other states have had to endure. "The continued success of our DogTap taproom has convinced us that the time is right to start the search and find exciting locations to join the fold," said BrewDog's Head of Australian Operations Calvin McDonald in a statement. Already operating in over 80 countries, the company plans on snapping up 25 more sites worldwide before the year's out. [caption id="attachment_751726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pandora Photography[/caption] BrewDog's ambitious expansion plans come off the back of a few news-filled months for the brewing company. Just recently, it claimed the distinction of becoming the first carbon negative international beer brand in the world, removing twice as much carbon from the air than it emits. BrewDog plans to open more sites in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in the coming 12 months. We'll share more details as they're confirmed. Images: DogTap Brisbane by Pandora Photography
As everyone who has ever sipped an espresso martini knows, combining coffee and alcohol is a stroke of both boozy and caffeinated genius. Love a cuppa? Fond of a tipple? Then of course you like them paired together. What's not to adore? Fans of the beloved combination now have another boozy beverage to try, too, thanks to Sydney distillery Archie Rose and Melbourne coffee roasters St Ali. The duo have joined forces on a new and enticing concoction that, like its fellow blends of the caffeinated stuff and the hard stuff, is bound to give you a buzz. It's likely to earn its own obsessives as well. The end result: Blasphemy coffee whisky. It's actually a coffee whisky spirit, to be precise, and it's made from Archie Rose's single malt whisky and St Ali's Orthodox and Wide Awake coffees. Yes, as the name makes plain, the folks behind it know that it might be seen as sacrilegious by some diehard whisky and coffee aficionados. "Although strict whisky and coffee purists might consider it an abuse of both liquids, it's a pairing that when you taste it, and understand the production processes, actually makes perfect sense," says Archie Rose founder Will Edwards. Whether you're drinking it neat or in a boulevardier — as the two brands recommend — you'll also be able to taste amaretto, dark chocolate, creme caramel, roasted hazelnuts, stewed apples, plum jam and fresh berries. And no, unlike St Ali's cold brew, it isn't available in goon sacks. Instead, you'll find it in 700-millilitre bottles — which is perfect for adding it to your whisky shrine. Archie Rose and St Ali's Blasphemy coffee whisky will be available to order from Wednesday, July 28 via the Archie Rose and St Ali websites, for RRP $89.99 — and you'll be able to find it at the Archie Rose Cellar Bar, and at selected bottle shops. Images: Nikki To.
This week Art/Work has a chat with Jai Pyne, frontman of local Sydney band, The Paper Scissors. I won't bother with the talk up because I am sure you already know them, and if you don't - you should! - they have already reached Mecca in guest programming Rage, so there. Come with us as Jai takes us for a wander through his day and round his 'hood. Most days you'll find me in my kitchen. I cook as much as I can, it gets me away from the computer. There are so many virtual things in life that it's nice to get real things and combine them and eat them, for real. When I am not there I am behind my computer doing work on stuff for the band. In my day job I teach people how to make coffee, I'm a Barista trainer. I work for The Golden Cobra, which sounds like a martial arts school, but is actually a coffee roaster. I spent a long time working as a barista, but starting work at 7am very much conflicts with playing music. I'm also working at a restaurant in Surry Hills a few days a week, it's called El Capo. It's all Latin American style street food. At the moment I am working on some new songs with The Paper Scissors. In Loving Memory was made over the course of 18 months, so after purging that we have started working on new music. If money wasn't an issue I'd make more music, I'd have a better kitchen and I'd buy more clothes. Being a musician in Sydney is fun. I was tempted to say it was hard, which it is, but it's also pretty amazing. I've met lots of great people in the last 6 or so years through music, some of them I now count as my best friends, I've seen some of them succeed wildly, I've seen some of them have babies, buy houses, I play basketball with some of them, I have man dates with them, I have played music with them. Plus just being fortunate enough to be a musician is a very amazing thing, I've been able to travel, play to people that are having the time of their life because of your music, I've heard my music being blasted out of speakers, on the radio… all good things. I wish that there were more people with heaps of money that would open venues in Sydney, but hey, money is an issue. My neighbourhood is great. I live of the South end of King Street in Newtown. I've been here for 4 years. I think Newtown has its crap bits, lots of shit Thai restaurants, shit cafes, but I still love this end of town. There are heaps of cool little shops and random oddities, I love the Fiji Market - spices, coconuts, any random ingredient you need, and Pete's Musicians Market is always good for a browse. It's hard to find a good coffee but Addison Road and thus Alchemy is nearby which is some of the best coffee in Sydney. I like the fact that Newtown is at the edge of the inner city, so you can go to Marrickville, or Dulwich Hill or other spots that are a bit more removed from the upwardly-mobile-elite in the inner city and you get to see real people that have lived there for ever and will sell you olives or Portuguese custard tarts, or charcoal chicken or obscure Spanish beers. My favourite spot in Sydney is by the water. I grew up in Sydney and have lived everywhere from here to Bondi to Balmain, my parents and I moved almost yearly when I was a kid. I really like the cliffs at Coogee, the south end, I just like feeling like you are at the end of the earth although you are in a massive city. https://youtube.com/watch?v=H5EqYCBq0E4
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures and plenty of people staying home in iso will do that — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you've been under the weather. Perhaps you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Given the hefty amount of films now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are 13 that you can watch right now at home. CRIMES OF THE FUTURE It takes a brave filmmaker to see cancer and climate change, and think of art, evolution and eroticism in a possible future. It takes a bold director to have a character proclaim that "surgery is the new sex", too. David Cronenberg has always been that kind of visionary, even before doing all of the above in his sublime latest release — and having the Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly helmer back on his body-horror bent for the first time in more than two decades is exactly the wild and weird dream that cinephiles want it to be. The Canadian auteur makes his first movie at all since 2014's Maps to the Stars, in fact, and this tale of pleasure and pain is as Cronenbergian as anything can be. He borrows Crimes of the Future's title from his second-ever feature dating back 50-plus years, brings all of his corporeal fascinations to the fore, and moulds a viscerally and cerebrally mesmerising film that it feels like he's always been working towards. Long live the new flesh, again. Long live the old Cronenberg as well. In this portrait of a potential time to come, the human body has undergone two significant changes. Three, perhaps, as glimpsed in a disquieting opening where an eight-year-old called Brecken (debutant Sotiris Siozos) snacks on a plastic bin, and is then murdered by his mother Djuna (Lihi Kornowski, Ballistic). That incident isn't unimportant, but Crimes of the Future has other departures from today's status quo to carve into — and they're equally absorbing. Physical agony has disappeared, creating a trade in "desktop surgery" as performance art. Also, a condition dubbed Accelerated Evolution Syndrome causes some folks, such as artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen, Thirteen Lives), to grow abnormal organs. These tumours are removed and tattooed in avant-garde shows by his doctor/lover Caprice (Léa Seydoux, No Time to Die), then catalogued by the National Organ Register's Wippit (Don McKellar, reteaming with Cronenberg after eXistenZ) and Timlin (Kristen Stewart, Spencer). Crimes of the Future is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. NOPE Kudos to Jordan Peele for giving his third feature as a writer/director a haters-gonna-hate-hate-hate name: for anyone unimpressed with Nope, the response is right there. Kudos, too, to the Get Out and Us filmmaker for making his third bold, intelligent and supremely entertaining horror movie in a row — a reach-for-the-skies masterpiece that's ambitious and eerie, imaginative and expertly crafted, as savvy about cinema as it is about spectacle, and inspires the exact opposite term to its moniker. Reteaming with Peele after nabbing an Oscar nomination for Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya utters the titular word more than once in Nope. Exclaiming "yep" in your head each time he does is an instant reaction. Everything about the film evokes that same thrilled endorsement, but it comes particularly easily whenever Kaluuya's character surveys the wild and weird events around him. We say yay to his nays because we know we'd respond the same way if confronted by even half the chaos that Peele whooshes through the movie. As played with near-silent weariness by the always-excellent Judas and the Black Messiah Oscar-winner, Haywood's Hollywood Horses trainer OJ doesn't just dismiss the strange thing in the heavens, though. He can't, even if he doesn't realise the full extent of what's happening when his father (Keith David, Love Life) suddenly slumps on his steed on an otherwise ordinary day. Six months later, OJ and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer, Lightyear) are trying to keep the family business, which dates back to the 1800s, running. The presence lurking above the Haywoods' Agua Dulce property soon requires just as much attention, though. Just as Get Out saw Peele reinterrogate the possession movie and Us did the same with doppelgängers, Nope goes all in on flying saucers. So, Emerald wants the kind of proof that only video footage can offer. She wants her "Oprah shot", as well as a hefty payday. Soon, the brother-sister duo are buying new surveillance equipment — which piques the interest of UFO-obsessed electronics salesman Angel Torres (Brandon Perea, The OA) — and also enlisting renowned cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott, Veni Vidi Vici) to capture the lucrative image. Nope is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE BLACK PHONE The Black Phone didn't need to star Ethan Hawke. In a way, it doesn't really. Fresh from Moon Knight and The Northman, Hawke is definitely in this unsettling 1978-set horror film. He's also exceptional in it. But, his top billing springs from his name recognition and acting-veteran status rather than his screen time. Instead, superb up-and-comer Mason Thames gets the bulk of the camera's attention in his first feature role. After him, equally outstanding young talent Madeleine McGraw (Ant-Man and The Wasp) comes next. They spend most of their time worrying about, hearing rumours of, hiding from, battling and/or trying to track down a mask-wearing, van-driving, child-snatching villain — the role that Hawke plays in a firmly supporting part, almost always beneath an eerie disguise. Visibly at least, anyone could've donned the same apparel and proven an on-screen source of menace. There's a difference between popping something creepy over your face and actually being creepy, though. Scary masks can do a lot of heavy lifting, but they're also just a made-to-frighten facade. Accordingly, when it comes to being truly petrifying, Hawke undoubtedly makes The Black Phone. He doesn't literally; his Sinister director Scott Derrickson helms, and also co-wrote the script with that fellow horror flick's C Robert Cargill, adapting a short story by Stephen King's son Joe Hill — and the five-decades-back look and feel, complete with amber and grey hues, plus a nerve-rattling score, are all suitably disquieting stylistic touches. But as the movie's nefarious attacker, who has been terrorising north Denver's suburban streets and soon has 13-year-old Finney Blake (Thames) in his sights, Hawke is unnervingly excellent, and also almost preternaturally unnerving in every moment. Whenever he opens his mouth, his voice couldn't echo from anyone else; however, it's the nervy, ominous and bone-weary physicality that he brings to the character that couldn't be more pitch-perfect. The Black Phone is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. OFFICIAL COMPETITION Every actor has one, albeit in various shades, lengths and textures, but sometimes one single hairstyle says everything about a film. Wildly careening in whichever direction it seems to feel like at any point, yet also strikingly sculptural, the towering reddish stack of curly locks atop Penélope Cruz's head in Official Competition is one such statement-making coiffure. It's a stunning sight, with full credit to the movie's hairstylists. These tremendous tresses are both unruly and immaculate; they draw the eye in immediately, demanding the utmost attention. And, yes, Cruz's crowning glory shares those traits with this delightful Spanish Argentine farce about filmmaking — a picture directed and co-written by Mariano Cohn and Gastуn Duprat (The Distinguished Citizen), and also starring Antonio Banderas (Uncharted) and Oscar Martínez (Wild Tales), that it's simply impossible to look away from. Phenomenal hair is just the beginning for Cruz here. Playing filmmaker Lola Cuevas — a Palme d'Or-winning arthouse darling helming an ego-stroking prestige picture for rich octogenarian businessman Humberto Suárez (José Luis Gómez, Truman) — she's downright exceptional as well. Humberto decides to throw some cash into making a movie in the hope of leaving a legacy that lasts, and enlisting Lola to work her magic with a Nobel Prize-winning novel called Rivalry is quite the coup. So is securing the talents of flashy global star Félix Rivero (Banderas) and serious theatre actor Iván Torres (Martínez), a chalk-and-cheese pair who'll work together for the first time, stepping into the shoes of feuding brothers. But before the feature can cement its backer's name in history, its three key creatives have to survive an exacting rehearsal process. Lola believes in rigorous preparation, and in testing and stretching her leading men, with each technique she springs on them more outlandish and stressful than the last. Official Competition is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING No one should need to cleanse their palates between Mad Max movies — well, maybe after Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, depending on your mileage with it — but if anyone does, George Miller shouldn't be one of them. The Australian auteur gifted the world the hit dystopian franchise, has helmed and penned each and every chapter, and made Mad Max: Fury Road an astonishing piece of cinema that's one of the very best in every filmic category that applies. Still, between that kinetic, frenetic, rightly Oscar-winning movie and upcoming prequel Furiosa, Miller has opted to swish around romantic fantasy Three Thousand Years of Longing. He does love heightened drama and also myths, including in the series he's synonymous with. He adores chronicling yearnings and hearts' desires, too, whether surveying vengeance and survival, the motivations behind farm animals gone a-wandering in Babe: Pig in the City, the dreams of dancing penguins in Happy Feet, or love, happiness and connection here. In other words, although adapted from AS Byatt's short story The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, Three Thousand Years of Longing is unshakeably and inescapably a Miller movie — and it's as alive with his flair for the fantastical as most of his resume. It's a wonder for a range of reasons, one of which is simple: the last time that the writer/director made a movie that didn't connect to the Mad Max, Babe or Happy Feet franchises was three decades back. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that this tale about a narratologist (Tilda Swinton, Memoria) and the Djinn (Idris Elba, Beast) she uncorks from a bottle, and the chats they have about their histories as the latter tries to ensure the former makes her three wishes to truly set him free, is told with playfulness, inventiveness, flamboyance and a deep heart. Much of Miller's filmography is, but there's a sense with Three Thousand Years of Longing that he's been released, too — even if he loves his usual confines, as audiences do as well. Three Thousand Years of Longing is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BULLET TRAIN Buy the ticket, take the ride, strap in for an onslaught of frenetic locomotive-bound fights: that's high-octane action-comedy Bullet Train on- and off-screen. Set on a shinkansen hurtling from Tokyo to Kyoto, in as stylised a vision of Japan that anyone not named Quentin Tarantino has ever thought of, this neon-lit adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka's 2010 page-turner Maria Beetle couldn't be more onboard with its central concept. That premise isn't snakes on a plane, but rather assassins on a train — plus one snake, one of nature's hitmen, actually. Cramming all those killers onto a single engine sparks mayhem, banter and bodies, not to mention chaotic frays in the quiet car and almost every other space. And when it works, with John Wick and Atomic Blonde's David Leitch steering the show, Tarantino and Guy Ritchie alum Brad Pitt as his main passenger, and a lifetime's worth of references to Thomas the Tank Engine slotted in, Bullet Train is as OTT and entertaining as it overtly wants to be. It doesn't always completely work, however; every journey, zipping along on a high-speed train or not, has its dips. Still, there are plenty of moving parts trying to keep the movie in motion — and plenty of plot, for better and for worse in both instances. In his second 2022 action-comedy after The Lost City, Pitt plays Ladybug, who is back riding the hired-gun rails after a zen break packed with new-age self-help platitudes. That's what he spouts to his handler (Sandra Bullock, The Unforgivable) by phone, in-between rueing his bad luck, as he tries to carry out what's supposed to be an easy job. All that Ladybug needs to do is take a briefcase, then disembark at the next station. But that piece of luggage is being transported by British assassin double-act Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, The King's Man) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta), as they escort a Russian mobster's son (Logan Lerman, Hunters) home. To up the hitman ante, the shinkansen is also carrying The Prince (Joey King, The Princess) and Kimura (Andrew Koji, Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins), who have their own beef, as well as the revenge-seeking Wolf (Benito A Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny, Fast and Furious 9). Bullet Train is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BEAST Idris Elba fights a lion. That's it, that's Beast, as far as film pitches go at least. This South Africa-set thriller's one-sentence summary is up there with 'Jason Statham battles a giant shark' and 'Liam Neeson stares down wolves' — straightforward and irresistible, obviously, in enticing audiences into cinemas. That said, the latest addition to the animals-attack genre isn't as ridiculous as The Meg, and isn't a resonant existential musing like The Grey. What this creature feature wants to be, and is, is a lean, edge-of-your-seat, humanity-versus-nature nerve-shredder. Director Baltasar Kormákur (Adrift) knows that a famous face, a relentless critter as a foe, and life-or-death terror aplenty can be the stuff that cinema dreams and hits are made of. His movie isn't completely the former, but it does do exactly what it promises. If it proves a box office success, it'll be because it dangles an easy drawcard and delivers it. There is slightly more to Beast than Idris Elba brawling with the king of the jungle, of course — or running from it, trying to hide from it in a jeep, attempting to outsmart it and praying it'll tire of seeing him as prey. But this tussle with an apex predator is firmly at its best when it really is that simple, that primal and, with no qualms about gore and jump scares, that visceral. Elba (The Harder They Fall) plays recently widowed American doctor Nate Samuels, who is meant to be relaxing, reconnecting with his teenage daughters Mare (Iyana Halley, Licorice Pizza) and Norah (Leah Jeffries, Rel), and finding solace in a pilgrimage to his wife's homeland. But Beast wouldn't be called Beast if the Samuels crew's time with old family friend Martin (Sharlto Copley, Russian Doll), a wildlife biologist who oversees the nature reserve, was all placid safaris and sunsets. Beast is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER What do you call a movie filled with giant screaming goats, magic weapons vying for attention like romantic rivals, a naked Chris Hemsworth and a phenomenally creepy Christian Bale? Oh, and with no fewer than four Guns N' Roses needle drops, 80s nostalgia in droves, and a case of tonal whiplash as big as the God of Thunder's biceps? You call it Thor: Love and Thunder, and also a mixed bag. The fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to focus on the now 29-title saga's favourite space Viking, and the second Thor flick directed by Taika Waititi after Thor: Ragnarok, it welcomely boasts the New Zealand filmmaker's playful and irreverent sense of humour — and the dead-serious days of the series-within-a-series' first two outings, 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World, have definitely been banished. But Love and Thunder is equally mischievous and jumbled. It's chaotic in both fun and messy ways. Out in the cosmos, no one can swim, but movies about galaxy-saving superheroes can tread water. Thor Odinson (Hemsworth, Spiderhead) has been doing a bit of that himself — not literally, but emotionally and professionally. Narrated in a storybook fashion by rock alien Korg (also Waititi, Lightyear), Love and Thunder first fills in the gaps since the last time the Asgardian deity graced screens in Avengers: Endgame. Ditching his dad bod for his ultra-buff god bod earns a mention. So does biding his time with the Guardians of the Galaxy crew (with Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and company popping up briefly). Then, a distress call from an old friend gives Thor a new purpose. Fellow warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander, Last Seen Alive) has been fighting galactic killer Gorr the God Butcher (Bale, Ford v Ferrari), who's on a mission to do exactly what his name promises due to a crisis of faith — which puts not only Thor himself but also New Asgard, the Norwegian village populated by survivors from his home planet, at grave risk. It also puts Thor on a collision course with his ex-flame Dr Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, Vox Lux), who's changed dramatically since last they crossed paths. Thor: Love and Thunder is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. ORPHAN: FIRST KILL What's more believable — and plot twists follow: a pre-teen playing a 33-year-old woman pretending to be a nine-year-old orphan, with a hormone disorder explaining the character's eerily youthful appearance; or an adult playing a 31-year-old woman pretending to be a lost child returned at age nine, again with that medical condition making everyone else oblivious? For viewers of 2009's Orphan and its 13-years-later follow-up Orphan: First Kill, which is a prequel, neither are particularly credible to witness. But the first film delivered its age trickery as an off-kilter final-act reveal, as paired with a phenomenal performance by then 12-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman in the pivotal role. Audiences bought the big shift — or remembered it, at least — because Fuhrman was so creepy and so committed to the bit, and because it suited the OTT horror-thriller. This time, that wild revelation is old news, but that doesn't stop Orphan: First Kill from leaning on the same two key pillars: an out-there turn of events and fervent portrayals. Yes, a big twist is again one of the movie's best elements. Fuhrman (The Novice) returns as Esther, the Estonian adult who posed as a parentless Russian girl in the initial feature. In Orphan: First Kill, she's introduced as Leena Klammer, the most dangerous resident at the Saarne Institute mental hospital. The prequel's first sighted kill comes early, as a means of escape. The second follows swiftly, because the film needs to get its central figure to the US. Fans of the previous picture will recall that Esther already had a troubled history when she was adopted and started wreaking the movie's main havoc, involving the family that brought her to America — and her time with that brood, aka wealthy Connecticut-based artist Allen Albright (Rossif Sutherland, Possessor), his gala-hosting wife Tricia (Julia Stiles, Hustlers) and their teen son Gunnar (Matthew Finlan, My Fake Boyfriend), is filmmaker William Brent Bell (The Boy and Brahms: The Boy II) and screenwriter David Coggeshall's (Scream: The TV Series) new focus. Orphan: First Kill is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE FORGIVEN Patience is somewhat of a virtue with The Forgiven. It would be in it, too, if any of its wealthy white characters hedonistically holidaying in Morocco were willing to display the trait for even a second. Another addition to the getaways-gone-wrong genre, this thorny satirical drama gleefully savages the well-to-do, proving as eager to eat the rich as can be, and also lays bare the despicable coveting of exoticism that the moneyed think is an acceptable way to splash plentiful wads of cash. There's patently plenty going on in this latest release from writer/director John Michael McDonagh, as there typically is in features by the filmmaker behind The Guard, Calvary and War on Everyone. Here, he adapts Lawrence Osborne's 2012 novel, but the movie that results takes time to build and cohere, and even then seems only partially interested in both. Still, that patience is rewarded by The Forgiven's stellar lead performance by Ralph Fiennes, playing one of his most entitled and repugnant characters yet. Sympathies aren't meant to flow David Henninger's (Fiennes, The King's Man) way, or towards his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye). Together, the spiky Londoners abroad bicker like it's a sport — and the only thing fuelling their marriage. Cruelty taints their words: "why am I thinking harpy?", "why am I thinking shrill?" are among his, while she counters "why am I thinking high-functioning alcoholic?". He's a drunken surgeon, she's a bored children's author, and they're venturing past the Atlas Mountains to frolic in debauchery at the village their decadent pal Richard (Matt Smith, Morbius) and his own barbed American spouse Dally (Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram) have turned into a holiday home. Sympathy isn't designed to head that pair's way, either; "we couldn't have done it without our little Moroccan friends," Richard announces to kick off their weekend-long housewarming party. But when the Hennigers arrive late after tragically hitting a local boy, Driss (Omar Ghazaoui, American Odyssey), en route, the mood shifts — but also doesn't. The Forgiven is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING Timing is everything in Where the Crawdads Sing, the murder-mystery melodrama set in America's Deep South that raced up bestseller lists in 2018, and now reaches cinemas a mere four years later. Its entire narrative hinges upon a simple question: did North Carolina outcast and recluse Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fresh), cruelly nicknamed "the marsh girl" by locals, have time to speed home from an out-of-town stay to push star quarterback Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson, The King's Man) from a fire tower, then resume her trip without anyone noticing? On the page, that query helped propel Delia Owens' literary sensation to success, to Reese Witherspoon's book club — she's a producer here — and to a swift film adaptation. But no timing would likely have ever been right for the movie's release, given that Owens and her husband are wanted for questioning in a real-life murder case in Zambia. Unlike the film, those off-screen details aren't new, but they were always bound to attract attention again as soon as this feature arrived. One of the reasons they're inescapable: the purposeful parallels between Owens' debut novel and her existence. Like Kya, Owens is a naturalist. The also southern-born author spent years preferring the company of plants and animals, crusading for conservation causes in Africa. Where the Crawdads Sing is timed to coincide with Owens' own life as well; it's set in the 50s and 60s and, as a child (played by Jojo Regina, The Chosen) and a teenager, Kya is around the same age that Owens would've been then. Another reason that the ways that art might link with reality can't be shaken, lingering like a sultry, squelchy day: what ends up on-screen is as poised, pristine and polished as a swampy southern gothic tale can be, and anyone in one. There's still a scandal, but forget dirt, sweat and anything but lush, vivid wilderness courtesy of filmmaker Olivia Newman (First Match), plus a rustic hut that wouldn't look out of place on Airbnb. Where the Crawdads Sing is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MURDER PARTY If Amelie and Knives Out combined, the end result would look like Murder Party. If Wes Anderson and Agatha Christie joined forces, the outcome would be the same. It's highly unlikely that first-time feature writer/director Nicolas Pleskof and his co-scribe Elsa Marpeau (Prof T) were ever going to call this feature Murder in the Game-Filled Mansion or Death While Rolling the Dice, but that's the overwhelming vibe. There's an escape room element, too — thankfully, though, nodding towards the Escape Room franchise isn't on the agenda. Murder Party's characters get stuck in intricately designed locked spaces and forced to piece together clues to secure their freedom, and are only permitted to remain breathing by keeping their wits about them, but no one's in a horror movie here. The feature starts with a killer setup: an eccentric crew of relatives, their brightly hued home on a sprawling country estate, an usual task given to a newcomer and, naturally, a sudden passing. Architect Jeanne Chardon-Spitzer (Alice Pol, Labor Day) is asked to pitch a big renovation project to the Daguerre family, transforming their impressive abode so that living there always feels like playing a game (or several). Patriarch César (Eddy Mitchell, The Middleman) already encourages his brood to enjoy their daily existence with that in mind anyway, including dedicating entire days to letting loose and walking, talking and breathing gameplay. But he's looking for a particularly bold next step. He's unimpressed by Jeanne's routine proposal, in fact. Then he drops dead, the property's doors slam shut and a voice over the intercom tells the architect, plus everyone else onsite, to undertake a series of challenges to ascertain the culprit among them — or be murdered themselves. Murder Party is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Read our full review. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN If The Phantom of the Open was part of a game of golf, rather than a movie about the club-flinging, ball-hitting, bunker-avoiding sport, it wouldn't be a hole in one. It couldn't be; perfection doesn't suit the story that director Craig Roberts (Eternal Beauty) and screenwriter Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2) are telling, which is as real and as shaggy — as so-strange-it-can-only-be-true, too — as they can possibly come. That other key factor in spiriting dimpled orbs from the tee to the cup in a single stroke, aka luck, is definitely pertinent to this feel-good, crowd-pleasing, happily whimsical British comedy, however. Plenty of it helped Maurice Flitcroft, the man at its centre, as he managed to enter the 1976 British Open despite never having set foot on a course or played a full round of golf before. It isn't quite good fortune that makes this high-spirited movie about him work, of course, but it always feels like a feature that might've ended up in the cinematic long grass if it wasn't so warmly pieced together. When Maurice (Mark Rylance, Don't Look Up) debuts on the green at the high-profile Open Championship, it doesn't take long for gap between his skills and the professionals he's playing with to stand out. In the words of The Dude from The Big Lebowski, obviously he's not a golfer — although what makes a golfer, and whether any sport should be the domain of well-to-do gatekeepers who reserve large swathes of land for the use of the privileged few, falls into The Phantom of the Open's view. So does a breezily formulaic yet drawn-from-fact account of a man who was born in Manchester, later settled in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and spent much of his life as a shipyard crane operator, providing for his wife Jean (Sally Hawkins, Spencer), her son Michael (Jake Davies, Artemis Fowl), and the pair's twins Gene (Christian Lees, Pistol) and James (Jonah Lees, The Letter for the King). Maurice had never chased his own dreams, until he decided to give golfing glory a swing. The Phantom of the Open is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and our best new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies from the first half of 2022. Or, check out the movies that were fast-tracked to digital in January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August.
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who think the movie Legally Blonde is awesome, and those who are wrong, so plain wrong. Reese Witherspoon's adventure as Elle Woods, the Malibu sorority girl who goes to Harvard Law for all the wrong reasons and yet finds it's just the right place for her, is a 2001 classic that's totally hilarious, surreptitiously full of heart, and a pillar of the teen girl-power canon. And with all its exuberance, kitsch, and preposterous costume, it was ripe to make the hop from celluloid to the musical theatre stage. Legally Blonde: The Musical opened on Broadway in 2007 to widespread 'snaps' of approval. Now that show's original director and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, has reproduced the spectacular on the Lyric stage with a knockout Australian cast. Avenue Q or The Book of Mormon it ain't, but Legally Blonde is still a hipper musical than most and a great excuse to leave your cynicism and 'thinking brain' at the door for a night of giddy, gratifying musical theatre that will have you grinning like a golden retriever puppy. The numbers here are big and seductive. It opens with the all-in 'Ohmigod You Guys' as Elle (Lucy Durack) prepares with her Delta Nu sisters for an impending proposal from boyfriend Warner (Rob Mills), and the uber-catchy, always-apt refrain happily reappears throughout the show. Things briefly take a turn for the wistful when its revealed Warner and Elle have their lines crossed on what it means to get 'Serious', as Warner dumps Elle to begin his fast track to political candidacy via Harvard Law School. He now needs a Jackie, not a Marilyn, he memorably tells her. Heartbroken, she resolves to become that serious partner, applying herself to her studies for the first time so she can blitz the SATs and join him at the prestigious university. But, as we all know, being something other than who you are is a recipe for disaster, and Elle learns that in a glorious, individuality-affirming way. The only musical number that equals the charm of 'Ohmigod You Guys' is the courtroom drama 'There! Right There!' (also known as 'Gay or European'), but solid songs dot the performance, from Elle's turning-point mantra 'Chip on My Shoulder' to the energetic exercise routine 'Whipped Into Shape' from Brooke Wyndham (model Erika Heynatz making her impressive musical debut) and 'Blood in the Water' from legal shark Professor Callahan (Cameron Daddo), which drips with cartoon villainy in a manner reminiscent to Scar preparing to kill Simba. Occasional dashes of contemporary pop and hip hop are welcome in the typically Broadway broth, although the forays into Irish folk are a little stranger. The performers really make this production, as they're beautifully cast. Durack, last seen as Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, effuses high energy and total adorableness as Elle. Mills has well and truly come good in the musical theatre world since his Idol days, and he does 'caddish and slightly infuriating' really, really perfectly. Thesp Helen Dallimore gets sweetly garish as Paulette, and David Harris is a strong presence as Elle's new, better love interest, Emmett. The performers do well just to hold their own against the four dogs playing Bruiser and Rufus, whom audiences are clearly smitten with. It must be said, however, that this Elle Woods does not rock as much as Witherspoon's, and it's through no fault of Durack's. It's that composers Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and director Jerry Mitchell have increased Emmett's role to the point where he often stands in for Elle's intellect and morality, stripping her of her own agency, which drove her arc in the film. Now, it's Emmett who pushes Elle into reorientating her attention towards her studies in 'Chip on My Shoulder', rather than her making that change of her own reckoning, and Emmett even prompts her first legal victory, where she reclaims Paulette's dog. In return, she gives him a makeover (ugh). You can see why they've done it — to centralise the romantic plot for a mainstream audience and to theatricalise her internal journey for the big stage — but the consequences are disappointing to anyone who valued Legally Blonde precisely because of Elle's independence. (Outside of gender politics, the creative team also seems to have decided that the source of Elle's pep is Red Bull, which seems to miss the point of the story's supposedly central message of embracing your true, natural self, whatever it may be. No?) But that's already too much serious talk for a buoyant musical with sets that unfurl like pretty Transformers, costumes that dazzle, and songs you'll download to iTunes in secret. Its simple philosophy is that femininity can be a strength and not a weakness. And that positivity is cool. And that pink goes with everything. This review was written about the Sydney opening night performance of Legally Blonde at the Lyric Theatre.
Roll up, roll up to Brisbane's newest festival, CIRCFest22 Meanjin, which is all about physical theatre and circus. But don't go expecting big tops, ringmasters and lions here. Yes, there'll be acrobatic displays. There'll also be clowns, too. This definitely isn't your stereotypical circus, though. Running from Thursday, April 21–Sunday, May 1, this debut event features ten days of shows spanning physical feats, burlesque, drag and more — with 114 performers on the bill, 76 sessions taking place and six venues playing host. So, whether you head to Brisbane Powerhouse, Metro Arts and The Tivoli, or to La Boite Theatre, The Ron Hurley Theatre or the Kingston Butter Factory, you're in for quite the display, with the new fest coming to fruition thanks to partnership with international circus centre Tohu in Montreal. Highlights include not one, not two, but three shows by Briefs Factory; Arterial, which focuses on First Peoples' connection with Country; the horror-skewing The Long Pigs, as set in an abattoir; and Finucane & Smith's circus-meets-disco experience Diva Dive. There's also High Tea With BOOFF, an immersive Tim Burton-esque show that, yes, includes tea and biscuits; intergenerational circus courtesy of Casting Off; and the family-friendly Monster Siege, which takes place at Musgrave Park.
The curtains are raising in Brisbane this spring — and summer and next autumn, too — with the city's theatre schedule jam-packed with big-name stage musicals. First, Mary Poppins is flying into QPAC's Lyric Theatre. Next, Brisbanites will finally get their shot to see Lin-Manuel Miranda's game-changing Hamilton. And, after that, it'll be time to swoon over Moulin Rouge! The Musical. That's a whole heap of shows to see — some of the biggest theatre names there currently is, in fact — and your bank balance might be feeling the repercussions. Thankfully, timed with Mary Poppins' arrival, digital ticketing service TodayTix is also sweeping in, complete with its famed (and cheap) lotteries. If you've tried to score super-affordable tickets to Hamilton ($10!), Moulin Rouge! ($30!) or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child down south, then you'll know how it works. Otherwise, it's incredibly straightforward. To take part in whichever lottery happens to be running in Brisbane at the time, you'll need to download the TodayTix app — which is available for iOS and Android — and submit your entry each week. Well that and cross your fingers that you're selected. The first Mary Poppins lottery is open now, offering up tickets for $45 per person, and closes at 1pm AEST on Thursday, October 20. Winners will then be drawn between 1–6pm that same day — and if your name is picked, you'll have an hour to claim your tickets from when you receive the good news. You'll want to be glued to your phone that afternoon; if you don't get in within that 60-minute window, your tickets will be given to someone else. The debut lottery covers performances for dates between Saturday, October 22–Sunday, October 30. From then onwards, you'll be entering on a Friday, then hearing if you're successful on the following Thursday, all for performances that start the next week. And, if you need a reminder, you'll also be able to sign up for lottery alerts via Today Tix, too. "After only operating in Australia for over a year before the global shutdown, bringing democratised, user-friendly cultural e-commerce technology to local audiences is more important than ever," said TodayTix Group CEO and co-founder Brian Fenty, announcing the Brisbane launch. "Through our exciting partnerships with QPAC, Michael Cassel Group and many others, we could not be happier about increasing access to the arts by bringing TodayTix to Brisbane. We are so excited to be partnering with such high-calibre productions right away and look forward to further promoting Brisbane's fantastic cultural offerings. As for the production of Mary Poppins itself, it hails from Disney and theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh, and tells the same enchanting tale that everyone knows from the hugely popular, five-time Oscar-winning 1964 film — which, as well as inspiring this stage adaptation, also gave rise to big-screen sequel Mary Poppins Returns in 2018. Everything to do with the English governess harks back to PL Travers' books about the character, of course, and pop culture has been thankful for and downright delighted with her stories for almost six decades now. When it soars through its Brisbane season between Saturday, October 22–Sunday, December 11, local theatre fans can look forward to a new version of the show that last graced Australia's stages — and won eight Helpmann Awards — back in 2011. Since Mackintosh first teamed up with writer Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) to bring Mary Poppins to the theatre in 2004, the production has won four Olivier Awards and a Tony as well. Mary Poppins' Brisbane season kicks off on Saturday, October 22 at QPAC's Lyric Theatre. Visit the musical's website for further details. To enter the Today Tix $45 lottery, download the company's iOS or Android app, and head to the company's website for more information — and to set up an alert. Images: Daniel Boud.
If you're just a hunk, a hunk of burning love for the one and only Elvis Presley, and you live in Australia, you've been having quite the few years. A massive exhibition dedicated to the king of rock 'n' roll came our way, Baz Luhrmann's AACTA-winning and Oscar-nominated biopic Elvis wowed fans, and Sofia Coppola's Cailee Spaeny-starring Priscilla has also hit the big screen. Also on offer: a new Presley-focused stage musical that debuted in Sydney in 2023 and plays southeast Queensland from Saturday, June 15. Called Elvis: A Musical Revolution, this production features more than 40 of the singer's hits, because there's just that many songs to include. All of the expected favourites are worked into the biographical musical, which means everything from 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Hound Dog', 'That's All Right' and 'All Shook Up' through to 'Suspicious Minds', 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Burning Love' and 'Blue Suede Shoes'. 'Good Rockin' Tonight', 'Earth Angel', 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'Are You Lonesome' get a whirl as well, as do 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', 'See See Rider', 'Can't Help Falling in Love' and 'A Little Less Conversation'. That's what the show's audience hears. As for what everyone sees — what makes the musical one for the money, naturally — the production's story tells Elvis' tale from his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi through to his triumphant '68 Comeback Special. If you've seen the aforementioned Elvis, none of it will be new news, but Elvis: A Musical Revolution works its hip-swinging magic anyway. On the Gold Coast, Elvis will be in the building at HOTA, Home of the Arts. Starring Rob Mallett (House Husbands, Singin' in the Rain), Elvis: A Musical Revolution hails from David Venn Enterprises, which has also been behind Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical, The Wedding Singer and Bring It On: The Musical — and arrives via a partnership with Authentic Brands Group, the owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Also behind the scenes, the musical's book comes courtesy of David Abbinanti and Sean Cercone — who have Saturday Night Fever: The Musical and Ghost: The Musical on their resumes — with Abbinanti also composing the orchestrations, arrangements, and additional musical and lyrics. Images: Ken Leanfore / Daniel Boud. Updated Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Mass environmental protests will flood the streets of Australia on Friday, September 20, when thousands of people across the country walk out of school and work to demand action on climate change. Part of the Global Climate Strike movement, and organised locally by School Strike 4 Climate, events will be held in cities and towns across the nation — not only in state capitals such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but in more than 100 Aussie spots. With the United Nations' Climate Change Summit happening on Monday, September 23 in New York, the huge worldwide protests are timed to send a message. Taking place in 120 countries, they're the latest initiative to take the climate crisis to the streets, building upon the outcry expressed in other rallies this year. In March, a Global Climate Strike for Future attracted 1.4 million people around the globe. This week's strikes have significant community backing this time, too — thousands of Australian school students are expected to walk out of class to attend, more than 30 unions have pledged their support, and over than 1200 Australian and global businesses have committed to giving their employees time off so that they can head along as well. As well as drawing attention to Australia's horrific two years, weather-wise — as seen via soaring temperatures, prolonged drought conditions and the horrific bushfires that have plagued the Queensland and NSW for the last fortnight — protestors are fighting for three specific demands. They're asking for a ban on new coal, oil and gas projects, including the recently approved Adani mine; that 100-percent energy generated and exported by 2030 comes from renewable sources; and the funding of fair transition processes, including the provision of jobs, for fossil fuel industry workers and the communities currently reliant upon the sector. Unsurprisingly, most places across Australia can expect disruptions and delays on Friday as a result of the strikes, including possible road closures and traffic diversions. If you're planning to join the crowds or you're pondering your transport options for the day, here's how the events will go down in your city. And here are a few placard ideas, too: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ev1lbHuwE/?igshid=yaz9l9ueayup SYDNEY Sydney protestors will converge on The Domain on Art Gallery Road at 12pm, then march to Hyde Park — heading down Macquarie Street, then along Elizabeth Street and ending on Park Street. For those keen to march through the city beforehand, a Global Climate Strike bridge walk will set off from Bradfield Park near Milsons Point Station at 10am. Accompanied by a marching band, walkers will stroll over the Harbour Bridge, then continue along the Cahill walk to The Domain. If you're looking for a caffeine hit before the strike, Single O in the CBD and Surry Hills will be doling out free coffees to protesters between 10–11.30am — don't forget to BYO cup (obviously). For public transport and traffic updates on the day, check Transport NSW and Live Traffic Sydney. MELBOURNE Melburnians will start their protest at the Treasury Gardens on Spring Street at 2pm, with people advised to arrive from 1.30pm. After a Welcome to Country, speeches and performances, a march will take place from 3pm. Protestors will walk down to Collins Street, keep going until Exhibition Street, then head down to Flinders Street — which'll bring them back to the gardens. If you're commuting to the strike via train, you may want to join one of the four pre-strike train parties — on the Belgrave, Mernda, Craigieburn and Upfield — where there'll be snacks, chanting, singing and dancing. For public transport and traffic updates on the day, check Yarra Trams and Vic Traffic. BRISBANE Brisbanites will assemble in Queens Gardens on the corner of George and Elizabeth Streets from 12.30pm, with speeches commencing at 1pm and a march to Musgrave Park — via Victoria Bridge — starting at 1.30pm. More speakers and performances will follow in West End's Musgrave Park until 4pm. Unions and workers will also be marching to Queens Gardens beforehand, meeting at 12.30pm at Brisbane Square in Reddacliff Place. For public transport and traffic updates on the day, check Translink and Qld Traffic Metro. Australia's Global Climate Strike protests will take place at various times on Friday, September 20. For further details, visit the School Strike 4 Climate website. Top image: School Strike
Returning for its third iteration, The Fork Festival sees top restaurants across the country offering sit-down meals for half the usual price. Yep, 50 percent off your total food bill, folks — think of it as the proverbial carrot luring you out of the house. Kicking off on Monday, February 15, the offer is a blessing for those feeling a little light-pocketed after Christmas, NYE and Valentine's Day. To snag a half-price meal, you just need to make a reservation through The Fork website or app at one of the participating eateries for any service (breakfast, lunch or dinner) during the six weeks. There are some great venues coming to the party, too. In Sydney, you'll find cheap eats at the likes of Tayim in The Rocks, Marrickville's Poor Toms Gin Hall, No 1 William in Darlinghurst, Cottage Point Inn, Dulwich Hill's Bambino Torino Pizza and Lone Star Rib House in Blacktown. [caption id="attachment_701766" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tayim by Guy Davies[/caption] Brisbane's lineup includes the CBD's Pool Terrace and Bar, Baos Pop Bistro in South Brisbane and Albion's Nutmeg Indian Cuisine, while Melbourne's Giro d'Italia, Undercover Roasters, Don Taco, Temple Brewing Co and Tulum Restaurant will all serve up discounted eats — as soon as they're allowed to reopen, of course. All of Victoria is currently under a snap five-day lockdown until 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 17, and restaurants can only serve up takeaway until then. You might want to revisit an old favourite or you could get a little adventurous and road-test somewhere new. Either way, there's ample time to squeeze in a fair few discount feasts before the festival wraps up on Sunday, March 28. The Fork Festival runs from Monday, February 15–Sunday, March 28 at select restaurants nationwide, excluding the NT and Tasmania. Victoria's Fork Festival will begin when restaurants reopen. Top image: Giro d'Italia by Parker Blain
While some of us appreciate the cosiness of winter, others can't wait until warmer weather returns. Now is your chance to become someone who loves the cold, as Tourism Tasmania has just opened its Winternship applications. With ten lucky participants heading to Tassie to undertake an internship experience that helps them become winter people, embracing the cold and damp could change your life. From caring for adorable local wildlife and maintaining historic chairlifts to foraging in tunnels for tasty mushrooms, there's every prospect you'll discover a new passion, while realising that perhaps spending your days on a windswept hillside isn't so bad after all. So, pull on your thickest socks and don your favourite beanie, as these Winternships are perfect for changing the pace of your daily life. For instance, the Sauna Skipper experience sees a Wintern keep the temperatures toasty at the woodfired Kuuma Nature Sauna — a floating relaxation adventure soaked in natural beauty. For something more upbeat, head to Penguin's Hideaway Farmlet, where the Goat Doofer Wintern is tasked with hosting a mini music festival for a vibe-seeking herd. Then, night owls are primed for the Devil Sitter position, as they'll babysit Tasmanian devils who love to shriek, screech and growl from dusk to dawn. If Tassie's burgeoning culinary scene is more your mood, Tunnel Hill Mushrooms is looking for recruits to grow, pick and prepare their award-winning mushrooms, cultivated inside an old railway tunnel. Meanwhile, McHenry Distillery — the southernmost distillery and brewery in the world — invites a spirit-loving Wintern to learn whisky's tricks of the trade from amid the remote Tasman Peninsula. With several more Winternships to explore, there's no shortage of ways to discover what's special about the cold. "Tasmanians are winter people at heart, so we don't just endure winter, we celebrate it," says Sarah Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Tasmania. "We're inviting Winterns to dive head-first into our winter culture that's probably a bit different to their home state. From babysitting Tasmanian devils to fragrance foraging, there's something for everyone in Tasmania this off-season. We guarantee you'll head home with some different skills and most importantly, a new take on winter." Ready to toss your woolly hat in the ring? Tourism Tasmania's Winternship applications are now open until Tuesday, June 17. To enter, simply write a short submission of fewer than 50 words, explaining why you want to become a winter person. If chosen, you'll have your travel covered and be guided by local experts throughout your stay. Plus, you'll return home with a selection of Tasmania's best seasonal produce and goods, handpicked by your hosts. Tourism Tasmania's Winternship applications are now open until Tuesday, June 17. Head to the website to learn more and submit your application.
If you've had one high tea, then you know what you're in for — right? That's not the case at W Brisbane's High Tea of Aus. It comes with a distinctively local flavour. As great at scones and sandwiches are (and then more scones and more sandwiches), this weekend feast takes its cues from Aussie favourites, although not as you know them. Serving up meat pies, lamingtons and milo as part of its spread, the hotel is calling its dishes 'reimagined versions' of these trusty favourites — and you can't go wrong where all three are concerned. Keeping the theme going, other treats feature Toowoomba free-range eggs, Fraser Island crab and quandong. Running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for two-hour sessions between 11am–2pm, the high tea comes with unlimited tea for $55 per person, but can also include Veuve Clicquot Champagne, a martini or a strawberry sour — which'll cost up to $79 per person, including food. Bookings are necessary, and can be made online. Images: Nikki To.
Whatever you already had planned for the last weekend of July in 2024, we recommend rejigging your schedule to fit in a trip or two to James Street. Once a year, this patch of Fortitude Valley throws a big food and wine party. Venues spanning the roadway not only take part, but get folks eating and drinking along the road. And for one day of it, the street itself shuts down to traffic from Arthur Street down to McLachlan Street, turning into a dining space instead. The event: the James Street Food and Wine Trail, which will return across Saturday, July 27–Sunday, July 28. 2024's run is a shorter affair than in recent years — 2023's trail took place across four days, starting on Thursday — but it'll still be jam-packed with venues and stalls. In fact, this year's Market Day on the Sunday will feature 39 stalls, the most in James Street Food and Wine Trail's 12-year history. If Hellenika is your favourite eatery in Brisbane, Greek or otherwise — or you can't go past sAme sAme's Thai dishes and two-storey venue, ESSA's moody space, the wine and people-watching at Cru Bar, or the frosty sweet treats at Gelato Messina — you'll already be a fan of the area and its impressive culinary options galore. Now, it's time to celebrate everything that makes the precinct one of Brisbane's go-to places for a bite and a drink. Prepare to have company, too, with more than 25,000 people anticipated to attend Market Day alone, filling out a 7500-square-metre space. As always, nothing says classic Brisbane like spending winter days feasting your way up and down this patch of the River City. The festivities start on the Saturday with a four-course set-menu champagne lunch at ESSA, bubbles at the freshly renovated Cru Bar and newcomers ēmmē hosting a Middle Eastern-inspired dinner, plus an aperitivo hour at The Calile's Lobby Bar. On the Sunday, Jocelyn's Provisions will have special sweet treats — and Gelato Messina will serve up limited-edition desserts across the entire weekend. The free-entry Market Day is the main attraction, of course, given that the picnic-style event turns James Street into a 300-metre-long outdoor dining room while also hosting live performances and live music. Get excited about ēmmē, Agnes Bakery, James & Antler and Sushi Room joining the lineup for the first time, the latter with live tuna carving. Arrive hungry, but don't expect to leave that way. The James Street Food and Wine Trail 2024 will take over James Street in Fortitude Valley from Saturday, July 27–Sunday, July 28. For more information, head to the JSFWT website. Images: JSI x Andre Cois.
It's a problem that everyone can relate to, and on more than one occasion. You reach for two socks, but despite your searching, you can only find a solo foot covering, sans partner in crime. It's all alone and destined to be deemed odd due to its lonely status. As the name suggests, Odd Sock! ponders this common predicament, attempting to offer an adventurous, amusing answer to the age-old question of lost socks' whereabouts. With The Mime Guy in the performer's seat, you also know what kind of show you're getting as slapstick, silent physical comedy ventures into the unknown sock universe.
Any design led by Norman Foster paired with the resources that Apple can muster is guaranteed to impress. And judging by renderings of Apple's new eco-friendly headquarters in Cupertino, CA, the design team heading the project have not disappointed. The development proposal for the so-called 'Apple Campus 2' was released this week on Cupertino.org. According to Slashgear, the 60.7 hectares site surpasses the U.S Pentagon in size. CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, has described the design as a "spaceship". And rightly so. The centre-piece of the entire construction is a circular structure that is to house research and development facilities, an auditorium with a 1000-person capacity and a fitness centre amongst many things. Perhaps the most impressive (and ambitious) feature of the Apple Campus 2 will be the underground parking lot which will allow 80 percent of the 60.7 hectare property to be landscaped under the guidance of an arborist. Interestingly, Mercury News points out that while Apple plans to "generate its own electricity from natural gas" at the new HQ, the plans don't consider the use of renewable energy resources. The design team behind the project includes Foster & Partners, ARUP and Kier & Wright. [via Inhabitat]
Over the past few years, it seems like Brendan Maclean has been everywhere: on Triple J, popping up in Baz Luhrmann’s Sydney-shot The Great Gatsby, making music and sharing his 140-character thoughts all over Twitter. Now he comes to Brisbane fresh from performing in Italy, France and New York, in a rare and intimate solo show. In A Fancy Evening with Brendan Maclean, expect his infamous covers of Leonard Cohen, Fleetwood Mac and Lady Gaga, as well as his original solo works. There’s a reason he’s been lauded and applauded by Amanda Palmer and Solange — and if you don’t already know why, here’s your chance to find out. A fancy evening with Brendan Maclean is one of our top six picks of MELT Festival. See the other five here.
There are thousands upon thousands of street signs all over New York City, but have they ever had rap lyrics on them? They have now. Street artist and graphic designer Jason Shelowitz, better known as Jay Shells, has combined his love of hip hop music and his brilliant sign-making skills to create the ongoing project titled 'Rap Quotes'. Shells creates "official-looking" red street signs with famous rap lyrics and puts them all over the streets of New York. From a distance the signs might look quite normal, but don't be mistaken by their official look; there are definitely rap lyrics printed on them. Shells has strategically placed the 30-plus signs at specific locations and street corners throughout the city, in the exact places by which the lyrics were inspired. For example, the lyrics "'Cause I want to be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz" by Kanye West were affixed onto a street pole on 106 and Park. According to Hip Hop Wired, Shells' first sign was inspired by the late rapper Big L. Now Shells' signs feature lyrics from Kanye West, Jeru the Damaja, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Heavy D, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, Jim Jones and others. https://youtube.com/watch?v=54yahfgbqQE Website ANIMAL posted a video of one of their team members following Shells around virtually every street corner in the city as he carried out his very site-specific project. In the video, Shells says he values people's inevitable interaction with the project. "The [signs] we put up this morning might already be gone. It depends what happy-go-lucky hip hop fan walks by one and scratches their head," he says. "I don't care if people take them. I would take them. I'm sure they're going to get taken. That's the good part about documenting it. They can live on that way." Via PSFK.
Here's a jolly good way to spend your summer: hitting up a regency era-inspired, spritz-slinging English garden at Lutwyche's Crown Hotel. Right up until the end of February, the recently revamped pub is giving itself a makeover, complete with wisteria and ivy — and you can spend Brisbane's sultriest days hanging out there. The Spritz Garden Pop-Up is a collaboration with French vodka label Grey Goose, so that's obviously what you'll be sipping. Head by any day you like to scope out the decor and the drinks menu — or, you can make a beeline to two specific events. Thanks to bottomless garden brunch sessions at 12–2pm on Saturdays, your weekend plans now involve 90 minutes of non-stop spritz teapot cocktails, plus a brunch dish — think: black truffle toasties, croque madams, prawn rolls, yellowtail kingfish topped with caviar, and confit duck — for $69 per person for a 90-minute sitting. And, on select dates — next at 1pm on Saturday, December 10 — there's also freshwater pearl jewellery-making classes — with tickets costing $65 per person to make one piece of jewellery, $85 for two pieces and $105 for three. Clearly, it's all very much influenced by Netflix's Bridgerton, and by the current regencycore trend. So if that's your thing, this'll be bliss.
On November 3, Palace Centro will become the most magical place in Brisbane, as all nine Harry Potter films grace the New Farm cinema's screens for 20 hours of wizarding wonder. BYO time-turner if you don't think you'll be able to stay awake. Nine films, you say? Yep, this really is a celebration of every Potter-related flick there is, which means the eight movie versions of J.K. Rowling's original seven books, plus the film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as well. Watch Harry, Hermione, Ron and co. spend their first day at Hogwarts, play quidditch, search for the deathly hallows and battle He Who Must Not Be Named. And, then jump back several decades earlier to explore the exploits behind one of their textbooks. The marathon will be a nice little catch-up before the Fantastic Beasts sequel (The Crimes of Grindelwald) comes out later in the month. Kicking off at 11am on Saturday and screening through until the following morning, Potterfest will also include plenty of other Potter nerdery, with dressing up in costume as highly recommended as a pint of butterbeer.
Plenty about the past couple of years has felt dystopian, but that isn't stopping one West End spot from indulging in an annual tradition. That'd be Archive Beer Boutique's signature event, its craft beer fest Armakeggon, which returns on Saturday, October 14. Obviously, the bar will still be around long after the shindig is over. It isn't the end times on Boundary Street. Head along, though, and you'll find a lineup extra-special beverages being poured through the establishment's taps until your beer-loving heart is content. Expect both new and rare brews, plus old favourites, too. For those after more than an out-of-the-ordinary drop of the yeasty good stuff, there'll also be games throughout the day, as well as live music and comedy providing a soundtrack. Entry is free from 11.30am, or you can nab a $35 VIP ticket to head in early at 10am and get sipping before the event opens to the general public. The paid option also includes a tasting paddle with four brews, plus a bacon and egg roll to line your stomach. Images: Archive Beer Boutique.
Fans of instrumental configurations and electronic pop are in for a real treat this week. Some of Brisbane’s most innovative musicians are taking the stage at the Judith Wright Centre to put on a great display of alternative, interesting music. Instrumental group, Mr. Maps and electro-pop trio, Hunz, have come together to release a split 7” offering and are putting on a joint performance to celebrate. Hunz’ brand of electronica features heavy beats and dreamy soundscapes, while Mr. Maps combines string and keyboard arrangements with traditional instuments like guitar and bass. Both acts have borrowed elements from each other’s sound to create new dynamics in the songs on their release. These new twists are sure to be featured in the performances of both, which should make for a great night of live music.
After a stack of time spent cooped up in your house this year, there are likely few creative outlets you're yet to have a crack at. At-home ceramics? Paint-by-numbers? Banana bread? Done, done and done. But the dessert slingers over at Doughnut Time might just have a new one for you, involving some crafty flair and a much-needed sugar rush. Roll up those sleeves and get ready, because it's time to try your hand at doughnut decorating. Having made a comeback under new owners, relaunching stores in Queensland and Victoria, the doughnut company has just unveiled its latest creation — a series of DIY doughnut kits. Each comes with four plain doughnuts and all the trappings needed to whip up some mini edible masterpieces, allowing you to recreate Doughnut Time signatures with the help of colourful glazes, sprinkles and other toppings. You can have a go at making your own version of the Caramilk Baskin, or perhaps attempt the chocolate-caramel fusion that is Life On Mars. There is even a vegan kit, if you prefer your doughnuts and decorations cruelty-free. Each DIY kit clocks in at $34, with shipping currently available to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. Folks in Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra, stay tuned — you'll be able to order kits to your cities in the coming days.
It's the first Australian-produced show to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. It's based on an adored Baz Luhrmann-directed, Nicole Kidman- and Ewan McGregor-starring film that hit cinemas more than two decades back. With its tale of star-crossed lovers set to a toe-tapping soundtrack, it's been a Broadway sensation. And, since 2021, Moulin Rouge! The Musical has finally been showing off its spectacular (spectacular) delights around Australia — next stop: Brisbane. If you're as keen to attend the production's River City season as its central duo are about each other (and about professing their affection through song), then you just might be able to nab yourself a cheap ticket. As has happened with Mary Poppins and Hamilton, a lottery is being held for the production's Sunshine State run. Via TodayTix, you can sign up for your chance to score a seat for just $30. Yes, that figure is accurate. Yes, this is your chance to see the acclaimed screen-to-stage musical for less than the price of a dinner. To take part in the lottery, you will need to download the Today Tix app — which is available for iOS and Android — and submit your entry each week for the next week's performances. The lottery will go live at 12.01am every Thursday morning, starting from today, Thursday, May 4, with winners drawn after 1pm on the following Wednesday. If your name is selected, you'll have an hour to claim your tickets from when you receive the good news. If you need a reminder, you can also sign up for lottery alerts via Today Tix, too. Playing QPAC's Lyric Theatre from Tuesday, May 16, Moulin Rouge! The Musical brings to life the famed Belle Époque story of young composer Christian and his heady romance with Satine, actress and star of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, the show is known for its soundtrack, celebrating iconic tunes from across the past five decades. The film was, too; however, the stage version backs up the movie's tracks with even more hit songs that have been released in the 20-plus years since the feature premiered. Usually, tickets will set you back $89–299 a pop — so the $30 lottery really is an absolute bargain. Moulin Rouge! The Musical will play QPAC's Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from Tuesday, May 16. To enter the Today Tix $30 lottery, download the company's iOS or Android app, and head to the company's website for more information — and to set up an alert. Images: Michelle Grace Hunder.
Renovating a house is stressful, as no shortage of television shows keep stressing. Trying to flip a house when you've been hexed for snatching back a $100 bill from a child? That sounds disquieting, and it also looks eerie and sinister in the just-dropped full trailer for The Curse. Forget the usual series about household makeovers, buying real estate, blitzing backyards and building dream houses — even though it's about a couple who hosts their own home reno program, this isn't that kind of show. Indeed, no one has watched an entry in bricks-and-mortar genre quite like this spoof, which gets Emma Stone (Cruella) and Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal) playing a focusing on home improvement on-screen — and having some bad luck. An initial teaser arrived in September, and now a full trailer has hit for the A24 effort, which looks like far from your average series on this topic. Unsurprisingly, Fielder doesn't just star but also co-created, co-writes and co-directs. In the first sneak peek, the Safdie brothers' collaborator Oneohtrix Point Never set the unsettling mood — and yes, not just the talent that made Good Time and Uncut Gems sound so unnerving but the sibling filmmakers behind both flicks are also involved in The Curse. Benny Safdie (Oppenheimer) co-stars, co-created, co-writes and co-directs, with Josh Safdie an executive producer. Fielder and Stone play Asher and Whitney Siegel, who host a show on HGTV — American pay TV network Home & Garden Television — called Fliplanthropy. Newly married, they're trying to have a baby, but find their plans disrupted after that incident with a kid in a carpark. Cue The Curse's title, obviously. Benny Safdie plays their producer, with Barkhad Abdi (Little America), Corbin Bernsen (White House Plumbers) and Constance Shulman (Search Party) also featuring. Like everything almost everything of late, it seems — Close, Beau Is Afraid, You Hurt My Feelings, Past Lives, smash-hit Australian horror movie Talk to Me, fellow TV series Beef, the return of iconic Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense to cinemas, the Nicolas Cage-starring Dream Scenario, Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, wrestling drama The Iron Claw — The Curse hails from A24. In Australia, it'll stream from Saturday, November 11 via Paramount+. Check out the trailer for The Curse below: The Curse will stream from Saturday, November 11 via Paramount+. Images: Beth Garrabrant and John Paul Lopez/A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7KkP68RZE THE DRY In The Dry, a man heads back to the drought-stricken town he grew up in for the first time in two decades, returning in the aftermath of a new tragedy and unearthing the still-blistering remnants of an old one in the process. An Australian Federal Police officer who left the regional farming community of Kiewarra under terse circumstances, Aaron Falk has the look of someone who long ago let the ability to display his feelings dry up — and while that isn't what the film's title refers to, Eric Bana plays the movie's protagonist as if it was. He's dogged and no-nonsense. He can shoot a glare at someone that's as severe as his profile, and often does. Twenty years after Chopper made Bana's name as a dramatic actor, rather than a sketch comedy star whose movie career began with The Castle, he's a canny pick for The Dry's lead role. As he stalks through his first Australian movie since 2007's Romulus, My Father, he silently simmers with intensity in every gaze; however, viewers already know that Bana never just plays the hard man — or, in his comic days, just one type of funny guy either. And so, in this big-screen adaptation of Jane Harper's award-winning novel of the same name, the audience can also spot that his unrelenting exterior holds back a storm of Aaron's pain and loss, all lurking behind an expression as parched as the yellowed fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. Conveying that balance of steely focus and buried heartache isn't a new task; tales on the page and screen are filled with characters, typically men and often those with a badge, who fit the type. But one of the reasons that Bana is so right for The Dry is that, in his hands, Aaron isn't merely the sum of his well-worn traits. Similarly, he isn't just a cookie-cutter conflicted cop in yet another small-town murder-mystery about a community torn apart by a young woman's death, never recovering, then rehashing their woes when another trauma arises. Directed by Robert Connolly (Paper Planes) and co-written with Harry Cripps (the forthcoming Penguin Bloom), The Dry is a whodunnit multiple times over. It boasts a vast lineup of characters and a stellar array of talent behind them (including Glitch's Genevieve O'Reilly, 1%'s Matt Nable and filmmaker John Polson, acting for the first time since Mission: Impossible II), but it's Aaron's journey that always demands attention. Indeed, one of the most intriguing aspects of this solid, engaging but rarely surprising Australian crime movie is how it's clearly stitched together from familiar elements — not just regarding its central character, but throughout the entire narrative — but, through Aaron, this tale of grief, guilt, secrets, stark truths, dusty fields and emotional desolation finds a way to resonate. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zLKbMAZNGI PIECES OF A WOMAN Everyone has heard the claim that women forget the pain of childbirth, with hormones and maternal stirrings washing away the agony of labour once a mother meets their bundle of joy. But in Pieces of a Woman, Boston-based expectant mother Martha (Vanessa Kirby, Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw) won't forget what occurred when her water broke, her husband Sean (Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy) remained by her side and midwife Eva (Molly Parker, Words on Bathroom Walls) delivered her baby. Neither will viewers of this daringly intimate drama from White God and Jupiter's Moon director-writer duo Kornél Mundruczó and Kata Wéber, thanks to a tense and harrowing 23-minute home birthing scene that plays out in one continuous take. The shot isn't the movie's first, but it does precede its title card — with the filmmakers making it plain that, after getting a front-row seat to Martha's trauma, the audience will now witness her attempts to stitch herself back together. That's Pieces of a Woman's storyline. Shattered instead of feeling ecstatic and complete, as she had anticipated, the feature's protagonist tries to work out how to go on. But her marriage has lost its lustre, her overbearing mother Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn, House of Cards) won't stop giving her two cents and, at Sean and Elizabeth's urging, there's also a court case to deal with. Pieces of a Woman doesn't lack narrative developments, involving both Martha and those in her bereaved orbit. However, after stepping through her life-changing moment in realistic detail, the movie makes the bold choice to explore its protagonist's emotional and mental state. The ravenous monster that is grief is just one factor. Pieces of a Woman is heartbreakingly unrestrained in showing how it feels to navigate loss, specifically the kind that isn't often addressed in society let alone in cinema. Just as effectively, though, the film also unpacks how women are constantly expected to stick to set roles, even when tackling what might be the most distressing thing that'll ever happen to a mother. No matter what's going on, Martha is always supposed to fit a type dictated by long-held ideas about being a woman, and her husband, mum and anyone else with an opinion can't quite accept her refusal to adhere to convention. Accordingly, in a career-best performance, Kirby weathers an ordeal rarely laid bare with such candour, does so via a dynamic and lived-in portrayal, and remains resolute about Martha's right to fracture and fray however she needs to. She's compelling to watch, in a feature that plunges viewers headfirst into Martha's experience. Nothing has been sanitised here, either by the filmmakers or by their unforgettably real and raw central character. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovIfo0Saht0&list=UUQ2zp9FmJzOG_JzUJ0A-FlQ MONSTER HUNTER It has been nearly two decades since writer/director Paul WS Anderson turned a video game hit into an action-horror franchise starring Milla Jovovich, so it must be time to try to achieve the same feat again. In good news, the married couple seem to have farewelled all things Resident Evil after 2016's abysmal Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (a reboot is in the works for a 2021 release, but neither are involved). In bad news, the dull and derivative Monster Hunter is on par with the worst that its zombie-fuelled predecessor served up — and, other than 2002's original instalment, the bulk of the undead saga is flat-out terrible. A filmmaker who also has 1995's Mortal Kombat on his resume, Anderson has a knack for bringing elaborate new worlds to the screen in detail, as video games always strive to. The ability to translate that task to the cinematic realm can't be underestimated. Anderson clearly agrees, because Monster Hunter even begins with text waxing lyrical about new worlds; however, once you create an intricate visual space, you need to do something with it. Monster Hunter's sandy deserts and craggy rocks aren't just a backdrop here, linking into the action and the movie's imagery in clever ways. But, they really shouldn't be the most interesting and inventive thing about the film. Given the storyline — also penned by Anderson, as based on the Capcom game series that dates back to 2004 — that outcome hardly comes as a surprise. Jovovich plays US Army Ranger Captain Artemis, but she really could be playing Resident Evil's Alice in a military uniform. Even with oversized critters roaming around and wreaking havoc, that's how generic Monster Hunter always feels, Jovovich's routine performance as another nondescript hero included. During a mission in the desert, Artemis is inexplicably sucked through a portal to a different dimension, watches giant monsters attack her team, and is then forced to befriend a warrior known only as The Hunter (Tony Jaa, Jiu Jitsu) in order to survive. The reluctant new pals don't speak the same language, which is where most of Monster Hunter's non-creature feature tension (and misplaced comedy) is supposed to spring from. When the titular beasties become involved, which is often, an onslaught of CGI monopolises the movie — and it really isn't as unnerving or engaging as Anderson hopes. At its most basic level, Monster Hunter delivers exactly what its moniker promises. There are monsters, there are hunters, and the two cross paths. A bewigged Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) also pops up, as does a human-sized cat cook called Meowscular Chef, but they're rare over-the-top highlights in a film that is too bland to be entertaining in a mindless, ridiculous way, and just meandering and monotonous in general. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been throughout the year — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, December 17 and December 26. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle, The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky, The Furnace, Wonder Woman 1984, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles and Nomadland. Images: Pieces of a Woman, Benjamin Loeb/Netflix.
Last month marked a step in Google's expansion beyond cyber space and into the physical realm, with the opening of the world's first Google store in London. The store is officially known as 'The Chromezone' and will be followed by a second store in Essex. But Google's colonisation of time and space is still in the exploration stage, the store selling only Google's Chromebook laptop and a few accessories. Arvind Desikan, head of consumer marketing at Google UK, said the "foray into physical retail" is "something Google is going to play with and see where it leads." Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Google has been busy scoping out the territory in India in its very own bus. Since 2009, the Google bus has functioned as a mobile internet cafe, stopping in a new town every few days to offer internet access to the local residents. The Google bus is a clever foray into an essentially untapped market, as internet usage in India currently lags well behind the West. Now we know what Google employees are doing with that paid weekly 'creative time' that makes the rest of us consider enrolling in an IT degree. While the Chromezone opening had nothing on the hype that surrounded the launch of Apple's Regent Street flagship, it nevertheless fuels tension between the two technology empires. Hopefully we've learnt a thing or two from the great clashes of empires past, and the two can figure out how to share the realm of time and space peacefully . https://youtube.com/watch?v=W4Faoo1wDag
Metro Arts is home to some of Brisbane’s best local art exhibitions and they have a great one for all art aficionados throughout August! The latest exhibition on display this month is Chatter by Hayley Brandon. Hayley’s brand of visual art within Chatter focuses on the nature of language in all its mediums and how it impacts on relationships and everyday occurrences. The Brisbane based artist bases a lot of her work around incidental experiences and how they can be reconceptualised into art through a variety of mediums. The exhibit launches on the 8th of August at 6pm, but if you can't be there for the opening, don’t fret! The exhibition will be on display until the 25th of August. Be sure to get along at some point and show some support for great local artistic talent.
It was Britney Spears who said it best. There are only two types of people in the world: the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe. Whichever category you fall into, there's no denying that, when done right, a dinner party is one of life's great pleasures. And, don't be fooled, there is definitely a right way to go about it. It's not rocket science, though — and that's where we come in. We've teamed up with Tempus Two to create your ultimate dinner party checklist. CURATE YOUR GUEST LIST (AND SEND OUT A PROPER INVITATION) So, you want to host a dinner party? First things first — who's around the table? Perhaps even more so than the food, the guest list is the most important element for a host to consider. It's all about striking the right balance between people who will keep the conversation both interesting (and, more pertinently, actually going), and a bringing together group of people who will get along. The guest list also hinges on the reason you're hosting in the first place — do you just feel like getting your people together? Looking to make an introduction? In this case, the 'why' will determine the 'who'. Guest list finalised, the next thing is to send out an invitation. This will set the tone from the outset — a casual text has a different vibe to a well structured e-invite or even a paper invitation. We love the touch of a proper invitation (be it paper or virtual) as it automatically makes your dinner feel like an event worth attending. SET THE MOOD Music is an often overlooked element of a dinner party. Ideally you want to soundtrack the evening with tunes that will both blend into the background while being interesting enough to cover any potential gaps in conversation. Low-tempo jazz and electronica are always winners — but a good DJ always knows how to read the room, so you shouldn't be afraid to mix it up if you feel the night going in a different direction. Although, we'd suggest that a dinner party probably isn't the right occasion to show off your latest Scandinavian scream metal find — it's probably better to keep the tunes a little more neutral. If the music provides the soundtrack for the night, how you prepare the room is akin to setting the stage. Lighting is key here — too bright and it might feel like you're in the office, too low and it might look like you forgot to pay your bills. Soft lights — think floor lamps and candles — are your friends here. Another nice touch is to bring in something from outside. Nice artwork is always a lovely touch, but flowers and the like really make a room come to life. PREP AS MUCH AS YOU CAN IN ADVANCE — OR EVEN GET IT CATERED As a host, it's all too easy to forget to actually enjoy yourself. And it makes sense — you're probably too worried about everyone else having a good time and making sure glasses stay full. But ideally, a dinner party is an opportunity to enjoy yourself and the company of the people you've invited. Do yourself a favour and do as much prep as you can before your guests arrive, so you have more time to have a good time rather than having to run back and forth from the kitchen. Want to really sit back and enjoy yourself? Go to the next level and get it catered — sure it's a little extra, but after all, it's hard to know these days just when you might be able to host your next dinner party. SERVE A LOW-ALCOHOL WINE TO KEEP THE GOOD TIMES GOING LONGER While you probably don't want to host a dry dinner party, you probably also don't want the night to potentially get out of hand. Plan ahead with an easy compromise: serve low-alcohol vino and keep the good times rolling. Tempus Two has just dropped an excellent range of low-ABV wines — they've got 30 percent less booze and calories than a standard bottle. The Lighten Up range includes top-shelf, low-alcohol pinot noir, prosecco and rosé, with each bottle clocking in at just four standard drinks. BEGIN WITH A SIGNATURE COCKTAIL This slick move is a surefire way to class up even the most casual of dinner parties. Yes, it's probably easier to pop a bottle of something, but a cocktail on arrival works better for two reasons. Not only can you serve these up to order, meaning latecomers can still enjoy a fresh drink when they arrive, but shaking or stirring in front of your guests adds a touch of theatre to the evening. And what's a dinner party without a bit of theatre? You could even go low-alcohol here, too — make a bubbles-based bevvie with a generous splash of Tempus Two Lighten Up Prosecco to start the night on the right note. For more information about the low-alcohol Tempus Two Lighten Up range, head to the website. Top image: Supplied
With Brisbane recording the first local Australian case of the new, more contagious B117 variant of COVID-19, Australia's internal borders have become a hot topic yet again — because that wasn't just a 2020 trend. Since the new case initially came to light on Thursday, January 7, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared the Greater Brisbane region a national hotspot, and a number of states have changed their border arrangements. As of late last night, on Friday, January 8, that includes Victoria, with the state closing its borders to all of Greater Brisbane. Victoria has declared the five local government areas currently under a three-day lockdown in Queensland — the Brisbane, Redland, Ipswich, Moreton and Logan local government areas — as red zones, effective at 11.59pm on Friday, January 8. This means folks from these areas are "cannot travel to Victoria unless an exemption applies", with exemptions "only granted in limited circumstances". The red zone declaration may have only come into effect overnight, but it covers anyone who has been in the Greater Brisbane area since Saturday, January 2. Accordingly, anyone who has visited the region in the past week and since left still won't be allowed entry into Victoria. https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1347517728307830789 As previously announced yesterday, Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services also advises that anyone who has already arrived in Victoria from Greater Brisbane since January 2 needs to get tested immediately — even if you don't have any symptoms — and remain at home or wherever you're staying until 6pm on Monday, January 11. You'll be under stay-at-home conditions, as if you were still in Greater Brisbane. A further assessment about the situation in Victoria will be made on January 11. As for how long the border ban on folks from Greater Brisbane will be in place, an end date hasn't been given. Victoria's borders are also closed to New South Wales, in response to the latter state's northern beaches cluster. As at Friday, January 8, Victoria has 39 active cases of COVID-19. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria, head to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website.
