No one has ever just wanted to eat one lonely little chicken wing. Few among us have ever stopped at two, three or less than half a dozen, for that matter. One of the easiest dishes to consume copious amounts of, wings have inspired many a dedicated eatery — and all-you-can-eat joint Chook Wings and Beer is Brisbane's latest such establishment. The newest eatery from the folks behind Phat Elephant, Phat Boy, Chapter IV, Asian Republic and Brisbane Chai Thai, this chicken haven is the city's new go-to for endless piles of its eponymous food. Now open in The Hamptons' former site on Gerler Road at Hendra, it serves up all the pieces you can handle (and, let's be honest, probably more pieces than you should) for $21.90. You'll also be feasting on unlimited sides as part of the buffet, which includes fries, fried rice and salads. And for covering and dipping those wings, eight sauces will be available, with buffalo, barbecue, and sour cream and chive all on the lineup. Fancy something other than wings? Both beef and chicken burgers are available, as well as teriyaki chicken and Japanese curry with chicken. And, with beer also part of Chook Wings and Beer's name, it's serving up a hefty selection of brews — think James Squire, VB, Corona and more, plus a selection of ciders.
It should've been so easy. Everybody loves Christmas films that revel in the raucous side of the season, as the likes of Bad Santa (forget the sequel) and The Night Before demonstrated. Everyone loves Office Space-style workplace comedies as well. Combine the two, throw in a host of funny folks, and the jokes should write themselves… shouldn't they? Perhaps that's the problem with Office Christmas Party — maybe directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (The Switch, Blades of Glory), as well as the six different writers involved with conjuring up the story and screenplay, just assumed that's what would happen. They certainly thought that sticking to a formula as bland and straightforward as the film's title would work, and that mentioning beloved pop culture brands and figures such as Fast and Furious, Mad Men, David Bowie and Prince would rustle up some added affection. Alas, the last time office-based festive antics proved such a mess, it was in Die Hard. We all know how that turned out: fantastic as far as action flicks are concerned, but not so well for the people trapped inside Nakatomi Plaza. Here, a Chicago building inhabited by the local branch of a computing firm provides the site of the chaos. Head honcho Clay Vanstone (T.J. Miller) wants to throw the kind of annual party his dad, the former company head, would've been proud of — not the non-denominational holiday mixer with a gouda-stacked cheese platter that HR rep Mary (Kate McKinnon) is putting together. When his sister and interim CEO Carol (Jennifer Aniston) not only cancels the shindig, but threatens to lay off almost half of his staff, Clay and his chief technical officer Josh (Jason Bateman) spring into action. They plan to woo a possible big-shot client (Courtney B. Vance) by throwing an epic rager, with an inappropriate eggnog delivery system, a basketball star and all-round debauchery included. Great party movies, like the recent Tina Fey/Amy Poehler vehicle Sisters, make you wish you were there. Bad party movies usually make you cringe — and no, that's not what Office Christmas Party actually wants to do. Frankly, it's attempting too much already. With X-Men: Apocalypse's Olivia Munn, Workaholics' Jillian Bell, Saturday Night Live's Vanessa Bayer and The Neon Demon's Abbey Lee also among the cast, the film isn't short on subplots involving professional and romantic troubles. As if that weren't enough, a revolutionary new way to access the internet also plays a significant part in proceedings. Mixing an over-stuffed story, predictably bad behaviour, and Santa suits and Christmas lights aplenty, Office Christmas Party proves the type of supposedly outrageous comedy that feels like it was designed by committee. To be fair, that is how most real-life workplace gatherings of the sort come together, and they don't have the scene-stealing McKinnon to liven things up. Still, a party that's only enjoyable when one specific person pops up will always remain a drag, be it off-screen or on.
If you live in Brisbane's inner east and love particularly good movies, then you might want to mark December 2016 in your diary. That's when you can head to the flicks a whole lot closer to home, at Dendy's brand new Coorparoo Square cinema. Even if you don't live quite so nearby, you'll still want to check out the city's newest picture house. Not only will the new complex boast seven standard cinemas, but it will also feature three Dendy Premium Lounge screens, too. Think Gold Class meets arthouse, with reclining seats and during-movie dining treats. With their popular Portside venue still up and running at Hamilton, that'll make two Dendy Cinemas operating in Brisbane. If you're feeling a bit of déjà vu, that's because the cinema chain previously had a second location on George Street in the CBD, back before it became Tribal Theatre. Today's announcement also confirms Dendy as the first tenant announced for a Coorparoo development that has been quite a long time coming. More than a decade ago, the spot on the corner of Old Cleveland and Cavendish Roads was a Myer, but other than some short-lived indoor markets, it has mostly lain dormant of late. Three residential towers, a food hall and a retail complex will also be built on the site, with work due to start later this month.
Heads up, Mother's Day is just around the corner. (It's happening on Sunday, May 9, in case you temporarily forgot.) You can frantically message your siblings later, because there's pressie planning afoot — and we've found a showstopper for your dear ol' mumsie this year thanks to Gelato Messina. Never one to miss an opportunity to experiment with new ways to inhale sweets, Messina has been cooking up quite the delicate novelty dessert for Mum since 2015: an Italian-inspired box of chocolates. These brownie point-winners have been selling out every year since, and they're sure to bring it home again in 2021. An important note, though: while these chocolate bon bons were filled with gelato to begin with, Messina went for an all-chocolate version in 2020. And, that's what's on offer again this Mother's Day. They're made from single origin Ecuadorian chocolate, no less — and, with Messina recently stepping up its in-house chocolate-making capabilities, you'll be tasting some of the gelato chain's new varieties. Each box comes with nine handmade chocolate bon bons in nine different flavours — Davidson plum, earl grey, alfajores, lamington, mandarin white choc, Messina Rocher, strawberry pate de fruit, 80-percent dark chocolate and yuzu white chocolate. So, your mum will have quite the variety to feast on. And hey, if she doesn't like one of the flavours, maybe she'll share it with you. The Mother's Day boxes are going for $49 a pop, and will be available to order from 9am, Thursday, April 22. This year, you'll need to pick them up, too, with the bon bons available for collection between Friday, May 7–Sunday, May 9. Gelato Messina's Mother's Day Bon Bons will be available to order from 9am, Thursday, April 22 for pick up between Friday, May 7–Sunday, May 9.
Named one of the best places in the world to visit in 2022, southeast Queensland's Scenic Rim region isn't short on highlights, whether it's gorgeous scenery or farm-fresh produce you're after. Keen on the latter for festive season, but can't make the trip south from Brisbane anytime soon? Don't worry — Tommerup's Dairy Farm, Valley Pride Produce, Tamborine Mountain Distillery, Cauldron Distillery, Olive View Estate and more are coming to you on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Save the road trip for another weekend — instead, head to the Christmas edition of Farm Gate to City Door Markets at the Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct. It'll operate from 8am–12pm, serving up everything from fruit and vegetables, salted cultured butter and cheese through to boutique spirits, local wines and honey straight from the hive. You can also nab handmade bath and body products, such as goat milk soaps. Since 2022, the Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct has regularly hosted this country-meets-city event. Iif it gets you thinking about holidaying in the Scenic Rim, there's a stall for planning that as well. Live music will provide a soundtrack — and some of the seasonal treats on offer include ginger- and Christmas pudding-flavoured ice cream, which will also help get you into the festive spirit now.
UPDATE, September 17, 2021: A Star Is Born is available to stream via Paramount+, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. It's been a decade since Lady Gaga's star was born in a cloud of upbeat pop and outlandish costuming, but with her first major film role, it's happening all over again. Stripped of the makeup, outfits and theatricality that have shaped her stage persona since she told the world to just dance, the singer is a revelation in A Star Is Born — both because of and despite the obvious. Belting out heartfelt ballads and throwaway pop alike, she clearly has the voice for the job. That said, it's how she performs when she's not crooning the movie's catchy tunes that's truly special. Like an actor gaining weight or sporting a physical ailment, wiping the gloss off an existing megastar might seem an acting cliche, however Gaga isn't simply playing tourist with normality. The 'Poker Face' popster plays Ally, who works in hospitality by day and unleashes memorable versions of 'La Vie En Rose' in a drag bar by night. An ordinary woman dreaming big, writing her own songs but never thinking that she'll make it, it's a part that Gaga lives and breathes with earthy, unguarded authenticity — almost as though she's been through it herself. The singer is electric in A Star Is Born's early scenes, as boozy country rocker Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) catches her club act, convinces her to have a drink with him and sparks fly. When he takes her home the next morning, says goodbye and then calls back to her from his limousine window, Jackson says what everyone watching is thinking: "I just want to take one more look at you". And look he does. Thanks to Jackson, his adoring gaze, and his certainty that Ally has both a genuine voice and something genuine to say, her fantasies start coming true. When he sends a driver to take her to one of his stadium shows, brings her out on stage and they duet one of her songs, the movie's title starts ringing true too. Love blossoms also, but Ally and Jackson's tale is one of rising as well as falling. For Jackson, the combination of alcoholism, hearing loss and childhood trauma leave a wound that only cuts deeper as Ally shines and his career fades. An aspiring talent striving to see their name in lights is one of the oldest narratives in Hollywood's book. In A Star Is Born's case, it dates back to 1937 — or 1932 if you count What Price Hollywood?, whose studio almost sued the original A Star Is Born for plagiarism. Across eight decades now, this sweeping tale just keeps hitting the screen, complete with remakes starring Judy Garland in 1954 and Barbra Streisand in 1976. With Gaga leading the charge this time around, it's easy to see why A Star Is Born keeps glowing. A crash course in the highs and lows of the American dream, it's a fantasy where wishes come true, but where everything has a cost. It's also an underdog story, a star-crossed romance, an account of trying to make it in entertainment, a drama about substance abuse and a warning about fame's many ills. Most of all, A Star Is Born is an unashamed melodrama. While that's a term that's been given a bad name of late, wrenching emotion and heightened drama is exactly what this story calls for. Not only co-starring but jumping into the writer and director's chairs for the first time, Cooper doesn't skimp on sentiment, with every passionate kiss, overwhelming moment and tragic development landing with undeniable force. And yet, his film never wallows in sappiness or spoon-feeds its feelings to the audience – even when it charts blatant plot points that even newcomers to the tale will spot, or suffers from bloat in its mid-section. Seamlessly updating the narrative for the 21st century with co-scribes Eric Roth (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close) and Will Fetters (The Best of Me), Cooper understands the power of the material. A Star Is Born has been wowing audiences since the 1930s, after all. It helps that Cooper has a knack for visual storytelling, working with cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Mother!). A Star is Born's imagery sings its own affecting tune, with the actor-turned-director favouring shots that are grounded in the emotion of the narrative. Cooper also does his part as performer, both acting the sorrowful part and holding his own when it comes to his vocals. But his biggest gift to the movie is his willingness to let his collaborators glisten. While A Star Is Born is a definite showcase for a debut filmmaker who stars, croons, writes and directs, it gleams brighter thanks to the space and weight given to its cast. Sam Elliott is in astonishing form as Jackson's equally gruff and tender older brother, Dave Chappelle waxes kind and wise as an old pal telling it like it is, and Andrew Dice Clay is warm and protective as Ally's supportive dad. And, jumping from being one of the world's biggest pop stars to playing one of the world's biggest film roles, Gaga is far from the shallow now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywkF1lj5wyI
Summer's set to bring a celebration of queer arts and culture to Brisbane Powerhouse, with the venue announcing plans for a new festival in 2015. From February 5 to 15, MELT will shine a light on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) performance, art, music and film in Brisbane’s answer to Sydney's Mardi Gras and Melbourne's Midsumma. Under the guidance of newly appointed festival director James Lees, a veteran of producing events for Brisbane Pride Festival, Brisbane Carnivale and Brisbane Cabaret Festival, MELT is designed to become a highlight of Queensland’s annual queer and cultural calendar. "The opportunity to bring the first MELT to life is like a dream job to me. I believe in breaking down the artificial barriers that can exist between artforms and artists. I'll be bringing this approach to MELT, as seen through the lens of the ever-evolving LGBTIQ community, which I have also been proudly involved with, and a part of, for many years," says Lees. The Brisbane Queer Film Festival (BQFF), now entering its 16th year, has also been absorbed into the new festival. BQFF will be brought forward from its recent April timeslot to run in February as part of MELT's varied program. MELT is the fourth new festival to join Brisbane Powerhouse’s busy calendar of events under artistic director Kris Stewart’s reign. The inaugural Queensland Cabaret Festival took place in June, carnie-style event Wonderland has its first outing in December, and the digital-centric IRL will be unveiled in May 2015. The Powerhouse also hosts the World Theatre Festival, Brisbane Comedy Festival and children’s festival Powerkids. Never a dull moment. MELT runs February 5 to 15 at Brisbane Powerhouse. More details over here. Top image: BQFF.
An eclectic group of modern innovators in soul, R&B and electronica, The Internet is heading to The Tivoli for its first-ever Brisbane headline show this March. Renowned for seamlessly mixing genres, sultry smooth vocals and addictive bass lines, The Internet is an acclaimed five-piece band from the wild west coast of California. The band is headed by one of the most unique and multi-talented humans around, Syd Bennett — a Crenshaw local who's been singing since 11 and taught herself to record, engineer and produce by the age of 15. After two acclaimed but underground albums The Internet released Ego Death a Grammy-nominated masterwork in genre-bending soul music. The group then split up, to each produce their own solo work, then reunited earlier this year to release their fourth studio album, Hive Mind. This March, head to the The Tivoli to soak up the sultry vocals and slinking baselines straight from the source, as the quintet performs a career-spanning set with hits off all four albums. The Internet tickets go on sale to the public at 12pm on Friday, November 2. You can access pre-sale tickets by becoming a My Ticketmaster Member.
Ageing is a privilege. It's certainly better than the alternative. But what if life's physical ravages were condensed and accelerated? What if you were a six-year-old one moment, a teenager a few hours later and sporting middle-aged wrinkles the next morning? That's the premise of Old, which boasts a sci-fi setup that could've come straight from The Twilight Zone, a chaotic midsection reminiscent of Mother!'s immersive horrors, and a setting and character dynamics that nod to Lost. It slides in alongside recently unearthed George A Romero thriller The Amusement Park as well and, with M Night Shyamalan behind the lens, indulges the writer/director's love of high-concept plots with big twists. No one sees dead people and plants aren't the culprits — thankfully, in the latter case — however, surprise revelations remain part of this game. That said, unlike earlier in his career, when the filmmaker might've made the rapid passage of time the final big shock, Shyamalan isn't just about jolts and amazement here. Old has another sizeable reveal, naturally. Shyamalan is still the director behind The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, The Visit, Split, Glass and more, and he likes his bag of tricks. This time, though, he wants to play with and probe his scenario rather than primarily tease his audience and get them puzzling. He wants viewers to experience the minutiae rather than wait for the ultimate unmasking (yes, with his fondness for twists, he'd probably make a great version of Scooby Doo). The notion that ageing brings pain and loss — physical, mental and emotional alike — isn't new, of course. Nor is the reality that death awaits us all, or that we rarely make the most of our seconds, minutes and hours (and days, weeks, months and years). But Shyamalan embraces these immutable facts to explore how humanity responds to getting older and the knowledge that we'll die, and how our worldview is shaped as a result — or, when we're all ignoring our mortality as we typically soldier on day after day, how ordinarily it isn't. Holidaying from Philadelphia — Shyamalan's hometown and usual on-screen setting — Guy (Gael García Bernal, Ema) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread) have a different ending on their minds as they settle into a luxe resort on a remote tropical island. Their marriage is crumbling, but they're giving their six-year-old son Trent (Nolan River, Adverse) and 11-year-old daughter Maddox (Alexa Swinton, Billions) one last happy vacation before their domestic bliss subsides. The kids have conflicting ideas about how to spend their getaway, but the hotel's manager (Gustaf Hammarsten, Kursk) has a suggestion. He tells the family about a secret beach, and stresses that he doesn't just tip off any old customers about its existence. The fact that they're escorted by mini-bus (driven by Shyamalan, in one of his regular cameos) alongside a few other resort guests undercuts that clandestine claim, but everyone soon has far worse to deal with. With arrogant surgeon Charles (Rufus Sewell, The Father), his younger wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee, Lovecraft Country), their daughter Kara (debutant Kylie Begley) and his elderly mother Agnes (Kathleen Chalfant, The Affair) — and with famous rapper Mid-Sized Sedan (Aaron Pierre, The Underground Railroad), and couple Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird, The Personal History of David Copperfield) and Jarin (Ken Leung, a Lost alum) as well — Guy, Prisca, Trent and Maddox quickly discover that time ticks by at a much speedier pace on this supposedly idyllic patch of sand. Also, no matter how they try, they can't manage to leave its oceanside expanse. The bulk of Old charts their reactions, especially as seconds equate to hours and the effects show almost immediately. Not only do the kids grow up fast (which is where Jojo Rabbit's Thomasin McKenzie, Jumanji: The Next Level's Alex Wolff and Babyteeth's Eliza Scanlen come in), but all of the beachgoers' health ailments are expedited, too. Diving in wholeheartedly, Shyamalan mixes stints of body horror with the film's existential woes, all while deploying Mike Gioulakis' (Us) constantly careening cinematography to convey the confusion sweeping through his exasperated characters. When it works — when it's plunging into the mania, discomfort and disorientation caused by time's sped-up slip — Old unfurls with a sense of fluidity, frenzy and thoughtfulness. It contemplates loss on multiple levels, including of health, childhood and life, and it finds vivid images to express the chaos and dismay that springs. Indeed, its depictions of advancing cancer, osteoporosis, loss of sight and loss of hearing are bold and effective. Shyamalan also uses his scenic backdrop cannily, giving his stranded figures and everyone watching a reminder that the planet's beauty will linger unaffected even as a lifetime of dramas play out (climate change isn't part of this scenario, obviously). And, his musings and the imagery they inspire all strike an emotional chord. His smart casting helps at every step as well, led by not just Bernal and Krieps, but McKenzie, Wolff and Scanlen. It's confronting to watch people realise their future is now gone, their squabbles unimportant and their regrets many, just as it's poignant to see young adults who were kids mere minutes ago grapple with coming of age on a rapid timeframe. Still, Shyamalan's beachy nightmare also has its struggles. Adapting his narrative from Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters' graphic novel Sandcastle, he pens dialogue that's descriptive, exposition-heavy and often clunky. His treatment of mental illness as a villainous force is immensely troublesome. As is evident from the get-go, when cocktails are foisted too enthusiastically upon new resort arrivals and a young boy, Idlib (Kailen Jude, Grey's Anatomy), befriends Trent but seems wearied by everything around him, Shyamalan also can't completely resist the urge to force-feed blatantly apparent details. The film's needlessly conspicuous touches don't wash away its thrills, but they do make this a movie that's never as potent as it could be. When it's bonkers, insidious and moving all at once, Old grabs you as firmly as time grabs us all. When it just can't help being too neat, explanation-wise, it treads water rather than seizes the moment.
UPDATE, March 4, 2021: Can You Ever Forgive Me? is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Can You Ever Forgive Me? takes its title from Lee Israel's memoir, but like much in her life, the words aren't completely her own. Israel first penned the phrase in the guise of Dorothy Parker, forging a letter by the famous American poet and writer, and selling it for a handsome sum. For a brief period in the early 90s, that's how Israel made a living. After establishing her career as a celebrity biographer, and earning praise for channelling the voice of her subjects, she couldn't get another book published. So she put those skills to other use, starting with a genuine but embellished thank you note, and segueing into outright — and highly lucrative — counterfeiting. Still, Israel was proud. "I'm a better Dorothy Parker than Dorothy Parker," she boasted. Based on Israel's confessional account of her crimes, Can You Ever Forgive Me? tells this heist-like tale, however it also tells so much more. Directed with an eye for quiet detail by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) from an evocative and insightful screenplay by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said) and Jeff Whitty, it's an examination of everything from loneliness to the limits of celebrity worship — the things we do to fill our lives, and the need we have to connect with our idols. The film also charts a complex friendship that acts as a temporary balm for two unhappy souls, and portrays a tender, tentative and troubled romance, neither of which follow any formula. Of course, first and foremost, it's a portrait of the movie's central figure. Even if Israel hadn't dabbled with literary fraud, she could've spawned numerous character studies. Played with a hard veneer and begrudgingly vulnerable centre by a career-best Melissa McCarthy, Israel is passionate about chronicling the lives of great women. With her agent (Jane Curtin) continually brushing her off, she's also vastly under-appreciated. She drinks whisky at the thankless job that pays her bills until she's fired, and at her favourite bar every chance she gets. She refuses to temper her personality to please anyone, or simply get along with anyone for that matter. As becomes clear whenever Israel interacts with the world, she loves her cat more than people — even bookseller Anna (Dolly Wells) on their awkward dates, and even fellow outcast and barfly Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), who becomes her only friend. Then her beloved feline falls ill and Israel can't afford to take her to the vet, so she gets into the forgery game. Many of Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s delights come from McCarthy, both when she's alone and also sharing scenes with Grant. While Israel was real and her story as well, the screen versions of both come to life in the actor's hands. It's a compelling, awards-worthy performance, one that's played close to the chest to capture Israel's closed-off nature, while remaining expressive in every inch. McCarthy paints Israel as someone who's always herself, even when she's pretending not to be — and when she pals around with Grant's rambunctious, resourceful, up-for-anything drinking buddy, the duo feel like they could walk out of the film and into any dank New York watering hole of their choosing. On the surface, McCarthy's switch from garnering laughs to evoking deep empathy might sound familiar, with plenty of comedians following that path before. And yet, nothing about her work as the misanthropic and purposefully thorny Israel feels routine, which is another of Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s great charms. Heller knows how juicy Israel's tale is, and firmly proves that fact is stranger than fiction. She also knows that this story is a product of a fascinating, complicated and distinctive woman, who both committed the details to the page and actually committed the crimes. Heller may only have two movies to her name, however she's a perceptive, probing and generous director, giving her characters the space they need to shine and fail and experience everything in-between. Indeed, in bringing Israel's life to the screen, Heller and McCarthy have clearly taken her words to heart. The real-life writer bragged about stepping into someone else's shoes so easily and convincingly, and the women leading this fantastic film achieve the very same thing — just without perpetrating a sham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJIaNsf_bY
For the second year in a row, movie buffs will need to get their Melbourne International Film Festival fix purely from their couches. After the 2020 fest jumped online due to the pandemic, the 2021 event was meant to go ahead as a hybrid of both in-cinema and digital sessions. But then not one but two lockdowns hit, venue restrictions were put in place when the city wasn't under stay-at-home conditions, and the COVID-19 situation in Melbourne in general has kept complicating plans, leading MIFF organisers to scrap its in-cinema screenings. Initially, in-person sessions were set to span the festival's first week or so, before the event closed up online; however, just days before this year's MIFF kicked off on Thursday, August 5, the fest flipped that order and expanded its virtual component. It was due to then add in-person sessions from Thursday, August 12, but that'll no longer be happening. "MIFF's heart was in a return to cinemas this year, and this is a goal that we have pursued with determination to this point," said Artistic Director Al Cossar. "It is with deep sadness and profound frustration that we must take the step of cancelling our Melbourne cinema-based screenings for 2021." This year's MIFF was designed to be able to adapt to changing conditions, given that it was always likely that the pandemic would continue to impact the festival's plans — and so it is well-positioned for the move online. "Despite the duress of this moment, we are proud that elements of our program can still continue," said Cossar. "Through our XR platform, global audiences anywhere can continue their season of MIFF's exciting range of immersive experiences; and, centrally, through MIFF Play we can continue to deliver the very best Australian and international films to audiences not just in Melbourne but right around the country, at a time that it's most needed." Via MIFF Play, the festival is screening more than 90 features, with its catalogue of titles growing in recent days. Exisiting highlights include college-set rom-com Freshman Year, Spanish influencer satire La Verónica, New Zealand thriller Coming Home in the Dark and Norwegian comedy Ninjababy, while the Mads Mikkelsen-starring Riders of Justice and psycho-thriller music mockumentary The Nowhere Inn — featuring Carrie Brownstein and St Vincent — sit among the just-added newcomers. More films are set to become available on Saturday, August 14, too, such as documentary Hopper/Welles, which sees Dennis Hopper and Orson Welles meet and chat back in 1970; Night of the Kings, a prison thriller set on the outskirts of Abidjan; and Stray, a doco about the 100,000-plus stray dogs that rove freely around Istanbul. And, other titles will drop later in the fest, like Australian drama Little Tornadoes, which is co-written by The Slap's Christos Tsiolkas; Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, a documentary exploring the folk horror genre; and closing night's Language Lessons, which takes place via video calls. MIFF's digital platform is available Australia-wide, ensuring that cinephiles around the country — including those in lockdown elsewhere, like in Greater Sydney — can enjoy its lineup as well. That facet of the online program proved popular last year, unsurprisingly, with 2020's virtual festival resulting in MIFF's biggest fest yet, audience-wise. The 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival runs via MIFF's online platform MIFF Play until Sunday, August 22. For further details, visit the MIFF website.
There are plenty of ways to describe something that's fun while it lasts, but finishes up prematurely. And yes, many of them could be followed by "title of your sex tape". So, with US TV network NBC announcing that beloved sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine will come to an end after its next season, we're sure you're going to be thinking about Jake Peralta's favourite retort for a while. We're sure the phrase will be uttered at least once in the show's final batch of episodes, too, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine due to wrap up with a ten-episode eighth season. Those final instalments won't air until either the second half of 2021 or the first half of 2022, so you have some time to come to terms with the news — and to prepare to say goodbye to Peralta (Andy Samberg), Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) and Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher). And yes, even to farewell Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) as well. In response to the announcement, showrunner Dan Goor said that "ending the show was a difficult decision, but ultimately, we felt it was the best way to honour the characters, the story and our viewers". This definitely isn't a noice development, but if you've been following news headlines over the past year, ending B99 shouldn't come as much of a surprise. In response to 2020's Black Lives Matter protests — and their efforts to raise awareness about police brutality after the death of George Floyd — the first four scripts for the show's eighth season were scrapped. Several cast members, including Samberg, also spoke publicly about rethinking B99's approach in light of the events. https://twitter.com/nbcbrooklyn99/status/1359958366433341440 When the series ends, it'll do so after 153 episodes of Brooklyn-set antics, all based around the fictional 99th precinct — with quite a few Halloween heists thrown in. And, it'll cap off a tumultuous run for the show off-screen, because B99 was threatened with being axed for its entire first five seasons, and was even cancelled in May 2018. That move was made by Fox, its original American network; however, after an outcry followed, rival US channel NBC picked up the series just 31 hours later. It first committed to a sixth season of cop comedy, then picked it up for a seventh, and later renewed it for an eighth before that seventh season even aired. Whenever any B99 news hits — happy or sad — there are plenty of appropriate ways to mark this development. You could break out a sorrowful yoghurt, Terry Jeffords-style. If you're more like Captain Raymond Holt, perhaps you'd like to treat yourself to a trip to a barrel museum. You could also channel your inner Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) and dance about your distressed feelings, you could organise your entire house as you know Santiago would, or you say cheers to Peralta by watching Die Hard over and over. Brooklyn Nine-Nine will come to an end after its next — and eighth — season. The show's final ten episodes will air sometime either in the second half of 2021 or the first half of 2022 — we'll update you when more details are announced.
Does M Night Shyamalan hate holidays? The twist-loving writer/director's Knock at the Cabin comes hot on the heels of 2021's Old, swapping beach nightmares for woodland terrors. He isn't the only source of on-screen chaos in vacation locations — see also: Triangle of Sadness' Ruben Östlund, plus oh-so-many past horror movies, and TV's The White Lotus and The Resort as well — but making two flicks in a row with that setup is a pattern. For decades since The Sixth Sense made him the Oscar-nominated king of high-concept premises with shock reveals, Shyamalan explored the idea that everything isn't what it seems in our daily lives. Lately, however, he's been finding insidiousness lingering beyond the regular routine, in picturesque spots, when nothing but relaxation is meant to flow. A holiday can't fix all or any ills, he keeps asserting, including in this engaging adaptation of Paul Tremblay's 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World. For Eric (Jonathan Groff, The Matrix Resurrections), Andrew (Ben Aldridge, Pennyworth) and their seven-year-old daughter Wen (debutant Kristen Cui), a getaway isn't meant to solve much but a yearning for family time in the forest — and thinking about anyone but themselves while Eric and Andrew don robes, and Wen catches pet grasshoppers, isn't on their agenda. Alas, their rural Pennsylvanian idyll shatters swiftly when the soft-spoken but brawny Leonard (Dave Bautista, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) emerges from the trees. He says he wants to be Wen's friend, but he also advises that he's on an important mission. He notes that his task involves the friendly girl and her dads, giving them a hard choice yet also no choice at all. The schoolteacher has colleagues, too: agitated ex-con Redmond (Rupert Grint, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities), patient nurse Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird, Avenue 5) and nurturing cook Adriane (Abby Quinn, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), all brandishing weapons fashioned from garden tools. When a Shyamalan movie slips into holiday mode, it's more concerned with unpacking revelations than teasing them out Unbreakable-, Signs-, The Village- and The Happening-style. Accordingly, like Old, Knock at the Cabin drops its crucial surprise early. Leonard and company have come a-knocking because they Eric, Andrew and Wen must stave off exactly what Tremblay's book's title promises: the end of the world. All four strangers have experienced unsettling visions leading them to this well-appointed hut, where this very family just happens to be escaping the city, to get its occupants to make a difficult choice. If Wen and her fathers sacrifice one of their number willingly, the apocalypse won't eventuate. If they refuse, first the sea will rise, then a plague will spread, then the sky will fall — then humanity will burn except this chosen three, who'll be forced to watch. What would you do? Shyamalan, taking on a Black List script initially drafted by first-timers Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, demands that Knock at the Cabin's viewers ask themselves that question. In fact, that query springs several times as the film morphs through multiple horror and thriller situations. What would you do if a gentle giant appeared at your door? If armed attackers stormed your house? If conspiracy-spouting fanatics ordered your allegiance? Yes, Knock at the Cabin is soaked in stranger danger, works as a home-invasion flick and ponders cults. What would you do, too, if you could halt the planet's destruction but at significant cost to yourself? Yes, Knock at the Cabin poses a loaded proposition in these climate change-ravaged and pandemic-afflicted times. Of course, while Tremblay's text predates COVID-19, the movie it inspires needn't ask what'd happen if the earth was crumbling or a disease was decimating swathes of people — we already know. Knowledge is one of Shyamalan's key tools; he's well-aware of the genre boxes he's ticking, and that his audience will spot what he's doing. Leonard's arrival nods to one of the best horror films ever made, after all, and one of the most heartbreaking scenes committed to celluloid — because when there's a towering figure, a flower and a child, James Whale's Frankenstein comes to mind. Knowledge is the source of tension, actually, given that Knock at the Cabin's opening scene and much that follows have played out on screens before. Three things help keep eyes fixed ahead, pulses racing and unease simmering: waiting to see what the kind but quickly concussed Eric, suspicious and homophobia-suspecting Andrew, and sweet and resourceful Wen will indeed do with this prophesy of impending doom; discovering how true, or not, Leonard and company's claims are; and learning if Shyamalan will toy with, twist and subvert everything viewers know has happened in similar fare, or if and where he won't. Knock at the Cabin's creative force gets playful via his lead alone, instantly lacing his movie with unease and uncertainty through Bautista's presence. The heft that's made the wrestler-turned-actor famous, including as Guardians of the Galaxy's Drax the Destroyer, is impossible to avoid — but so is Leonard's polite demeanour, bookish glasses and button-up shirt, each befitting his pre-apocalypse job. Cinematographers Jarin Blaschke (The Northman) and Lowell A Meyer (Servant) repeatedly emphasise Bautista's size, with the film's array of angles frequently framing its literal biggest player to appear as threatening as possible. The actor's portrayal is controlled and restrained, however, which makes for an unnerving contrast. In his most compelling and complex performance yet, Bautista is hypnotic — imposing, ardent, earnest and tender as well — as a man zealously committed yet also visibly pained over what he's doing. Shyamalan certainly doesn't have a casting problem here — Grint keeps flourishing in his projects, as seen in Servant; Groff, Aldridge and Cui make a charming family, even in such tough circumstances; and Amuka-Bird and Quinn invest their characters with heart and sincerity — or any issues sparking interest. He's at the top of his craft, too, with Knock at the Cabin's mix of roving and close-up visuals claustrophobic, disquieting, nimble and handsomely staged all at once. And, while the movie's first two thirds exceed its final act, he's made a mostly single-location affair with as straightforward a plot as he's worked with that's largely gripping. While its questions about what we choose to put our faith in and why are as obvious as one late easy reveal, Knock at the Cabin earns two firm beliefs: in Shyamalan messing with vacations again, and in Bautista at his best.
Write a Brisbane-set book. Score a hit on the page. Then, see your words take to the stage, then the screen. That's how life went for Trent Dalton with Boy Swallows Universe. Next, going as far as treading the boards for now, that's also his path with Love Stories. Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Brisbane Festival are giving another of Dalton's books a stage adaptation. As the play version of Boy Swallows Universe did, Love Stories is premiering at Brisbane Festival, with Tim McGarry penning the script and Dalton contributing additional writing. Fiona Franzmann will also contribute, while Sam Strong is directing. If much of this combination sounds familiar, Strong and McGarry also brought Eli Bell's antics to the theatre when it hit QPAC first. Their stage adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe wasn't just a smash — it's still the venue's bestselling drama ever. Fans won't have to wait long to see the end result for Love Stories, with the production set to have its world premiere in spring 2024, playing QPAC's Playhouse from Sunday, September 8–Sunday, September 29. As for who'll be bringing it to life onstage, Jason Klarwein plays a writer and husband, while Michala Banas is his wife. They're both based on married couple Dalton and Franzmann. Also in the cast: Rashidi Edwards as Jean-Benoit, a Belgian busker who is also the show's narrator. Kimie Tsukakoshi, Jeanette Cronin, Mathew Cooper, Bryan Probets and Harry Tseng round out the acting talent from there, as joined by dancers Jacob Watton and Hsin-Ju Ely. The production sets its scene from the corner of Brisbane's Adelaide and Albert streets — and if you've read the book, you'll know why. Dalton wrote the 2022 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year-winner by heading to a corner in Brisbane's CBD, Olivetti typewriter in hand, and asking folks walking by for their tales. His question: "can you please tell me a love story?". Accordingly, this is another love letter to Brisbane, as Boy Swallows Universe is. This time, however, it tells true tales about romance and life. The aim is for it to be joyous but poignant, humorous but dramatic, and to be sentimental about Brisbane while telling a range of diverse love stories. Images: David Kelly.
Splendour in the Grass might be over for another year and festival season still a blip on the horizon, but in the meantime here's a great opportunity to invest in some home-grown talent and have a killer evening out while you're at it. After launching in 2018, Against the Grain returns for another year. Organised by local indie publication Grain, it's bringing its showcase of ace live music to The Foundry, The Brightside and The Valley Drive-In on Saturday, November 3 Rather than spreading out the action across three days as in previous years, this year's lineup ramps up the music mayhem across one huge night. Twenty interstate and local artists will take to three stages, so prepare for a hefty stint of hopping between venues. Here's the full lineup: City Calm Down Tiny Little Houses Good Boy Maddy Jane Totally Mild Moaning Lisa Sweater Curse Vacations Eliza and The Delusionals Fritz First Beige Candy Pool Shop Grace Turner Concrete Surfers Sleepclub Blonde Tongues Skivvy Season Bloom Parade Start Together
UPDATE, February 22, 2024: The Queen's Wharf precinct is now due to start opening from August 2024. Brisbane's Queen's Wharf precinct has been in the works for years — at least seven now — but it's slowly inching closer to becoming a new inner-city riverside destination that you can actually visit. Now targeting a mid-2023 opening date, it'll sprawl between Alice, George, Queen and William streets in the CBD, and feature everything from restaurants and bars, a sky deck and a riverfront moonlight cinema through to hotels, shops and a heap of public space. And, as just announced, it'll also be home to the city's first riverside bikeway cafe. That spot: Velo Cafe, which'll be a two-in-one, two-storey venue. Perched near the Bicentennial Bikeway that runs along the Brisbane River — and also near the North Quay City Cat terminal, plus the Queen's Wharf foreshore — it'll operate as a cafe and a bar, and sport purpose-built bike facilities and a workshop. Given its location, river views are also set to be a big drawcard. So, in addition to stopping by pre-, mid- or post-ride for a drink and a bite to eat, you'll be able to use the cafe's lockers, change facilities, toilets and showers. And, with its two-level setup, you'll also be able to get up to Queens Wharf Road via a lift and stairs, and back into the CBD. Velo Cafe won't open until sometime in 2023, like the rest of the Queen's Wharf, but cyclists will notice some changes in the area in the interim. Due to upgrades to the space beneath the Riverside Expressway, and to connect over-river landing areas to the foreshore, the Bicentennial Bikeway route has been diverted since Tuesday, May 24 — and will remain that way for around the next 12 months. "Bikeway users will be the first people to use the new landing areas, which have created around 6000 square metres of new public space and push out over the river by up to 40 metres beyond the Riverside Expressway," said Destination Brisbane Consortium Project Director Simon Crooks. "The bikeway diversion, which will take bikeway users out along the edge of the landing, is quite straightforward compared to the diversion we implemented in 2018 behind QUT when the Consortium built the mangrove walk and upgraded the first 500-metres of Bicentennial Bikeway," he continued. "Plenty of signage is in place to ensure the safety of all bikeway users and make sure there are no surprises for those that travel along this popular riverside route." Queen's Wharf and Velo Cafe are slated to start opening in mid-2023. We'll update you when a specific date is announced — and you can find out further details in the interim via the development's website.
Labels. What are they good for? Well, we all know the answer to that: absolutely nothing. That's Jessica McKerlie's attitude, and she feels strongly about it. In fact, she feels so strongly about it that she has written several songs, poems and burlesque performances about the topic. And she's bring it all together in her MELT Festival show, Gender Spanner. Her ditties and musings endeavour to dissect gender stereotypes, as based on McKerlie's own explorations. Sure, you've probably been on this kind of journey before, but we're sure you haven't experienced it through McKerlie's words and music — or with spinning plates, dance moves and a tiny ukulele.
When Green Beacon Brewing Co opened its doors back in 2013, few could've known the yeasty, tasty joy that would follow. Actually, that's not true. Predicting that a brewery in Newstead was going to be a hit — well, that can't have been all that difficult. Now, five years later, they're doing what every brewery is obliged to do on such an occasion, aka throwing a massive birthday bash. Come January 26, they'll be marking half a decade in style, aka with food, drinks and a damn fine time. There'll be Salts Food Truck serving up fish 'n' chips, plus GB's own delicious range including Moreton Bay bug rolls and Mooloolaba King prawn rolls. Beverage-wise, as well as their usual tipples, there'll also something very special to drink. Feel like some mango and vanilla in your creamy beer? Curious about how it might taste? Let their new Mango Milkshake IPA answer all of your questions.
If you love to gamble, Gordita’s omakase offerings may be the adventure you’re looking for. Omakase, meaning “I’ll leave it to you”, is the ethos behind Gordita’s market menu. For $45 you'll get Spanish wines matched with two courses from the daily menu that includes croquettes of manchego with pesto rojo, and slow-roasted Sovereign Hills lamb shoulder.
Time flies when you're watching films and pretending you're on the other side of the world, which is exactly the kind of fun that Palace Cinemas' annual Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival serves up. It has been six years since the arthouse chain started giving winter-loving movie buffs a smorgasbord of films from frosty Nordic climes — timed for the Australian winter, naturally — and the cinema showcase is still going strong. Touring the country from July 9 to August 7, this year's event doesn't hold back when it comes to its strengths. If you're a fan of twisty mysteries and thrillers, brooding dramas set against a stunning snowy backdrop, and smart leaps in genres, you're in luck. Spanning the latest and greatest titles from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland, plus old favourites that you'll want to revisit on a big screen, this year's Scandinavian Film Festival is lineup is stellar. Here are our five must-see picks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MIlE9R00ik ANIARA The savviest sci-fi films don't simply ponder a future that may not come, they follow today's big troubles to their possible end. If environmental issues are big on your radar, add Aniara to the watch list. In this Swedish imagining of the apocalypse, earth is uninhabitable, humanity is in the process of fleeing for Mars and there's no way to repair the damage of the past. When a spaceship headed to our nearest celestial neighbour is pushed off course, there's no way to return either. It should come as little surprise that this ambitious movie contemplates our ability to ignore what we're doing to the planet, as well as our need to soothe our existential ills with nostalgia and materialism. Directors Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja found inspiration for the film in a poem by Swedish Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson, and the end result is quite the trip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8bzar3Nrjk THE PURITY OF VENGEANCE Across the Department Q movie series to date, crime buffs have watched eccentric homicide detective Morck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) reluctantly team up with fellow cop Assad (Fares Fares). From there, fans have followed the duo's efforts to solve difficult and dead-end cases, including a political death that was initially ruled a suicide, a scandal at an elite boarding school, and a series of child disappearances, too. To wrap up the page-to-screen series, The Purity of Vengeance tasks the intrepid investigators with a particularly murky case and a ticking clock, after they discover three mummified bodies — plus space for a fourth. When this franchise is at its best, it offers up a compelling odd couple, gripping mysteries and plenty of twists and turns, which this huge last chapter promises to continue. At home, it absolutely smashed the local box office, achieving the biggest opening ever for a Danish movie. A WHITE, WHITE DAY One of the big hits of this year's jam-packed Cannes Film Festival — where it took out the best actor prize in the event's Critics' Week sidebar — A White, White Day marks the second Scandinavian Film Festival title in two years for Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason. After the writer/director's stellar Winter Brothers last year, his sophomore feature is immediately worth a look. Given the remote location, striking icy scenery and exquisite cinematography on offer, there's clearly plenty to literally peer at, with Pálmason proving an accomplished visual storyteller. And, narrative-wise, this acclaimed drama charts a suitably thorny tale, following a grief-stricken ex-top cop (Ingvar E. Sigurdsson) who is trying to get over the loss of his wife, only to discover that their marriage might not have been as blissful as he thought it was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue91wuHsLIY AURORA In one of Finland's standout contributions to the program, the hard-partying Aurora (Mimosa Willamo) meets Iranian refugee Darian (Amir Escandari). Equally outcast in their Lapland surroundings, they're both at their lowest points; however, Aurora is a romantic comedy, so (naturally) their chance encounter changes both of their lives. That said, writer/director Miia Tervo doesn't stick to the usual script from there, making a movie that's passionate, lively, topical and subversive — and not only examining the plight of immigrants across Europe but unpacking the expectations placed upon Finnish women. This charming debut also proved a hit at this year's SXSW Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlF-hk3IJQE THE MILLENNIUM TRILOGY Before Rooney Mara and Claire Foy stepped into Lisbeth Salander's shoes, Noomi Rapace got there first. She'll always be the original and best incarnation of everyone's favourite tattooed computer hacker. A decade after the Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson's best-selling novels first hit screens, it's easy to forget just how fantastic Rapace is in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. While the trio of Millennium movies follows the same trajectory as the books they're based on (starting off with quite a bang, then losing their impact a little as they go along), it's also easy to forget just how involving the entire series is as a whole. As directed by Daniel Alfredson and Niels Arden Oplev, and also starring the late Michael Nyqvist (John Wick) as a journalist who makes Lisbeth's acquaintance, this franchise kicked off the world's obsession with Nordic noir for a reason. Plus, if you can't get enough of Larsson's twisted fictional world, the festival will also be screening a documentary on the late author's life. The Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival tours Australia from July 9, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Palace Central from July 9 to July 31; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Brighton Bay and Palace Balwyn from July 11 to July 31; Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace James Street from July 18 to August 7; and Perth's Palace Cinema Paradiso from July 17 to August 7. For more information, visit the festival website.
Whether you're spending a night far from home or you're staycationing in your own neck of the woods, enjoying a drink at the hotel bar is one of life's small joys. There's just something about being able to duck downstairs for a cocktail — or dropping in on your way back up to your room, too — that simply screams vacation. If you're looking for a reason to spend a night away from your own bed — or if you're simply fond of sipping drinks in hotel bars and pretending you're on holidays — Four Pillars' newest limited-edition gin wants to tempt you out of the house. The spirits brand has teamed up with QT Hotels and Resorts on a new tipple it's calling Ordered Chaos Gin, and it includes an inventive array of flavours. Although this gin is clear — unlike Four Pillars' pink-hued last collaboration earlier this year — you'll taste more than just juniper, spice and citrus. Also featured, flavour-wise, are fresh coconut milk, raw almonds and bamboo leaves. So yes, this isn't the type of tipple even the most dedicated gin fans are used to knocking back. You'll only find Ordered Chaos Gin served at QT Hotels' bars, where it's being poured in three kinds of cocktails: the 'Room Service Rickey', which features bitter and bubbly tastes; the 'QT Colada Fizz', which is designed to be creamy; and the 'Bamboo', a stirred-down variation on the martini that heroes coconut. If your gin shrine needs a new edition, Ordered Chaos Gin is also being sold by QT for $89 a bottle, but only while stocks last. Four Pillars x QT Hotels Ordered Chaos Gin is available at the hotel chain's bars, and to buy by the bottle via the brand's website.
For the second time in as many years, the BIFF is back — the Brisbane International Film Festival, that is. Now hosted by the Gallery of Modern Art, until 2020, the fest has taken quite the rollercoaster ride in recent times. If you haven't kept up to date, BIFF has been cancelled, replaced, revived and then moved to a different organising body, all in the past decade. Thankfully, this Brissie event keeps coming back — the city needs its major annual cinema showcase, clearly. Marking 26 years since it first launched, 2018's BIFF is bringing Brisbanites more than 100 films over 11 days — and bringing them to a number of spots around town between Thursday, October 11 and Sunday, October 21. Cinephiles can expect to get cosy at GOMA's Australian Cinematheque, Event Cinemas Myer Centre, New Farm Cinemas, the Elizabeth Picture Theatre, Reading Cinemas Newmarket, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Powerhouse and the State Library of Queensland, and soak in everything that the big screen has to offer. And if that sounds like quite the feast of cinema, here are our ten top picks for the next week-and-a-half. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcaA1CZvS4 BLUE VELVET REVISITED David Lynch's films often feel like dreams, but it was Peter Braatz who was living one in the mid-1980s. The aspiring German filmmaker simply wrote the acclaimed director a letter and then found himself hanging out in North Carolina while Blue Velvet was being made — and recording the experience on his Super-8 camera. Compiling his footage three decades later, the end result isn't a traditional making-of documentary in any shape of form. Instead, it's a poetic wander behind the scenes, filled with impressionistic sights and interview insights (including with Blue Velvet stars Dennis Hopper and Isabella Rossellini) to form a meditative collage. Blue Velvet Revisited also boasts discussions with Lynch himself, with the usually famously cryptic auteur as open and chatty about his work as you're ever likely to see in public. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz8n7O8UZ58 RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA Films about filmmaking always find a home at film festivals; however Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda is a stellar film, period. And, like many movies about aspects of the movie business — in this case, the Japanese composer that gives the documentary its title — it's far from a straight-forward effort. Framed around Sakamoto's cancer diagnosis, this intimate effort spends time with the legendary musician as he contemplates both his place in the world and his contribution to his chosen art forms. In a revealing, lyrical and resonant manner, he doesn't just step through a career that has spanned scores for The Revenant, The Last Emperor, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence and more (and acting opposite David Bowie in the latter), but also ponders his own inspirations, his emotional response to the world's environmental crises and the very nature of creativity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=AYsGx0x9iTw ASH IS THE PUREST WHITE Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke makes films both for and about today's fractured world, piecing together disparate parts of sweeping narratives into astute ruminations on his homeland. That said, he's also fond of a pop song — and on both fronts, Ash is the Purest White delivers. Charting the fated romance between Qiao (Zhao Tao) and her local mobster boyfriend Bin (Liao Fan) after she's jailed for saving his life, Jia's latest is thrilling and moving; however it's Zhao's commanding performance that is the feature's true masterstroke. Intriguingly, since enjoying its Australian premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival back in August, Ash is the Purest White has been re-edited, with BIFF screening the new director's cut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTjnb8LyjjA UNDER THE COVER OF CLOUD Cricket may monopolise Australian televisions every summer, but local films about the sport are still few and far between. And while, on paper, Under the Cover of Cloud sounds like it's redressing that state of affairs, this Aussie flick about a writer researching a book about cricket isn't a sports movie. Rather, as written, directed and produced by filmmaker Ted Wilson — and starring him, too — it's a quietly revelatory and lingering tale of assessing and reassessing one's life and priorities. Acting opposite members of his immediate family, Wilson plays a journalist also called Ted Wilson, who moves back to Hobart from Melbourne with his wife and kids and contemplates penning a non-fiction tome about David Boon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ExXMi06co UNITED SKATES If there's one cinema sub-genre that deserves to thrive, it's this one: documentaries about America's roller-skating scene from the 1970s onwards. It's a field that might seem quite niche, but delivers a wealth of riches — not just for fans of strapping on skates themselves, but in examining the importance of skating to African-Americans and other minorities in the USA. United Skates is the second doco in the past two years to explore the subject, and the second directed by an Australian as well. Here, Brisbane-born filmmaker Tina Brown teams up with co-director Dyana Winkler to engagingly chart the rise and fall as roller-skating as a dance form, its importance to marginalised communities, and the societal reactions and implications. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5dFKKhFmv8 MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. may draw upon home videos and footage that M.I.A. captured herself, and it might be directed by the musician's art school friend Steve Loveridge; however it's never the film that description seems to signify. This personal warts-and-all effort doesn't aim to celebrate the rapper born as Mathangi Arulpragasam, but to understand her — and as it does a considerable job of explaining, that's hardly a simple process. Known as Maya when she's not belting out hit singles and attracting controversy for her 2012 Super Bowl performance, she's a figure that defies easy categorisation, which is the kind of compliment that everyone should strive for. Taking its stylistic cues from the artist's energy both when she's singing and when she's trying to be herself, Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. explores the how and why, the successes and roadblocks, and the ambitions and intentions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF32MBvdy70 WANDA With this retrospective screening, BIFF gives Brisbanites a rare chance to see a rare film. The first and only feature by Barbara Loden, Wanda follows its eponymous Pennsylvanian protagonist as she farewells her husband and kids, tries to carve out a new life, and increasingly finds herself at the mercy of troubling developments and the men behind them. Produced on the smallest of budgets, shot on 16mm film and made with purposeful naturalism and intimacy, it's an honest and unglamorous character study that didn't get its due when it was released in the 1970s, but has been gloriously restored now. And while it might be the sole movie that Loden made, Wanda was not only written and directed by the American filmmaker, but stars her as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t6lX5t8ncQ HOTEL BY THE RIVER The ever-prolific Hong Sang-soo returns with his second film for 2018, after the Berlinale-debuting Grass — and with the Korean director's fifth since February 2017. It's also Hong's fifth film in a row with actress Kim Min-hee, but if there's one thing that the filmmaker always perfects, it's using the same elements to vastly different effect. Once again, he gives a simple situation his own inimitable treatment, with the black-and-white feature focusing on a poet in a hotel, the adult sons he's asked to visit him and the young woman also staying at the same establishment. As well as watching soju flow freely, the joy of Hong's movies comes from his quiet understanding of ordinary interactions, which Hotel by the River promises to continue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJIaNsf_bY CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? Earlier this year, Melissa McCarthy shared the screen with foul-mouthed puppets. Now, thanks to Can You Ever Forgive Me?, she's being talked about as an Oscar hopeful. Already nominated once for Bridesmaids, the actress might be known for her comedic roles, but her versatility has always remained one of her strongest traits — as this drama-comedy aims to illustrate. Astonishingly based on a true story, McCarthy plays Lee Israel, who jumps from writing celebrity biographies and profiles to forging and selling letters from dead literary stars. Unsurprisingly, trouble ensues; however the fact that this feature has been garnering significant buzz is far less unexpected, given that it's the latest directorial effort from The Diary of a Teenage Girl's Marielle Heller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYF2tfdD1fA THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT The most controversial film at Cannes this year finally arrives in Australia. Whether that's cause for excitement or concern is completely up to you, although it prompted mass walkouts in France, and earned both fierce pans and committed raves from critics. Of course, Lars von Trier's work is often polarising, as everything from Dancer in the Dark to Melancholia to Nymphomaniac has demonstrated. With The House that Jack Built, the director might just be at his most provocative — but making a violent thriller about a serial killer tends to do that. Set in the US in the late 1970s, the Danish director's latest follows Matt Dillon's murderous figure as crosses paths with a number of women, including Uma Thurman and Riley Keough. This year's BIFF includes other films that are worth your attention — and that we've either seen and loved or just been excited about before. We loved Leave No Trace when it hit cinemas down south, and warmed to Ladies in Black as well. We were also fond of The Green Fog and Transit at Berlinale, Shoplifters and Terror Nullius at the Sydney Film Festival, and Acute Misfortune and Knife + Heart at the Melbourne International Film Festival. And, in the lead up to SFF, we were excited about [CENSORED], Jirga and Rafiki too.
When it comes to throwing an Ekka party, Alfred and Constance are taking it a bit easy this year. They know that the simplest things are often the best. They also know that throwing open the doors to their three bars and two dance floors is all that's really needed. Yep, their annual pre-public holiday shindig couldn't be more chill as far as preparations are concerned — but that's what house parties are all about, aren't they? They'll supply one of Fortitude Valley's favourite venues — and DJs and drinks, of course — so that you find your own kind of fun.
Wellness travel is on the rise, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out where Australians choose to rest and recharge most. According to Traveloka's 2025 Wellness Travel Trends, the much-loved destinations of Bali, Bangkok and Hanoi top the list, offering the ideal combination of stunning scenery, relaxing experiences and affordability. If a self-care holiday sounds pretty good right now, you'll be happy to know Traveloka has just revealed its Spring Travel Sale. Featuring stellar deals on flights to these mindful destinations and more, the sale also includes discounts on serenity-inducing resorts and renowned sightseeing experiences that elevate your adventure. Until Friday, October 10, Perth-based travellers can score one-way flights to Denpasar starting from $179, while flights from Melbourne to Hanoi start from $274 one-way. Special airline brand days also offer massive savings, with up to 30 percent off flights with Indonesia's Garuda Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Plus, there are low-cost flights to Bangkok, Seoul, Da Nang and beyond. At the same time, Traveloka has budget-friendly discounts on luxe hotels and resorts, making it easy to secure accommodation that matches your relaxation vibe. Think up to 52 percent off Bali's Legian Beach Hotel and 77 percent off Bangkok's The Quarter Ratchayothin. That means no noisy, crowded party hostel for you. Discounts on activities will also help you get out and about more during your overseas adventure. For instance, 40 percent off tickets for Singapore Zoo or 20 percent off Hong Kong Disneyland will help keep your travel costs down and ensure your vacation is filled with incredible one-off experiences. "Travel is no longer just about sightseeing — it is increasingly a way to nurture well-being, build meaningful connections, and support local communities," says Baidi Li, VP Commercial at Traveloka. "Through our Spring Travel Sale, we want to make these restorative travel experiences more accessible and affordable, while also contributing to the growth of the tourism ecosystem across Asia Pacific." Traveloka's Spring Travel Sale is happening until Friday, October 10. Head to the website for more information.
It's that time of year, Brisbanites: time for every patch of this city to play host to festive-themed markets. No matter where you're moseying, you won't be far from a collection of stalls selling plenty of gifts — including Woolloongabba's South City Square from 10am on Sunday, December 4. That's when The Market Folk is taking over the place, putting on a Christmas Pop-Up Market that'll be filled with stocking-stuffers. We hope that your loved ones like clothes, jewellery, ceramics, plants, pots, homewares and art, because you'll find it all here. These markets will have a big focus on design, too, so you won't be browsing and buying just any old wares. As well as shopping your way around 45 local boutiques, there'll be live music and food trucks — because every gift-purchasing expedition needs a soundtrack, and also makes you work up an appetite. Plus, it all tales place in a brick-lined, industrial-style space, which'll make you feel like you're wandering around a European-style market.
We’re going on a beer hunt. We’re going to find the best one. What a beer-iful night We’re not scared. Oh yes! A river, A cold, golden river. We can’t go over it We can’t go under it, We’ll have to drink through it! Gulp gulp, gulp gulp... Gather a crew of four to six and meet at Super Whatnot for your first brew from 6.30pm. Here you will receive your first mystery clue as to where you’ll end up next. Grab a Holgate beer at each venue to receive a playing card and clue. Continue your card hunt around the city. The group with the best poker hand at the end wins.
From Latin to Reggae, to Indian to Pacific, Planet transports your senses to another place. With world music and world class acts, Planet brings the exotic right to you. This September Planet transports you, with your feet planted firmly on the ground, to the beautiful isles of the Torres Strait, to share in the melodic vibrancy of its culture through song. The Powerhouse invites you to listen to the drum, the heartbeat and soul of the island cultures, capturing you with wonder and rhyme. Dip your feet in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific and engross your senses with the sights, sounds and smells of the Torres Strait as the musical vibrancies of Planet wrap themselves around you.
When you've already mined the funny side of Irish law enforcement and contemplated the impact of religion, what comes next? If you're John Michael McDonagh, director of The Guard, Calvary and now War on Everyone, you take aim at crooked cops in the United States. Specifically, you focus your third feature on a duo who enjoy their rule-breaking ways, venture into bigger, badder territory than they're used to, and subsequently — surprisingly — start to feel a little conflicted about it. Terry Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard) and Bob Bolano (Michael Pena) are the pair in question: one quick to violence and happily single, the other somewhat contemplative and married with kids. They both like each other, cracking wise, the corrupt niche they've carved out for themselves, and little else ("you can shoot people for no reason," Terry explains when asked why he joined the force). First introduced running down a cocaine-dealing mime, they're soon trying to shake off scrutiny from their boss (Paul Reiser) while attempting to steal cash from a new group of criminals. Alas, as they beat and blackmail their way around Albuquerque — and to Iceland and back as well — their plan unwittingly places them in the path of a far-from-forgiving British aristocrat turned kingpin (Theo James). Spouting dialogue that eagerly, indiscriminately insults any group you can think of, Terry and Bob's war really is on everyone — including, in an extension of their self-destructive ways, themselves. Cue a film that combines irreverent misanthropy, a raft of cop clichés, and a partial journey of self-discovery. Thanks to McDonagh's dripping satire and cynicism, plenty of laughs spring from their antics, but the end result remains hit-and-miss. Think Starsky and Hutch remade for the post-True Detective age, complete with the back-and-forth banter and philosophising the blend suggests, and a dash of awkwardness too. When War on Everyone is good, though, it's very good. It's strikingly shot, energetically paced and extraordinarily well cast as far as its leads are concerned. Indeed, while co-stars such as Caleb Landry Jones and Tessa Thompson are asked to either rely upon caricature or given too little to work with, Skarsgard and Pena enliven every scene they're in, and even make their unsympathetic-on-paper characters somehow likeable. Viewed simply as a collection of buddy cop scenes written and directed by someone who has obviously watched a sizeable serving of '70s American cinema, and starring two actors with a clear feel for the material and a rapport with each other, War on Everyone entertains more often than it doesn't. Where the film struggles, however, is in piecing together anything substantial or cohesive beyond its stylish sights, spiky lines and impressive leads. At times, it plays like the kind of wannabe Quentin Tarantino flick that might have dropped in the mid-'90s. Fun, funny, but nothing to write home about.
They say that good things come in pairs, and that proves true in the burger realm. The food item no one can get enough of is all about putting something tasty — meat, a veggie alternative, lashings of salad — between a couple of pieces of something roll or bread-like, after all. That's not enough double trouble for Betty's Burgers though, particularly when it comes to finally setting up shop in Brisbane. Just months after opening their first local store in Chermside, the Shake Shack-style joint has finally launched its second Brissie digs in Newstead. The inner-north location was actually the first Brisbane spot announced just over a year ago, ensuring that CBD-adjacent folks have been working up quite the appetite for the Gold and Sunshine coasts' hit burgs. Thankfully, good things really do come to those that wait. That includes five types of burgers, including classic, crispy chicken, pork belly and shroom selections, as well as a massive stacked concoction that combines a good old' beef burg with its mushroom sibling. Plus, it's not just the titular fare that's the attraction here, thanks to their over-the-top frozen custard desserts known as 'concretes', which are available in everything from peanut butter brittle to hot fudge doughnut flavours, with the likes of pecan pudding, doughnuts and lemon cheesecake mixed through them. Newstead proves the latest new addition to the Betty's fold, which has been expanding quite heartily since the chain was first opened in Noosa by David Hales in 2014. He now boasts three stores the Gold Coast, one in Toowoomba, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney, as well as the two Brisbane burger shacks. Betty's Burgers is now open from 11am till late seven days a week at Shop 4A, 63 Skyring Terrace, Newstead . For more info, visit bettysburgers.com.au.
If you're looking for something a little fancy — and can afford to blow your monthly budget for French cuisine and orchestral music in one go — then saunter down to Prive 249 for a one-night-only four-course degustation menu at their beautiful Southbank location. If that wasn’t swish enough, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra will be serenading you all night long (ask them to play the Game of Thrones theme song, please and thank you). The $125 ticket also comes with matched wines. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
In the almost two decades that Gelato Messina has been in business, over 4000 special flavours have made their way through its gelato cabinets around the country. Yes, that's a lot of frosty and creamy scoops. To celebrate some of these oldies but goodies, the chain brings a selection of these flavours back every now and then — and, sometimes, it busts out its entire top 40 greatest hits. That's happening again between Monday, July 26–Sunday, August 1, which is when lucky Sydneysiders, Melburnians and Brisbanites will be able to treat themselves to an entire freezer-full of limited-edition gelato flavours. While, in the past, the greatest hits specials have been a buy-in-shop-only deal, the chain went with preordered tubs in 2020 — so no one had to worry about long queues and empty cabinets — and it's doing the same thing again this year. Gelato fiends can preorder 500-millilitre tubs of the 40 flavours from Monday, July 26. You'll then need to pick them up from Sydney's Rosebery, Tramsheds, Bondi, Darlinghurst, Parramatta and Brighton Le Sands stores; Melbourne's Fitzroy an East Brunswick stores; and Brisbane's South Brisbane store between Friday, July 30–Sunday, August 1. Individual tubs can be filled with just one flavour and will set you back $16, or you can get three for $45, six for $85, nine for $125 or — if you have the freezer space — 20 for $260. Wondering which flavours will be available? This time around, Messina hasn't announced which faves are making a comeback just yet. But, you can likely expect the beloved Jon Snow (white chocolate gelato with dark chocolate mud cake and almond praline), Fairy Bread (toast and butter gelato with 100s & 1000s), Mango Pancake (mango gelato with vanilla cream and pancake crunch), Old Gregg (Baileys and butterscotch sauce) and Robert Brownie Jnr (milk chocolate gelato, chocolate brownie and chocolate fudge sauce) to return in tub form — and hopefully everything from super duper dulce de leche and pavlova to finger bun and Oreogasm, too, if the flavours available in previous years are any guide. Gelato Messina's Greatest Hits will be available to preorder on Monday, July 26 with pick up between Friday, July 30–Sunday, August 1 from Sydney's Rosebery, Tramsheds, Bondi, Darlinghurst, Parramatta and Brighton Le Sands stores; Melbourne's Fitzroy an East Brunswick stores; and Brisbane's South Brisbane store.
If you're thinking about taking a journey this long weekend, you're not alone. Not all voyages involve hopping on a form of transport and heading out of the city, though. Just ask Australian artists Juz Kitson, Fiona Lowry, William Mackinnon and Guy Maestri, who ponder the concept of road trips in their latest group exhibition. Their pieces will not only take you along for a ride — they'll leave you thinking about the process of viewing the world through a car window, and just why we all get so excited about the experience. Image: William Mackinnon When I drive I get these ideas 2015, oil on linen, 150.0 x 122.0 cm.
Red Bull Flying Bach is a serious clash of cultures, a performance where Bach meets breakdancing, two things most would never dare to put together. But hey, as well as wings, Red Bull gives you crazy ideas for collaboration and, from all of the reviews this show has received to date, it also gives you an incredible artistic spectacle. When you look past the preconceptions that say this show shouldn't work, it is really no surprise it has been so successful; it features music from arguably the greatest composer of all time (who happens to be German) expressed physically by four-times breakdancing world champions Flying Steps (who are also German). No coincidence, just a collaboration that shatters the suggestion that breakdancing and Bach don't blend and thrusts the cohesion of the classic and the contemporary into the present. Set against Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Well-Tempered Clavier' — led beautifully by opera director Christoph Hagel — the breakdancing troupe create something truly memorable that challenges conventional constrictions placed on cross-era and cross-cultural collaboration.
Author, comedian and frequent contributor to the New Yorker, David Sedaris, has released dates for his fourth Australian tour. In line with the launch of his newest title, Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977–2002), Sedaris is putting on a number of memorable shows for his cult followers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra. Often hailed as one of the world's foremost humourists, Sedaris is known for his snappy wit and has established himself as a unique observer of life's moments, both trivial and extraordinary. Ranging from observational comedy to social critique and readings from his outrageous personal diary, his live shows regularly traverse new and unpublished material. In addition, he'll be throwing it over to the crowd for a Q&A and signing copies of his book.
Sometimes, the smallest steps are the most important. Creating an environment for different voices to be heard may sound simple — but don't underestimate its impact. Whether you have a story to tell, or you're keen to hear prose and tales from others, you'll find both at Voices of Colour. Young folks who identify as people of colour or First Nations people can share their stories and poetry at an open mic spoken word session, with every performer given five minutes in the spotlight. Everyone else: listen up.
It's wise to approach modern French comedies with a sense of caution. Given legendary director Francis Veber (The Dinner Game, The Valet) sadly doesn't appear to be working on anything new, the majority of recent French comedic releases in Australia have been the likes of last year's interminable Le Chef, misfire Paris-Manhattan and the recent laugh-free Fly Me to the Moon. It's with utmost trepidation that I approach anything with the words 'comedy' and 'French' in the description. The Gilded Cage may not 'break' the curse as such, but it sure bends it. It follows a Portuguese family that has been living in France for the past 30 years, dreaming of one day returning to their home. The patriarch, José (Joaquim de Almeida) is a respected foreman for a construction company, and the matriarch Maria (Rita Blanco) is the concierge for a building of upper-class toffs. Both José and Maria have a reputation for being the most accommodating people, so willing to help others out that their friends and children suggest they are being taken advantage of. When José’s estranged brother dies, the family is given a will promising them a large property in Portugal, along with a healthy income from the deceased brother’s business. It’s too good to be true, but before they can make plans, the word gets out. Everyone discovers the nicest family in Paris is about to leave and embarks on a ridiculous series of lies and manipulations to keep them in their lives. Most of the gags aren’t necessarily laugh-out-loud, but it's at least amusing even when it’s not being hilarious. It’s not the most inspiring of distinctions, but given the recent state of French comedies, “amusing” is more than welcome. It’s interesting watching it with an Australian audience, because many of the jokes hinge on the difference between the French and Portuguese languages, and although some of the jokes hit, others only really make sense if you actually speak at least one of the languages. And ending the film on a gag that requires an in-depth knowledge of celebrity Portuguese soccer players probably isn’t the best way to ensure international crossover appeal. On the other hand, Dodgeball was filled with Lance Armstrong jokes (now largely outdated), and no prizes for guessing which is the more popular sport across the globe. Still, for all the odd cultural references, the film is charming and feelgood and pretty funny. If you’ve been burned by bad French comedies in recent times, this should certainly help mend those wounds.
If crafting a successful sequel wasn't already a difficult assignment, doing so for a movie remembered for its quirkiness and surprise factor must border on the impossible. Still, when Kingsman: The Secret Service took in over $400 million worldwide, a follow-up was inevitable. And so two years later director Matthew Vaughn has returned to the world of suave secret agents with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Let's be clear: this is a ridiculous movie in almost every respect, from the mad-cap story through to the action scenes, cameos and costuming. Everything in Kingsman: The Golden Circle is hyped-up, spun-around, slowed-down, blown-up or cut in half. Gravity is largely ignored, except when it's used as a weapon, and henchmen die with the same violent regularity as extras in Commando. There are robotic killer dogs, cannibalistic villains and Elton John ninja-kicking a bad guy in the face. As we said, it's ridiculous – but also surprisingly entertaining. Our villain this time round is none other than Academy Award winner Julianne Moore as Poppy, the world's leading and most ruthless drug tzar. Her Cambodian lair has been fashioned as an homage to 1950s Americana, complete with bowling alley, golden age cinema and a shake and burger diner in which she both conducts her business and minces her victims. She's an apron wearing Stepford Escobar who owns every second of screen time given to her. Tasked with stopping Poppy are the bespoke-suited Kingsmen in chav-turned-gent Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and his tech man Merlin (Mark Strong). Back too is Colin Firth's Galahad, suffering from a nasty bout of retrograde amnesia. They're also joined by their American counterparts The Statesmen, whose ranks include Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Jeff Bridges and a criminally-underused Channing Tatum. Silly and fun as it might be, there are some glaring problems with this film, most notably that it's unfathomably sexist. With the one exception of Julianne Moore's Poppy, every single woman in Kingsman: The Golden Circle exists only as a victim, a love interest or an assistant to her male counterparts. Given the movie was co-written by Jane Goldman, it's beyond comprehension why such rampant and unnecessary gender bias could exist in a movie where masculinity plays no meaningful purpose. Yes, it's about spies in sumptuous suits, but as one of the early scenes demonstrates, Eggsy's best friend and colleague Roxy looks as good if not better in the ole pin stripes and paisley, to say nothing of her abilities. Still, the film is entertaining in spite of its flaws and it thankfully retains enough shock factor to honour the original. The final scene also makes clear that the producers are prepping for part three. Love it or leave it, there's more Kingsman to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nxc-3WpMbg
You've binge-watched everything in your streaming queue, made your fair share of jigsaw puzzles, played plenty of board games and worked out a regular exercise regime. Now, as part of your new stay-at-home routine, you've decided to learn a new skill. That's understandable — who doesn't want to emerge from this current drastic change to our lives with not only their health, but a few nifty new tricks up their sleeves? If getting arty has always been on your to-do list, the National Gallery of Victoria's Virtual Drop-By Drawing sessions are here to help. They usually take place in person; however, in the current circumstances, the NGV is moving them online. Budding creatives just need to tune into the NGV Channel, watch video tutorials hosted by Victorian artists and take inspiration from the gallery's collection in the process — with a pencil and piece of paper in your hands, of course. Lily Mae Martin takes viewers into the NGV's 19th-century European paintings gallery — and spends plenty of time marvelling at the life-size marble sculpture Musidora, 1878 by Marshall Wood, while Minna Gilligan focuses on two standouts in the NGV's 20th-century galleries, with Andy Warhol's Self-portrait no. 9 (c.1986) and David Hockney's The second marriage in the spotlight. And Kenny Pittock will take you through sketching fruit and vegetables in your kitchen, using Édouard Manet's The melon. The NGV's Virtual Drop-By Drawing sessions are all available on the NGV Channel to watch. Images: Virtual Drop-by Drawing class with Kenny Pittock, Lily Mae Martin and Minna Gilligan at NGV, 2020.Image courtesy of NGV. Updated April 29, 2020.
Bridges and parklands. If there's two things that Brisbane's inner city has quite a bit of, it's places to cross the river and sprawling spots filled with greenery. This town of ours is getting more bridges, too, and it's now likely to nab a new riverside parkland as well — although the latter won't happen for at least 11 years. If that timeframe rings a bell, that's thanks to the city's biggest news this year (and of any other recent year, to be honest). As every Brisbanite definitely knows, will talk about for the next decade-plus and won't stop hearing about for the rest of their lives, Brisbane is set to host the 2032 Olympic Games, with the city officially getting the nod just last week. Obviously, that means that plenty of parts of town will be changing. Before the big announcement, the Queensland Government had already revealed that it'd tear down and rebuild the Gabba if the games were headed our way. Now, the Brisbane City Council has unveiled plans to transform a seven-hectare stretch of South Brisbane into the event's International Broadcast Centre, and then turn it into a new public space by the river afterwards. The latter is earmarked for Montague Road, where factories currently sit, and would give Brissie a second South Bank-type precinct. "The mayors of southeast Queensland began the journey to pursue these games because they realised the incredible legacy this would create for Brisbane and the rest of the region. This new area on the banks of the Brisbane River is precisely the type of legacy they envisaged — great new assets that would benefit all residents and make our wonderful city even better," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. "For a decade and more, people have talked about South Bank being extended along this part of our river and I am so pleased we're now moving forward to make those dreams become a reality," he continued. https://twitter.com/bne_lordmayor/status/1419616312632827905 It took Brisbane hosting World Expo 88 for South Bank to become the spot it is, with the location revamped as a public space afterwards. So, that's the exact template that BCC has in mind for Montague Road, with the council announcing that negotiations have begun with the owner of the industrial business currently on the site. Exactly what the parkland will entail is yet to be revealed, other than comparisons to South Bank, but the International Broadcast Centre will span a temporary 57,000-metre space. This isn't the first time that a plan for the area past the Gallery of Modern Art, the Kurilpa Bridge and Kurilpa Point Park has been floated, with the the State Government suggesting a similar idea back in 2012 — involving a combination of public and commercial space along the river, including an entertainment, retail and dining precinct, as well as parkland. Brisbane will host the 2032 Olympics from July 23–August 8, 2032. We'll update you with further information about the plans for Montague Road as they're announced. Top image: Google Maps.
When it happened, the global financial crisis wasn't funny, and frankly it still isn't. That The Big Short manages to find humour amidst the ruins is a credit to writer-director Adam McKay — even if it is a very different brand from his usual shtick, seen in Will Ferrell flicks Anchorman, Step Brothers and The Other Guys. "What else can we do but laugh?", the film asks, tell-it-like-it-is style. It's a brand of humour informed by outrage: horrified at what happened, determined to explain it and furious that little has changed. That air of impassioned incredulity suits the facts the feature concerns itself with, namely the bubble in the U.S. housing and mortgage market that very few people saw coming. It also suits the source material, a non-fiction book of the same name by Moneyball author Michael Lewis. If you're still not certain how such a film could garner laughs, that's understandable. In telling a true tale that still inspires disbelief — and sifts through some complex economic concepts in the process — The Big Short benefits from McKay's savvy stylistic choices. Accordingly, when viewers meet the rare folks who thought something was wrong prior to 2008, they're not just following a straightforward narrative. Rather, they're switching between larger-than-life players, and listening to knowing narration by Ryan Gosling in character. In between, celebrities playing themselves help break down the complicated economic jargon, while the audience is given a glimpse of society's obsession with wealth and excess through rapid, infomercial-like montages. Taken together, it paints a slick, cynical, at times farcical picture, though the details themselves remain potent. Dr Michael Burry (Christian Bale) first notices the potential for the bubble to burst and decides to bet against the market by buying credit default swaps, something that money-hungry bankers had to create because no one had asked for anything like them before. Deutsche Bank trader Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) starts shopping around the same products, convincing crusading hedge fund manager Mark Baum (Steve Carrell) that a collapse is imminent. Meanwhile, up-and-comers Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock) are trying to move their garage-operated fund into the big leagues when they get wind of the situation. As the characters wait for the market to topple over, McKay delves into the shady practices that brought about such a precarious scenario. His sly tone and smart approach to the topic lays the circumstances bare in accessible terms, while making his anger perfectly clear. It's the closest a film can get to simultaneously educating, entertaining and shouting at its audience, and it makes for highly compelling viewing. The high-profile cast — which also includes Brad Pitt as a retired banker pal of Charlie and Jamie — are further weapons in McKay's arsenal. In fact, so skilled are their efforts that you might not grasp the movie's biggest joke until the end. Burry, Vennett, Baum and company might be the film's protagonists, but they're just as immersed in the fiscal mess as everyone else. In a situation where there can be no winners, they're the sympathetic parties only because they know that that's the case.
Going back to uni after an extended break can be an intimidating prospect. But, the stereotype of all students as bright-eyed eighteen-year-olds fresh out of high school is outdated. While it's true that a large number of students (670,000) in Australia are in the 18–22 years age bracket, the latest available figures from 2015 show that there were over 270,000 students aged 30–49. This means that thousands of Australians know the mixed feelings associated with returning to uni but also ultimately feel the rewards of finishing a degree they really want. Some study on campus, others study online; whichever you prefer, here are five hacks to help get you back into the rhythm of uni life. START WITH THE SUBJECTS THAT INTRIGUE YOU MOST Make it fun. If you know what degree you want to do, but are worried about finding that initial drive to kickstart that self-motivated study mindset, start off with the subjects that seem the most engaging to get back in the swing of things. Alternatively, if you're not set on doing a whole degree, you can take a single subject with no entry requirements. Seriously. Try studying in a particular area and see if online study suits you, or upskill in a specific career-related subject or two. Head to the single subjects and degrees page at Open Universities Australia and start perusing. CHOOSE A DEGREE YOU'RE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT The number one way to make uni work for you is to pick a course that excites you. So select something you like regardless of whether or not it's in fashion or earns you status points from your extended family. Maybe the first time you went to uni, you picked law or commerce because it sounded 'good'. Or dentistry, because that's what your parents did and you frankly didn't have a clue what to do straight out of school. Fair — but this time around, find something that fits more with your true passions. Because, at the end of the day, it's you doing the degree, not anyone else. GO PART-TIME AND STUDY ONLINE Going back to uni doesn't have to mean fully adopting the classic student identity of all study, endless caffeine and extreme budgeting. If you love your current job and want to keep one toe in the workforce, but also want to finish a degree, why not have the best of both worlds? Instead of going back to full-time student status, opt for part-time and study online. Take your degree at your own pace outside work hours, and enjoy a bit more flexibility when it comes to studying and completing assignments. Plus, you'll get the exact same degree that you'd get on campus. IDENTIFY ANY CREDITS THAT COULD CARRY INTO YOUR NEW DEGREE If you've started a course in the past, but didn't end up finishing for whatever reason, all is not lost. You may very well be able to count some of your previous study towards completing your new choice. If a previous course is related to your chosen degree, you can potentially use these as credits to reduce the number of subjects you will need to complete. And even if you don't have any previous study that relates to your new degree, you may be able to use those credits toward elective and non-core subjects. Being able to use previous credits will help you finish your studies faster. You can identify any potential credits you may already have here. CONNECT WITH OTHER STUDENTS IN THE SAME SITUATION AS YOU Solidarity is crucial for getting through any experience. University is meant to be challenging — that's where the growth is — but not to the point of feeling so tough you can't get through it. Connecting with other students via Facebook groups and IRL is key to building a support system. Even if your squad is just you and one other person to talk over assignments with, having that help can change the game. There are so many other people also feeling that mixture of excitement and trepidation about going back to uni — you're not alone! Take the plunge and explore all the degrees on offer from leading Australian unis, online through Open Universities Australia. You've got this.
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Cyrano is now available to stream via Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Love can spring quickly, igniting sparks instantly. Or, it can build gradually and gracefully, including over a lifetime. It can be swift and bold like a lightning strike, too, or it can linger, evolve and swell like a gentle breeze. In the sumptuous confines of Cyrano, all of the above happens. The latest adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, this time as a musical via playwright Erica Schmidt's own song-filled on-stage version, lends its attention to two men who've fallen for the plucky Roxanne (Haley Bennett, Hillbilly Elegy) in opposite ways. Charming soldier Christian de Neuvillette (Kelvin Harrison Jr, The Trial of the Chicago 7) gets the fast-and-infatuated experience, while the movie's namesake (Peter Dinklage, I Care a Lot), a poet also handy in battle, has ached for his childhood pal for as long as he can remember. Roxanne's two suitors make a chalk-and-cheese pair, with their contrasting approaches to matters of the heart — specifically, to winning her heart and helping ensure that she doesn't have to marry the rich and ruthless De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn, The Outsider) to secure her future — driving much of Cyrano's drama. Also present and accounted for, as all takes on the tale have included (see also: 80s rom-com Roxanne with Steve Martin, the Gérard Depardieu-starring Cyrano de Bergerac, 90s rom-com The Truth About Cats & Dogs with Uma Thurman and Janeane Garofalo, plus recent Netflix teen flicks Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and The Half of It): insecurities about appearance, a way with words and a ghostwriting gambit. Short in stature given Dinklage's casting, Cyrano can't even dream that Roxanne could love him. But he wants her to be happy above all else and knows that she's smitten with Christian, so he secretly lends his romantic rival his letter-penning abilities to help woo her by lyrical prose. This Cyrano may have a different reason for not believing that Roxanne could reciprocate his feelings, even as she gets giddy over the correspondence he scripts for Christian — traditionally, a large nose gets in his way — but his slow-and-steady affection is especially apt in this particular film. The latest period piece from Joe Wright, it slips into the British director's resume alongside Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Anna Karenina, and initially seems as standard a silver-screen staging of Cyrano as a musical as he could reliably muster. But all three of those aforementioned movies are stunning in their own ways, especially the gutsy Anna Karenina. Unsurprisingly, his newest feature is as well. Doing his best work since that Tolstoy adaptation, and clearly back in his comfort zone after Pan, Darkest Hour and The Woman in the Window, Wright lets Cyrano take its time to bloom and blossom. And, when it flowers partway through, it makes viewers realise that it's been a gorgeous gem of a film all along. Like on-screen love story, like surrounding flick, basically. That said, the routine air that initially seems to float through Cyrano's first act can't have been by design. Rather, the film winds up to its full heart-wrenching powers so patiently that it appears a tad too expected while its various pieces are being put into place — a fact hardly helped by how often this exact narrative or variations of it have made it to screens — until it's just simply and unshakeably wonderful. Wright doesn't change anything in his approach, helming a handsome, detail-laden, rhythmic piece of cinema from the outset, but the emotions that truly make the movie sing strengthen minute by minute. And yes, when it all clicks in just so, it's with its three main players literally crooning, conveying so much about their huge, swirling, all-encompassing feelings that normal dialogue couldn't have done justice to. That swooning sensation — because this is a feature that it's easy to tumble head-over-heels for — helps answer the obvious question that needs asking whenever a famed tale gains songs. That query: why? Wright and screenwriter Schmidt, the latter of whom is married to Dinklage and wrote her crooning-heavy stage version for him in 2018, reply by making it rousingly plain how much yearning and desire resides in each musical number. The movie's tunes come courtesy of The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner, fresh from their efforts scoring C'mon C'mon, and prove worlds away from big, barnstorming Broadway numbers. Emotionally sweeping, they survey the full range from longing to heartache, while also navigating an immensely tricky task: relaying what simmers inside each character that not only goes unspoken, but isn't inked in the feature's back-and-forth love letters. Thank goodness for not just Wright's finessed handling of these musical scenes, which lets those sung-about feelings echo with weight and heart-swelling resonance, but also for his clear passion for the musical genre. This marks his first entry, although both rhythm and music have been key to so much of his back catalogue — not the least of which being spy thriller Hanna with its melodic Chemical Brothers score — and he whirls properly into the fold like he was always meant to dance there. Even when no one is singing, Cyrano has the soul of a musical in its lush staging, Seamus McGarvey's (Bad Times at the El Royale) fleet-footed cinematography, the pace instilled by Valerio Bonelli's (The Woman in the Window) lithe editing and its performances. It has its own beat and vibe, and every element drums and hums along in time. Also trilling the right tune, regardless of whether they're singing (which they each do well): Dinklage, Bennett and Harrison Jr. Australia's own Mendo still gives exceptional villain, and darkly and cunningly so; however, being enamoured with Cyrano's main trio is inescapable. The decision to cast Dinklage and Bennett straight from the stage production is a winner. He imparts melancholy, wit and spark into his romantic lead, as he so consistently did in Game of Thrones, too, while she ensures that Roxanne's quest for a big and fulfilling life — and love — cuts deep. And, as much chemistry buzzes between the two, enlisting Luce and Waves' standout Harrison Jr as the man between them is another masterstroke. Indeed, Cyrano adores Roxanne and Christian's romance as much as it feels its eponymous figure's pining, loves his rhapsodic words and wants his heart's desire to come true — and sharing it all comes, gradually but still overwhelmingly, with the cost of admission.
Horror franchises like their doors to stay open: years may pass, stars and filmmakers may come and go, but every popular series eventually waltzes back onto screens. That's been true of Halloween, Scream, Candyman, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Friday the 13th and more. It's also accurate of Insidious, which is up to five features in 12 years and returns after its longest gap to-date. For viewers, half a decade has elapsed since this supernatural saga last hit cinemas in 2018's underwhelming Insidious: The Last Key, one of two prequels alongside Insidious: Chapter 3 (because that was the only way to keep bringing back MVP Lin Shaye). For Insidious' characters, though, Insidious: The Red Door takes place nine years after the events of Insidious: Chapter 2. That flick was the last until now to focus on Josh (Patrick Wilson, Moonfall) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne, Platonic), plus their haunted son Dalton (Ty Simpkins, The Whale) — and it's their tale the franchise leaps back into. Not only starring but debuting as a director, Wilson makes Insidious: The Red Door an answer to the question that no one, not even the most dedicated horror fans, has likely asked: how are the Lamberts doing after their demonic dalliances? The portrait painted when the movie begins is far from rosy, with Josh and Renai divorced, Dalton resenting his dad, and something niggling at both father and son about their past. Neither the Lambert patriarch nor his now college-bound boy can remember their experiences with unpleasant entities in the astral plane, however, thanks to a penchant for handy hypnotism. So, Insidious: The Red Door poses and responds to another query: what happens when that memory-wiping mesmerism stops working? Seasoned Insidious viewers already know what's in store: ghosts and evil spirits jump-scaring their way back into Josh and Dalton's minds and lives, and also into Insidious: The Red Door's frames. In the saga's mythology, such beings hail from a form of purgatory known as The Further and can't easily be suppressed. Accordingly, when Dalton's university art professor (Hiam Abbass, Succession) encourages him to dive into his subconscious, then splash what he sees onto a canvas, it's obvious where Scott Teems' (Firestarter) script is going. When the snappy Josh tries to glean why his brain is so foggy and his mood so peevish, he too has an unpleasant awakening. For the elder and younger Lambert men alike, first comes snippets of creepy visions, then unshakeable sights, then astral projection to get the Lipstick-Face Demon and The Bride in Black to stop. "If only this portal had remained shut" isn't only something that Josh and Dalton are thinking in Insidious: The Red Door. Early, often, and until the weary and creaky film comes to an end, audiences share that wish. The picture keeps its central pair largely apart, one navigating his cursed chaos in his otherwise empty home, then endeavouring to reconcile with Renai (although Byrne is still woefully underused), and the other at school with new pal Chris (Sinclair Daniel, Bull). Splitting them up just plays like a quest to lengthen the movie's duration — extra running time that isn't put to good use. This isn't a meaningful exploration of trauma's lingering impact, the current genre go-to, as much as it wants to be. Similarly, it doesn't cause Wilson or Simpkins to turn in anything but workmanlike performances, either. Plenty of horror franchises are resurrected with by-the-numbers instalments — that's become as much of a horror convention as constantly reviving spooky series again and again — but this is dispiritingly routine and repetitive, and also rarely even barely scary. It doesn't help that the better Insidious fare, aka the first two that sported Aquaman and Malignant's James Wan behind the camera, weren't ever exceptional. What they boasted was effectiveness in executing their bumps, capitalising upon their uneasy sights, slowly building their suspense and tension, and ramping up the unsettling atmosphere. Wan did start both the Insidious and Saw sagas with The Invisible Man's Leigh Whannell, and The Conjuring Universe solo. Whannell has penned every Insidious screenplay until now, and helmed 2015's Insidious: Chapter 3. The duo produces this time around, while Whannell came up with the story behind Teems' script. As a filmmaker, Wilson is happy to go through the motions rather than try much new. He's also fond of closeups, which might stem from spending the bulk of his career in front of the lens. As a horror veteran — on-screen, he's a mainstay of The Conjuring movies as well, as last seen in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It; he popped up in Annabelle Comes Home, the third feature in that series' spinoff series, too — he's reluctant to attempt to put a new stamp on one of his franchises. He knows where and how to sprinkle in unnerving figures and faces in the peripheries, and to elicit jumps, but only by sticking to the Insidious template. His best fright? It plays with and preys on medical anxiety, because anyone that's ever had an MRI has harboured fears about getting stuck in the claustrophobic machine — no forces from The Further needed. Although it also doesn't work, the biggest and most interesting swing that Wilson takes comes over the closing credits, when Insidious: The Red Door busts out a version of late-80s track 'Stay' by Shakespears Sister. Swedish metal band Ghost are behind the cover, and Wilson himself sings on it. That truly is something that no other Insidious chapter has offered. Wan and Whannell genuinely couldn't have foreseen inspiring it, unlike sparking a wave of post-Saw torture porn, or the many movies about sinister kids, jinxed items and paranormal investigations that the Insidious films have influenced. Still, that isn't what any Insidious chapter should be best known for, let alone justify keeping the franchise's hatch open — but sixth flick Thread: An Insidious Tale, which'll broaden out the Insidious Universe with Mandy Moore (This Is Us) and Kumail Nanjiani (Welcome to Chippendales) starring, plus Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight) writing and directing, is already in the works.
A big Friends reunion just hit streaming. Sex and the City is getting a television sequel. Saved by the Bell returned to the screen last year, too. Yes, it's still 2021 — and no, you haven't hopped in a Delorean or phone booth and ventured back to the past. Based on plenty of recent and upcoming TV and streaming options, though, you'd be forgiven for looking at your viewing choices and wondering if a bit of time-travel trickery was afoot. The latest revived series heading to your streaming queue won't dispel that notion, but you know you'll love it anyway. Come Thursday, July 8 on Binge, you'll be saying XOXO to Gossip Girl once again. The new series has been billed as both a reimagining and an extension — which means that it will take place in the same world, but with different characters. Gossip Girl circa 2021 is set nine years after the eponymous and anonymous blog went dark. As the just-dropped first teaser trailer makes plain, it's obviously back in some shape or form — otherwise the series wouldn't have a premise. This time, a new bunch of private school-attending teenagers are at the ever-present, seemingly all-knowing gossip blogger's mercy, all while they navigate New York's Upper East Side and its non-stop dramas. Whether any familiar faces will pop up is yet to be revealed; however, in the most important news there is regarding this revival, Kristen Bell is returning to voice the titular figure. She's already revisited Veronica Mars a couple of times now, so bringing back another of her famous characters fits the trend. Bell will narrate the comings and goings of a group played Jordan Alexander (Sacred Lies), Eli Brown (Wrath of Man), Thomas Doherty (High Fidelity), Tavi Gevinson (Halston), Emily Alyn Lind (Every Breath You Take), Evan Mock, Zion Moreno (Control Z), Whitney Peak (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Savannah Lee Smith. The cast has changed, but the social-climbing chaos is bound to be familiar. And, if you were a particular fan of the threads worn by Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and company during Gossip Girl's original 2007–12 run, you'll be pleased to know that costume designer Eric Daman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) is back for a second go-around. The creators of the initial show, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (The OC), have nabbed executive producer credits on the revival — so they'll have a hand in yet another adaptation of Cecily von Ziegesar's books. And the new series' showrunner, Josh Safran (Smash), was a writer and executive producer on the original series. Check out the new Gossip Girl trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reiGW6LTLok Gossip Girl will start streaming via Binge from Thursday, July 8.
With Spiral: From the Book of Saw, what came first: the decision to call its protagonist Ezekiel, or the casting of Samuel L Jackson as said character's father? Either way, the film's creative team must've felt mighty pleased with themselves; getting the Pulp Fiction actor to utter the name that's been synonymous with his bible-quoting, Quentin Tarantino-penned monologue for more than a quarter-century doesn't happen by accident. What now four-time franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV) and Jigsaw screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger mightn't have realised, though, is just how clumsily this choice comes across. The Saw series has made almost a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, but now it's resorting to winking and nodding to one of its latest stars' past movies. Perhaps Bousman and company didn't notice because almost everything about Spiral feels that forced, awkward, clunky and badly thought-out. Jackson and Chris Rock might gift the long-running franchise a couple of high-profile new faces; however, this ostensible reboot is exactly as derivative as you'd expect of the ninth instalment in a 17-year-old shock- and gore-driven saga. Focusing on a wisecracking, gung-ho, about-to-be-divorced police detective known for exposing his dirty colleagues, Spiral tries to coil the series in a different direction, at least superficially — and pretends to have meaty matters on its mind. Ezekiel 'Zeke' Banks (Rock, The Witches) has been crusading for honesty, integrity, fairness and honour in law enforcement for years. Starting back when his now-retired dad Marcus (Jackson, Death to 2020) was the precinct's chief, he's been vilified by his peers for his efforts. When a killer appears to be targeting rotten cops, too, Zeke is desperate to lead the case. Initially, he just wants to avenge the death of the first victim, one of the only co-workers he called a friend, but he's soon trying to track down a murderer that seems to be following in franchise villain Jigsaw's footsteps. A lone wolf-type not by choice but necessity, Banks also happens to be saddled with a rookie partner (Max Minghella, The Handmaid's Tale) as he attempts to stop the bodies from piling up. Even if Spiral had reached screens in May last year as was initially intended pre-pandemic, it would've arrived in a social, cultural and political climate that has been rightly taking a stand against police brutality. The film doesn't have much to say about the topic, however. Recycling the usual cop movie tropes — corruption is endemic, a select few battle against it, but the bad routinely outmuscles the good — it uses the subject as nothing more than a gimmick. Forget weight, depth, nuance or resonance. Spiral just wants a reason for its killer to keep offing cops within its grimy, dankly lit, often jittery fames, and for Zeke to have almost zero backup. Like the pig's heads used by its new agony-inflicting maniac, the end result is bloody yet empty. It smacks of trying to dress up a well-worn idea in fresh packaging, but then only making a half-hearted attempt that relies upon on another genre's conventions. Indeed, the police procedural format, the cast, the topical themes, the 70s thriller look and the focus on a different murderer are all part of a big bait-and-switch act; they might lure viewers in, but a torture porn flick that's rarely even standard is sadly the only thing that awaits. The deaths, which are largely seen in flashbacks devoid of any tension, are characteristically nasty and gruesome. Covering severed tongues, ripped-off appendages, flayed carcasses and drowning via hot wax, they're designed to get the squeamish to avert their eyes again and again. But testing the audience's threshold for blood, guts, gore and complicated torture devices isn't the same as engaging them. Nor is combining the series' brand of gratuitous one-upmanship and supposed lessons with Seven-esque box deliveries and the kind of by-the-numbers serial killer taunting that wouldn't have even made the first draft of any David Fincher project. Spiral doesn't just do the bare minimum in its purported attempt to tackle problematic cops, but demonstrates the same contentedness to merely tick boxes with the franchise's grisly staples, too. A word to the easily nauseated: the film's panic-inducing traps and macabre dismemberments aren't pleasant, which is wholly in keeping with the template set up by Australians James Wan (Aquaman) and Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man) back in 2004's first movie, but it's hard to be put off by something that's this dully formulaic. Perhaps driven by a dream to wake up on-screen chained to a pipe — with a saw within reach, of course — Rock instigated his own involvement in Spiral. A big fan of the series, and of horror movies in general, he came up with the idea for the feature's detective storyline as well. While he's the best thing about the film, he also often feels as if he's mixing his stand-up routines with his far-superior performance in last year's fourth season of Fargo. Yes, with both Jackson and Rock alike, Spiral just can't stop reminding its viewers that its talents both have better projects to their names. Don't go expecting much of their collaboration here, either, with the picture pairing them up sparingly and leaving the audience wanting more — which is the only instance where that statement proves true throughout the entire movie. When the film abruptly comes to an end, it unsurprisingly sets up its next chapter, but it certainly hasn't earned anyone's continued investment. And, in case you'd missed how little it cares for its police brutality narrative, it chooses to end with an image so cliched that it makes the hackneyed dialogue about playing games and the clues delivered on USB drives seem positively fresh in comparison. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuINvoFAnng
Thanks to the chaotic weather that saw out summer, the past month has been immensely difficult across Queensland and New South Wales. That includes in the Northern Rivers region, which has been impacted by the floods to a devastating degree. Eager to help? Not sure where to start? Here's an event that'll get you to Byron Bay, showcase the area's fresh produce and put some cash towards flood-relief efforts. Just block out your calendar on Saturday, March 26 and prepare to do your part by attending a long lunch. Taking place at Crystalbrook Byron at 1pm local time, this Flood Relief Long Lunch says it all in the name. You'll hang out at the hotel's restaurant Forest, eat your way through a leisurely two-hour meal, sip cocktails and assist an enormously worthy cause. Menu highlights include oysters paired with a granita made from Brookie's Byron Slow Gin and davidson plum; hand-stretched Byron Bay mozzarella with house-made pickles; that cheese outfit again, this time with a ricotta gelato atop treacle tarts; and zucchini flowers stuffed with green and sundried olives, them battered in Stone & Wood Pale Ale. Your $160 ticket includes two cocktails — and the complete price will be donated to aid locals via Givit.
Murder-mystery Only the Animals begins with a killer opening image: of a live goat being worn like a backpack. The animal is slung over the shoulders of a cyclist as he rides through the streets of the Côte d'Ivoire city of Abidjan, and the unique picture that results instantly grabs attention — for viewers, even if it doesn't appear to interest anyone in the vicinity on-screen. This French-language thriller doesn't explain its attention-grabbing sight straight up, though. Instead, it jumps over to the Causse Mejean limestone plateau in southern France, where snow blankets the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site and — unrelated to the weather — a number of locals are icily unhappy. Indeed, farmer Michel (Denis Ménochet, Custody), his insurance agent wife Alice (Laure Calamy, Call My Agent!) and Joseph (Damien Bonnard, Dunkirk), one of her clients, are all far from content before word spreads of a shock death in the area; however, the news has implications for all three. Doing house calls is part of Alice's job in her small, close-knit community, and it sees her embarking upon an affair with the awkward Joseph, who has shut himself off from everything beyond his property after mother passed away a year prior. The surly Michel barely seems bothered about his marriage or its possible downfall, spending all his time in the office attached to his cattle-feeding shed ostensibly working on the farm's accounts. Adapting the novel Seules Les Bêtes by Colin Niel, writer/director Dominik Moll (News from Planet Mars) and his frequent co-screenwriter Gilles Marchand switch between Only the Animals' characters and relay the details from their perspectives. First, Alice's take on the situation graces the screen. Next, it's Joseph's turn. Waitress Marion (Nadia Tereszkiewicz, The Dancer) earns the third chapter, which charts her hot-and-heavy rendezvous with Evelyne (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Let the Sunshine In), the woman who'll turn up dead — while the final and longest segment belongs to Armand (debutant Guy Roger 'Bibisse' N'Drin), without the goat, as he tries to catfish his way to riches, success and the girl of his dreams. A whodunnit, Only the Animals tasks its audience members with sleuthing their way through its fractured tale, all to discover who is responsible for Evelyne's demise and why. Thanks to its multiple parts, it also gets viewers guessing about events that initially appear unrelated, and how they'll end up linking into the broader story. But the film is filled with other questions, too, ruminating on the primal nature of love and pondering the ways in which pursuing it — or chasing a mere moment, however fleeting, with someone else — can lead down immensely complicated paths. It's here that Only the Animals' narrative structure proves more than just a way to make its plot seem more complex. That can happen with nonlinear yarns; try as many of them might, they can't all be Rashomon, the Akira Kurosawa-directed 1950 Japanese masterpiece that has become a shorthand term for movies with narratives unfurled from different but overlapping viewpoints. As effectively as Moll maintains the tension throughout the film — and keeps his viewers wondering, even as its strands start to converge — Only the Animals isn't Rashomon, either. No other movie is. Still, as the feature's four segments chronicle its characters' varying quests to connect, each one builds upon its predecessors in both a storytelling and an emotional sense. Piece by piece and layer by layer, Only the Animals' chapters combine to paint an intricate and involving portrait of potential, waning, stolen and fake romances, and of the ways in which the decisions of any one person can end up impacting others. Realising that almost everyone always acts in their own self-interest, regardless of whether they're pursuing a grand romance or just a brief fling with someone else, couldn't be more crucial. So is knowing the bliss that can spring when it feels like someone truly sees you, and how that sensation can inspire bold choices and terrible decisions alike (including seeking out the help of a gangster shaman, the film's weakest inclusion). Back in 2000, Moll made a splash with darkly comic thriller Harry, He's Here to Help — and while there are few laughs to be had in Only the Animals, a twisty tone still shines through. The film's plot developments and vignette-esque portions aren't the only elements that leap in sudden directions; love can be strained, strange, glorious and desperate here, for instance, and the movie's impressive actors all engagingly convey a wide range of feelings and reactions, including when only actions rather than words suit. That said, it just might be Moll's use of Benedikt Schiefer's (Exile) enticingly twinkling soundtrack against cinematographer Patrick Ghiringhelli's (Eden) naturally lit, cool-hued imagery that sums up the film best. Only the Animals doesn't just unravel a mystery, or several, but also recognises that sometimes enigmas and uncertainties arise simply because different things clash together and no one is quite prepared for the aftermath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Fr1M2fjY0&t=26s
Australia can't win the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, as every currently heartbroken Aussie is well aware, but the Matildas have kept scoring on and off the field. They've kicked goals, won even more fans, sparked stunning scenes at live-viewing sites around the country and absolutely smashed the ratings — and, over the past month, made plenty of history. We know that you know that Sam Kerr, Mackenzie Arnold and their teammates lost to England in their semi-final match on Wednesday, August 16, because we know that you were probably watching. How? The just-released ratings figures for the game against the Lionesses. Based on statistics from OzTAM, which captures broadcast audience numbers, the Seven Network reports that the 3–1 defeat was seen by 11.15-million Australians nationally. That isn't just massive — it's the biggest audience for anything on TV since 2001. The squad's prior match, that thrilling, nerve-shredding win via penalties against France on Saturday, August 12, already became Australia's biggest TV sports program in a decade. The England game — the first time that Australia had reached the semi-finals in the World Cup, either for the men's or women's teams — beat it. In fact, the viewership was so huge that it's the most-watched TV program, sports or otherwise, since OzTAM started its audience measurement system in 2001. Yes, that record could go back even further; OzTAM just don't have the data from before then. While the 11.15-million number is the peak figure, the average audience on Seven and 7plus for the night was 7.13 million, including 957,000 viewers via streaming. The Matildas' Women's World Cup games are available to watch via free-to-air and also Optus Sport, which means that more folks were also viewing via the latter. And, OzTAM's data doesn't include people watching in pubs, clubs, sports venues and at other out-of-home sites, so the overall audience numbers go up again. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CommBank Matildas (@matildas) Unsurprisingly, the match is also now the most-streamed event ever in Australia. To put the Matildas' repeated TV feats in context during the Women's World Cup, 2022's AFL and NRL grand finals didn't even hit the 4.17-million average figure that the France game scored — or come close. Last years' AFL numbers? 3.06-million viewers nationally. All up so far, Seven advises that its coverage of the Women's World Cup has reached 14.05-million broadcast viewers, then another 3.4-million folks via 7plus — all while the bulk of the tournament's games, especially those that don't feature the Matildas, are only on Optus Sports. That Sam Kerr goal against England? 11.15-million Australians seeing that honestly isn't enough. "Australia was captivated last night as the Matildas played their hearts out and did us all proud. Although their FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 journey ended last night, the Matildas have rewritten the history books, and captured the hearts and minds of the nation with a performance that is sure to inspire generations of Australians for many years to come," said Lewis Martin, Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport. "Seven is beyond proud to have played a part in bringing Australia together around our screens, as the Matildas' performance captured the Australian spirit like nothing we have seen in decades." The Matildas are out of contention for the ultimate Women's World Cup prize in 2023, with England and Spain now facing off, but they will play Sweden at 6pm on Saturday, August 19 to see who comes in third place. That game is another must-see, and another chance to smash viewership records. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CommBank Matildas (@matildas) The Matildas' 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup games are available to watch via the Seven Network and 7plus, and also Optus Sport — with select other games also on Seven, and the entire tournament streaming via Optus Sport. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 runs from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20 across Australia and New Zealand, with tickets available from the FIFA website. Top image: LittleBlinky via Wikimedia Commons.
It's the closest that Brisbanites can get to Shake Shack, complete with juicy burgers, creamy shakes and desserts made from frozen custard. And, as of Saturday, December 22, all of the above is now on offer at three locations across the city — with cult favourite Betty's Burgers launching its third local outpost in Indooroopilly. Less than 18 months after finally making the move from Noosa and the Gold Coast to Brisbane, the fast-growing burg chain has added new digs in the city's west to its existing spread in Chermside and Newstead. As always, that means plenty of burgers, including the latest menu additions featuring double beef patties (and double cheese, too), plus spicy chicken. Located in Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, the store also boasts outdoor dining. That means you'll be able to enjoy the sunshine while Betty's slings its stacked burgers, beer-battered onion rings, chocolate peanut butter thickshakes and five types of 'concretes' — those aforementioned frozen custard sweet treats — right into your stomach. For those keeping count, this makes ten Betty's stores across southeast Queensland, meaning that you're never too far away from your next burger and shake fix. The company has also been expanding interstate, with four eateries in Sydney and two in Melbourne. Betty's Burgers is now open at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, 322 Moggill Road, Indooroopilly. Head to the burger chain's website and Facebook page for further details.
Finding a critter creeping around in your food is one of most people's worst nightmares; however at this year's Antenna Documentary Film Festival, it's all part of the fun. Not only is the fest screening Bugs, a doco about two researchers from René Redzepi's experimental Nordic Food Lab exploring the culinary value and environmental benefits of eating insects — it's also serving up ant-covered choc tops. Sure, we already knew that edible bugs were in the festival's 2016 lineup; however we didn't take it quite so literally. Gelato makers Cow & Moon are doing the honours, creating a guava-flavoured sorbet choc top crawling with tiny creatures. They'll give the dish a pop of acidity — and yes, the ants are 100% real. The daring desserts will only be on offer at the October 15 session of Bugs at the Chauvel Cinema in Sydney, and really turns film-viewing into quite the interactive and sensory experience. "I am excited for audiences to connect to this film in a real, adventurous and visceral way," says Antenna festival manager Kate Vinen. Who's hungry? The 2016 Antenna Documentary Film Festival screens in Sydney from October 11 to 16, Brisbane from October 26 to 30, and Melbourne from November 2 to 6. For more information, check out the festival website.
