Thanks to the ever-growing array of streaming platforms vying for your eyeballs — and the always-expanding catalogues of films and TV shows hosted on each, too — picking what to watch when you're settling down on the couch is rarely a simple exercise. Before winter is over, Australians will have another option to choose from, with new streaming service Paramount+ launching on Wednesday, August 11. The platform will actually rebrand the existing 10 All Access streaming service, with parent company Viacom CBS Australia and New Zealand bringing it into line with the global Paramount+ subscription offering that launched in America in March this year. For an $8.99 per month subscription fee, viewers can expect to scroll through — and try to pick between – more than 20,000 episodes and movies. That'll include films and series from Showtime, CBS, BET Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon, as well as from Paramount Pictures, the Smithsonian Channel and Sony Pictures Television. If you're the kind of viewer that loves rewatching your favourite flicks, you'll be able to head to Paramount+ to stream movies from the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, Transformers, Jackass, Batman and Dark Knight Trilogy franchises. Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Grease and Good Will Hunting will also be available on the service. And, on the TV front, existing series such as The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Why Women Kill, Charmed and SpongeBob SquarePants will find a new home. Paramount+ is betting big on new television shows being a big drawcard, though, so you can expect to add a heap of titles to your must-watch list. The new series of Dexter is one of them — and so is the Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Old Guard)-starring TV adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth; The First Lady, which sees Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) play Michelle Obama; Anne Boleyn, with Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) as the titular figure; and page-to-screen adaptation The Luminaries. New Australian dramas Five Bedrooms and Last King of The Cross are also destined for the platform, as are Melbourne-shot comedy Spreadsheet and coming-of-age feature film 6 Festivals. The list goes on, including spy drama Lioness, a TV adaptation of video game Halo and The Offer, a scripted drama about on the making of The Godfather. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaw6mUV3c6o In the US, Paramount+ will also stream Paramount Pictures' big cinema releases — such as A Quiet Place Part II and Mission: Impossible 7 — between 30 and 45 days after they hit cinemas. Whether that'll also happen in Australia from August is yet to be revealed. Paramount+ will launch in Australia on Wednesday, August 11, rebranding the existing 10 All Access streaming platform, with subscriptions costing $8.99. For further information, head to the Paramount+ website.
In the United States, Deadpool is officially the second highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, coming in just behind The Passion of the Christ. It's a point made directly to the audience during one of Deadpool 2's many fourth-wall-shattering moments, at once justifying the movie's own existence and letting us know that it knows that sequels usually suck. This particular follow-up, however, is definitely one fans were clamouring for. And they'll be delighted to find it once again delivers an outlandish blend of deeply meta comedy and ultra-violent action. Returning to don the Deadpool mask/burn victim makeup is Canadian newcomer and former Corrs percussionist Ryan Reynolds, whose talent for switching between dry sarcasm and affecting sincerity makes him perhaps uniquely qualified to steer such an unconventional character and film. This time round his alter-ego Wade Wilson finds himself on the cusp of parenthood, only to have the chance tragically wrenched away during the film's unexpected opening scenes (a surprise neatly reflected in the James Bond-style titles sequence featuring credits such as: 'Written By: the real villains of this film' and 'Starring: someone who clearly doesn't like sharing the limelight'). Seeking redemption, Wade first tries (and fails) to join the X-Men Who Aren't Popular Enough To Be Official X-Men, before finding himself tasked with protecting a troubled orphan named Russell (Julian Dennison) from the time-travelling assassin Cable (Josh Brolin). On paper, at least, it's a fairly conventional plot for a franchise that altogether mocks convention – to say nothing of the fact it also largely mirrors the storyline from last year's critically-acclaimed and patently better Logan (starring the unforgettable Hugh Jackman). But Deadpool 2 navigates this issue by peppering its script with literally hundreds of in-jokes, 80s references and endless winks to the audience. Admittedly they don't all land, but as the Inuit saying goes: swing at every pitch and you'll at least hit a few out of the park. Alongside Reynolds are most of the original film's key cast members, including Karan Soni, Leslie Uggams, Morena Baccarin and T.J. Miller. Opposite them, Marvel's current villain-du-jour Josh Brolin delivers the same reserved menace as Cable that he did as Infinity War's Thanos, albeit without the chin scars that make it look like he fell asleep on Roger Federer's racquet. Zazie Beetz of Atlanta fame also joins the team as the scene-stealing Domino, whose superpower is pizzas delivered fresh within 30 minutes or your money back, guaranteed. The challenge for director David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, John Wick) is to make fun of comic-book movies while still delivering one worth watching. As an exercise in subversion Deadpool 2 doesn't quite achieve the same level of success as the first film, opting too often to undermine its genre staples by prefacing them with glib one-liners. More successful are the jokes that take place during those sequences, or – even better – the darker twists this film puts on them without an accompanying gag. At one point, for example, Deadpool blocks a gun shot with his hand, only to then slide his now-gaping wound along the barrel and turn it on its handler to shoot him in the head. It's the kind of shocking violence you'll never see in a conventional Marvel movie and yet perfectly conforms to this character's unique, twisted style of problem solving. Thankfully, there are more than enough examples of this kind of gory comedy to keep Deadpool 2 comfortably in the successful column, right down to the closing credits scenes that sit amongst the movie's funniest moments. It may not be the romcom we deserve, but it's the one we need right now, and it's definitely worth your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86RtevtfrA
When it comes to taking to the streets, spraying some paint around and stencilling up a storm, Banksy isn't the only artist worth celebrating. In fact, street art is thriving in Brisbane — so much so that there's now a returning festival dedicated to it. That'd be the Brisbane Street Art Festival, which unleashes its third iteration around the city from March 31 to April 15. If you're wondering just what it involves, let us throw a few numbers and details your way: more than 50 Australian and international artists will create 50 large scale murals around town, for starters. And, of the seven international artists taking part, six are painting their first Australian works in Brisbane. Everything from live graffiti to live music to plenty of parties are on the bill, and at places as varied as QPAC, Sabotage Social, Toombul Skate Park and many a street around the city, too. If that all sounds rad — and it really does — then you have no excuse not to take part. Did we mention that classes, workshops and art battles are on the bill too?
Brisbanites venturing outdoors for the next two days could find the whole breathing thing a little less fun than usual — as you may have noticed, it's pretty smoky out there. As the result of bushfires burning across both Queensland and New South Wales, a layer of smoke has made its way across the city and is expected to stick around for at least 48 hours. Needless to say, it's affecting air quality, with the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science's air quality monitor labelling the Brisbane CBD, as well as areas in the city's east, south and west, as "very poor" on the afternoon of Monday, November 11. South Brisbane, Woolloongabba, Cannon Hill, Lytton, Rocklea, Wynnum, Wynnum West and Springwood are among the regions affected — so, a big chunk of the city. So is Flinders View, where Ipswich's readings are taken, and Southport, where the Gold Coast's levels are measured. Also in southeast Queensland, Mountain Creek at Buderim — where the Sunshine Coast's readings are taken — is listed as "poor". Only Deception Bay is marked as "good", while Mutdapilly between Ipswich and the Scenic Rim region ranks as "fair", as does North Maclean, where Logan's levels are measured. https://twitter.com/qldhealthnews/status/1193745571154018305 With air quality levels dropping overnight, Queensland Health has upgraded its warnings to Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ipswich residents. The government body suggests that everyone cut back on strenuous outdoor activities, as well as going outside in general — if you can. Those with chronic respiratory or heart conditions are especially advised to avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors where possible. It's also recommended that you carry your inhaler, follow your Asthma Action Plan, and keep your other medication with you for all breathing-related conditions. If you start experiencing symptoms, even if you're otherwise fit and healthy, seek medical advice. For those staying indoors, Queensland Health also suggests turning your air conditioner on — if you have one — and using it on recirculate mode. With Brisbane firmly in the grip of warm end-of-year weather, and temperatures expected to reach 34 on Tuesday and 35 on Wednesday, residents are also advised to be wary of the heat, as well as its combination with the hazy air. Drinking plenty of fluids, taking cool showers to keep your temperature down, soaking your feet in water and draping a wet cloth around your neck are also recommended. https://twitter.com/QldFES/status/1193597589360275461 With a State of Fire Emergency declared across 42 Local Government Areas in Queensland, including Brisbane — and with the Queensland Rural Fire Service continuing to battle numerous blazes across the state — this situation isn't likely to change quickly. Queensland FES expects that bushfire conditions will increase on Tuesday, and linger through until at least this coming weekend. It should go without saying, but as part of the State of Fire Emergency, the lighting of all types of outdoor fires is banned. At the time of writing, the service has 56 current bushfire incidents listed in Queensland. It has also given southeast Queensland from Wide Bay and Burnett down to the NSW border a fire danger rating of at least "very high" until Thursday, November 14 — jumping up to "severe" on Wednesday, November 13. You can keep an eye on the fires burning across the state at the Queensland Rural Fire Service website. For more tips on staying safe during smoky conditions, head to the Queensland Health website. Top image: Air quality in Woolloongabba via Darren Ward.
On a couple of occasions over the last year or so, McDonald's has spread some lockdown cheer by offering burger-loving customers free delivery. Now, with stores open for in-person dining around the country, it's doing something different — because there's a mighty big milestone to celebrate. Those golden arches have been towering over Australia for 50 years now, so of course Maccas is marking the occasion. On the bill: various different promotions, specials, deals and collaborations, starting with 50-cent Big Macs. You'll want to make a date with your local store on Friday, June 18, because that's when burger lovers can pick up the chain's best-known burg for just a dodecagonal coin at any of the brand's 1009 restaurants around the country. All you need to do is order through the My Macca's app, select the deal, then mosey on down to your closest McDonald's to pick it up. There'll be more promos to follow, too. This isn't the first time that the chain has run a heap of deals in a short span; however, these ones are hanging around for a while. When it comes celebrating a birthday, going big is the only option, so Macca's will be rolling out other yet-to-be-announced specials between right up until the end of August — with the details revealed each week from Friday, June 18.
Thought Brisbane had reached peak doughnut? So had we. It seems that the city's favourite doughy treat-making folks just can't stop opening new stores. To be fair, Brissie residents clearly can't stop eating Doughnut Time's intricately iced, deliciously filled, oozing round orbs of pastry tastiness either. Carindale is the latest suburb to get the Doughnut Time treatment, aka a green hole-in-the-wall serving up the kind of desserts you might've dreamed up as a kid, drawn a colourful picture of, and then been told things like that didn't really exist. Well, now the unicorns of the sweet world have become a reality, and they're all around town. You'll find the newest south-eastern spot in the Metropol Complex on the corner of Creek and Pine Mountain roads. And, as always, you'll also find their shelves filled with cleverly named concoctions that sound as good as they look. Picking highlights is becoming increasingly difficult with every fresh creation; however the Tim Tam-topped Cate Blanchett (with a mix of white, dark and milk chocolate glazes, topped with white chocolate curls), low-gluten All About That Bubble (cream, chocolate and mint glaze topped with mint Aero pieces and chocettes), vegan Sia Later (a red velvet doughnut with vegan butter cream frosting and freeze-dried raspberries) and limited edition It's Always A Gay Time (milk chocolate glaze, crushed biscuits, golden caramelised crepes and filled with honeycomb custard) are certain to get your stomach rumbling. For those keeping count at home, that brings Doughnut Time's Brisbane empire to nine and their recent openings around the city to five. The new Carindale outlet follows in the footsteps of Albert Street in September, Everton Park in August, East Brisbane in July and King George Square in June. Changing the state's coat of arms to a doughnut must be next. Find Doughnut Time in the Metropol Complex on the corner of Creek and Pine Mountain roads, Carindale, or check out their website and Facebook page for more information.
If the Oppenheimer side of 2023's Barbenheimer phenomenon has you wanting to find out more about the atomic age, this year's Jewish International Film Festival has your next viewing option: documentary A Compassionate Spy about physicist Theodore Hall. His tale didn't make the cut in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster, but he was part of the Manhattan Project team at Los Alamos, and also passed intelligence to the Soviet Union, as Hoop Dreams' filmmaker Steve James explores in one of JIFF's must-see efforts at its latest fest. When the Jewish International Film Festival returns for 2023, it'll hit up New Farm Cinemas from Thursday, November 16–Sunday, November 26. On the full nationwide lineup is a hefty 55 Australian-premiere titles spanning both flicks and TV shows — a selection of which is playing in Brisbane. Israel's Matchmaking hits JIFF's opening night after success at home, following a Jewish Orthodox man's romantic ups and downs in a film that's been likened to Romeo and Juliet — but Haredi and a comedy. Also on the 2023 program: Jack L Warner: The Last Mogul, a documentary focusing on one of Warner Bros' titular founders; The Engineer, about the manhunt for bombmaker Yahya Ayyash, as starring Emile Hirsch (Devil's Workshop); and documentary Erica Jong – Breaking the Wall, about the Fear of Flying author. The Brisbane bill also includes gangster comedy Hummus Full Trailer, musical Less Than Kosher, vino-fuelled doco Holy Wine and docudrama Munich '72 on its sizeable list. And, as is JIFF's custom, the program features a large contingent of movies that examine World War II, the Holocaust and their lingering impact. Expect to find Stella Goldschlag biopic Stella. A Life; the vengeance-laden The Jew; the Ukraine-shot, Yiddish-language SHTTL; Filip, which tells a tale of romantic pleasures amid the war; Delegation, about students visiting Poland's Holocaust sites and confronting their Jewish identity; and closing night's The Jewish Nazi?, a doco with Australian ties.
Never underestimate the importance of casting, or its influence. When a famous name barely appears at the beginning of a film, you can bet they'll turn up again later. When someone notable doesn't seem to have all that much to do, they'll likely become not just noticeable, but crucial. And when two actors best known for recent memorable roles are cast opposite each other, bringing some baggage with them might just be part of the plan. The latter proves the case with Angel of Mine, which pits The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's Lisbeth Salander against The Handmaid's Tale's Serena Joy. Kim Farrant's film isn't related to either the Swedish crime franchise or the huge dystopian TV hit, so that's not what literally happens— however with Noomi Rapace playing an unstable woman called Lisbeth, and Yvonne Strahovski portraying someone fighting for her family, the obvious springs to mind. Such comparisons aren't to Angel of Mine's detriment. While the Melbourne-shot movie is actually an English-language remake of 2008 French picture L'Empreinte de L'Ange, which is based on a wild true tale, both stars remain in their element. Rapace's career hasn't ever soared beyond the heights of her Dragon Tattoo days, but she's always been at her best playing complicated characters who are driven to exorcise their internal demons. Strahovski's fame took off when she became a resident of Gilead, and grappling with the complexities of womanhood and motherhood definitely suits her. Unsurprisingly, the two make a formidable duo, which is exactly what the story calls for. Adapted into English by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Luke Davies (Lion) and seasoned TV scribe David Regal (Rugrats), the psychological thriller not only unravels the ties that bind women and their children, but also explores how societal expectations can be a stumbling block for the fairer sex. When Angel of Mine introduces Rapace's Lizzie Manning, she's hardly anyone's ideal mum. Still grieving the loss of her infant daughter, she's separated from her husband Mike (Luke Evans) and shares custody of the primary school-aged Thomas (Finn Little), although her son would rather spend all of his time with his father. Things don't improve when, following a birthday party for one of Thomas' friends, Lizzie becomes obsessed with seven-year-old Lola (Annika Whiteley). Haunted by the girl, who looks just like her own daughter might if she had survived, Lizzie tries to befriend Lola's well-off parents (Strahovski, as well as Richard Roxburgh) to immerse herself in their lives. Just a few decades ago, the thriller genre was filled with tales about feverish fixations: by one-night stands (Fatal Attraction), vengeful nannies (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and over-enthusiastic friends (Single White Female), to name a few examples. Angel of Mine fits the same mould, to a point. Just how it deviates from that trend is part of the film's twists and turns, and therefore best discovered by watching — but as she demonstrated with her debut movie Strangerland, Farrant doesn't trade in standard narratives. Instead, the Australian filmmaker is fascinated by women's reactions to traumatic situations, how the world wants them to act during their most upsetting moments, and what happens when they stick to their guns. While saying anything more about the storyline is saying too much, how this idea ties into Angel of Mine proves one of its strongest elements. That said, the movie's ending is saddled with a hard task. Before its revelatory finale, the film sometimes struggles, relying so heavily on its leading ladies that it can miss the mark elsewhere. There's an uneasy air about Angel of Mine, which is wholly by design, however there's a difference between framing that's purposefully tense and unsettling, and scenes that become clumsy rather than disquieting. Still, given that Rapace and Strahovski turn in such stellar performances, no one can blame Farrant for pushing the pair, the characters' thorny friendship and their differing responses to a difficult situation firmly to the fore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hui0KpDzAwY
When Ana Lily Amirpour made her spectacular feature filmmaking debut in 2014, and made one of the best movies of that year in the process, she did so with a flick with a killer title: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. That moniker also summed up the picture's plot perfectly, even if the Persian-language horror western vampire film couldn't be easily categorised. Take note of that seven-word name, and that genre-bending approach. When Amirpour next made wrote and directed The Bad Batch, the 2016 dystopian cannibal romance started with a woman meandering solo, albeit in the Texan desert in daylight, and also heartily embraced a throw-it-all-in philosophy. Now arrives her third stint behind the lens, the hyper-saturated, gleefully sleazy, New Orleans-set blend of superheroes, scams and strippers that is Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon — which, yes, features a female protagonist (Jeon Jong-seo, Burning) strolling unescorted again, back under the cover of darkness this time. Mona initially walks out of a home instead of towards one, however. And Amirpour isn't really repeating herself; rather, she has a penchant for stories about the exploited fighting back. Here, Mona has been stuck in an institution for "mentally insane adolescents" for at least a decade — longer than its receptionist (Rosha Washington, Interview with the Vampire) can remember — and breaks out during the titular lunar event after gruesomely tussling with an uncaring nurse (Lauren Bowles, How to Get Away with Murder). The Big Easy's nocturnal chaos then awaits, and Bourbon Street's specifically, as does instantly intrigued drug dealer Fuzz (Ed Skrein, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) and a determined but decent cop (Craig Robinson, Killing It). With opportunistic pole-dancer Bonnie Belle (Kate Hudson, Music), Mona thinks she finds an ally. With her new pal's kind-hearted latchkey kid Charlie (Evan Whitten, Words on Bathroom Walls), she finds a genuine friend as well. Amirpour's movies sport a kinetic feel that's as natural to them as breathing is to watching audiences. Her love of movement shines through as brightly as moonlight, too — and Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon is another glowing example. Directed with style and boldness to spare, this is a garish, on-the-go, howling-at-the-sky kind of southern Gothic horror flick, purposefully and strikingly so. Slinking along with it is inescapable, whether Mona is unleashing her supernatural skills, navigating the French Quarter's hustle-and-bustle nighttime vibe, or wholesomely dreaming of a safer future. First, though, Mona has to break out of the bayou-adjacent facility she's been forced to call home, which happens in a grim, revenge-seeking, attention-grabbing fashion. The aforementioned nurse usually spits insults the straightjacketed, catatonic Korean detainee's way, including while clipping her toenails. Then the inmate snaps back into focus — maybe the moon that's stirred her? — and uses her gifts to wreak havoc. Without touching the nurse, or anyone else she imposes her will upon throughout the movie, Mona can take control of their bodies. There's no flesh-swapping (another spin on Freaky Friday, this isn't); here, via voodoo-esque physical manipulation, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon's main figure waves her hands or nods her head, then whoever's in her gaze does as she directs. That's a skill that comes in handy once she's out on her lonesome, meandering the city barefoot with threats lurking. It's also a talent that Bonnie observes during a fast-food store car park catfight, with Mona saving her bacon. Deciding that those telekinetic capabilities can be put to cunning, canny and profitable use — look out, strip-club patrons — Bonnie is swiftly offering up her companionship, and her home, although the metal-loving Charlie warns their new houseguest to be wary. Even if obvious nods to Alice in Wonderland weren't baked into the production design, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon would play like a fairy tale (a sweaty, seedy, go-where-the-night-takes-you fairy tale, but a type of fairy tale nonetheless). Its namesake wanders through an otherworldly realm, gets caught in perilous situations, learns lessons and benefits from something akin to magic — aka those just-awakened powers — to mosey forward. Thanks to the movie's moral code, she only deploys her paranormal prowess on folks who deserve it, or uses it to save herself, when the decision to bust out the mind control is hers alone. At its core, the film can be that straightforward. That said, it also stems from a director with a history with deceptive simplicity. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was about exactly what its title describes, after all, and yet it was also filled with oh-so-much more. Starting with easy-to-spot scaffolding, then building a glisteningly distinctive, eagerly detailed flick that couldn't have been crafted by anyone else: that's one of Amirpour's own super skills. Plenty of that pivotal talent comes through visually here, with gloriously atmospheric and neon-soaked help from Hereditary and Midsommar cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski. Indeed, anyone who thinks that style can't also be substance, can't sweep viewers into a film's mood and can't anchor everyone watching in a character's headspace, should be motivated to rethink their position. Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon's manic dance through New Orleans after dark is that immersive — and that means something. As thrust across the screen with scuzzy yet giddy flair, and set to a mesmerising soundtrack as well, this spirited picture proves as keen as can be to skip along with people, survivors all of them, that society usually casts aside. Speaking of casts: Jeon's magnetic performance is worth erecting an entire movie around, so Amirpour has. Quietly spoken but infinitely expressive in every look and move — and brimming with mystique — the film's lead is hypnotic; understanding why Charlie and Fuzz are so drawn to Mona isn't hard for a second. Young Whitten helps give Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon its sweetness, and a loveable odd-couple buddy-flick centre. Robinson is unsurprisingly effective and engaging as a cop with compassion, and also part of an immensely amusing chase scene. And opposite almost anyone other than Jeon, the mesh singlet-wearing Hudson would steal the show, revelling in getting trashy but remaining savvy. She takes a dauntless swing and it pays off; so does Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon on both counts.
UPDATE, November 25, 2020: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, SBS On Demand, Google Play and YouTube Movies. Has there ever been a filmmaker more suited to a story than Terry Gilliam and Don Quixote? In trying to get his adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' 16th-century novel off the ground for three decades, the Monty Python alum shares many a trait with the literary hero — they're both dreamers driven to persevere, and to see the world as they choose, regardless of the factors stacked against them. Given that Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has been in and out of production since 1989, the odds were rarely in the film's favour. Given that he turned a past failed shoot into making-of documentary Lost in La Mancha, it seemed like this movie would never come to fruition. But Gilliam kept toiling as funding came and went, and cast members too. Everyone from Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor and Jack O'Connell to Jean Rochefort, Robert Duvall, Michael Palin and John Hurt have been attached to the project at various points. Starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote now definitely exists, as if Gilliam willed it into being with the sheer force of his undying dedication. If you still feel like you need to see the film with your own two eyes to believe that it has finally been unleashed onto the world, that's perfectly understandable. Awaiting in this comic adventure is an obvious passion project — the clear product of a single-minded talent with a specific vision, boundless enthusiasm and the willingness to devote a big chunk of his life to a particular cause. It's also gleefully anarchic, a missive on both making and being transformed by movies, and a romantic ode to the unflinching combination of fantasy and fortitude. A straightforward version of the tale, this isn't. Instead, Gilliam steeps his filmmaker protagonist, Toby Grisoni (Driver), in several layers of Don Quixote connections. (If you're wondering how much humour the writer-director brings to the movie, he co-wrote the screenplay with his Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas scribe Tony Grisoni, who, yes, has an immensely similar name to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote's main character.) In Spain shooting a Quixote-themed commercial and sleeping with his boss' (Stellan Skarsgård) wife (Olga Kurylenko), Toby is reminded of his last visit to La Mancha, when he made a black-and-white version of the classic story for his student film. Alas, journeying down memory lane, and reuniting with shoemaker-turned-leading man Javier (Pryce), has repercussions. As Toby discovers, Javier has spent the past decade or so thinking that he really is the chivalrous knight. Spying the director's familiar face doesn't snap him out of it; rather, he believes that Toby is his squire and sidekick Sancho Panza. When Pryce's Javier bellows "you think you can hide from me?" while immersing Toby in his fanciful quest, it doubles as The Man Who Killed Don Quixote's statement of intent. This flick spent so many years eluding audiences, and now it's determined not only to exist, but to go forth and prosper on its own terms. Go forth, Gilliam does — with the feverish inventiveness that made his early greats such as Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen such delights, and with a sense of spectacle and occasion to go with it. But there's no mistaking that the filmmaker has much in common with the movie's cynical on-screen filmmaker, too. He knows the reality of his chosen business, and how difficult and convoluted it can be. He also knows what's at stake when you don't follow your dreams. Perhaps that's why The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is so joyous, even when it's ambling about and feeling more than a little shambolic in sections. The film is the product of a guiding hand who's pursuing his passion, is aware of the costs and challenges, and knows that anything worth having is worth working and fighting for. More than that, he's decided that the fruits of his sacrifice and labour are worth sharing as well. As a result, every frame, whether rollicking across dusty plains or literally tilting at windmills, is infused with a can-do, must-do, never-say-die attitude. And while they mightn't have been the director's original choices, Driver and Pryce's intensely committed performances possess the same spirit. After spending so long lost in La Mancha, Gilliam has found his way out, and he's in great company. The twist: even when this loony labour of love proves unsurprisingly indulgent, audiences will still want to get lost in the madcap epic along with him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pf17xRtthc
"Male chauvinist pig versus hairy-legged feminist" was the proposal. In a late-night phone call, Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) quickly tells Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) that her pins are smooth, but the sentiment — sexism vs. feminism — still stuck. She's the number one women's tennis player, riding high from a string of grand slam titles. He's a former champion well past his prime, with a fondness for gambling, talking and self-promotion. It should come as no surprise that King initially turned Riggs down. Why she changed her mind, what she was fighting for, and how their exhibition game made history informs Battle of the Sexes, a recreation of the match of the same name. Reuniting Stone and Carell after Crazy, Stupid, Love, and Carell with Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, King and Riggs' famous tussle inspires an engaging, entertaining effort — one that's as much about the showdown at its centre as it is the struggles it stood for. Pitting a boorish headline grabber against a woman striving for equality, and throwing in Australian tennis player Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee) as one of the villains, its contents are also incredibly relevant today. Battle of the Sexes introduces King doing the two things she'll become best known for: smashing it on the court and thrashing it out over prize money. Fresh from victory at Wimbledon, she demands the same amount of cash for women as is given to men. When US tennis association head Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman) declines, she starts her own competition with World Tennis magazine founder Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman). Enter Riggs, a locker room bet that he could beat any female player, and a public promise to put ladies back in the kitchen and the bedroom. At first King refuses to become part of the spectacle, but when Riggs plays Court and wins, the standing of women's sport is on the line. It's estimated that 90 million people watched the match worldwide. With its '70s-style visuals and upbeat attitude, a perfectly fine sports biopic could've easily resulted from simply pitting King's sympathetic protagonist against Riggs' over-the-top foil. But that's not quite what Battle of the Sexes sets out to do. With King also the first prominent female athlete to come out as a lesbian, her relationship with hairdresser Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) forms part of the story, as scripted by Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy. It's sensitively explored, evoking the excitement of falling for someone new as well as the confusion plaguing the married King. It also makes the parallels between her professional and personal troubles clear — and there's a reason that the prickly, naysaying Court makes such an apt inclusion. Fresh from her La La Land glory, Stone arrives ready to serve up a powerhouse performance. Swinging a racket rather than singing up a storm, she paints a compelling portrait of a woman driven by what's right and fair, even as she's wrestling with her own turmoil. Carell, meanwhile, has fun putting "the show back in chauvinist", although you'll never forget that you're watching Carell. Then again, perhaps that's fitting. King fought for all women to be treated equally, and later for LGBTIQ rights. Riggs, on the other hand, just wanted to get back to the spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RwiDnmJC7w
Get your fill of the best vegan food in town at the Vegan Day Out. Come Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, The Cruelty Free Shop is putting together a walking tour of vegan cafes, restaurants and retailers, many of which will be offering discounts, deals and free samples to anyone who stops by. Across the weekend, socially conscious eaters can stop by The Cruelty Free Shop on Melbourne Street and grab a map outlining their route. From there, it's all about making your way to to plant-based delights aplenty — and making a day (or two) of it. Whether you're a dyed-in-the-wool vegan or just curious to give it a go, you'll find a whole world of retailers catering to animal-free eating, offering meal deals, two-for-ones, coffee, wine tastings and savings on vegan groceries. The Cruelty Free Shop will also be running its own tastings throughout the day, as well as offering discounts on some of its 3000+ products.
When a TV show or movie franchise returns years and years after its last instalment, there's no longer any point being surprised. It happens that often these days, with Veronica Mars, Twin Peaks, Star Wars and Jurassic Park just a few recent examples. The latest past pop culture hit set to make a comeback: Sex and the City. Thankfully, as anyone who sat through the terrible 2008 and 2010 movies of the same name will be hoping, the Sarah Jessica Parker-starring series is returning to the small screen this time around. This news was first announced back at the beginning of 2021 — and, ten months later, new HBO show And Just Like That... is now getting closer to reaching our eyeballs. Mark December in your diary and prepare to start sipping cosmopolitans over summer, as that's when this ten-episode spinoff will arrive. Parker is back, as are her initial co-stars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. But And Just Like That... is being badged as a "new chapter' in the Sex and the City story, rather than an additional season of the existing 1998–2004 program — and there's one clear reason for that. While the show will follow Carrie (Parker), Miranda (Nixon) and Charlotte (Davis) once more, the character of Samantha isn't part of the revival, and neither is actor Kim Cattrall, who played her. So, you'll be watching a trio of the original series' leading ladies as they navigate their lives — this time in their 50s. Although Parker, Nixon and Davis won't have Cattrall for company, the list of returning Sex and the City cast members includes Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and the late Willie Garson. Yes, that's Big, Anthony, Steve, Harry and Stanford all accounted for. Also, Grey's Anatomy's Sara Ramírez will feature as well. Parker, Davis and Nixon are also named as producers on And Just Like That..., alongside Michael Patrick King, who worked as a writer, director and executive producer on the original (and on the two movies). In Australia, And Just Like That... is headed to Binge, Foxtel's stand-alone streaming service (and also home to Sex and the City's six seasons). A trailer for the new series hasn't been released yet, but HBO has dropped a date announcement video, which gives a few glimpses. Check it out below: And Just Like That... will start streaming in Australia via Binge sometime in December. We'll update you with an exact airdate once one is announced. Top image: HBO Max.
Cancel your weekend plans, marshmallows. You now have a date with everyone's favourite pint-sized private eye. While the fourth season of Veronica Mars was due to drop in Australia next week, streaming platform Stan has just announced that it'll land today, Saturday, July 20, instead — all eight new episodes, and all at 6pm. The news comes after Ms Mars herself, aka Kristen Bell, attended San Diego Comic-Con overnight Australian time, and revealed that the fresh instalments had just released on US streamer Hulu a week early. What's good for America, in this case, is also good for Aussie Veronica Mars aficionados. Basically, if you're a fan of the show, then this past year just keeps delivering. First, we found out that the beloved series was actually, genuinely coming back for a fourth season. Then, not one, not two, but three teasers and trailers showed us just what kind of sleuthing fun we were in for. Now we'll get to see the whole thing earlier than expected — which couldn't be more different to how the original first three seasons were treated by Aussie TV back in the mid 2000s. https://www.facebook.com/StanAustralia/photos/a.777065482350660/2384072258316633/?type=3&theater Story-wise, the fourth season sees Veronica (Kristen Bell) back in her hometown of Neptune, still in the P.I. game with her dad Keith (Enrico Colantoni) and still solving mysteries. This time, a series of bombings and a shady ex-con turned businessman (JK Simmons) are on her radar. As well as plenty of twists and turns to follow, expect a heap of other familiar faces in the form of Jason Dohring as Veronica's on-again, off-again love interest Logan, Percy Daggs III as her bestie Wallace and Ryan Hansen as her sleazy ex-classmate Dick. Check out the full trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUiWTxS76og&feature=youtu.be All eight episodes of Veronica Mars' fourth season will hit Stan at 6pm on Saturday, July 20.
Miss Destiny churn out a brand of no-nonsense rock and roll with a personal twist of glam rock influence. The Melbourne band feature a few Brisbane expats and are touring the country to promote their new single ‘House Of Wax’, released recently on US label Hozac Records. The band is playing two shows in Brisbane, alongside some of the best local acts around. Saturday the 20th will see Miss Destiny play the Chardons Corner Hotel with Blank Realm, Martyr Privates and Thigh Master. If you can’t make the show, Miss Destiny will also be performing at the 4ZZZ carpark on Sunday afternoon with Multiple Man and Concrete Lips. Be sure to catch this amazing band while you still can. Either show will be amazing and will provide a nice glimpse into the hottest bands in the Australian underground. Watch the new video for ‘House of Wax’ here.
When Die Hard first appeared on screens back in 1988, it instantly set the new gold standard against which every action movie would be held. Sparkling dialogue, an intelligent plot and enormously charismatic leads, both as villain and (anti)hero, proved top-shelf action could absolutely exist alongside conventional storytelling elements rather than at their expense. Four sequels and 25 years later, Die Hard remains that gold standard, but sadly its latest manifestation, A Good Day to Die Hard, looks decidedly dull by comparison. Set in Moscow, it sees John McClane (Bruce Willis) team up with his son Jack (Aussie Jai Courtney) to take on a corrupt oligarch and his seemingly endless supply of expendable goons. That fact alone represents both a major and perilous departure from the franchise's initial winning formula. In the original Die Hard, even the minor henchmen were defined characters with names, looks and distinctive personalities. When it comes to A Good Day To Die Hard, the only name I can remember isn't even a name; it's just 'the Dancer' — and that's about as close as we get to knowing any of its characters, both good and bad. On the action front, things do at least begin well, with a tense and heart-thumping terrorist assault to set in motion the remainder of the day's chaos. From that moment on, however, while the action never slows down, it also fails to offer even a passing nod to plausibility. Again, in the original Die Hard, all it took were a few shards of glass to seriously impede its hero and imbue him with a genuine sense of fragile mortality. Here, now in round five, characters leap unprotected from 20-storey buildings and plough through countless panes of glass with little more than dust and one-liners to show for it. All signs point to the future of this franchise resting in the hands of Jai Courtney, with his Jack McClane taking over from John as the man who repeatedly finds himself in the wrong places at the wrong times. That raises the question, though: can it survive without Willis, whose charm and playful bombast cannot be overstated. Even in A Good Day To Die Hard, Willis exudes more charisma in a largely semi-comatose state than most of the cast combined. Courtney definitely looks, acts and sounds like a conventional action hero, and he plays the role well; however, it's John McClane's disarming smirk and New York swagger that will forever underscore much of Die Hard's enduring appeal. Without Willis at the helm, it's hard not to think this latest instalment may indeed be a very good day for the franchise to lay itself to rest and whisper 'yippee-ki-yay' no more.
Staycationing in your own city? Heading interstate for a getaway? Either way, deciding which hotel to spend the night in can depend on a range of factors. Some are straightforward, such as location and price. Others span the broader experience, including amenities, facilities, ad onsite restaurants and bars — and whether the place you're bunking down in serves cocktails using spirits that it has barrel aged itself. Set to open in Melbourne's growing 80 Collins Street precinct in late March, Next Hotel Melbourne ticks the last box — and it's the first hotel in Australia to do so. It'll be home to a space called the Barrel Room, where it'll run a wood-ageing program for spirits, cocktails and herbal liquors. You'll be able to drop in, make your pick, see your choice decanted, have a taste and even make requests regarding what else should be barrel aged. Those tipples will also form part of Next Melbourne's own signature bottled cocktail lineup, which'll be stocked in the in-room mini-bars. Also on offer at the new Melbourne 24-storey spot: 225 guest rooms; design touches that span marble, eye-catching lighting and art by Jonny Niesche, Consuelo Cavaniglia and Julia Gorman; and in-suite espresso machines and cocktail-mixing stations. The site will also include a club area for working and meeting away from home, complete with its own food and drink selection, plus a fitness centre with on-call personal trainers. Overseen by Daniel Natoli and Adrian Li, Next Melbourne will feature dining and drinking venue La Madonna, too, which'll span across an entire floor. Also due to open in late March, it'll offer share plates at the bar, a lounge space for cocktails, and booth seating and large tables for meals — and it's where the Barrel Room will be located. On the site's ground floor, Ingresso by La Madonna is already open, serving up coffees to start the day, an afternoon aperitivo hour, and other drinks and bites to to either eat onsite or takeaway. Next Melbourne joins a much-talked about precinct, with 80 Collins Street also just welcoming Farmer's Daughters — and already home to opulent champagne bar Nick & Nora's and cafe Maverick. Find Next Hotel Melbourne in the 80 Collins Street precinct, with entry via 103 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, from late March.
The realisation that eventually comes to everyone underscores Once My Mother, one that dawned slowly upon filmmaker Sophia Turkiewicz. She grew up listening to stories her mother, Helen, would tell of her life, but could only see as far as the intersection with her involvement. More immediate family history weighed upon Sophia, driving a desire for distance as she grew from a girl into a woman. Unforgiving about time spent in an orphanage, she also demonstrated an unwillingness to look past the emotional scars of her upbringing. It follows that Once My Mother takes a universal process — that of discovering the real personality of our parents, of understanding the true impact of their past not just upon their lives but our own, and of showing compassion for any missteps along the way — and relates it to the audience in the only way possible: as a personal journey. Turkiewicz's documentary is dedicated to dissecting Helen's resilience through decades marked by difficulties of destruction, discrimination and displacement; however, it is also shaped by a daughter's burgeoning awakening to things only age and experience could help her appreciate. Read our full review here. Once My Mother is in cinemas on July 24, and thanks to Change Focus Media, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=-fos7dm2inE
Bangarra Dance Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary with another masterful fusion of storytelling and contemporary dance. Building on one of the earliest collaborations between Aboriginal people and the new settlers, Patyegarang traces the relationship between a spirited young indigenous woman and an English astronomer. It's a little bit like Australia's own Pocahontas adaptation but with cutting edge choreography. As the colonial fleet arrived on Eora country in the late eighteenth century, Patyegarang befriended Lieutenant William Dawes and in a courageous display of trust, began teaching him her local language. Lifted from the pages of Dawes' notebooks and modelled into an endearing portrait of friendship and cultural exchange, this production encourages a more nuanced understanding of 'first contact.' It also enlivens the legacy of Patyegarang as a striking visionary and educator. Assured by the experienced hand (or foot) of artistic director Stephen Page, along with a deeply moving soundscape by David Page, this is Bangarra's first full-length Sydney story. Imbued with a spirit of optimism and collaboration, Patyegarang promises an electric tribute to our first people, excavating an overlooked historical tale and providing an opportunity to reflect on Australia's future as a new nation.
Usually when the Easter long weekend hits, music fans descend upon Byron Bay for five days of live tunes. Both in 2020 and 2021, that didn't happen — with Bluesfest cancelled last year when the pandemic began, then scrapped again this year after a new COVID-19 outbreak saw NSW Health issue a public health order to shutter the event. Thankfully for music lovers and festival devotees, the 2021 festival hasn't been ditched completely. More than a month after it was originally due to take place between Thursday, April 1–Monday, April 5, Bluesfest organisers have announced that it'll move to October instead. So, mark Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4 in your diary. That's another long weekend, although the rescheduled fest will be one day shorter than normal. Once again, the long-running festival will return to Byron Events Farm (formerly Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm) just outside Byron Bay. Originally, 2021's event was set to be headlined by Jimmy Barnes, Tash Sultana, Ocean Alley, Ziggy Alberts and The Teskey Brothers, but organisers haven't made any new lineup announcements yet. The fest will unveil its full new bill sometime next week, and revealed in a Facebook post announcing the new dates that it has "been adding more of Australia's absolute best talent". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bluesfest Byron Bay (@bluesfestbyronbay) Bluefest also advised that season tickets for the festival will go on sale next week as well, with one- and three-day tickets available before that — but no specific dates were provided. Eager music fans can sign up for the waitlist now, and will be notified when tickets drop. Current ticketholders will be contacted by Moshtix with all the necessary information about the new dates, rolling your existing tickets over and getting a refund if you can no longer attend. And, because five-day passes were sold for the April dates, Bluesfest organisers are promising "something very special" for folks with those lengthier tickets during the October dates. Yes, that'll also be revealed sometime next week. Bluesfest 2021 will now run from Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. The new lineup announcement is set to be announced sometime next week — to register for the ticket waitlist, head to Moshtix. Top image: Andy Fraser
The shock of unkempt hair, the Irish brogue, the misanthropic attitude: there's no mistaking Dylan Moran for anyone else. It was true in beloved British sitcom Black Books, when his on-screen alter ego abhorred mornings, ate coasters and claimed that his oven could cook anything (even belts). And it's definitely true of the comedian's acerbically hilarious live shows. Moran is no stranger to Australia, but if you haven't guffawed at his bleak wit live, he's coming back late in 2019 to give you another chance. This time around, expect the kind of deadpan gags, wine-soaked insights and blisteringly sharp one-liners that've kept him in the spotlight since 1996, when he became the youngest-ever winner of the Edinburgh Fringe's Perrier Award. From late October to early December, Moran will tour the country with his latest show, Dr Cosmos, bringing his grumpily lyrical musings on love, politics, misery and the everyday absurdities of life to 14 Aussie cities. Coming to QPAC for four nights in December, his upcoming visit marks his first Australian trip since 2015, when he was eliciting giggles with his Off the Hook tour. That mammoth effort took in a whopping 149 cities worldwide. As well as his stint as the world's worst bookshop owner in Black Books, Moran has popped up in films such as Notting Hill and Shaun of the Dead, should you been keen to get watching (or rewatching) before his new gigs. Nabbing tickets to his Dr Cosmos ASAP is recommended. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gy3C7cMNeg Image: Andy Hollingworth.
Because two brand new places to see live music are better than one, Fortitude Valley's Brunswick Mall has just welcomed its second new venue in less than seven months. Hot on the heels of Fortitude Music Hall's launch last July, newcomer The Sound Garden has opened right next door — not only serving up live tunes, but drinks and food as well. Operating as a bar, restaurant and music venue, the 770-person newcomer marks the latest venture from Mantle Group Hospitality — the folks behind The Charming Squire, Jimmy's on the Mall and the various Pig 'N' Whistle pubs littered around town. This time, they're inviting Brisbanites into a three-level site that features a seven-metre-tall ficus hillii tree in the centre, two bars spanning 13 metres and nine metres each, moody lighting, an atrium and booth seating. If you're keen for a few beverages, you'll find a hefty cocktail menu overseen by venue manager Davor Djuric and bar manager Shane Lucas, complete with negronis, old fashioneds, mojitos and six music-themed tipples. Wine is served both from bottles and on tap, and beer and spirits are on the menu as well — but opting for a Bohemian Raspberry (with vodka, blueberries, raspberries, lime and ginger beer), Smells Like Martini Spirit (vodka, gin, cranberry, lemon and Persian fairy floss) or Pretty Fly for a Mai Tai (rum, cointreau, orgeat syrup and lime) is perfectly understandable. In the kitchen, Head Chef Craig Watson has whipped up an all-day menu that heroes woodfired dishes and locally sourced ingredients — think lemongrass pork skewers to start; salmon cutlets and chicken mignons for mains; five types of burgers, sliders and pitas; and ten kinds of pizza. If you're eager to share your snacks, grab a plate stacked with haloumi and lamb koftas, arancini and snapper spring rolls, or calamari and woodfired beef in betel leaf. And, on weekends, you can choose from a brunch lineup that includes breakfast gnocchi (with bacon, mushrooms, spinach and poached eggs), grilled prawn tostadas and french toast topped with strawberries and caramelised peaches. Because music is the star of the show, you can listen to live tunes every night of the week here — and for free as well. The music lineup kicks off at around 5.30pm each night, except on Sundays when you'll be tapping your toes from 12pm. Find The Sound Garden at 312–318 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley — open 11am–1am Mondays–Thursdays, 11am–3am Fridays, 9am–3am Saturdays and 9am–2am Sundays.
Next time you slather your hands with sanitiser, you could be covering them with your favourite booze as well. With alcohol a crucial ingredient in the now-essential product — especially sanitiser that's effective against COVID-19 — distilleries and breweries are doing their part to help boost supplies. To the delight of coffee liqueur lovers, that now includes Australia's much-loved Mr Black. While gin aficionados can splash their digits with Manly Spirits Co's gin-infused hand sanitiser and fans of distilled and fermented sugercane can disinfect with hand sanitiser from Queensland's Bundaberg and Beenleigh rum distilleries — and plenty of other boozy outfits are jumping on the trend, too — fans of caffeinated booze can look forward to freshening their fingers with their preferred tipple. Mr Black has whipped up its own sanitiser and is shipping it around the country. It's also donated a heap of bottles of its A-class sani to a bunch of charities, medical centres and COVID-19 testing clinics. You can grab a maximum of two 500 millilitre bottles, for $19.95 each, plus a $10 flat-rate national shipping fee. The hand sanitiser is made using a World Health Organisation recipe with 80 percent ethanol, and as bottles don't come with a pump they're designed to be used as refills. If you decide to invest in some actual coffee liqueur while you're on the site — the OG ($60), single-origin ($75) and amaro ($80) versions are all for sale, as is the most adorable 50-millilitre bottle ($5.99) — or some sweet merch, and spend over $100, you'll get free shipping. We think this hand sanitiser is going to sell out super fast, so head over to the website and order yourself a bottle quick smart if you're keen. Mr Black hand sanitiser is available for $19.95 per 500 millilitre bottle, maximum of two per person.
Are you the type of person who sits down at a restaurant and asks them to whip you up whatever takes their fancy? If you are — or if you wish you were, and want to see how it feels for an evening — then Good Food Month's special event Trust the Chef is your kind of meal. First, you pay between $99 and $159 depending on whether you'd like matched wines. Then, you sit back and let 85 Miskin St head chef Brent Farrell strut his stuff. Just what he'll cook is anyone's guess, but given how mouth-watering his dishes normally are, we're certain that the end result of the eight-course degustation menu are going to be delicious.
Spring is here, the sun is out, and everything is 500 times more whimsical. Now times that whimsy by infinity. Studio Ghibli is bringing a showcase to our shores in October and it's touring all over the nation's cinemas. Celebrating renowned filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the Tale of Studio Ghibli showcase will feature four films and two documentaries that explore the intricacies and beauty of their craft. If you haven't had a chance to get acquainted with the work of these two cult favourites before, this will be the perfect opportunity to get up to date. Work your way through much-loved classics with screenings of both My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. Then explore new terrain with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and the critically acclaimed historical anime feature The Wind Rises. Though the Japanese animation studio has 20 feature films to its name, the Australian showcase will feature just these four — a refined look at the old versus the new. But this won't just be for the newbies. Seasoned anime pros can get an inside look into the craft with screenings of both Isao Takahta and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya and The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. Though the documentaries have had separate screenings at local film festivals this year, this will be their first standalone showing on Australian screens. Either way, whether you're a diehard anime fanatic or have never even seen Spirited Away, there's always room in your life for a little whimsy and wonder. Get lost in the cinema for a few hours and discover an exciting new world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9lDrkokymLQ
No matter where you are in Australia, you've probably spent the majority of the year in your own state (if not the majority of the year in your own bedroom), with many states and territories keeping their borders firmly closed. But, the last of the interstate restrictions are starting to ease. With the exception of WA (which is currently open to only the ACT, Queensland and the NT and Tasmania, but is set to open to NSW and Victoria from December 8) and SA residents (who are still unable to visit Queensland), Australians can pretty much visit anywhere in the country without quarantining. To celebrate, Virgin Australia is selling over 60,000 fares to destinations around the country, starting from just $75 a pop. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, just months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. The 12-hour Happy Hour flight sale kicks off at 11am AEDT today, Thursday, December 3, and runs until 11pm tonight — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on 25 routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates between December 5 and January 19, 2021. If you've been waiting to book Christmas flights home — or a summer getaway — now might be the time. Discounted flights are economy and include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Melbourne to Newcastle from $75, Sydney to Brisbane from $95, Adelaide to Sydney from $109 and Hobart to the Gold Coast from $169. [caption id="attachment_743607" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitsunday Beach by Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] The discounted flights are part of Virgin's relaunched weekly Happy Hour sale series, which will take place every Thursday for the foreseeable future. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers (but wearing them is not mandatory). Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowed unlimited booking changes between now and January 31, 2020. You can read more about its new flexible options over here. Virgin's Happy Hour sale runs from 11am–11pm AEDT on Thursday, December 3. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
When December hits, a whole month of eating and drinking to celebrate the merriest time of the year comes with it. So, as Easter approaches, doing the same but with chocolate isn't just understandable — if your sweet tooth loves any excuse for a treat, it's downright mandatory. Trust Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar to serve up a month-long special menu just for the occasion, too, running from Wednesday, March 8–Monday, April 10 at its Morningside, Chermside, South Bank and Broadbeach venues. On the lineup: five decadent bites to eat, two OTT dessert cocktails and a shake. Whichever you choose, they'll get into the Easter spirit — sometimes with spirits. The chocolate-only dessert offering has been fittingly dubbed House of Chocolate, and includes a golden ticket chocolate bar (aka a chocolate mousse cake made with a crunchy wafer base, then layered with milk chocolate ganache, passionfruit gel, milk chocolate mousse and vanilla cream — and coated in chocolate), loaded brownies (which come topped with white chocolate gelato, fudge sauce, toasted mini marshmallows, brownie bites and crumble, then drizzled with milk and white chocolate) and a nutty gelato dish (featuring milk and white chocolate gelato balls with dark chocolate fudge centres, then dipped in dark chocolate and hazelnuts served with chocolate fudge sauce). Drinks-wise, the white chocolate margarita is made with white chocolate gelato, tequila, crème de cacao and white chocolate ganache, then garnished with a white chocolate and salt rim — and the fudge nut fantasy includes chocolate sorbet, Frangelico, vanilla vodka and fudge sauce, then topped with whipped cream and crushed hazelnuts. Prices vary from $12.99 for the honeycomb crunch shake — which is sans alcohol — through to $19.99.
UPDATE, March 16, 2021: Due to forecast wet weather, the Howard Smith Wharves Music Trail has moved from its original dates of March 20–21 to Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28. The below information has been updated to reflect this change. A visit to Howard Smith Wharves can often incite a bout of indecisiveness. Where do you start? What do you eat and drink first? Which patch of grass by the river has your name on it? Expect those kinds of questions to keep coming on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28, because the inner city precinct is hosting the Howard Smith Wharves Music Trail — so you'll need to choose between more than 30 performers playing across eight stages. The likes of Yossa Haile, Matthew Armitage, Estampa, Soulergy, Trio Balanco, No Way Jose and Peaches & The Alphasonics will be crooning tunes, spanning funk, jazz, soul and Latin music — and more. Everyone heading along will receive a passport upon arrival, which you can get stamped at each performance spot. Collect 'em all, and you'll win a prize. Between 2–10pm each day, you'll also need to choose what to snack on and sip, with more than just the usual lineup of food and beverages on offer. Hit up the pop-up gin bar, head by the oyster shack (which'll also be serving champagne) or get a snag at the sausage sizzle. Greca will be doing loukoumades, Yoko is hosting a yakitori barbecue and Goodtimes Gelateria will be getting on its bike. Entry is free, but you'll obviously need your wallet for whatever tempts your tastebuds and quenches your thirst.
If Sufjan Stevens, The Dirty Projectors or the Wainwrights are on your list of favourite bands, then you might just enjoy The Rescue Ships as well. If live music, a relaxed atmosphere and nice drinks are some of your favourite things, then you might also enjoy seeing The Rescue Ships at Black Bear Lodge. The Rescue Ships combine folk, rock and pop to create a dazzling combination of complex and intimate songs, overlaid with breathtaking vocals. The duo have been name-dropped by fellow musical luminaries such as Josh Pyke and Missy Higgins, so if anything you have read here interests you, you might just have a good time this Thursday.
At last, there may be a way to put your otherwise life-crippling Facebook addiction to good use. Japan Tourism Agency is looking to hook up 10,000 ‘highly influential blogger-types, and others’ - aka social media junkies - with a free trip to Japan. All they require in return is that the lucky recipients do what they do best, and share their experience in cyber land. The tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster of March this year delivered a mighty suckerpunch to Japan’s tourism industry. The agency is prepared to spend 1.5 billion yen on their plan to kick start tourism with the round-trip tickets, once approved by Japan’s lawmakers. The plan could well pay off, with first-hand accounts offering a personal touch to sooth the security fears of would-be travelers unsettled by heavy media coverage of the 80,000 locals still displaced by radiation. But it also invests a lot of trust in their temporary marketers to document a positive experience. Fingers crossed they don't get food poisoning from too much raw fish or attacked by the notoriously-aggressive snow monkeys - whatever you do, don't look them in the eye - along the way. Golden ticket bearers will have to pay for their own accommodation and meals, but will save at least a grand on airline expenses. So if Facebook owes you one for all the hours it has robbed from you that could have been spent having real-life experiences, keep an eye out for the launch of a website by the Japan Tourism Agency to lodge your application once the Japanese government approves the initiative.
The Sydney Mardi Gras is almost upon us and, along with it, a feast of new queer cinema is about to descend upon the city. For 29 years now, the Mardi Gras Film Festival has added the latest LGBTQIA+ movies to Sydney's big celebration, and it's doing the same again in 2022 — but, as happened in 2021, it's going hybrid with both physical and online screenings. Accordingly, if you're a Sydneysider who's keen to get your big-screen queer film fix between Thursday, February 17–Thursday, March 3, you can, with the fest showing at Event Cinemas George Street, and holding one one-off sessions at Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne and Event Cinemas in Parramatta and Hurstville. But if you feel more comfortable watching from home during the current Omicron outbreak or you're a fan of LGBTQIA+ movies located elsewhere in Australia, you'll also be able to enjoy MGFF digitally as well. The fest's 2022 lineup spans 119 films from 37 different countries, covering 32 narrative features, 15 documentaries, four episodic screenings, a retrospective and nine programs of shorts — so yes, there's more than a bit to watch. That said, different flicks will play in cinemas and on-demand, as happens with hybrid fests, but more than half of the program will be available for those playing along at home and interstate. Opening the fest on the big screen is Wildhood, which is set in Canada's Atlantic Provinces and hails from MGFF's focus on First Nations filmmaking for 2022. In-cinemas only, it's joined by high-profile international film festival circuit highlights such as Great Freedom, an immensely moving drama about a man's experiences being imprisoned under Germany's former law criminalising homosexuality; and Benedetta, which follows a 17th-century nun who shocks her convent with visions, wild power plays and lesbian affairs, and happens to be the latest feature by Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Elle director Paul Verhoeven. Or, there's the Carrie Brownstein and St Vincent-starring mockumentary The Nowhere Inn, which has them both play versions of themselves, and The Novice, about a queer student on a university rowing team. Other standouts include Mexican magical realist drama Finlandia; documentaries about queer comic creators, lesbians in post-punk 80s London and American artist Keith Haring; and closing night's B-Boy Blues, which is based on the celebrated novel o the same name. Online, LGBTIQ+ cinema fans can also check out horror film The Retreat, which combines a cabin-in-the-woods setup with planning a queer wedding; Cannes-selected Taiwanese drama Moneyboys; the relationship-focused Ma Belle, My Beauty, about a long-term couple living in a scenic villa in the south of France; and Estonia's Firebird, which charts a romance against the backdrop of the Cold War. There's also documentary Coming to You, following two mothers fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Korea; and As We Like It, an all-female version of Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It. Mardi Gras Film Festival 2022 runs from Thursday, February 17–Thursday, March 3 at Event Cinemas George Street, plus one-off sessions at Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne and Event Cinemas in Parramatta and Hurstville — and online nationally. For more information, visit the festival's website.
As anyone who has made use of the in-flight booze menu will tell you, beers tend to taste better at high altitude. But before you go quitting your day job and cashing in all your frequent flyer points, let's consider a more accessible and cash-friendly approach. We can't get you on the next flight out of Brisbane, but we can suggest a rooftop bar for your next night out — sure, they won't get you 35,000 feet in the sky, but it will take you up a couple of storeys at least. Brisbane's got a steady cohort of rooftops currently jostling for attention, so with the help of Heineken, we've rounded up the five best picks for a sky-high night out with friends.
Two decades after Hae Min Lee's murder, the Baltimore high school student's horrific plight continues to dominate the true crime landscape. After featuring on the first season of Sarah Koenig's grimly addictive podcast Serial, it's now the basis for a new documentary series, The Case Against Adnan Syed. The four-part HBO series picks up where everyone's 2014 obsession left off — the trailers promise to reveal 'a new chapter' — not only exploring 18-year-old Lee's death in 1999 and her ex-boyfriend Syed's conviction in 2000, but the latter's ongoing quest to have the extremely complex legal matter reassessed in the years since he was found guilty. Everything from Lee and Syed's relationship, to the original police investigation and trial, to the developments up until now feature, with the film gaining exclusive access to Syed, his family and his lawyers. While the show started airing on HBO in the US in March, Australians can now watch the series, too — it's after airing on SBS throughout April, the four episodes are now available on SBS On Demand. Check out the HBO trailers below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQaTa5eTxnk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA1qzo2WEew The series couldn't come at a more crucial time for Syed, who was convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life in prison, and has been fighting his case through the courts ever since. While he was granted a new trial in 2016, that ruling was subsequently appealed by the State of Maryland — only for the Court of Special Appeals to agree to vacate Syed's conviction and finally give him that retrial last March. Earlier this month in Maryland's Court of Appeals, that retrial request was denied, but Syed's attorney has committed to keep battling. Splashed across the small screen, it's certain to make for compelling viewing — but if you think you've spent too much time mulling it all over across the past five years, filmmaker Amy Berg has you beat. Unsurprisingly given how complicated the matter is, the director has been working on the project since 2015. And, with her excellent doco background — with Berg helming 2006's Oscar-nominated 2006 Deliver Us from Evil, about molestation in the Catholic Church; examining the West Memphis Three's quest for freedom in 2012's West of Memphis; and tackling the sexual abuse of teenagers in the film industry in 2014's An Open Secret — her new venture is certain to be thorough. As they did for West of Memphis, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis provide the score. The Case Against Adnan Syed is now streaming on SBS on Demand. Image: SBS. Updated: May 2, 2019.
It may have been violent, sexist and brainless, but when Sin City hit theatres in 2005, it was like nothing we'd ever seen before. Adapted by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez from Miller's pulpy anthology comic-book series, the lurid homage to hard-boiled noir stories was one of the first Hollywood movies to fully embrace digital technology — the directors filmed in front of a green screen using high-def digital cameras before converting to black-and-white in post-production. The content was still tasteless and juvenile of course, but at least it was interesting to look at. Nine years later, they've gifted us with a follow-up. Subtitled A Dame to Kill For, this part prequel, part sequel is certainly a fitting companion piece; equally stylised, equally sadistic and equally dumb. And had it come out in 2006 or 2007, it probably would have been embraced. But it didn't. Revolutionary a decade ago, digital cinematography and effects are now the norm, as are slavish graphic novel adaptations full of manufactured grit. Sin City 2 isn't a particularly inferior film to its predecessor. It's just that, after all this time, the novelty is no longer there. It also doesn't feel as though either Miller or Rodriguez have any interest in pushing the envelope further. Fleeting flashes of colour punctuate the vivid monochrome frame, looking every bit as striking as they did the first time. But the duo never attempts to really build upon the aesthetic of their original — and without the element of surprise on their side, the results are inevitably diminished. The same goes for script, again steeped in sex and vengeance but never actually covering any new ground. In the longest story, Mickey Rourke returns as brutish good guy Marv, who along with two-bit private eye Dwight (Josh Brolin), gets caught up in the machinations of a murderous femme-fatale (Eva Green, unfortunately camp). Then there's Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a smooth-talking card-shark with a grudge against the vicious Senator Roarke (Powers Boothe). Roarke is also the antagonist in the final vignette, one that sees exotic dancer Nancy (Jessica Alba) out to avenge the honest cop who saved her life. It should go without saying that the stories are all varying degrees of stupid. If you're not willing to suspend your disbelief every time Johnny gets dealt an impossible poker hand, or when Nancy takes out an entire battalion of body guards, then the movie falls apart before it even begins. What's harder to accept is Miller's flaccid dialogue. Gordon-Levitt is an immensely talented actor, but no-one can make the word 'ambidextrous' sound cool. There's also no skirting around the movie's attitude towards women, which is unfortunately misjudged at best and flagrantly misogynistic at worst. There is not a single named female character in A Dame to Kill For who isn't either a stripper or a prostitute — and despite what Miller apparently thinks, giving a hooker a bazooka doesn't really mean she's empowered. For the most part, the film is just immature in a boring way. On this issue specifically though, it's genuinely quite unpleasant. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6iFdPcx0W2w
If you're a fan of Gelato Messina and its frosty sweet treats, the past year or so has been mighty kind to your tastebuds. The dessert chain has released all manner of one-off specials, launched a new range of chocolate-covered ice cream bars in supermarkets and dropped a new merchandise line, for starters. And, thanks to a boozy collaboration, it has also been taking care of your cocktail cravings. Teaming up with Cocktail Porter, Messina started serving up DIY drinks kits last year — and Easter this year, too — letting you make your own boozy beverages using Messina products. Unsurprisingly, these make-at-home packages have proven popular, so one has just become a permanent addition to Cocktail Porter's range: the dulce de leche espresso martini kit. Basically, it's the answer to a familiar dilemma. No one likes choosing between tucking into dessert or having another boozy beverage — so these kits combine the two. To enable you to whip at dulce de leche espresso martinis at home, you'll get a box filled with vodka, coffee liqueur, premium cold-drip coffee and Messina's dulce de leche topping, plus Messina's chocolate hazelnut spread and shaved coconut to go on top. Then, you just need to follow the instructions and get drinking. You can pick between two different-sized packs. A mini espresso martini kit costs $85 and serves up six drinks — or you can opt for the large for $149, which makes 18 dessert cocktails. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your winter drinking plans sorted. You can also sign up for a subscription, which'll see a kit sent to your door each and every month. To order Cocktail Porter's Gelato Messina cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
Can you feel a tingling in your toes as your feet start to defrost? That's the feeling of winter slipping away (or maybe you've been sitting cross-legged for too long) and with its demise comes the return of Australia's beloved Moonlight Cinema. Ahhh balmy nights on the grass, we have missed you. Heralding the coming of the warmer months, Moonlight Cinema is a summertime tradition and it always nails the balance between new releases and cult classics. The film program is yet to be announced, but we'll keep you updated as soon as it is. Nosh-wise, Moonlight Cinema will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can also enjoy a plethora of snacks from food trucks — perfect, messy treats made for reclining on bean beds. Bean beds and snack trucks, is there anything better? This season includes screens in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, running from November through to March. Get your pens out and jot down these dates. MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2019 DATES Sydney: Nov 28–Mar 29 (Centennial Park) Melbourne: Nov 28–Mar 29 (Central Lawn at Royal Botanic Gardens) Perth: Nov 30–Mar 29 (Kings Park and Botanic Garden) Adelaide: Dec 13–Feb 16 (Botanic Park) Brisbane: Dec 14–March 29 (Roma Street Parkland) The Moonlight Cinema kicks off on November 29. For more information and bookings here.
It's the combination of steeped warm beverages, cakes and pastries that everyone associates with England — that is, high tea. And it's probably the most appropriate way to treat yourself to a feast this Queen's Birthday long weekend. Trust the Regatta Hotel to do the honours, offering up a spread that includes sandwiches, quiches, tarts and mini scones, as well as champers, white wine and teapots filled with the good stuff. Places are limited, so booking in advance is a must. How else are you going to eat and drink like royalty? Image: Alisa Anton.
Maybe it's the twilight glow. Perhaps it's the stars twinkling above. Or, it could be the cooling breeze, the picnic blankets and beanbags as far as the eye can see, and just seeing a movie grace a giant screen with a leafy backdrop. When the weather is warm enough Australia-wide, a trip to the cinema just seems to shine brighter when it's outdoors. That's Sunset Cinema's whole angle, in fact, and it's returning for another season across the east coast. Over the summer of 2022–23 — and into autumn, too — this excuse to head to the flicks in the open air has seven stops on its itinerary: one in Canberra, three in New South Wales, two in Victoria and one in Queensland. In each, movie buffs can look forward to a lineup of new and classic titles, and a setup perfect for cosy date nights or an easy group hangs outdoors. NSW's run gets started on Friday, December 9 at St Ives Showgrounds, screening through till Saturday, January 28 with a lineup that includes box-office behemoths Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Disney's Strange World, Aussie drama Blueback and Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling. Also on the bill: a heap of festive flicks leading into Christmas, such as Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas; and three dog-focused films in January, spanning Marley & Me, Scooby-Doo and 101 Dalmatians. Sunset Cinema will also head to North Sydney Oval from Wednesday, January 11—Saturday, April 1, featuring the likes of 2022 hits The Menu and Everything Everywhere All At Once, Steven Spielberg's latest The Fabelmans, Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, throwbacks such as There's Something About Mary and Crazy Stupid Love, and more. And, at the Wollongong Botanic Garden from Thursday, December 15–Saturday, March 11, the season covers many of the aforementioned titles — the Christmas lineup included — and also Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap as part of a Lohan Fest. In Victoria, Mt Martha is first on the agenda, with Sunset Cinema hitting The Briars from Wednesday, December 21—Friday, January 20. Those festive films get a run here, too, as do classics Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride — and many of the new titles showing at other venues. Melburnians don't miss out, however, thanks to a new St Kilda run from Friday, February 1—Saturday, March 4 at St Kilda Botanical Gardens. The lineup for that spot hasn't yet been revealed. And, in Brisbane, mark April in your diaries — with the exact dates, venue and program to be announced. At all stops around the country, BYO picnics are encouraged here, but the event is fully licensed, so alcohol can only be purchased onsite. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be hot food options, plus plenty of the requisite movie treats like chips, chocolates, lollies and popcorn. SUNSET CINEMA 2022–23 DATES: Canberra, ACT: Thursday, November 24—Saturday, February 25 at Australian National Botanic Gardens St Ives, NSW: Friday, December 9—Saturday, January 28 at St Ives Showgrounds Wollongong, NSW: Thursday, December 15–Saturday, March 11 at Wollongong Botanic Garden North Sydney, NSW: Wednesday, January 11—Saturday, April 1 at North Sydney Oval Mt Martha, VIC: Wednesday, December 21—Friday, January 20 at The Briars, Mt Martha St Kilda, VIC: Friday, February 1—Saturday, March 4 at St Kilda Botanical Gardens Brisbane, QLD — from April 2023, exact dates and venue TBC Sunset Cinema's 2022–23 season runs at various venues around the country from November 2022. Head to the Sunset Cinema website for further details.
In the world of photography there are few trends as divisive as the rise and rise of Instagram and Hipstamatic. Battle lines have been drawn between those who view the advent of such filter apps as a positive democratising force, spreading the artistry of photography to the masses, and on the other side, those who think they're just a refuge for teenage poseurs and their collections of cats. New York artist and photojournalist Benjamin Lowy has become an unintentional figurehead for the former, thanks to his stunningly evocative photographs of war-ravaged North Africa and the Middle East. Lowy, whose work has graced the cover of TIME Magazine (the first photo taken from a phone to do so) and been featured at London's Tate Modern, has spent the last five years making Afghanistan his second home, creating his first body of work made entirely with Instagram and his ever-resilient iPhone. For Lowy, the decision to use his iPhone was made more out of convenience than out of any great artistic or journalistic ambition. He found that the burden of lugging around his camera meant that his initial passion in photography was "losing some of its mystical wonder", and when he reverted to the phone, he found a fresh perspective on the world around him. "I've been shooting with my phone for years and posting it online. I didn't see it as art, it was just another form of self-expression," Lowy told us. "I started finding myself being able to express myself a little more viscerally and easily because [the camera] was in such a small package." As a wartime photojournalist Lowy found that the ubiquitous images of "raids, explosions, suicide bombers" had increasingly desensitised people to the horrors of war. When he first began using his iPhone, Instagram resembled more of a passing fad than a cultural mainstay, and Lowy thought that this brave new world of photography may go a long way in getting people to sit up and take notice. "When you think of Iraq or Afghanistan, people saw those same images day in and day out," he says, "and because people kept seeing those images all the time it was easier to tune them out. So my idea throughout the course of my career has been to constantly experiment with images and aesthetics in order to gain the public's attention." While these images are often filled with the explosive and dynamic moments of war, what is much more unique about these photographs is their depiction of everyday life in Afghanistan. They show us a foreign land that although ravaged and decimated by war is eerily familiar to our own world. "It is a different place from the place we all know and we all call home but at the end of the day people are all the same," Lowy said. "Our blood is all red, when we wake up in the morning we want to have our cup of tea or coffee and send our kids to school and live peacefully ... The simple things that make humans humans are all the same regardless of where you live." Lowy's iAfghanistan exhibition is on display in the State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street Foyer, from May 17 to July 22 as part of the Head On photo festival. We've featured a small selection of our favourites below. Images courtesy of Head On photo festival and © Benjamin Lowy.
Deerhoof’s members are evidence that it pays to take risks. In a post-modern world, where it can sometimes feel as though everything that can be said has been said, they continue to come up with arrestingly original ideas. Every album reveals another sonic surprise. Their twelfth self-produced release, Breakup Song, is no exception. This time around, Cuban rhythms fuel the San Francisco noise group’s unpredictable melodic adventures. According to drummer Greg Saunier, the album is about “just turning around a sort of bad mood and finding a way to turn it into a good mood.” As much as a Deerhoof record can definitely beat back the blues in the comfort of your lounge room, it doesn’t match up to the experience of seeing them live. Their edgy creativity takes on a whole new dimension in front of a crowd.
Akmal is known for pushing a few buttons in his stand-up comedy routine. Outrageous, scandalous and hilarious are all words people are using to describe Akmal’s style of comedic performance. His brand new routine touches on Akmal’s upbringing as an Arabic immigrant, his experiences in Australia and his thoughts on religion, modern society and life itself. For nine nights over two weeks at the Brisbane Powerhouse, Akmal will make you laugh yourself silly with his award winning comedy. Since his humble career beginnings in 1990, Akmal has emerged as one of Australians best loved comedians - head to the Powerhouse to see why.
Dance and classical aren't music genres you'd usually find swirling around in the same basket — unless you have a particular bent for the orchestral 'Sandstorm' covers found in the depths of YouTube. Synthony — A Generation of Dance Music is here to prove that the disciplines go hand in hand. Touring Australia since 2019, the event is returning to Brisbane from 5pm on Saturday, March 25, 2023. It'll see a live orchestra join forces with a selection of DJs and onstage performers at the Riverstage, all to play the biggest dance tracks of the last 30 years — think tunes by Disclosure, Eric Prydz, Flume, Calvin Harris, Wilkinson and more. Expect the venue to take a few cues from the nightclub scene, with lights, lasers and mapped video all part of the experience — and a selection of dance floor bangers note-for-note. The lineup of talent includes Camerata, Queensland's Chamber Orchestra; conductor Sarah-Grace Williams; and Rogue Traders' Natalie Bassingthwaighte, The Potbelleez' Ilan Kidron, Thandie Phoenix, Cassie McIvor, Greg Gould, Matty O, Mobin Master and host Aroha.
Lust For Life Tattoo is a venue showcasing huge potential. What a combination of goodness – a tattoo parlour, a gallery and espresso bar (which includes a micro bakery, producing tasty bagels and sweet treats) all in the one spot! On top of all this an amazing new exhibition of local artist, Glenn Brady’s work. Titled ‘Faktorei’ the exhibition explores the underbelly of suburban Australian life. It explores the juxtapositions that exist on the outskirts of Brisbane, where fuming factories sit alongside blocks of small wooden houses where children play in the streets. These are not paintings of grand places. Brady's work instead focuses on the often unnoticed local locations such as main roads, car yards, video shops and fast food joints of Brisbane. Through his work Brady often finds the story beyond the banal. Having been practicing art since 1993, Brady has had quite the journey. His career to date features his creative involvement in over twenty local and national exhibitions. Faktorei is the next major instalment in his journey. Catch him exploring strong themes in a bold style with his latest exhibition. Plus, you can grab an expresso while you're at it!
The Hamburg Ballet under the artistic direction of John Neumeier, bring their homage of Vaslav Nijinsky to the Playhouse for the annual Nijinsky Gala. With sophistication and poise that has seen them described as binding “stellar technique to dramatic expression” by the Los Angeles Times and of producing “dynamic, rich and gripping theatre” by The Washington Post the powerful ballet celebrates the life of the great Russian Vaslav Nijinsky, considered by many to be the greatest ballet figure of the twentieth century. As a dancer Nijinksy was famous for his legendary ability to perform leaps that seemed to ignore the very laws of gravity, and as a choreographer he established provocative new directions that saw him usher in a new age that pointed towards the modern era. Featuring music by Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schuman, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Dimitri Shostakovich, Nijinsky is a spectacular work, dealing with the issues of insanity and horror that plagued the man’s life, all of which are celebrated, honoured and demonstrated with extravagantly conceived costumes, high-drama lighting and intense, astonishing movement.
The merriest time of the year is here, and getting festive is on everyone's agenda — and every market's around town, too. But only one will have Francophiles delighting: Le Festival's French Christmas Market, which returns for its second year after its 2021 debut. Running across Saturday, November 19–Sunday, November 20, this two-day affair will get you eating, drinking, shopping and feeling Gallic at West End's West Village. Think of it as Brisbane's usual midyear Le Festival but smaller — and filled with season's greetings. Red, white and blue lights will set the jolly tone, market stalls will sell all manner of French-inspired wares, and there'll be a French bar, too, because all that browsing and buying is thirsty work. Basically, it's the next best thing to heading to France for Christmas (all without the cost of an airfare). Images: Ange Costes
More than a quarter-century ago, a TV sitcom about six New Yorkers made audiences a promise: that it'd be there for us. And, as well as making stars out of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow, Friends has done just that. Sure, the hit series wrapped up its ten-season run in 2004, but the show has lived on — on streaming platforms, by sending an orange couch around Australia, by screening anniversary marathons in cinemas and in boozy brunch parties, for example. In news that was bound to happen someday — no pop culture entity truly comes to an end in these reboot, remake, revival and spinoff-heavy times — Friends is living on in a much more literal sense, too. First hinted at in 2019, officially confirmed in 2020 and just releasing its first teaser trailer (and announcing a US air date), the show is coming back for a reunion special on HBO's streaming platform HBO Max. Naturally, the whole gang is involved. Yep, it's 'The One Where They Get Back Together' — which is exactly how the trailer for Friends: The Reunion describes the special. That said, it's worth noting that the special is unscripted, which means that Aniston and company aren't literally stepping back into Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross and Phoebe's and shoes. Instead, the actors behind the characters will chat about their experiences on the show — all on the same soundstage where Friends was originally shot. And, let's face it, the fact that they'll all be on-screen at the same time in the same place celebrating the series that so many folks love is probably enough for fans. Aniston, Cox and the gang will have a few other famous faces for company. More than a few, in fact. The guest list is hefty, and spans folks with connections to the show and others that must just love it — including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin and Mindy Kaling, as well as Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai. Initially slated to air last May — with those plans delayed due to the pandemic — the special will now stream via HBO Max in the US on Thursday, May 27. For folks Down Under, just when and where it'll surface hasn't yet been revealed; however, it's bound to be here for us sooner or later. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MedRN92V6lE Friends: The Reunion will be available to stream in the US via HBO Max on Thursday, May 27. It doesn't currently have an air date or streaming date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
After the disrupted domestic-only ski season in 2020 — and with travellers from Australia permitted to enter New Zealand without quarantining from mid-April 2021 — thrill-seekers from both sides of the ditch could be hitting NZ's pristine slopes from as early as June. That means it's less than 70 days until NZ Ski's fields, including Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in Queenstown and Canterbury's Mount Hutt are up and running for winter. The operator has plenty going on this season, including opening the country's first eight-person chairlift and night skiing events. Mount Hutt is set to be the first to open from Friday, June 11–Sunday, October 17. It will be open seven days with capacity on the mountain increased thanks to the brand new Nor'west Express eight-seat chairlift. With a ride time of only two minutes, the lift will have capacity to carry up to 3000 skiers per hour. It also features a loading carpet to assist those who are new to using chairlifts. The field's full moon skiing event will also return. Coronet Peak will be open from Saturday, June 19 right through until Sunday, September 26. The ski field plans to operate its popular after-hours night skiing events every Wednesday and Friday from June 25 onwards. The 48th dog derby is also on the cards. Fellow Queenstown favourite The Remarkables will be open every day of the week from Saturday, June 26 through to Sunday, October 17. The mountain's Sugar Bowl development includes two brand new trails and a new snowmaking system mean better snow coverage on the Serpentine side of the mountain. Cardrona Alpine Resort's Olympic-sized superpipe will be open from Saturday, June 12 until Sunday, October 17.. The ski field is also adding another chairlift to its network, which opens up a new major section of skiable terrain on the southern face. Sibling ski field Treble Cone is scheduled to open from Saturday, June 26–Sunday, September 26, and for cross-country skiers and snow-shoers, Cardrona's Snow Farm is intending to open for the 2021 winter from Friday, June 18–Sunday, September 19. The largest ski area in the nation, Mt Ruapehu, is preparing to open its Happy Valley (Saturday, June 5), Turoa (Saturday, July 3), Whakapapa (Saturday, July 3) fields, too, which will give skiers and snowboarders access to the mountain's natural pipes, steep chutes and vertical drop of 722 metres. The alpine village says the opening will be subject to snow conditions. With the quarantine-free trans-Tasman travel bubble set to open from Sunday, April 18, a rise in visitor numbers is expected across all fields. All ski field 2021 season plans are dependent on snow conditions, as well as COVID-19 guidelines and expectations set out by the New Zealand Government. For more information about NZ's ski fields, head to the various websites for Mount Hutt, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Treble Cone, Snow Farm and Mt Ruapehu. Images: NZSki.
More Marvels, less Marvel: that could've, would've, should've been the path to making The Marvels more marvellous as it teams up Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson, Fast X), Ms Marvel's Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani in her big-screen debut) and WandaVision's Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, They Cloned Tyrone). Unsurprisingly for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that goes heavy on the first word in the ever-sprawling franchise's moniker, this 33rd cinematic instalment in the series has a glaring Marvel problem. Thankfully, as it proves fun enough, likeable enough and sweet, but also overly saddled with the routine and familiar, it never has any Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel or Monica Rambeau issues. When there's too much Marvel-ness — too much been-there-done-that formula, too hefty a focus on smashing pixels together over spending time with people and too strong a sense that this is merely another chapter in the saga's assembly line, and also dutifully setting up what's next — The Marvels struggles, even as the shortest MCU feature yet. When the main trio get the luxury of being together, just seeing them revel in and react to each other's company is a delight. When there's also singing, dancing, a hearty sense of humour and/or Flerkens involved, the film soars. Perhaps befitting a movie with three lead characters, this is a Goldilocks attempt at a picture that tries as overtly as a fairy-tale figure to get its balance just right. Filmmaker Nia DaCosta (Candyman) and her co-scribes Megan McDonnell (also WandaVision) and Elissa Karasik (Loki) can't quite find and keep their midpoint, however, due to all of the weight and demands that come after 15 years of the MCU, those 32 prior flicks, plus nine seasons of eight Disney+ TV shows since 2021 — and the many nods and references required in those directions. Marvel has cottoned on to how clunky this can be, and how exhausting to watch; the company is marketing streaming series Echo under the banner 'Marvel Spotlight' to signal that viewers can enjoy the story as a standalone experience without needing to have done copious amounts of MCU homework. If only The Marvels had been allowed to spin its tale the same way, even with Carol, Kamala and Monica's established histories across the franchise, and permitted to lean further into what makes it stand out from the rest of the Marvel crowd. One thing that audiences haven't seen elsewhere in the MCU: a wonderfully ridiculous sequence that riffs on herding cats, embraces those felines-with-tentacles that are Flerkens, makes an obvious-but-apt Andrew Lloyd Webber needle drop work and is up there among the most gloriously silly things that Marvel has ever put on-screen. Here's another: a planet where communicating via song, like life is one big Broadway musical, is the native language. And, the most crucial: a trio of female superheroes taking centre stage (2019's Captain Marvel, the 21st MCU flick, was the first to solely put a woman in the spotlight, while 2021's Black Widow is the only one since until now). The Marvels flits between two responses to the latter, though: not caring because it has the typical Marvel wheels to spin, then only caring about Carol, Kamala and Monica's camaraderie. Naturally, the second option is the entertaining and engaging winner. As anyone who has seen Ms Marvel will know going in and everyone else can glean swiftly (at 105 minutes, bloat doesn't blight The Marvels), Jersey City teen Kamala is the world's biggest Captain Marvel superfan. Having her own superhero powers hasn't curbed that Carol-worshipping enthusiasm. She's dreaming about joining forces with her idol when not just their respective light-based powers get entangled, but Monica's as well, causing the three women to switch places suddenly whenever they bust out their supernatural skills simultaneously. The reason for this body-swap comedy-esque occurrence: Kree warrior Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton, The Handmaid's Tale), who is on a mission to save her home planet and seek revenge by destroying worlds. So, after awkward first meetings (Carol and Kamala) and reunions (Carol and Monica, the daughter of her 80s-era best friend Maria, as seen in Captain Marvel), The Marvels' three protagonists are a team on their own existence-in-peril space quest — with Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson, Secret Invasion) running point, and Kamala's mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff, 7 Days), father Yusef (Mohan Kapur, School of Lies) and brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh, Liza on Demand) worrying by his side. Regardless of whether Beastie Boys' 'Intergalactic' is on montage soundtrack duties just as the film's trailers teased, there's both spark and pace to Carol, Kamala and Monica's intermingled chaos — including when utter bedlam results, when they're training to work in sync and when they're fighting like a well-oiled machine. There's sincere chemistry, too, as bounces in comedic and dramatic moments equally. The Marvels screams to be a hangout movie, where seeing these characters spending time with each other, and getting everyone investing in their relationships, is more important than whatever the plot throws their way (especially when the storyline is so rote). That'd be Kamala's ultimate fantasy, and the infectiously charismatic Vellani plays it that way to excited perfection. That said, the MCU isn't in the business of making films about friendship, connection and kinship without facing villains and saving the universe. Long fond of layering different genres over its standard template — such as espionage with Black Widow, horror with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, heist capers with the first two Ant-Man movies, coming-of-age with the Spider-Man entries and martial arts with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, to name just a few examples — Marvel is currently happy to fashion its output in the mould of other sagas. Where fellow 2023 release Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania wanted to be Star Wars, keeping things in the Disney family, there's more than a sliver of Star Trek to The Marvels as it navigates its planet-hopping, civilisation-rescuing narrative. Accordingly, the generic air that regularly pulses through the movie isn't just limited to cycling through MCU staples. Unconvincing CGI doesn't help, nor does the rushed feeling that seeps into the editing to keep the film to its concise length. The first Black woman to direct a Marvel feature, DaCosta clearly has corporate-enforced boxes to tick. Luckily, she also knows The Marvels' biggest assets: Larson, Vellani and Parris; their on-screen alter egos simply sharing space and time (while sometimes toying with it); and joyous mayhem. It mightn't be present everywhere else, but there's balance in how the feature's leads complement each other — how intimately DaCosta dives into their evolving bonds as well, with help from Sean Bobbitt's (Judas and the Black Messiah) perspective-shifting cinematography — and in what Vellani's abundant eagerness, Parris' warmth and smarts, and Larson's gradual cracking of Carol's hard-forged emotional facade bring out in each other. There's heart, liveliness and something rare in the MCU here, as caught in jump-rope sessions, hugs and reaction shots, but then all of the usual MCU elements come crashing in. The Marvels needs its own place-swapping gadgets to jettison out the overused blueprint. Instead, it makes the most of what it can, but leaves viewers pondering one of Marvel's favourite questions: what if?
Whether in collectives or as individuals, a ton of artists are leaving their mark on canvas and walls all around Brisbane. Two such visual magicians are Vlada and Jaimee. You may recognise them a few ways. They comprise one half of rising musical stars Major Leagues, but they also go by separate artistic pseudonyms. Allow me to introduce Junky (Vlada) and Kool Thing (Jaimee) — two of the most interesting artists in town. Junky's detailed illustrations are a sight to behold, while Kool Thing's beloved Pet Portraits have made her hot property to animal lovers everywhere. These pals have been decorating walls across Brisbane for some time, and now they are joining forces for a collaborative exhibition at Jamie's Espresso this Thursday. We decided to have a chat to both artists to find out what makes them tick. Jaimee, in a quick sentence, tell us about your art style! J: My direction might be associated with a street art and/or comic art style. Jaimee, Where did you come up with the idea for Pet Portraits? J: My amazing mother placed that seed in my mind. Thanks mum. How has the response been since you started producing them? J: Dog lovers from all over the country are so encouraging toward this endeavour. It's on its way to becoming a legitimate small business, yippy! Vlada, your illustrations are incredibly detailed! What sort of illustrations do you enjoy drawing the most? V: When I first started drawing I pretty much just drew thousands of pictures of Gambit from X-Men (really focusing on the six pack), so I think doing graphic novel style drawing will always be my favourite thing to do. However Jaimee and I have done a few big murals around the place and they have always been crazy fun. We have been lucky that the lovely people that have let us massacre their walls have just let us have free reign over the space and we get to draw pictures of laser squids and intergalactic bunny rabbits and all kinds of fun things. What/where do you draw your influences from? J: I sway toward anything with intentional and detailed line work. Traditional Japanese prints from old favourites like Hokusai or modern Israeli street artist like UNGA, have surly been an encouragement in the way my work polishes out. V: The artists I follow and fawn over are a huge influence on my work. After I finish something I spend a significant amount of time making sure I haven't plagiarised. I have a little spongy baby brain. Same goes for comic books and whatever I'm reading at the time. Oh and pretty much everything I eat. I'm way too inspired by food. What can you tell us about your upcoming exhibition? What can we expect? J: Vlada and I will each have four to five pieces on display, consisting of our latest inspirations. It will probably look a lot like our Tumblr feed, because us gals don't get out much. V: For this particular exhibition all the works will be fairly new. I never intended on having a theme; however, as I finished everything they all ended up being black-and-white inked pictures. For anyone that has seen any of Jaimee's work she has a solid style that has this incredible ability to adapt and change but maintains its integrity, which is something I really respect about her work. Generally it'll be a collection of new stuff and hopefully will be visually delicious! You are quite active amongst the Brisbane cultural scene; what do you like about Brisbane culturally at this point in time? J: Brisbane has many integral components that make our cultural hub beautiful, including our music and street art. I have recently been city hopping on a national tour with Vlada and our band mates in Major Leagues and we were blown away by the amount of gorgeous street art from the main cities we travelled to. I only hope we will have more tolerance for artistic speech on our streets because I feel that there is a lack of it within our Brisbane culture. I'm super excited for progression in Brisbane's cultural hub. There is much to look forward to. V: Brisbane is wonderful. There are always great bands playing, exhibitions to see, beers to drink and burritos to consume. Brisbane will just keep on growing creatively as well. There are some great minds in this bustling metropolis of ours. Oh yes, and hanging out at Kodak Beach of course. Who are some artists or musicians that you would recommend to someone looking to immerse themselves in Brisbane culture? J: Sam McKenzie (Illustrator) Jesse Olsen (illustrator/tattoo artist), Theresa Fryer (cinematographer) As for musicians, Babaganouj, ROKU MUSIC, Cub Sport and The Good Sports. V: I know for a fact that Jaimee's list and mine are incredibly similar so refer to Jaimee Fryer's list. Ha. But my addition to the artist list would have to be Phoebe Paradise. Where are your favourite places to eat / drink / party around town? J: I go to The Tiller in Alderley for coffee every day; The Scratch bar for my beer needs and The Underdog is a swinging place I'd like to party down at more often. V: Well you can't go wrong with drinking beers on a deck — if you have a deck that is. We have a deck and it is popular past time in our home. Food wise, Vietnamese pork rolls from my bakery in East Brisbane are a solid lunchtime treat and fun dancing times at Black Bear Lodge on the weekends are brilliant, especially if it's a No Diggity night. Ooooh Damn. Kool Thing and Junky will be hosting an exhibition at Jamie's Espresso this Thursday. Check out their work from 6pm.
By this stage, there's every chance you've forgotten what a dance floor even looks like. But the folks at Untitled Group — the same minds behind Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts and Ability Fest — are here to get you reacquainted. They've just revealed a huge all-Aussie lineup for the 2021 edition of their live music series For The Love, which is headed to Perth, Melbourne and the Gold Coast in March and April. Across three dates, legendary acts including electronic duo Flight Facilities, dance floor darlings Cosmo's Midnight and Brisbane rapper Mallrat will help you dust off the cobwebs and rediscover that groove. The party kicks off at Perth's McCallum Park on Saturday, March 13, before heading to Birrarung Marr in Melbourne on Saturday, April 3. Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast plays host to the final event on Saturday, April 17. These three waterfront venues are set to be transformed into blissful dance destinations, heaving to live sounds from favourites like singer-songwriter Running Touch and brother-sister duo Lastlings, along with London Topaz, Boo Seeka, George Maple and Elizabeth Cambage. Punters will also have the opportunity to kick back in style in one of For The Love's VIP lounges, presented by Aussie streetwear label Nana Judy. If an evening spent cutting shapes by the water sounds like a much-needed addition to your calendar, you can now register for presale until 3pm on Wednesday, December 9. Presale tickets go on sale from 5pm that same day, with general public tickets up for grabs from noon on Thursday, December 10. For The Love 2021 hits Perth on March 13, Melbourne on April 3 and the Gold Coast on April 17. Head to the website to register for presale.
