With croissants and pains au chocolat staples of its menu, Rise Bakery is fond of French fare, baking that affection not only into its OG Sanctuary Cove venue, but into its Portside spinoff since mid-2023 as well. The team behind the patisserie isn't content with running just one Gallic-inspired eatery in this patch of Brisbane, however. Soon, Hamilton's riverside precinct will also be home to Parisian-influenced brasserie Mademoiselle from the same crew. Rise Bakery's Harry Ohayon and Maxime Bournazel have replicating classic French eateries in their sights for their second Portside spot, which doesn't yet have an opening date. When it begins welcoming diners through the door, Mademoiselle will serve up traditional dishes — think: rotisserie meats and salads, for starters — given a modern twist. "Our vision is to create a warm, inviting space where people can enjoy long lunches, hearty dinners and Sunday roasts with their loved ones," said Ohayon [caption id="attachment_940766" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rise Bakery[/caption] The aim for the vibe is comfortable and cosy, but with luxe touches across the 245-square-metre booth-filled space, such as marble tops and stone. Sydney-based architect Tom Mark Henry has designed the fitout, which also heroes bold hues. If the concept is a success, the hope is to roll it out beyond Portside, including more Brisbane locations and at the Gold Coast. But each won't be exact copies of the other, with tailoring menus to suit each community that Mademoiselle calls home also the plan. The French restaurant joins an ever-growing list of new additions to Portside as part of the inner-north spot's current $20-million revamp. Not just Rise Bakery but also Fosh, Rosé Gelateria and Birds Nest Yakitori set up shop at the Hamilton precinct in 2023. Portside Social, a gastropub from the Newstead Social crew, is also on the way, as is Italian restaurant Sbagliata and burger joint Dumbo. And, Little Saigon Eatery is among the newly announced restaurants, marking the Vietnamese street food-slinging venture's second Brisbane venue. [caption id="attachment_778600" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Find Mademoiselle at Portside Wharf, 39 Hercules Street, Hamilton in the near future — we'll update you when an opening date is announced. Top image: Bastion Photography by Paul A Broben.
Everyone has heard about — or tried to eat their way through — KitKat's famed range of weird and wonderful Japanese flavours. A cough drop version once existed, and it really wasn't great. The sake version, a perennial favourite, is absolutely delicious. But if you're vegan, none of these varieties will have tempted your tastebuds. KitKats in general won't have either, actually. Come July, that'll change for Aussies who follow a plant-based, dairy-free and cruelty free diet, and would also like to sink their teeth into a KitKat. The brand is launching KitKat V, a new vegan KitKat. It's made with a rice-based milk alternative, resulting in a smooth vegan milk chocolate — not dark chocolate — which is then layered over the usual crisp wafers. That means that from Monday, July 26, everyone can now have a break — and a KitKat — with KitKat V joining other plant-based alternatives among Nestle's products. So, if you'd like to crack open a few fingers while tucking into a glass of plant-based Milo, you'll be able to. The 41.5-gram bars will cost $2 and, if you're already keen, they can be pre-ordered from the KitKat Chocolatory website ahead of their supermarket debut at Woolworths Metro stores. When your next sugar craving hits, add them to your list alongside vegan Natural Confectionery Co fruit lollies, vegan choc tops, and vegan Magnums, Cornettos and Weis Bars. KitKat V will hit Woolworths Metro supermarkets on Monday, July 26 — or you can pre-order them now from the KitKat Chocolatory website.
Where else but Sydney Film Festival could host the world premiere of The Pool? The documentary hails from Ian Darling, the Australian director behind The Final Quarter, and sports another supremely Sydney-centric focus: Bondi Icebergs. Think of a pool in the Harbour City, and this frequently photographed place for a dip likely springs to mind. So, Darling has spent a year charting its ins and outs to create this cinematic portrait, which will debut at SFF in 2024. The Pool is one of 17 titles that've been announced by the festival team ahead of dropping the event's full 71st-annual program in early May. Movie lovers will be watching the hundreds of flicks that make the final cut to kick off winter, from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 — and including The Pool on its lineup likely marks the first time that anyone wished that the film fest took place in summer instead. When you're not exploring a Sydney icon at a Sydney icon — because both Bondi Icebergs and SFF are that pivotal to the New South Wales capital — you can watch your way through a carefully curated roster of flicks overseen by long-running Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. As announced back in January, 2024's event will also boast the world's largest cash prize for Indigenous filmmaking, aka the new $35,000 First Nations Award. One title that'll be competing for the gong in its inaugural year is The Mountain, the directorial debut of New Zealand actor Rachel House, with the Heartbreak High and Hunt for the Wilderpeople star following three kids who set off on an adventure (yes, their destination is right there in the title). Also on the bill so far: horror classic Hellraiser, but not as audiences know it. The movie remains unchanged, but this is a Hear My Eyes screening, which means that it comes with a brand-new live score. Hieroglyphic Being aka Jamal Moss is doing all-new tunes, while visual artist Robin Fox will add a live laser performance — and the event hits Sydney after also being a part of Melbourne's RISING Festival. Suspended Time, the latest from French director Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep), is another big highlight. The drama is about a filmmaker and his brother in COVID-19 lockdown in their childhood home, is drawn from Assayas' own experiences and, although actors play the characters, features the director reading narration that's based on his own diary. Or, there's documentary The Contestant, about an IRL person on a Japanese television show who wasn't aware that his months spent naked in a room were being broadcast. From there, cinephiles can also start looking forward to Frederick Wiseman's (City Hall) Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros, which brings his observational gaze to three-Michelin-star French restaurant; COPA '71, about the 1971 Women's World Cup; Green Border, with Mr Jones' Agnieszka Holland honing in on the refugee experience on the Belarus–Poland border; and In Vitro, an Aussie sci-fi thriller about a couple doing biotech experiments. Keen to see a restaurant-set dramedy starring Rooney Mara (Women Talking) and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie). La Cocina has you covered. Interested in the newest film out of Bhutan by Pawo Choyning Dorji, whose Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom was nominated for an Oscar? That's where The Monk and the Gun comes in. If you're eager for a movie from Norway that features conversations about getting intimate — and dreams about David Bowie — then Sex is the answer. And, for those who've ever wondered about the hippos in Pablo Escobar's illegally imported private zoo, check out Pepe. For now, the list wraps up with Hungarian culture-war satire Explanation for Everything, Korean family drama House of the Seasons and the Kenya-set The Battle for Laikipia — plus The Rye Horn, which is about a midwife and won Best Film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. "This first look at the 2024 program delves into the profound and the peculiar, from remarkable true stories to works of fiction and ingenious hybrid films that land somewhere in between," said Moodley. "This selection, though diverse in setting and scope, reveals some common themes: resilience foremost amongst them. These films offer a taste of a Festival program rich with discovery and insight, poised to captivate and inspire." Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information, head to the festival's website — and check back here on Wednesday, May 8 for the full 2024 lineup.
When you're not watching movies and TV shows on the big screen at SXSW Sydney 2024, why not step inside a few? That's the Primeville setup, immersing attendees in pop culture-inspired spaces as folks who went to 2023's first-ever SXSW Sydney discovered. Here, Prime Video brings some of its series to life for a few days— and this year, it's doing the same with a number of flicks as well. Fancy sitting at Hannah Howard's desk or hanging out in the Flinley Craddick kitchen, complete with tiramisu to snack on? With the Australian version of The Office hitting streaming the same week that 2024's SXSW Sydney takes place, of course it's a big part of this year's Primeville — which is called Primeville Sweet Spot this time around. The full pop-up runs from Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20, but making a visit on Wednesday, October 16 will mean seeing a heap of well-known faces from the shows featured, including Felicity Ward (Time Bandits), Steen Raskopoulos (The Duchess), Josh Thomson (Young Rock), Jonny Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows) and Zoe Terakes (Talk to Me) from the new The Office. When you're not clocking on and wondering if there's a stapler in jelly hidden somewhere, you can also visit Middle-earth, where The Forge, some costumes from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and something sweet to eat all await. Or, thanks to the guest list, you can celebrate all things Deadloch with Alicia Gardiner (The Clearing) and Nina Oyama (Utopia), and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart with Leah Purcell (High Country), too. From Paramount+, there'll be a nightclub inspired by Last King of the Cross, plus non-boozy jelly shots to sip and series star Lincoln Younes (Strife) in attendance. And, nodding to the big screen, Despicable Me 4 gets some love thanks to Minions to follow, plus banana macarons to enjoy. It Ends with Us is also scoring some affection via Lily Bloom's (Blake Lively, Deadpool & Wolverine) flower shop and hot cocoa cookies. If you've noticed that there's a dessert on offer with each space, that's because Primeville Sweet Spot is living up to its name. Entry is free no matter whether you're hitting up the rest of SXSW Sydney or not, but badge holders will get express entry. Also part of the pop-up: a reality TV-focused Hayu zone and a chillout space with a spin-to-win wheel — plus The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Heather Gay and Whitney Rose, Captain Jason Chambers from Below Deck Down Under and cricketer Meg Lanning making appearances. Primeville Sweet Spot is popping up during SXSW Sydney at Fratelli Fresh Darling Harbour, 2/14 Darling Drive, Sydney from Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20, 2024. Keep an eye on the Prime Video Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.
We all know Bond. Yes, James Bond. Since his introduction into the world in 1953, audiences have fallen in love with 007, whether he's chasing a plane on horseback, sledding down a snowy hill on a cello case (beautiful woman in tow), or performing his famous bridge jump. Perhaps the most iconic images of Bond involve his famous cars that pair ever-so nicely with his high-speed life of covert operations. Car dealership Evans Halshaw has traced 007's most iconic cars to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Bond and in honour of the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. Here are ten of Concrete Playground's favourite James Bond vehicles. For the full collection of images made by Evans Halshaw check them out here. There's everything from his Aston Martin DB5, which was featured in six Bond films, to his most recent car, the Land Rover Defender which appears in Skyfall.
Gambling sites are so often accused of being scummy. Confined to the cracked iPhone screens of sweaty middle-aged men watching the races, or nestled up against a footy fanatic's much-pounded Tinder app, these sites don't often conjure up images of class. But for this year's FIFA World Cup, Sportsbet have pulled out the big guns. They've called upon the classiest dude bro they could think of. They've let Jesus loose upon our skies. In a marketing stunt that seeks to mimic Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, Sportsbet have created a hot air balloon in an arguably sacrilegious image of Jesus Christ. They've encapsulated his transcendent essence in 46 metres of gassy latex, slapped a hashtagged Socceroos jersey on him and launched him off into the atmosphere because culture or sports or betting or something. It's a move that's understandably enraged Melbourne's religious community. Director of the Australian Christian Lobby Dan Flynn has spoken out against the stunt on 3AW saying Jesus has been co-opted into endorsing gambling. "Jesus was very much for the poor and we know the effect of gambling on the poor, they take the biggest brunt of that," he said. The balloon has also been condemned by Deputy Premier Peter Ryan, the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce, and the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne. However, Sportsbet's representatives claim the balloon is nothing more than a morale booster to get people behind the Socceroos this week. "Let’s be honest — the Socceroos need divine intervention to progress past their three group games, so the message we’re aiming to get across is that for all Aussies to keep the faith in [them]," PR manager Shaun Anderson told the Herald Sun. Sportsbet also claim they haven't received any complaints from religious groups directly. Spokesperson Matthew Campbell even went so far as to reassure readers at the Sydney Morning Herald: "We certainly don’t believe we’re being insensitive to anyone’s religious beliefs." This isn't the first time Sportsbet have been accused of insensitivity. In fact, their last controversy came only one year ago with this charming piece of good ol' Aussie animal porn. Any of the @QantasWallabies see this little guy upon landing in Melbourne today? #rootingforoz pic.twitter.com/NOei58MFNv — Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) June 23, 2013 Though today marks just the second day of flight for the holy balloon, it's already received a huge amount of attention. Not only has it faced scrutiny from those religious groups mentioned above, it's featured on the front page of mX, and made an appearance on both the Daily Mail and Wall Street Journal. How embarrassment. Despite all this, Sportsbet claim the only thing that could bring down our ever-present lord is the weather. The betting site intend to keep him airborne over Melbourne for the next couple of days before a national tour starting next week. If you weren't already having moral dilemmas with this year's World Cup, you sure as hell will now. Via Herald Sun and The Sydney Morning Herald. Photos via Sportsbet.
If finding out when and where Groovin the Moo is taking place in 2024 didn't get you pumped enough, here comes the next piece of exciting news: who'll be taking to the large-scale touring music festival's stages this year. The just-dropped lineup spans a hefty and impressive list of talent, including Wu-Tang Clan's GZA, Spice Girl Melanie C doing a DJ set, The Kooks, The Beaches and Alison Wonderland. Stephen Sanchez, Armani White, Kenya Grace, King Stingray, DMA's, Jet, The Jungle Giants, Mallrat and San Cisco are all also on the bill, alongside Hot Dub Time Machine, Mura Masa, Claire Rosinkranz, Jessie Reyez, Meduza and The Rions — and more. Six states and territories, six locations, six reasons for a road trip: that's the setup. Largely taking tunes beyond Australia's capital cities, Groovin the Moo will traverse the country in April and May, again hitting up South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. In New South Wales, festivalgoers also have a new location to head to, with Groovin the Moo making a major move in 2024. Instead of taking place at its previous site in Maitland, the fest will pop up in Newcastle, with Foreshore Park its new home. The change comes after feedback from attendees, especially regarding transport and accommodation. In all other states and territories, the festival will settle into the same spots as last year — starting at Adelaide Showground, then hitting Exhibition Park in Canberra and Bendigo's Prince of Wales Showgrounds. After the Newcastle spot, Groovin the Moo will move on to Sunshine Coast Stadium Precinct, then Bunbury's Hay Park. Carla From Bankstown and Mowgli May are on hosting duties at Groovin the Moo 2024, and there's still some names to come, with the Triple J Unearthed, Fresh Produce artists and community programs yet to be announced. [caption id="attachment_938500" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gilbert Sanchez[/caption] Groovin the Moo 2024 Lineup: Alison Wonderland Armani White The Beaches Claire Rosinkranz DMA's The Grogans Gza (Wu-Tang) & The Phunky Nomads Hot Dub Time Machine Jacoténe Jessie Reyez Jet The Jungle Giants Kenya Grace King Stingray The Kooks Mallrat Meduza Melanie C DJ set Mura Masa DJ set Nerve & Friends (Ecb & Cloe Terare) The Rions San Cisco Stephen Sanchez Hosts: Carla From Bankstown Mowgli May Triple J Unearthed, Fresh Produce artists and community programs still to be announced Groovin the Moo 2024 Dates and Venues: Thursday, April 25 — Adelaide Showground, Kaurna Country, Wayville, South Australia Friday, April 26 — Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country, Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory Saturday, April 27 — Bendigo's Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Dja Dja Wurrung Country, Bendigo, Victoria Saturday, May 4 — Foreshore Park, Awabakal Land, Newcastle, New South Wales Sunday, May 5 — Sunshine Coast Stadium Precinct, Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country, Warana, Queensland Saturday, May 11 — Hay Park, Wardandi Noongar Country, Bunbury, Western Australia Groovin the Moo will tour Australia in April and May 2024, with tickets on sale from Tuesday, February 6 at 12pm local time for Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast, 2pm local time for Bendigo, 3pm local time for Wayville, 4pm local time for Bunbury and 5pm local time for Canberra. For more information, head to the festival's website. Groovin the Moo images: Jordan Munns.
In 2008, the famous DKNY mural disappeared. For sixteen years, its re-imagining of the New York City skyline towered over the intersection of Broadway and Houston Street, unofficially marking the entrance to SoHo. Now, the concept has undergone an international revival. In ten cities around the world, artists have come up with works inspired by the original. Retaining the DKNY logo as their framework, they have produced 21st century interpretations, involving sculpture, photography, projections and paint. So, not only New York, but also London, Paris, Milan, Dubai, Kuwait, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul, have become host to their own DKNY creations. According to the DKNYARTWORKS site, 'Each original work captures an artistic expression of the New York City skyline within the frame of the DKNY logo, bringing New York to the world.' Twin brothers, How & Nosm, whose iconic black, white and red murals appear in several major cities, have brought their intricate, graffiti-influenced style to an installation for New York. 'If you look at our artwork, you see an iconic face that keeps popping up in our paintings,' they explain in their DKNY interview. 'We've multiplied that face, so that it can represent all the faces of New York City.' Other artists include Amy Gartrell (New York), Roids (London), Maurizio Galimberti (Milan), Christophe Hamaide-Pierson (Paris), Sasan Nasernia (Dubai), Calvin Ho (Hong Kong), Nod Young (Shanghai), junk house (Seoul) and Yamaguchi Soichi (Tokyo). [Via PSFK]
Ali Barter knows all too well that tapping into your most creative self doesn't always come easy. "I used to experiment a lot more," says Barter. "I'd play different instruments, I'd get on the keyboard, or I'd try and write to a concept. I was trying to find my pattern." Along the way, she's discovered her ideal approach is a more organic one, gathering inspiration as she goes. "It starts off with words, maybe from watching a movie or having an interaction with somebody," explains Barter. "I'll jot them down, and then when it gets to the songwriting part, I'll sit down with an instrument, make up a melody and use these words that I've saved. Or new words come along." We sit down with Barter to discuss her approach to the creative process and staying true to herself in music and in fashion. Some will tell you that routine and structure are creativity's best mates, but for this artist, it's the opposite. Between touring, songwriting, time spent in her Collingwood studio and all the other life stuff, Barter's day-to-day schedule is always changing, which means there's no chance of relying on a specific place or time of day to ignite that creative spark. "My routine's all over the shop," she muses. "So it's more just about showing up, getting my notebook and guitar and being there. And something might happen, or nothing might happen." The artist, who writes a lot with husband and producer Oscar Dawson, says she also draws plenty of inspiration from just being around someone she trusts creatively. "If Oscar's there and we're together, it doesn't really matter where we are," she says. "A creative space is really dependent on your attitude and who you're with." "It's like when I go to band practice — we're just in an empty, sterile room, but because I'm there with three other musicians that I love to play music with, we'll end up being creative." And, just as Barter's best work has come from sticking to her own guns in the creative process, the artist's discovered along the way that staying true to her own sense of style also inspires her most authentic work. "I'm just really a jeans and t-shirt girl," she explains. "Sometimes I've tried to be a little bit more out there, but I never feel like myself. And I think it's the same with my music. Musically, if I've tried to be a bit more cool or fancy, I end up not sounding like myself. And with fashion, when I try and be something that I'm not, I don't feel like me." In Barter's wardrobe, denim has always been a staple. "I wear denim every day, it's like my work gear," says the singer-songwriter. "It's just such a functional but honest piece of clothing, you know?" "I've started wearing these Wrangler jeans called Birkins, and I just wear them every day," Barter says. "They're high-waisted, cropped, not too tight and they look good with everything." Listen to Ali Barter's music here, and find the denim that brings out the creative, innovator and gamechanger in you at The Iconic. Images: Kate Shanasy.
A decade has sashayed away since Bianca Del Rio won the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. After emerging victorious over Australia's own runner-up Courtney Act, the drag queen and comedian has been conquering Down Under stages ever since. Among multiple tours over the past ten years, the fabulously quick-witted talent last brought her Hurricane Bianca whirlwind this way in 2022 — and she'll next break out her devilish snark and timing in 2025. The global favourite keeps building upon her massive past decade or so, with the dimple-cheeked performer doing everything from tours upon tours to hitting the West End stage in the musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie and also popping up in the film version as well. Then there's 2016 comedy Hurricane Bianca and its 2018 sequel Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate, plenty more appearances on various Drag Race seasons and specials, web specials, music videos and even an episode of Celebrity Family Feud. Accordingly, you know what to start watching in preparation for Del Rio's Dead Inside gigs in Brisbane — although, as you'll know if you've seen her live before, there's nothing like seeing her in the flesh. Del Rio's 2025 visit will break out the cutting insults — plus her larger-than-life persona in general — across two nights from Tuesday, January 28–Wednesday, January 29 at Fortitude Music Hall.
It might just be Australia's brightest festival, and it's returning to light up Alice Springs once again. That'd be Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which will deliver its sixth annual program between Friday, April 9–Sunday, April 18 — returning to the autumn time slot it established in 2019. After a chaotic 2020, which saw the event postponed to September due to lockdowns and restrictions — and offer a virtual tour, too — the fest has big plans for 2021. First revealing last month that it'd be back this April, the event has now unveiled its full lineup. Dazzling light installations feature heavily across the Alice Springs CBD's Alice Springs Todd Mall, as well as at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct just out of town, anchoring the festival's free ten-day public celebration of Indigenous arts, culture, music and storytelling. This time around, the event is corralling its program around the theme 'future kultcha', with a particular focus on "intergenerational wisdom told through light, interactive workshops, art, music, films, performance and the spoken word". Taking care of the light side of things are 'Landing Kultcha', which'll use light tubes of different lengths, span 20 metres in length and provide quite the entranceway — plus 'Grounded Kultcha', which will project an animated sequence of curated artworks onto the sands of Alice Springs Desert Park. [caption id="attachment_799418" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Artist's impression of 'Merging Kutcha'[/caption] There's also 'Merging Kultcha', which features a train of five illuminated camels; 'Tailoring Kultcha', with light and textiles used to transform Todd Mall; and 'Harvesting Kultcha', an interactive game for all ages that's inspired by the constant movement in a honey-ant nest. Or, thanks to 'Revolving Kutcha', there'll be shields, coolamons and skateboards, including one large central piece that'll range between six to eight metres high, plus eight other two-metre-tall sculptures. As it always does, the festival's main attraction will glow far and wide. Once again, a huge artwork will transform a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival. The installation is being called 'Spirit Kultcha' this year, and it'll include a soundscape by Electric Fields. [caption id="attachment_799417" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Artist's impression of 'Landing Kutcha'[/caption] More than 55 artists are involved with the full Parrtjima program, which spans live music from Electric Fields and Casey Donovan, as well as Miiesha, MusicNT's Divas, Jimblah, Bow and Arrow, Dobby, OKA, Ziggy Ramo and Shellie Morris. If you're keen to listen to a few talks as well, the speaker list includes writer Bruce Pascoe, artists Jungala Kriss and Raymond Walters Japanangka, and Professor Marcia Langton AM — and films such as 50s classic Jedda and musical comedy Bran Nue Dae are on the movie lineup. Attendees can also dine under the stars at the Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct, thanks to a dinner that's a first for the fest. Of course, Parrtjima is just one of Northern Territory's two glowing attractions in 2021, with Australia's Red Centre lighting up in multiple ways. The festival is a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which — after multiple extensions — is now on display indefinitely. If you're keen to start making Parrtjima plans, remember to check out the Northern Territory's COVID-19 border restrictions first. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from April 9–18, 2021 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Top images: Rachel Wallace, Greg McAdam, Lachlan Dodds Watson.
2021 gave the world many great things to watch, whether you like movies or TV shows — or direct-to-streaming flicks and specials, too. But only one summed up exactly how the last few years have felt as life as we all knew it changed due to the pandemic, spending all of our time at home became the norm, and everything was more than a little uncanny. That'd be Bo Burnham's sublime Inside. Watching along, a stunning fact became evident — a life-changing realisation, really. During a period when most people tried to make sourdough, pieced together jigsaws and spent too much time on Zoom, Burnham created a comedy masterpiece. And, he managed to capture the entire planet's feelings in some of the smartest and catchiest songs that'll ever echo from a screen. If you've seen it, even just thinking about it while reading this at the moment will mean that you currently have 'White Woman's Instagram', 'Welcome to the Internet' or 'That Funny Feeling' stuck in your head (or any of the special's other earworm tunes). Well, well, look who's inside again now — because Burnham isn't done with Inside yet. To mark exactly a year since the special was originally released on Netflix, the comedian has gifted the world with more. This time, he's dropped 63 minutes of outtakes that didn't initially make the cut. Yep, that's your viewing plans for this evening sorted. a year ago today, i released a special called inside. i've spent the last two months editing together material that i shot for the special but didn't end up using. it will be on my youtube channel in one hour. i hope you enjoy it. — Bo Burnham (@boburnham) May 31, 2022 To head back into Inside again — tiny pumpkins and avocados optional, and odes to Jeffrey Bezos as well — you'll need to hit up Burnham's YouTube channel, which is where the extra footage is now available. And yes, while wondering how the comedian — or anyone — could ever top a special this raw, insightful, funny, clever and of the moment has been a big part of the past year, more of anything to do with Inside and its 90-minute musical-comedy whirlwind is always going to be a good thing. The Promising Young Woman star and Eighth Grade filmmaker won Emmys for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, and Outstanding Music Direction for his efforts — plus a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for 'All Eyes On Me'. Check out the trailer for Bo Burnham: Inside below: To watch The Inside Outtakes, head to Bo Burnham's YouTube channel. Bo Burnham: Inside is available to stream via Netflix. Images: courtesy of Netflix.
Same iconic facade, big changes inside: that's the vibe at the Fortitude Valley General Post Office building, aka GPO Hotel. Earlier in 2022, it was announced that the Ann Street locale is getting a $7-million-plus revamp behind its heritage-listed exterior, with Artesian Hospitality doing the honours. Now, you can look forward to hitting up the renovated spot sometime in early 2023, including eating and drinking at its new food and wine venue. Clearly, it's a significant makeover for the site, which dates back to 1887. An exact opening date hasn't yet been announced, or much in the way of detail about the site's changes, but sommelier Alan Hunter — also ex-General Manager of OTTO Brisbane — will oversee the new contemporary dining venue. He'll be joined by Executive Chef Richard Ousby, who'll use his experience overseas and locally to shape the restaurant's menu. Hunter comes to the new GPO with plenty of accolades, including being named the Pol Roger 2013 Sommelier of the Year, and helping lead OTTO Brisbane to nabbing the Wine List of the Year award in the Good Food Guide in 2019. As for Brisbane local Ousby, he'll draw upon his time in England at Michelin three-star restaurant Waterside Inn, in Sydney at Sous Chef at Quay, and as Executive Chef of Stokehouse restaurants's in Melbourne and Brisbane. "I am thrilled to join Artesian in delivering a truly exceptional venue offering to a place that is close to the hearts of so many Brisbanites," said Hunter. "It's a really exciting project to be a part of. The GPO revival is set to create a new benchmark for Brisbane's burgeoning foodie scene and I can't wait to welcome guests through its doors next year." [caption id="attachment_866375" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Artesian will make its Brisbane debut with the revamped GPO, with Cali Beach Club, Surfers Pavilion, White Rhino, Saké Sisters and Havana RnB on the Gold Coast on its resume so far. "We are delighted to have Alan and Richard join the group. They're the perfect team to lead us into a very exciting new era for Artesian and for one of Brisbane's most beloved establishments," said Matthew Keegan, Artesian Hospitality's Founder and Managing Partner. "The talent and experience of Alan and Richard epitomise the nature of what will be unveiled within the new GPO precinct. We're so excited for what's to come, and can't wait to cement the precinct's status as a staple within the Brisbane social scene, while introducing it to a broader audience of sophisticated food and wine lovers." The Fortitude Valley General Post Office building is located at 740 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, and will reopen in early 2023. We'll update you when Artesian Hospitality announces an exact launch date. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures will do that, and so will plenty of people staying home because they aren't well — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Perhaps you've been under the weather. Given the hefty amount of titles now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are 13 that you can watch right now at home. Civil War Civil War is not a relaxing film, either for its characters or viewers, but writer/director Alex Garland (Men) does give Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) a moment to lie down among the flowers. She isn't alone among this stunning movie's stars on her stomach on a property filled with Christmas decorations en route from New York to Washington DC. Also, with shots being fired back and forth, no one is in de-stressing mode. For viewers of Dunst's collaborations with Sofia Coppola, however — a filmmaker that her Civil War co-star Cailee Spaeny just played Priscilla Presley for in Priscilla — the sight of her face beside grass and blooms was always going to recall The Virgin Suicides. Twenty-five years have now passed since that feature, which Garland nods to as a handy piece of intertextual shorthand. As the camera's focus shifts between nature and people, there's not even a tiny instant of bliss among this sorrow, nor will there ever be, as there was the last time that Dunst was framed in a comparable fashion. Instead, Civil War tasks its lead with stepping into the shoes of a seasoned war photographer in the middle of the violent US schism that gives the movie its name (and, with January 6, 2021 so fresh in everyone's memories, into events that could very well be happening in a version of right now). The US President (Nick Offerman, Origin) is into his third term after refusing to leave office, and the fallout is both polarising and immense. Think: bombed cities, suicide attackers, death squads, torture, lynchings, ambushes, snipers, shuttering the FBI, California and Texas inexplicably forming an alliance to fight back, Florida making its own faction, journalists killed on sight, refugee camps, deserted highways, checkpoints, resistance fighters, mass graves and, amid the rampant anarchy, existence as America currently knows it clearly obliterated. (Asking "what kind of American are you?" barely seems a stretch, though.) The front line is in Charlottesville, but Dunst's Lee Smith is destined for the White House with Reuters reporter Joel (Wagner Moura, Mr & Mrs Smith), where they're hoping to evade the lethal anti-media sentiment to secure an interview with the leader who has torn the country apart. Civil War streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Monkey Man Dev Patel means business in Monkey Man, both on- and off-screen. Starring in the ferocious vengeance-dripping action-thriller, he plays Kid, a man on a mission to punish the powers that be in Yatana (a fictional Indian city inspired by Mumbai) for their injustices, and specifically for the death of his mother Neela (Adithi Kalkunte, who Patel worked with on Hotel Mumbai) when he was a boy. As the film's director, producer and co-writer, he isn't holding back either, especially in adding something to his resume that no other project has offered in his almost two decades as an actor since Skins marked his on-camera debut. Dev Patel: action star has an excellent ring to it. So does Dev Patel: action filmmaker. Both labels don't merely sound great with Monkey Man; this is a frenetic and thrilling flick, and also a layered one that marries its expertly choreographed carnage with a statement. In the post-John Wick action-movie realm, it might seem as if every actor is doing features about formidable lone forces taking on their enemies. Patel initially began working on Monkey Man over ten years ago, which is when Keanu Reeves (The Matrix Resurrections) first went avenging, but his film still acknowledges what its viewers will almost-inevitably ponder by giving John Wick a shoutout. Thinking about the Charlize Theron (Fast X)-led Atomic Blonde and Bob Odenkirk (The Bear)-starring Nobody is understandable while watching, too — but it's The Raid and Oldboy, plus the decades of Asian action onslaughts and revenge-filled Korean efforts around them, that should stick firmest in everyone's mind. All directors are product of their influences; however, Patel achieves the rare feat of openly adoring his inspirations while filtering them through his exact vision to fashion a picture that's always 100-percent his own (and 100-percent excellent). Monkey Man streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Dev Patel. Love Lies Bleeding In Love Lies Bleeding, a craggy ravine just outside a dusty New Mexico town beckons, ready to swallow sordid secrets in the dark of the desert's starry night. Tumbling into it, a car explodes in flames partway through the movie, exactly as the person pushing it in wants it to. There's the experience of watching Rose Glass' sophomore film emblazoned across the feature's very frames. After the expertly unsettling Saint Maud, the British writer/director returns with a second psychological horror, this time starring Kristen Stewart in the latest of her exceptionally chosen post-Twilight roles (see: Crimes of the Future, Spencer, Happiest Season, Lizzie, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Clouds of Sils Maria). An 80s-set queer and sensual tale of love, lust, blood and violence, Love Lies Bleeding is as inkily alluring as the gorge that's pivotal to its plot, and as fiery as the inferno that swells from the canyon's depths. This neon-lit, synth-scored neo-noir thriller scorches, too — and burns so brightly that there's no escaping its glow. When the words "you have to see it to believe it" also grace Love Lies Bleeding — diving into gyms and in the bodybuilding world, it's no stranger to motivational statements such as "no pain no gain", "destiny is a decision" and "the body achieves what the mind believes" — they help sum up this wild cinematic ride as well. Glass co-scripts here with Weronika Tofilska (they each previously penned and helmed segments of 2015's A Moment in Horror), but her features feel like the result of specific, singular and searing visions that aren't afraid to swerve and veer boldly and committedly to weave their stories and leave an imprint. Accordingly, Love Lies Bleeding is indeed a romance, a crime flick and a revenge quest. It's about lovers on the run (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Katy O'Brian pairs with Stewart) and intergenerational griminess. It rages against the machine. It's erotic, a road trip and unashamedly pulpy. It also takes the concept of strong female leads to a place that nothing else has, and you do need to witness it to fathom it. Love Lies Bleeding streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Rose Glass. Late Night with the Devil If David Dastmalchian ever tires of acting, which will hopefully never happen, he'd make an entrancing late-night television host. He even has the audition tape for it: Late Night with the Devil. Of course, the star who earned his first movie credit on The Dark Knight, and has stood out in Blade Runner 2049, The Suicide Squad, Dune and the third season of Twin Peaks — plus Boston Strangler, The Boogeyman, Oppenheimer and Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter all in 2023 alone, alongside Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — might be hoping for a less eerie and unsettling gig IRL. Dastmalchian is a fan of horror anchors, writing an article for Fangoria about them. Here, putting in a helluva can't-look-away performance, he plays one. That said, the namesake of Night Owls with Jack Delroy isn't meant to fit the mould so unnervingly, nor is the series that he's on. Delroy is a Johnny Carson rival — and, because Australian filmmakers Cameron and Colin Cairnes (100 Bloody Acres, Scare Campaign) write and direct Late Night with the Devil, he's also a Don Lane-type talent — who isn't afraid of embracing the supernatural on his live talk show. On Halloween in 1977, airing his usual special episode for the occasion, he decides to attempt to arrest the flagging ratings of what was once a smash by booking four attention-grabbing guests. What occurs when Delroy, who is grieving the loss of his actor wife Madeleine Piper (Georgina Haig, NCIS Sydney) a year earlier, shares the stage with not only a famous skeptic and a psychic, but also with a parapsychologist and a girl who is reportedly possessed? That might sound like the setup for a joke, but it's this new Aussie horror gem's captivating premise. Late Night with the Devil streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Colin and Cameron Cairnes. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Godzilla is finally an Oscar-winner. It's about time. But the septuagenarian reptile didn't score Hollywood's top trophy for curling up in the Colosseum for a snooze, rocking electric-pink spikes, thundering into Hollow Earth — the world literally within our world where titans spring from — and teaming up with King Kong to take on a rival giant ape that rides an ice-breathing kaiju and uses a skeletal spine as a rope. Japan's exceptional Godzilla Minus One, which took home 2024's Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, wasn't that kind of monster movie. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which hails from the American-made Monsterverse, definitely is. Arriving shortly after one of its titular figures received such a coveted filmmaking accolade (and also after the US franchise's ace streaming series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters), this sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs Kong is patently from the goofily entertaining rather than deeply meaningful brand of Godzilla flicks. Yes, there's room for both. It might seem a hard job to follow up one of the best-ever takes on the nuclear-powered creature with an action-adventure-fantasy monster mash that also features a Hawaiian shirt-wearing veterinarian (Dan Stevens, Welcome to Chippendale) dropping in via helicopter to do dental work on King Kong, the return of the Monsterverse's resident conspiracy-theorist podcaster (Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta), a complicated mother-daughter dynamic (via Rebecca Hall, Resurrection, and Kaylee Hottle, Magnum PI) and a mini Kong called Suko — plus, in its very first minutes, several other animals being ripped apart by Godzilla and Kong. When he took on the gig of helming pictures in this franchise, however, You're Next, The Guest, Blair Witch and Death Note filmmaker Adam Wingard chose fun chaos. His two entries so far aren't dreaming of competing for thoughtfulness with the movies coming out of the country that created Godzilla. Rather, they're made with affection for that entire legacy, and also Kong's, which dates back even further to 1933. Getting audiences relishing the spectacle of this saga is the clear aim, then — and Wingard's attempts put exactly that in their sights above all else. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle and Adam Wingard. Abigail Abigail, aka the tween vampire ballerina film that unveiled that premise in its trailer, is still an entertaining time irrespective of your starting knowledge, thankfully. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's fifth full-length directorial effort — and their first after bringing back Ghostface in 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream VI — begins as a blend of a heist affair, horror mansion movie and whodunnit. It kicks off with a kidnapping skilfully pulled off by a motley crew (is there any other type?), then with holing up in the mastermind's sprawling and eerie safe house with their 12-year-old captive, then with fingers being pointed and their charge toying with them. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are slick with their opening, from breaking into a well-secured estate to avoiding surveillance cameras while speeding through the streets afterwards. They're playful, too, when corralling everyone in their next location — a setup that they've turned into an ace horror watch before in 2019's Ready or Not — and letting suspicions run wild. The six abductors here, as given nicknames Reservoir Dogs-style but with a Rat Pack spin, and told not to divulge their true identities or histories to each other: Joey (Melissa Barrera, Carmen), a recovering addict with medical skills; Frank (Dan Stevens, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), who has a background in law enforcement; Rickles (William Catlett, Constellation), an ex-marine; Sammy (Kathryn Newton, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), the resident hacker; Peter (Kevin Durand, Pantheon), the dim-witted muscle; and Dean (Angus Cloud, Euphoria), the stoner wheelman. The middleman for their employer: the no-nonsense Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito, The Gentlemen). And the girl: Abigail (Alisha Weir, Wicked Little Letters), of course, who is the daughter of someone obscenely rich and powerful. She's just finished dance rehearsals, is still in her tutu, and proves the picture of scared and unsettled when she's snatched from her bedroom, drugged and blindfolded — until she isn't. Abigail streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Wicked Little Letters Whether it's via a post or tweet or message, in a comment or status update, thanks to a Notes app screenshot or in an email, mean words aren't hard to share two decades into the 21st century. Click a few buttons, slide your finger across a touchscreen, then vitriol can be directed virtually instantaneously worldwide. Countless people — too many, all sticklers for unpleasantness — do just that. Such behaviour has almost become a reflex. A century ago, however, spewing nastiness by text required far more effort. Someone had to put ink to paper, commit their hatred to physical form in their own handwriting, tuck it into an envelope, pay for postage, then await the mail service to deliver their malice. Wicked Little Letters isn't an ode to that dedication, but there's no avoiding that sending offensive missives in its 1920s setting was a concerted, determined act — and also that no one could claim just seconds later that they were hacked. Times change, and technology with it, but people don't: that's another way of looking at this British dramedy, which is indeed based on a true tale. Director Thea Sharrock (The One and Only Ivan) and screenwriter Jonny Sweet (Gap Year) know that there's a quaintness about the chapter of history that they're bringing to the screen, but not to the attitudes behind the incident. In Sussex by the sea on the English Channel, spiteful dispatches scandalised a town, with the situation dubbed "the Littlehampton libels". In Wicked Little Letters' account, Edith (Olivia Colman, Wonka) keeps receiving notes that overuse vulgar terms, and the God-fearing spinster, who lives with her strict father (Timothy Spall, The Heist Before Christmas) and dutiful mother (Gemma Jones, Emily), is certain that she knows the source. Living next door, Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley, Fingernails) is an Irish single mother to Nancy (Alisha Weir, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical), has Bill (Malachi Kirby, My Name Is Leon) as her live-in boyfriend, and is fond of a drink at the pub and of sharing her opinion. The two neighbours are as chalk and cheese as women of the time could get, but were once friendly. When Edith blames Rose, the latter's pleas that she's innocent — and that she'd just tell the former her grievances to her face, not send them anonymously — fall on deaf ears among most of the resident police. Wicked Little Letters streams via YouTube Movies. Read our full review. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person What if a vampire didn't want to feed on humans? When it happens in Interview with the Vampire, rats are the solution. In Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Sasha (Sara Montpetit, White Dog) gets her sustenance from pouches of blood instead, but her family — father (Steve Laplante, The Nature of Love), mother (Sophie Cadieux, Chouchou), aunt (Marie Brassard, Viking) and cousin Denise (Noémie O'Farrell, District 31') — are increasingly concerned once more than half a century passes and she keeps avoiding biting necks. Sasha still looks like a goth teenager, yet she's 68, so her relatives believe that it's well past time for her to embrace an inescapable aspect of being a bloodsucker. What if she didn't have to, though? The potential solution in the delightful first feature by director Ariane Louis-Seize, who co-writes with Christine Doyon (Germain s'éteint), is right there in this 2023 Venice International Film Festival award-winner's title. With What We Do in the Shadows, both on the big and small screens, the idea that vamps are just like the living when it comes to sharing houses has gushed with laughs. Swap out flatmates for adolescence — including pesky parents trying to cramp a teen's style — and that's Louis-Seize's approach in this French-language Canadian effort. As much as Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person brings fellow undead fare to mind, however, and more beyond, the Québécois picture is an entrancing slurp of vampire and other genres on its own merits. There's an Only Lovers Left Alive-style yearning and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night-esque elegance to the film. Beetlejuice and The Hunger bubble up, too, as do Under the Skin, Ginger Snaps and The Craft as well. But comparable to how drinking from someone doesn't transform you into them — at least according to a century-plus of bloodsucking tales on the page, in cinemas and on TV — nodding at influences doesn't turn this coming-of-age horror-comedy into its predecessors. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person streams via iTunes. Read our full review. You'll Never Find Me When The Rocky Horror Picture Show starts with just-engaged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss knocking on a stranger's door on a dark and rainy night, with the pair hoping to find both shelter from the elements and assistance, no one could predict what awaits inside. There isn't much that connects the stage-to-screen cult musical-comedy hit from nearly 50 years back with expertly tense and atmospheric Australian horror film You'll Never Find Me, but that basic setup gets a spin — and a wild ride is again the end result. Also, if you're the type to take life tips from pop culture, a familiar piece of advice proves true once more. Even the most casual of filmgoers know that little that's good ever comes from an unexpected thump on someone's house, regardless of whether you're doing the banging or hearing it from the other side. Knock at the Cabin, Knock Knock, The Strangers: they all back this idea up, too, and the list goes on. In You'll Never Find Me — which Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen write, direct and produce as their first feature — the weather is indeed violently stormy and the evening is inescapably black when a young woman (Jordan Cowan, Krystal Klairvoyant) taps on the caravan that Patrick (Brendan Rock, The Stranger) calls home. They're both tentative, anxious and unsettled. She asks for help, he obliges, but suspicion lingers in the air as heavily as the sound of thunder and the wail of wind. The thick blanket of distrust doesn't fray as they talk, either, with the new arrival — named only The Visitor in the feature's credits — claiming that she fell asleep on the beach, hence her presence on her host's doorstep at 2am. But Patrick keeps finding holes in her story. She's also doubtful about his claims that he doesn't have a phone that she could use, public facilities are too far away for her to get to without him driving her to it and they'll need to wait until the rain subsides to depart. You'll Never Find Me streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire There's nothing strange in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, even with the spirits of sewer dragons, Slimer and pre-Sumerian demons all lurking about. There's nothing unusual about the movie's neighbourhood, either, with the supernatural comedy franchise revisiting New York after Ghostbusters: Afterlife's detour to Oklahoma. No surprises are found among the characters, mixing OG faces from 1984's Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II with cast members from the saga's last flick (and still sadly pretending that 2016's excellent female-led Ghostbusters didn't happen). But something unexpected does occur in this fifth film to ask "who ya gonna call?", this time directed by Gil Kenan (A Boy Called Christmas) with Jason Reitman (The Front Runner), Afterlife's helmer and the son of the first two films' Ivan Reitman (Draft Day), scripting: its love of nostalgia is as strong as in Afterlife; however, Frozen Empire is welcomely absent its immediate predecessor's needy force. That said, simply being better than Afterlife is a low hurdle to clear. It's also what Frozen Empire achieves and little more. Kenan ain't afraid of a by-the-numbers script that stitches together references to the franchise's past and as many characters as can be jam-packed in. Frozen Empire begins with Callie (Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age), her teen kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, Stranger Things) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace, Crater), and their former science teacher Gary (Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building) all in Ecto-1, in hot pursuit of an otherworldly wraith in Manhattan — and the fact that Callie parents, Gary yearns to be seen as a parent and Trevor reminds everyone that he's 18 now sets the scene for their parts moving forward. So does Phoebe taking charge, but Kenan and Reitman only make half an effort to push her to the fore. When Phoebe links up with Dan Aykroyd's (Zombie Town) Ray Stantz, who now runs a store that buys possessed possessions, the Ghostbusters saga gets its best path forward so far with this cast. And yet, possibly scared of the ridiculous backlash to Kate McKinnon (Barbie), Kristen Wiig (Palm Royale), Melissa McCarthy (The Little Mermaid) and Leslie Jones (Our Flag Means Death) in jumpsuits almost a decade back, Frozen Empire largely pads itself out with filler to stop Phoebe always being the main point of focus. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. The Great Escaper Two British acting icons enjoy their last on-screen hurrah in The Great Escaper, which is reason enough to see the based-on-a-true-story drama about a World War II veteran making a run for it. At the age of 90, Michael Caine announced that playing 89-year-old Bernard Jordan would be his last role in a film career that dates back to 1950. Glenda Jackson only returned to acting in 2015, after decades in politics since the 90s, then passed away after lending her talents to Bernard's wife Irene. The film they're in doesn't always match their efforts, with William Ivory's (Isolation Stories) script happy to hit the obvious notes, and forcefully — and director Oliver Parker just as content to do the same, as he also was on Johnny English Reborn, Dad's Army and Swimming with Men. Still, as it tells a spirited tale, it unsurprisingly does so with far more weight beyond its formula — as real as its events are — with Caine (Best Sellers) and Jackson (Mothering Sunday) in the lead parts. Normally when a movie links to the Second World War and involves fleeing, it's a period-set flick, but not this one. Jordan's stint of absconding came in June 2014, when he took his leave from his East Sussex nursing home without informing anyone to travel to Normandy for the 70th-anniversary D-Day commemorations. That makes The Great Escaper a breaking-out adventure of a unique kind — and Caine and Jackson, the latter as the spouse following her absent husband's antics from afar, are an excellent pair who bring gravitas to their roles whether they're sharing the frame or their characters are in different countries. The flashbacks to their younger years (featuring The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's Will Fletcher and Bad Education's Laura Marcus) are less compelling. There's also little in the way of subtlety to the film's old-fashioned telling. But this story also proves affecting in pondering how war heroes are celebrated, then forgotten as they age, and also the human toll of every conflict long after it has been waged. The Great Escaper streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Baghead Sit in a chair. Embrace the otherworldly. Whether you're ready for it or not — physically and emotionally alike — bear witness to the dead being summoned. Speak to those who are no longer in the land of the living. Perhaps, while you're chatting, get caught in a dialogue with something nefarious as well. Talk to Me used this setup to audience-wowing and award-winning effect. Now comes Baghead, which stems from a short film that pre-dates 2023's big Australian-made horror hit, and was shot before Michael and Danny Philippou's A24-distributed flick played cinemas, but still brings it to mind instantly. Audiences can be haunted by what they've seen before, especially in a busy, ever-growing genre where almost everything is haunted anyway and few pictures feel genuinely new. Here, as first-time feature filmmaker Alberto Corredor adapts his own applauded short (which has nothing to do with the mumblecore effort starring Greta Gerwig before she was directing Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie), there's no shaking how Talk to Me gnaws at Baghead. The director and screenwriters Christina Pamies (another debutant) and Bryce McGuire (Night Swim) make grief their theme, and with commitment; the pain of loss colours the movie as much as its shadowy imagery. But, despite boasting two dedicated performances, Corredor's Baghead is routine again and again. At The Queen's Head in Berlin, Owen Lark (Peter Mullan, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) oversees a ramshackle four-centuries-old pub where customers aren't there for the drinks. The basement is the big drawcard for those in the know, with the being that resides in it, in a hole in a brick wall, luring punters in the door. Everyone who arrives with cash and a plea for help is in mourning. When Neil (Jeremy Irvine, Benediction) makes an entrance, he knows exactly what he wants. Baghead begins not with Owen letting his latest patron meet the entity that shares the movie's title, though, but with him endeavouring to vanquish it. If he was successful, there'd be no film from there. Because he isn't, his estranged daughter Iris (Freya Allan, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) is summoned to the German city by a solicitor (Ned Dennehy, The Peripheral), becoming the watering hole's next owner. Baghead streams via YouTube Movies. Read our full review, and our interview with Freya Allan. Kung Fu Panda 4 What happens when you've scored your dream job, especially when getting everything that you've ever wanted has meant navigating a lengthy and challenging quest — and when you've always been an underdog (well, an underpanda to be precise)? So asks Kung Fu Panda 4, posing that question to Po (Jack Black, The Super Mario Bros Movie), the black-and-white mammal whose journey to becoming a martial-arts master has sat at the heart of this franchise since 2008. Po loves being the Dragon Warrior, even when 2011's Kung Fu Panda 2 and 2016's Kung Fu Panda 3 have thrown ups and downs his way. In the movie series' fourth big-screen entry, however, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, Sam & Kate) advises that it's time to start thinking about his successor in the post, as Po should be moving up the ranks to take on the job of the Valley of Peace's Spiritual Leader. One big problem: the panda isn't thrilled. Another: he doesn't love any of the candidates. There's also The Chameleon (Viola Davis, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), a sorceress, to deal with — potentially with the help of thieving fox Zhen (Awkwafina, IF). Black's voice has always done plenty of heavy lifting in the Kung Fu Panda flicks, alongside the general concept — a panda as a kung fu whiz — and the slapstick silliness that comes to the screen with it. None of that changes in Kung Fu Panda 4, and no one involved appears to want it to. Also still a constant: the reliance upon well-known names lending their vocals to the movie's menagerie (Argylle's Bryan Cranston, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai's James Hong, John Wick: Chapter 4's Ian McShane and Dumb Money's Seth Rogen have been here before; Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan and Unfrosted's Ronny Chieng are among the newcomers). The visuals remain vivid, but the story is in a rush to ping pong to the next sight gag or excuse to get the film's cast bantering. As directed Mike Mitchell (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) and Stephanie Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), the film bounces, leaps, kicks and rolls along merrily enough, though — just — for younger audiences. Kung Fu Panda 4 streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Looking for more viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, February, March and April 2024 (and also January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2023, too). We keep a running list of must-stream TV from across 2024 as well, complete with full reviews. And, we've also rounded up 2023's 15 best films, 15 best straight-to-streaming movies, 15 top flicks hardly anyone saw, 30 other films to catch up with, 15 best new TV series of 2023, another 15 excellent new TV shows that you might've missed and 15 best returning shows.
When the new year rolls around, we like go all Nostradamus on you and make some predictions. Since January, we've guessed at where you'll be going, what you'll be reading and what you'll be watching. Now, we're going to have a crack at what you'll be putting in your mouth this year — and how you'll be doing it. In 2016, we put our money on inhalable cocktails, algae, goats and veganism, among other developments. This year, our crystal ball is giving us Star Trek-level craft beers, boozing on the sand (legally) and lots of eating naked. Here are ten tasty trends you won't be able to avoid in 2017. SCIENCE-INSPIRED CRAFT BEERS Gastronomers like the inimitable Heston Blumenthal have been infusing fine dining with science for years. And now, brewers are following in his footsteps. In the past few months alone, we've reported on a beer that glows in the dark created by a NASA biologist, a brewery in London that makes bespoke beer based on your DNA and a couple of Danish beer-loving buddies who figured out how to make instant craft beer by freeze-drying their favourite tipples. We're both terrified by, and excited about, what might be next. LEGAL DRINKING IN BARS ON THE BEACH We hope. Look, this one isn't exactly a new trend — it's done daily all over the world. But, here in Australia, despite having 10,685 beaches, we're hard pressed to find a bar where we can simultaneously feel the sand between our toes and knock back a cold one, without getting arrested. However, Fremantle's Bathers Beach House fought the law last year and surfaced with Australia's first liquor license for alfresco beach dining (and drinking). Let this be the beginning of something beautiful and nationwide. WILD FERMENTATION WINE Wild fermentation wine has been around for many, many years and is still a big thing in Europe. But, like many age-old agricultural methods, it's often been replaced in Australia with human intervention, usually for the sake of speed and quantity. Now, though, winemakers are winding back the clock, in the pursuit of better, more interesting flavour profiles. To cut a long story short, the wild fermenting of wine involves allowing the grapes' naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria do the job of breaking down sugars, rather than adding copious amounts of yeast to make it happen more quickly. You can read more about wild fermentation wine over here. CLOTHING-OPTIONAL RESTAURANTS When London's first naked restaurant, The Bunyadi, popped up in London in June, the waiting list for reservations hit 46,000 before you could disrobe. This prompted radio journalists Jo Stanley and Anthony 'Lehmo' Lehmann of Melbourne's Gold 104.3 FM to ask whether Aussies would get nude with the same gusto. After being inundated with willing naturists, the duo hosted a packed-out, clothing-free, pop-up at The Noble Experiment on May 26. While the weather's still warm, why not get some practice in with a picnic at one of Sydney's five best nudist beaches? 3D-PRINTED RESTAURANTS When you're not eating food in the nude, you'll be sitting on 3D-printed chairs at 3D-printed tables, holding 3D-printed cutlery, eating 3D-printed meals. This trend also kicked off in 2016, when Food Ink, the world's first 3D-printed restaurant popped-up in London from July 25-27. In 2017, the eatery is embarking on a world tour and, yes, Australia, is on the itinerary, with a visit to Sydney promised. Expect a multi-course, gourmet experience. [caption id="attachment_567134" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Butter.[/caption] RESTAURANT-STYLE EATING AT HOME Chances are you'll be treating your own home more and more like a restaurant this year. In other words, you'll be sitting at your own dining table, eating chef-prepared meals, without doing any dishes and paying for it. This trend is, of course, partly due to the launch of UberEATS, which happened in Melbourne in February 2016, in Sydney in July and in Brisbane in October. Meanwhile, you can't have missed those BMX champs disguised as Deliveroo cyclists dominating the city streets during the past little while. Mind you, they could well find themselves out of a job before too long, given that Domino's completed its first ever pizza delivery by drone in November. [caption id="attachment_601488" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Saint Peter by Nikki To.[/caption] ALL THE FISHY BITS If all the home delivery options in the world couldn't keep you on your couch and venturing out to proper restaurants is still high on your agenda, then we reckon you should get ready to face all the fishy bits. By that, we mean that more and more chefs are adopting a 'head-to-tail' philosophy. And, because fish, unlike cattle, don't have bits that can be turned into clothing, it'll be down to the customer to eat them more comprehensively. Silvereye (RIP) served up an impressive whiting skeleton, while, at Paddington's Saint Peter, the menu has lately offered salt-baked pumpkin with seeds and scales (yep, fish scales), as well as John Dory liver. PLASTIC-FREE DINING France made headline news in September 2016 when the Government officially announced its plan to ban all plastic plates, cups and utensils from 2020. Given that Australians use about one billion disposable coffee cups per year (and that's only coffee cups), it's probably time we followed suit. However, instead of waiting for legal changes, some venues have been taking matters into their own hands. In November, Brisbane's Crowbar announced its intention to phase out plastic straws, while, in January 2017, Sydney's This Must Be The Place invested in metal spoon-straws, to give drinkers an eco-friendly option. [caption id="attachment_608563" align="alignnone" width="1280"] 4 Pines.[/caption] BARREL-AGED BEERS When you're not drinking beers that could've featured in Star Trek, you'll be lingering over those given the most old-fashioned of treatments: barrel ageing. These brews are made in the usual way, then, for a year or so, popped into a barrel that's contained whiskey or muscat or some other beverage, infusing them with more complex flavours. Manly-based brewers 4 Pines are already onto this trend, having opened Public House — a venue entirely dedicated to barrel-aged brews — in Newport in December. And Young Henrys recently brought us Craic and Barrel, a limited release Irish Red Ale aged in Jameson whiskey barrels. [caption id="attachment_549443" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Project Botanicals.[/caption] MATCHING COCKTAILS WITH MEALS Matching wines with dishes is as old as the hills, of course, but cocktail matching is now becoming a thing. One of the biggest champions of this over the years has been Project Botanicals, which is bringing gin-based matches to Australians via a pop-up in Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden this March. Meanwhile, Sydney's Owl House offers an impressive, cocktail-driven degustation menu, with pairs including Pambula oysters and a cynar spritz (cynar, grapefruit, sparkling wine), as well skirt steak (potato, beer, egg, smoked chilli) and a "Buttered Fashion" (butter-infused Bulleit bourbon, honey, bitters).
It might've scored a tick of approval from one of the biggest music stars in the world, but Za Za Ta has closed after almost six years of serving up Middle Eastern-inspired bites at Ovolo The Valley. Next time that Billie Eilish is in Brisbane, she won't be dining at the vegetarian kitchen and bar, which she added to her list of favourite plant-based spots around the planet. The venue has already shut its doors permanently, the hotel announced. "From its inception, Za Za Ta blended Middle Eastern flavours with contemporary cuisine, creating unforgettable dining experiences. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our guests, followers and team members for their unwavering support," advised the Ovolo The Valley in a statement. The 240-seat venue opened back in 2019, giving the Ann Street accommodation spot — which took over the Emporium Hotel's old Fortitude Valley location — its first onsite restaurant. While it didn't start out its life with a solely plant-based menu, that became the eatery's focus, also giving the River City one of its best places to eat sans meat. Some of Za Za Ta's dishes will still live on next door, at Ovolo The Valley's all-day venue Kazba. Thankfully, the halloumi doughnuts and the pistachio ice-cream sandwich aren't being lost to Brisbanites. As for the restaurant's digs, its conservatory dining room is set to become a private event space. One of the hotel's hospitality joints might've said farewell, but things are literally looking up at Ovolo The Valley, with a new bar set to join the site. For the next addition, patrons will be heading up to the rooftop, to a watering hole that'll be part of the pool deck. A name for the new sky-high spot for a sip hasn't been announced yet, and there's no name for exact opening date so far, either, but it will launch before 2025 is out. One of Eilish's Brissie faves might be no more, but you can follow in her dining footsteps elsewhere around town — at Spring Hill's Vega Cafe, South Brisbane's El Planta, West End's You Came Again, Riser in Toowong and Neon Ramen in Everton Park. Za Za Ta has closed at Ovolo The Valley, 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. A new rooftop bar will open on the hotel's pool deck later in 2025 — we'll update you with more information when it is announced, and keep an eye on the venue's website for more details in the interim.
If your days spent working from home and social distancing could do with a few more adorable animals — or your days in general if you're not currently living in a part of the country that's in lockdown — you'll be happy to know the internet is filled with many. Melbourne's zoos have live streaming their penguins, leopard cubs and giraffes, its aquarium wants you to bliss out while watching marine life, and a Queensland wildlife sanctuary has cams on its koalas 24/7. And, after first launching last year, Taronga TV has made a comeback. The online television station was established by Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo in 2020 for obvious reasons, and the Sydney site has now brought it back — again, you know why. Head here to get your cute animal fix, because every day can be improved by peering at seals swimming, meerkats playing and otters frolicking. They're three of the new live-streams on offer, alongside capybara cam — so you can spend your days looking at the world's largest rodents if you like. In the returning camp, fellow 24/7 live-streams take a gander at the zoos' sumatran tigers, lions and elephants. The station is also releasing regular videos across its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels. Also online: keeper talks, which is where the zoos' baby goats and echidnas come in; a Tasmanian Devil getting a health check; a baby black rhino calf; and a look into where giraffes sleep. "Although we aren't able to welcome guests to the zoo in Sydney, we're thrilled that we have the chance to showcase all the work that goes on behind the scenes that we normally don't get the chance to show," said Chief Executive of Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Cameron Kerr. "We'll be giving people the opportunity to see our keepers care for our animals and showcase our world-leading conservation work to protect our precious native wildlife. We are thrilled to be keeping our wonderful guests and supporters updated through Taronga TV during this difficult time, until we're able to throw open our gates again." To check out Taronga TV, head to the channel's website — or keep an eye on its videos on its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages. Top image: Rick Stevens
With Coopers on tap, RSL alcohol prices, some of the nation’s best talent passing through and a deck with views of the CBD, the Brisbane Jazz Club is not one to be overlooked. For something a little different, stop by for a gig, a jig and some river views. They do dinner and nibbles too, and it’s only a free CityHopper ride from the city.
"When was the last truly fucking nasty, nasty, bad pop girl?" the latest teaser trailer for The Idol asks. Whatever the answer to that question IRL, it seems that HBO viewers — and subscribers to Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand — are about to meet someone who earns that description on-screen come June. After dropping sneak peeks since July 2022, the US cable channel's new music industry-set series finally has a release date. And, of course, another glimpse at what's to come. That celebrity is Jocelyn, as played by Voyagers' Lily-Rose Depp. She's quite the big deal, but a nervous breakdown got in the way of her last tour. Now she's back — and she wants be known as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America again. As the new trailer shows, nightclub impresario Tedros (Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd) just might be a part of that big return. There's a whole lot of parties, drugs, attractive actors and drama in The Idol's teasers so far, which hardly comes as a surprise given that Sam Levinson is one of its creators alongside The Weeknd. By now, audiences know that when something on HBO proves a huge hit, the network goes all in. One case in point: all things Game of Thrones, including House of the Dragon, plus the hefty list of other spinoffs also in the works. Another example: Euphoria, which Levinson is best known for, and appears to share its vibe with The Idol. Here, there's complicated relationships, too. Jocelyn and Tedros' time together is complicated by his sordid past, for instance, but also might gift her with a romantic awakening. Where the show goes from there will start to be revealed from Monday, June 5 Down Under, after it premieres at 2023's Cannes Film Festival. The Idol's stacked cast also includes Red Rocket's Suzanna Son, Boy Erased's Troye Sivan, Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy, singer-songwriter Moses Sumney, BLACKPINK's Jennie Kim, Only Murders in the Building's Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Hacks' Jane Adams, Bodies Bodies Bodies' Rachel Sennott and Inglourious Basterds' Eli Roth. Also set to pop up in the series: Hank Azaria (Hello Tomorrow!), Hari Nef (The Marvellous Mrs Maisel), Steve Zissis (Happy Death Day 2U), Melanie Liburd (This Is Us), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story), Elizabeth Berkley Lauren (Saved By the Bell) and Nico Hiraga (Booksmart), plus Anne Heche (All Rise) in what'll be one of her last performances. When it was originally announced in November 2021, The Idol was set to span six episodes, all filmed in Los Angeles — with She Dies Tomorrow's Amy Seimetz directing every single one. But back in April 2022, it was revealed that Seimetz had left the project and reshoots were underway as a result. How that'll impact the end product is obviously yet to be seen, but the teasers so far should have you intrigued anyway. And, so should the fact that A24 are also behind it, after 2023's already-stellar Beef. Check out the latest teaser trailer for The Idol below: The Idol will premiere on Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand on Monday, June 5.. Images: Eddy Chen/HBO.
Head down to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in the coming colder months and chances are — short of actually falling down a rabbit hole, because there are health and safety measures in place — you'll spend a couple of hours flitting about in Wonderland. Now on display at ACMI until October 7, the new exhibition celebrates Lewis Carroll's timeless Alice in Wonderland stories. Running as part of the Victorian Government's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, Wonderland casts a wide net over the history and evolution of Alice, both in literature and on our screens. Sailing all the way back into the late 1800s to mark the very first sketches of the character, which led in turn to the first silent, black-and-white film of Alice in 1903, the exhibition leads a strollable path all the way through until Tim Burton's 2010 take. Visitors are handed a 'Lost Map of Wonderland' to navigate their way around: both a physical guide and a digital prop, it unlocks interactive parts of the exhibition — so keep it handy. From getting lost in the Hallway of Doors, perusing old prototypes and ancient scribbles that became Carroll's tangible character, to sitting yourself down at an entirely digitally projected Mad Hatter's Tea Party, there's be something to see here even if you're not an original Alice fan. Here's a list of the best five somethings we stumbled on while walking the wonderland trail — some will make you laugh, some might make children cry, but we think they'll all confirm Alice's role as an adventurous and enduring screen and literary icon of our time. [caption id="attachment_663373" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alice Liddell photographed by Lewis Carroll[/caption] EARLY ALICE SKETCHES THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR WONDERFUL FILMS The first section of the exhibition, Hallway Of Doors, contains — as you can probably imagine — more doors than strictly necessary. The idea here is to open, shut and explore, and you'll find yourself stumbling into rooms containing a plethora of late-1800s preliminary sketches by John Tenniel, who illustrated the original edition. You'll also find photos of the real-life Alice Liddell, who was said to be Lewis Carroll's inspiration for the stories. A couple of things to note: the real Alice had brown hair, so the blonde was a later fictive addition, and don't forget to open the drawers in the walls too — they're also full of interesting nuggets. As part of Alice's development throughout modern times, Tenniel's sketches helped lead to Cecil Hepworth's 1903 silent film Alice in Wonderland. Playing in a movie room you'll find yourself walking into (through, of course, another door), it's a fascinating look back not only at the Alice canon, but at early film as well. [caption id="attachment_663103" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Phoebe Powell[/caption] THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY You're beckoned into a white room and sat down at a white table filled with white cups and saucers. Looks like a bit of a beige tea party, really. But then the projections start: a stunning digital display sets up the walls as lurid forestry, and the table as stuffed full of food and treats. It's all projected — a trail of ants across the settings included — and it'll leave your head spinning, especially when you factor in the plates turning into clocks at the end. There was always going to be a tea party at this exhibitio, but this proves weird, wonderful and very clever. [caption id="attachment_647497" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jan Švankmajer's 1988 film Alice[/caption] THE UNSETTLING SIDE OF ALICE Just like some aspects of what Alice has encountered in Wonderland, it's not all sunshine and roses at the exhibition. Next you'll enter the section "The Rabbit Sends in A Little Bill", and any children you're walking through with will probably be hushed. A demonstration of the darker places that filmmakers have taken Alice, the most intriguing pick of the bunch is Jan Švankmajer's take on the tale. The Czech director and his wife Eva collaborated on his Alice in 1988, creating some terrifying imagery including strange skulls, teethy fish in wigs and creepy dolls (nope), as well as giving a whole host of young children with some enduring nightmares. It's fascinating though, and certainly on the darker side of the scale versus the Disney-esque, whimsy laden interpretation of Alice. [caption id="attachment_663372" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Phoebe Powell[/caption] YOUR MAP IS PART OF THE EXHIBITION A guide you will definitely want to hang on to, you scan your map at the very start to see which pal will be accompanying you through the exhibition: mine was the Cheshire Cat, and at particular places I got to match my map up to the checkpoints and see the cool cat projected onto the actual map digitally. It's a cleverly used motif — and it's a pretty nice bonus to see your own character dancing around on a piece of paper. For those wishing there was even more interactivity and the chance to have a bit of a craft throwback, when you get to the Queen's Croquet Ground, you can cut out a character from disembodied parts and stick it onto your map, which then gets digitally fed into a projected screen of rose bushes. Next, your created character — with your real head, photographed and stuck on top — dances across the screen painting roses. It's great fun, and kids and adults alike will have a grand old time. MODERN-DAY ALICE AND THE COOL WOMEN THAT BROUGHT HER TO LIFE There's a lot to be said about the 2010 Alice in Wonderland and 2016 Alice Through the Looking Glass (and none of it about Johnny Depp). Mia Wasikowska was a more than fine Alice, giving the character just enough feyness yet pluck for audiences to still follow her willingly down holes and through doors more than 100 years after the character first appeared on screen. But the cool thing here is the fact that — Tim Burton, the first flick's director and both films' producer, aside — a lot of the work was done by some pretty awesome ladies. The exhibition showcases costume designer Colleen Atwood, whose incredibly intricate outfits for the first movie won an Academy Award — and the armour costume Wasikowska wore is a particular highlight. Then there's the contributions of the woman who gave a voice to these incarnations of the character in the first place: Linda Woolverton. Writing the screenplays for both recent Alice films, she was also the first woman to write an animated feature for Disney back with Beauty and the Beast in 1991. And for Alice? Woolverton was the first woman to be credited as a sole writer on a billion-dollar film. Perhaps Alice, all these years later, has now taken a tumble into the realm of girl power.
Last year, David Walsh, founder of Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) first announced plans for an epic five-star hotel — among other things — on the site of the iconic Hobart gallery. Now, it's one step closer to becoming a reality, with Walsh submitting a development application for approval. The Hotel at MONA — which has changed it's name from HoMo to Motown — has been described as the next phase of growth for the museum, which, since opening in 2011, has become one of Tasmania's biggest draws. So now that the wheels are officially in motion, what exactly can visitors (and locals) expect from the proposed addition to the Berridale site? And what other changes do Walsh and co. have up their sleeves? Well, a lot. The hotel, designed by architect Nonda Katsalidis and Walsh, will be built on the museum's current site in Berridale. With rooms elevated over the Derwent River, it's designed to look like an inverted suspension bridge, though in a statement released by MONA, it's described as "a shopping trolley that looks a bit like an inverted suspension bridge". Motown will consist of 176 rooms, including a number of special 'experience' rooms developed by a selection of internationally renowned artists. Rooms facing the northeast will enjoy a view of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington, while rooms facing southeast will look up the river towards Claremont and Otago Bay. It looks nuts. It will also have its own three-storey library to house Walsh's collection of rare books and manuscripts ("a growing nerd fest of bibliophilic paraphernalia") and an indoor theatre with seating for over 1000 people. Most notably, there will also be an outdoor stage and amphitheatre complete with playgrounds designed by textile artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, American sculptor Tom Otterness and design studio Daily tous les jours. Back inside, there'll be a new bar and 180-seat restaurant, and with MONA already home to the acclaimed Faro — which has its own bespoke James Turrell installations — we can expect it to be impressive. Speaking of Turrell, the world-famous artist, who's best known for his artworks combining light, space and psychology, will be designing the hotel's spa alongside Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović. We don't think there are going to be any of your run-of-the-mill hot stone treatments or mani-pedis here. And how do you get to the colossal hotel, which is perched on the edge of the River Derwent? By Venice-style water taxis, of course. With construction hoping to kick off relatively soon the building is expected to be completed by 2024 — although the plans still need to be approved by the Glenorchy City Council. It's an ambitious project with an equally ambitious price tag: around $400 million. We'll be keeping an eye on this one. Motown is slated for completion in 2024. For more information, head to the MONA website.
Dark Mofo, as the Tasmanian winter solstice festival's name might suggest, has a penchant for that which is usually relegated to the shadows. This is now more true than ever with the announcement that Ulver, one of Norway's premier black metal bands, making the crossing to indulge our dark habits come June. Kritstoffer Rygg, lead vocalist of the self proclaimed "pack of Vikings", has called their addition on the line up "a trip extraordinaire and no doubt a once in a lifetime opportunity for Ulver". They'll take the stage at the Odeon Theatre in Hobart on June 15. Ulver are known in their native Norway, and around the world, for their experimental take on an often misunderstood genre. Since their formation in 1993, the group has pushed the boundaries in their music, blending elements of electronica, industrial, and symphonic sonics to create a unique sound. Their 2016 album, ATGCLVLSSCAP, experiments with driving rhythms and binding guitar riffs echoing on the tracks, creating an album that builds a mood rather than simply telling a story. This kind of experimentation makes them the perfect fit for a festival about the darker side of things. Last year's Dark Mofo festival featured the Hymns to the Dead event, which boasted a lineup of international death and black metal bands. The event, which took place a week before the winter solstice, a day that celebrates rebirth cycles, mythologies and mysticism in many ancient cultures, and Ulver's announcement on the 2017 program looks to similarly pull the audience into a hypnotic that promotes a deeper exploration of the more sinister side of our existence. Dark Mofo, taking place between June 8 and June 21 in Hobart, is not only a celebration of art, music, and all things aesthetically pleasing. The festival explores themes of mythology and nature, darkness and light, death and renewal, and takes its audience on a trip that delves into the deeper mysteries of our world. Including Ulver on the bill adds a certain dark, ethereal element to the program. Image: Ingrid Aas.
Who needs facts when you can have a ball with irreverently riffing on history? It worked for Blackadder decades back, then with The Great and Our Flag Means Death more recently, and now does the same for The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. It was evident from the concept when it was announced, and the trailer afterwards as well: this Apple TV+ series is firmly in the same mode as the pirate comedy that gave streaming two wonderfully funny and heartfelt seasons, then was cancelled. The similarities don't stop being apparent now that Noel Fielding's latest stint of silliness is unfurling its six-episode first season. Accordingly, viewers looking for something to help with their Our Flag Means Death heartbreak have somewhere to turn. Everyone who loves The Mighty Boosh's Fielding when he's getting surreal — something that his The Great British Bake Off hosting stint can't quite offer, even with his outfits — is also catered for. Awaiting in The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is an entertaining jaunt that's exactly what anyone should expect given its premise, star, his fondness for whimsy and flamboyant outfits, plus Britain's love of parodying its own past. Fielding co-writes and executive produces, alongside leading — and his brother Michael is among the fellow The Mighty Boosh alum on-screen. Dick jokes abound, because who could pass up the opportunity given its protagonist? A who's who of English comedy also features. The year is 1735. The place is the UK, obviously. The subject is a real-life highwayman. Streaming from Friday, March 1, an instantly amusing revisionist history about Britain's equivalent of Ned Kelly is the result. Stand and deliver: as Dick, Fielding does. While he isn't attempting to be anything more than Vince Noir but an outlaw centuries back, no one creating, funding or watching the show wants otherwise. With Rhys Darby (Next Goal Wins) and Flight of the Conchords' Murray instead, Our Flag Means Death had its main star do much the same. Although chances to spot commonalities between the two shows just keep coming, it's in an enjoyable way, like hearing a cover of a beloved tune by someone that you also adore. That someone being Fielding, who has such a rich resume of hilarious and absurdist TV comedy thanks to Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Nathan Barley, The IT Crowd and Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy as well, is clearly pivotal. If Dick Turpin isn't familiar, he's another figure from the 18th century, as Darby's Stede Bonnet was. Swap the sea for the land, though; the whole robbery angle remains the same. The son of a butcher, he was his father's apprentice, but then took on a different career as part of the Essex gang. In reality, he was executed by hanging at the age of 33. In The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, standing on the gallows provides the opening. From there, the series steps through his time as a thief after being a vegan pacifist didn't gel with the family business. The key things that Dick takes with him when he leaves home, when his father John (Mark Heap, Significant Other) quickly replaces him with his cousin Benny (Michael Fielding, Merry Little Batman): eye-catching purple boots and a sewing machine. The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin creators Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis and Stuart Lane — who've collaborated on Around the World in 80 Days, Timewasters and We Can Be Heroes before this — then puts the mascara-laden, silky-locked, jollily talkative Dick in charge of his criminal colleagues, and at odds with the usual highwayman antics. He falls into his new gig accidentally, becoming the crew's leader in the same way. Dick wants sticking up stagecoaches and dog walkers to be charming, and done with panache. Working with his version of pleather, aka parsnip leather, he's just as certain that his crew needs to be better dressed. Also, toxic masculinity definitely isn't his vibe. As frequently chronicled in pamphlets by local scribe Eliza Bean (Dolly Wells, Pandemonium), so springs an array of episodic adventures for Dick, the wary Nell (Ellie White, Wonka), eager Honesty (Duayne Boachie, You Don't Know Me) and tender Moose (Marc Wootton, High & Dry). Cue magic mittens, a wild twist on a nun's habit as a disguise, capes, a haunted coach, warlock exams, knitting, trying to avoid letting in a witch by not saying her name a set amount of times Candyman-style, pretending to be a time traveller from 15 minutes into the future, suave rivals and other law breakers who are actually villainous, for instance. Usually on Dick's trail is corrupt thief-taker Jonathan Wilde (Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey: A New Era). Also interested in his actions is crime bigwig Lady Helen Gwinear (Tamsin Greig, Sexy Beast). Plus, this is an on-screen realm where the pub is run by an eight-year-old called Little Karen (Kiri Flaherty, Darklands). Popping up here and there are Asim Chaudhry (Barbie) as the aforementioned sorcerer, alongside Joe Wilkinson (Sex Education) as a gaoler. The cast list goes on, turning watching The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin into a game of Spot That Recognisable Face. When Fielding's Never Mind the Buzzcocks host Greg Davies (The Cleaner) makes an appearance, their banter could've been taken straight from the Spicks and Specks-inspiring music game show. The Mighty Boosh's Simon Farnaby (Ghosts) and Rich Fulcher (Still Up), Cunk on Earth's Diane Morgan, Spaced favourite Jessica Hynes, Matilda the Musical's Sindhu Vee, another Barbie and Sex Education link via Connor Swindells: one of them is never far away, all having as much of a blast as Fielding. Breezy, goofy, impish and oddball fun bounds through the series no matter who else is on-screen with The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin's lead — and while fleshing out its frames with such top talents is among its achievements, Fielding is always the star attraction. He's also the reason that its thematic dive into finding your chosen family and being accepted for who you are still feels potent, as slight as it is. As the show builds its romp around its him, it also ensures that an inescapable sentiment lingers at every moment: 17 years since The Mighty Boosh's last episode, it's a pleasure to have Fielding taking a sitcom's centre stage and loving it once more. Here's hoping that a second season of The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin promptly follows. Check out the trailer for The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin below: The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, March 1, 2024.
Your home bar game is about to level up a few notches, regardless of wherever your own mixology skills are at. Maybe Sammy —aka the Sydney bar that took out 11th spot in last year's World's 50 Best Bars list — has just dropped a new line of premium signature bottled cocktails that'll basically turn your living room into a world-class drinking destination. Two years in the making, and created by Maybe Sammy's crack team of shakers and stirrers, each of the three new releases comes pre-batched, ready to chill and pour. There's the tequila-based eucalyptus gimlet jazzed up with grapefruit bitters and mango, and a chic take on the negroni that's infused with jasmine. Or, opt for the floral notes — and pepper and cedar, too — of the chamomile martini. Each comes with tailored serving instructions so you can enjoy the drink exactly as the experts intended, whether that's in a frozen martini glass garnished with a lemon twist, or tumbled into a rocks glass with a wedge of orange. The Maybe Sammy crew has taken care of all the hard work for you, experimenting with various plant infusions and testing and fine-tuning its way to some premium top-shelf cocktails. Which, as anyone with a kitchen cupboard full of random, almost-full spirits and liqueurs can agree, is a very handy thing. The new cocktails are all available as 100-millilitre solo serves, as well as by the 500-millilitre bottle. You can also snap up a gift pack featuring small serves of all three drinks. Maybe Sammy's new eucalyptus gimlet, jasmine negroni and chamomile martini cocktails are each available by the single-serve 100-millilitre bottle ($18) or the 500-millilitre share bottle ($69). Head over to the bar's website to order, with home delivery available Australia-wide.
Master sommelier Madeline Triffon describes Pinot Noir as 'sex in a glass', while winemaker Randy Ullom calls it 'the ultimate nirvana'. One of the most challenging grapes in the world of vinification, it's also one of the most surprising and rewarding. No wonder Bottle Shop Concepts — the good folk who bring Game of Rhones our way — are coming back to town with Pinot Palooza, an epic travelling wine festival celebrating all things Pinot Noir. This time round, Brisbane wine connoisseurs will have the chance to sample more than 100 drops from Australia and New Zealand's best producers over not one, but two full days. Expect drops from Victoria's Curly Flat (Macedon), Tassie's Josef Chromy, and Ata Rangi and Pegasus Bay from NZ — and that's just the first few leaves on the vine. Whether you're a newbie who wants to start with something light and inviting, or a Pinot pro ready for the biggest, most complex mouthful on the menu, there'll be an abundance of selections at either end — and plenty along the spectrum, too. You'll even be able to vote for your favourite. If, at any point, you need to take a pause in your tasting adventures, you'll be catered for. There'll be food from Blackbird, beer from Young Henrys and Stone and Wood, frosé and cider. Plus, the epic Burgundy Bar will be back, a kind of Pinot Noir mecca where you'll be able to sample some seriously good (and spenny) bottles at cost price. Expert sommeliers will also be on hand to help you make selections. What's more, those keen to fuel their brains (as well as their tastebuds) can spot $100 for a VIP pass. The VIP day will be held on Saturday, October 14 and, with your pass, you'll get a food voucher, an extra special glass of wine and a one-on-one with one of the event's sommeliers, who will personally curate your Pinot experience for you. Pinot Palooza will hit Lightspace in Fortitude Valley on October 14 and 15, with the VIP day being held on the Saturday and general admission on the Sunday. General tickets are $60, which includes tastings and a take-home crystal Plumm RedB glass.
NAIDOC Week is always a special occasion on the cultural calendar. But in 2025, the event takes on even more significance, as it reaches its 50-year milestone as a week-long extravaganza. Though the seeds of this event stretch back much further — usually pinned to 1938, when Indigenous activists held the Day of Mourning — NAIDOC Week has grown into a national movement, offering up a thriving annual event filled with rewarding experiences. Each year, NAIDOC Week has a unique theme. In 2025, it speaks to a promising path — 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy'. Celebrating the achievements of the past while stepping into tomorrow, expect a nationwide event grounded in community, where culinary experiences, cultural encounters and kid-friendly activities build towards a bright future. Ready to get involved? Here's what you can't miss during NAIDOC Week 2025. KOORIE HERITAGE TRUST NAIDOC WEEK MARKET — MELBOURNE Fed Square bursts to life with NAIDOC Week each year, with cultural non-profit Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) central to the action. This year, the organisation is hosting the KHT NAIDOC Week Market – a free celebration featuring 20 Indigenous-run stalls that showcase the creativity of Victorian First Peoples makers. Stock up on fashion from Clothing the Gaps, discover handmade jewellery at Haus of Dizzy, or make your home smell better than ever with Mob Melts candles. Held from 1–6pm on Friday, July 11, the market coincides with the free 'NAIDOC in the City' concert, where artists like Electric Fields, Isaiah Firebrace and Scott Darlow take over the stage. NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART FAIR — SYDNEY Returning to the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks for its sixth edition from Saturday, July 5–Sunday, July 6, the National Indigenous Art Fair (NIAF) highlights almost 100 Indigenous artists from 30 of Australia's most remote communities. Most prominently, this year's event features the work of Regina Pilawuk Wilson, an internationally renowned Ngan'gikurrungurr creative and cultural leader behind the Northern Territory's Durrmu Arts. Plus, guests can get immersed in live performances, discussions, bush tucker tastings, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, interactive weaving circles and more. Entry is $3, with proceeds supporting the artists attending the event. LITTLE MOBS AT THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART FAIR — SYDNEY Getting down to the National Indigenous Art Fair? Don't leave the kids behind. Just in time for the first weekend of the school holidays, the NIAF presents Little Mobs — a cultural activity program for children guided by First Nations artists. Young visitors are invited to get hands-on with art, nature, movement and culture, with activities such as ochre painting, gumnut jewellery-making, shellwork and more. Meanwhile, inclusive dance workshops led by renowned Indigenous organisations make for an even more interactive encounter. Activities at NIAF are free, with entry to the fair costing $3 per adult and free for kids under 12. '50 YEARS OF NAIDOC' AT THE AYERS ROCK RESORT — NORTHERN TERRITORY The Ayers Rock Resort has gone big for its '50 Years of NAIDOC' feast for the senses, with renowned chef Mark Olive, aka 'The Black Olive', transforming its Arnguli Grill & Restaurant with a set menu teeming with bush food and Indigenous wines. Meanwhile, Olive will also host an intimate dinner on Wednesday, July 9, recounting fascinating stories and insight behind the ingredients. The resort also brings numerous art experiences and cultural activities to the celebration. Aṉangu artists Billy and Lulu Cooley present wood carvings in the Town Square Circle of Sand, while the Sunrise Journeys encounter sees guests connect to Country at dawn through an absorbing combination of laser projection, music and the natural environment. FIRST NATIONS FILM FESTIVAL — NATIONAL There are few better mediums for reflection, celebration and storytelling than film. That means catching a movie or two is ripe for making the most of NAIDOC Week, as online streaming platform FanForce offers the First Nations Film Festival 2025 from Sunday, July 6–Wednesday, August 6. With the Reconciliation Week Collection now extended to Wednesday, August 6, the platform is adding the NAIDOC Collection too, featuring four more features and seven short films. Highlighting cultural strength, connection to Country and intergenerational resilience, the flicks include Warwick Thornton's We Don't Need a Map and Beck Cole's Here I Am. Each collection is available to stream for $38. DOCPLAY NAIDOC WEEK 2025 — NATIONAL Need even more content to stream? DocPlay celebrates Indigenous storytelling by making 11 incredible documentaries free to watch throughout NAIDOC Week. Covering a wide range of topics, from sport and the education system to Canberra's long-standing Aboriginal Tent Embassy, some of the biggest highlights include the Adam Goodes-focused The Australian Dream and You Can Go Now — an examination of influential Australian Aboriginal artist and activist, Richard Bell. With this collection of stories offering rich insight into the community and culture, expect deep dives into remarkable achievements and complex challenges on the road to a brighter future. 'BLING MY HOODY' AT THE HAUS OF DIZZY — MELBOURNE Guided by self-proclaimed Queen of Bling and Wiradjuri designer Kristy Dickinson, 'Bling My Hoodie' is a fun two-hour session made for engaging with First Nations peoples, culture and community. Held at Fitzroy's Haus of Dizzy from 11am on Saturday, July 5, this hands-on lesson invites kids aged six and up to test their eye for design. Customising a blank hoodie using various techniques, Dickinson will teach guests the ins and outs of direct-to-film transfers, iron-on patches and heat-pressed decals to make their piece resonate with big colours and powerful messages. Tickets are $99 and include your hoodie. NAIDOC WEEK AT OPERA BAR — SYDNEY Perched on Sydney Harbour, Opera Bar has a scenic dining experience that will level up your NAIDOC Week adventure from Sunday, July 6–Sunday, July 13. Crafted by a First Nations culinary team, expect four innovative takes on native ingredients, including kangaroo salami pizzetta and lamb sliders with bush tomatoes. Dessert is also unskippable, as a wattle seed pavlova with poached quince and crème fraîche delivers a rousing finish. Plus, the experience also extends to the drinks, with a signature cocktail duo highlighting foraged plants, like mountain pepper and samphire. Rounding out this delicious encounter are stunning visuals created by Indigenous artist Kyara Fernando, which adorn the menus.
To pull off a great music festival there are three key aspects you really need to get right — lineup, location and licensing. With that in mind, let's all take a moment to welcome Jungle Love. Queensland's newest boutique festival has gone above and beyond to nail all three. Located at Lake Moogerah — an hour drive from Brisbane's Southside — Jungle Love is a music, culture and nature festival that focuses more on making memories and experiences than drops, moshing and bangers. The lineup alone is an immaculate curation of Queensland's best performers, all hand-picked based on their ability to woo a crowd. Sure, they might not be on high rotation at Triple J or be the most blogged about, but they certainly know how to deliver outstanding shows. Featured on the bill are Moses Gunn Collective, The Jensens, Closure In Moscow, Dubmarine, LeSuits, Bec Laughton and a heap more. So, while location and lineup get big ticks, licensing gets a bigger one — Jungle Love is BYO. There's no need to be stressed about inflated drink prices, just grab a slab of tinnies and be on your way. Just be responsible and don't bring glass — we don't need a few dickheads to ruin it for everybody. The inaugural Jungle Love takes place from November 20-21 with the Saturday night an all-out fancy dress — don't forget! There are limited tickets available, check out the full lineup and sign yourself up here.
Nothing says classic pre-pandemic Brisbane like spending four whole days eating and drinking your way up and down James Street. This July, nothing will say post-lockdown Brissie quite like that, either. Yes, the James Street Food and Wine Trail is finally back in-person, and will take over New Farm once again — this time without last-minute at-home pivots, which is what happened to last year's event, sadly. If you're a Brisbanite with a healthy appetite, there's now only one place to be between Thursday, July 28–Sunday, July 31. Take your rumbling stomach and its yearning for something scrumptious down to the well-known stretch of shops — and then fill it with tasty treats. Over JSFWT's 2022 run, the New Farm precinct it calls home will become a culinary wonderland again, and highlight the gastronomic delights of the area. That includes devouring delicious dishes and drinks, of course, regardless of what kind of food, beverage or event takes your fancy. And, it also boasts a whole day of market activity. Whenever you decide to head by, you can hop on the trail. Follow the roadway to a feast of dishes and drinks; think: a Lebanese pizza party at Gerard's Bar to start things off on the Thursday, an evening by The Green's leafy surroundings on the Friday, plus a four-course champagne lunch at Essa on the Saturday. Then, come Sunday, more than 32 businesses will unleash their wares on Market Day, which'll take over the entire street. There'll be at least 19 food stalls and 13 bars, spanning everywhere from Gemelli, sAme sAme and Biánca to SK Steak & Oyster, Hellenika and Mosconi. Because Gelato Messina is in the vicinity, the dessert fiends will be doing two special dishes, too, while Essa will join the fun with caviar and frozen vodka, plus fried chicken and truffle rolls. Also on the agenda at the picnic-style Market Day event: live performances and live music. No wonder the road will be closed between McLachlan and Arthur Streets, to make room for five live music stages, tables across the roadway and craft workshops. James Street Food and Wine Trail returns to James Street, New Farm from Thursday, July 28–Sunday, July 31. For more information, head to the JSFWT website.
Romance. Kidnapping. A farm girl called Buttercup. A scheming prince. A swashbuckling saviour. A giant. When William Goldman threw them all together, The Princess Bride was the end result — first in his 1973 novel, and then in the 1987 film that the late, great writer also penned. For more than three and a half decades, viewers have watched Fred Savage (The Afterparty) hear the world's best bedtime story, Robin Wright (Land) and Cary Elwes (Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One) frolic in fields, and Andre the Giant tower over everyone around, with The Princess Bride one of those beloved 80s flicks that never gets old. That said, if you've ever found yourself enjoying all of the above and dreaming that its soundtrack could fill the room around you while being played live by an orchestra, then you're about to be in luck. Despite what outlaw boss Vizzini (Wallace Shawn, Evil) might exclaim, The Princess Bride in Concert definitely isn't inconceivable. Instead, this tour is channelling another famous The Princess Bride line: as you wish. This delightful movie-and-music combo will hit both Perth and Brisbane in 2024, playing one show in each city — in Perth on Saturday, February 24 and Brisbane on Saturday, April 13. If you need a refresher on all things The Princess Bride, the comedy-romance-adventure flick follows farmhand Westley (Elwes) on a rescue mission to save his true love Princess Buttercup (Wright) — and also features Mandy Patinkin (Wonder), Billy Crystal (Monsters at Work) and Christopher Guest (Mascots). Being performed live: the entire score, as written by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler — and with Slava Grigoryan and the Perth Symphony Orchestra doing the honours in Western Australia, then Grigoryan and the Queensland Pops Orchestra in the Sunshine State. And if you're wondering how many times someone will say "anybody want a peanut?" in the audience before and after the movie, the answer is: plenty. Check out the trailer for The Princess Bride below: THE PRINCESS BRIDE IN CONCERT AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Saturday, February 24, 2024 — Riverside Theatre, Perth Saturday, April 13, 2024 — Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane The Princess Bride in Concert is touring Australia in 2024 — head to the event's website for further details and tickets.
It's time to clean out your stein, wash off your lederhosen and reacquaint yourself with the wonders of oom pah pah music, because Oktoberfest is back again. The world's most (in)famous piss-up has outdone itself again this year with 6 million people expected to show up for the 179th instalment. As always, the real winners of the festival shall be the brewers, who are expected to sell in excess of last year's 8 million litres at a touch over US$12 a glass. The festival was kicked-off in traditional fashion on Saturday, September 22 with Munich mayor Christian Ude's tapping of the first keg. With a cry of "O'zapft is!" ("It's tapped!") the Bavarian festival, in all its dirty, drunken, debaucherous glory, was launched for another year of liver-beating, cardio-destroying-mayhem. Here is a little peek into the thrills and spills of the first week of Oktoberfest 2012. Oom Pah Pah, Oom Pah Pah That's How it Goes! Beer-drinkers Wonderland Ordinary Man Drinks Beer: Becomes Legend A Boy in Traditional Dress Surveys the Damage A Tiny Snapshot of the Estimated 6 Million Oktoberfest Revellers It's On for Young and Old A Man Wearing Hops on his Head: Doesn't it look so innocuous like this... Oktoberfest - When One Beer is Never Enough Polish Girls in Traditional Polish Dress Get In On the Oktoberfest Action Bavarian Men in Traditional Dress Totally Look the Part: Moustaches and All "Prost!" ("Cheers!")
NAIDOC Week, the annual week-long celebration of the history, achievements and diverse culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has kicked off a little later than usual this year. And, as with everything in 2020, this edition of NAIDOC Week is going down a bit differently. After originally being scheduled for its usual spot in the calendar in early July, the festivities were postponed to November due to COVID-19. It's now running from Sunday, November 8–Sunday, November 15. This year's theme is 'Always Was, Always Will Be', recognising that First Nations people were the first to step foot on this land and that they have occupied and cared for the land for over 65,000 years. As is now customary for 2020, a majority of this years NAIDOC Week events will take place online. Talks, art exhibitions and markets will happening across this country — and the internet — this week so clear your schedule. It's also important to celebrate and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples outside of NAIDOC Week. Every day is a good day to learn more about the country's history, support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses, and donate to important social enterprises and charities if you have the means.
Thought there was room in this town for just one retro-inspired line of Melbourne beer merch? Well, think again. VB has been dropping different collections and items over the past couple of years years, including Christmas sweaters and swimwear — and, after first releasing some sweet new merchandise of its own back in 2018, too, Melbourne Bitter has just announced its latest range. Once again, it's a collaboration with fuss-free menswear label Mr Simple. And once again, it's taking its cues from history. This time around, the collection draws upon Melbourne Bitter's archive, with four different graphics on offer. Melbourne Bitter's reputation as a hipster sip of choice should give you some idea of the vibe of this latest collection — think, vintage-style tees showcasing old-school logos, plus long-sleeved shirts, bucket hats and caps. Basically, now that Melbourne's pubs and bars have reopened, it's the perfect wardrobe choice. Unlike the largely unisex offerings of VB's range, this one's marketed more towards men — as Melbourne Bitter's first collab with Mr Simple was as well. Still, we think it can rocked by all beer lovers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZfw9lZTojQ For more information about the Melbourne Bitter x Mr Simple Pt II clothing line, head to Mr Simple's website.
Thirty-two teams. 64 matches. One huge month of football. That's the Women's World Cup equation for 2023, with the soccer frenzy taking over Australia and New Zealand — because both countries are hosting, and because everyone Down Under sure does love getting behind a huge sporting event. Suncorp Stadium — or Brisbane Stadium as the Milton venue has been renamed for the occasion — is home to a few games, but tickets are unsurprisingly proving popular. So, you might want to watch the Matildas and every other national squad that's made the cut at your local watering hole. Or, if you head to Howard Smith Wharves until Sunday, August 20, you can do so in a waterside brewery's barrel hall. For the latter, Felons is your go-to — and it's showing every single game live on the big screen. Even better, the beer-loving spot is plastering its Women's World Cup coverage across its rivergarden. Sitting under the Story Bridge, drinking brews, eating snacks, getting warm by the sun or the heaters, watching Sam Kerr and company do their best: now that's something to say cheers to.
Who hasn't wanted to care less about all the things that really don't matter? Since long before self-help was even a book genre — since before there were books — humanity has been desperate to devote less of its attention to matters that simply aren't worth it. That's easier said than done, though, which is why there's so many texts about living your best life and forgetting pointless strife, including Mark Manson's 2016 hit The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. If giving less fucks is your ultimate goal — and it should be everyone's — then you've probably read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Or, you've heard at it at least. It was absolutely everywhere back when it first hit bookshelves, with people glued to it on buses, everyone's mates spouting its advice and more than 15-million copes sold. In early 2023, it's also going to be hitting screens. The tome dedicated to living more contented and grounded lives has been turned into a doco, with Manson himself featuring to lead the way. As the just-dropped sneak peek at the movie shows, he's on-hand to chat viewers through his brutally honest and raw but refreshing philosophy — and help you learn, if you haven't already, that it's wise to choose where to direct our fucks, what to give a crap about and what genuinely bloody matters. Couldn't be arsed reading the book? Clearly, this is the quicker way to soak in its contents, as shot in New Zealand during the pandemic. When NZ-based producer Matthew Metcalfe (Dawn Raid) came across the text — drawn to its bright cover, like plenty of folks have been — he was fascinated by its anti-self-help-book vibe, as well as its take on life's difficulties. Manson had been approached about adapting The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for the screen before, but Metcalfe got him interested in giving a fuck about his offer. If you're new to Manson's brand of advice, the book's chapter titles are as telling as its overall moniker, boasting names such as 'Don't Try', 'Happiness is a problem', 'You are not special', 'You are wrong about everything (But so am I)', 'The importance of saying no' and 'And then you die'. The appropriate mood comes through in the film version's trailer, with experienced commercials director Nathan Price behind the lens. No doubt timed for New Year's resolutions — especially if not giving a fuck is one of yours — the film debuts in Australia via digital and in New Zealand in cinemas on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Check out the trailer for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck below: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck will be available to watch via digital download from Wednesday, January 11, 2023 in Australia, and in NZ cinemas on the same date — head to the film's website for further details.
In the heart of Queensland, you'll find Longeach. A historical outback town brimming with history, culture, and rugged natural beauty. Known for its rich pioneering past and vibrant community spirit, this remote destination offers an authentic taste of Australia's vast interior. Whether you're fascinated by the outback lifestyle and aviation history, or simply looking for a serene escape under endless skies, Longreach will charm you with its warm hospitality and unique experiences. How to Get There? Located about 1,200km from Brisbane, reaching Longreach can be an adventure in itself. Visitors can catch regular flights from Townsville and Brisbane. However, be mindful when packing, small planes and outback conditions call for packing light. Products like Samsonite's Restackd luggage system, with its built-in packing cubes, will make organising your belongings a breeze — ideal for outback journeys. For a more scenic journey, hop aboard the historic Spirit of the Outback train from Brisbane to Longreach. It's the only sleeper train in Queensland and the 26-hour ride covers 1300 kilometres of ever-changing scenery through the heart of the state. Step Back in Time The region is rich in Aussie history. No visit to Longreach is complete without exploring the Qantas Founders Museum — it'll be hard to miss as you'll pass it as soon as you land on the tarmac of the airport. The museum was established by locals to preserve the story of Australia's national airline. Get up close to iconic aircraft like the retired Boeing 747 and 707displayed against the red dirt background. A definite must-see for aviation and history enthusiasts alike. Across the street, the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame offers another unmissable experience, chronicling the lives of Australia's pioneering outback drovers, stockmen and women. Attend live demonstrations of horsemanship, sheep shearing and bush skills which offer a glimpse into the tough yet rewarding life on the land. If you've got extra time, head out to Drover's Cottage, the original information centre setting built by R.M. Williams. It was restored to its original character and now houses Stockman's library collection. The sandstone cottage offers an insight into the outback lifestyle and Williams' enduring influence on Australian outdoor culture. Div even deeper into Longreach's history with a visit to the Powerhouse Museum, which tells the story of how electricity came to the outback. The museum features vintage machinery, vehicles, and fascinating displays of early 20th-century technology that powered the town's development. Explore the Rugged Region Start in the centre of town on bustling Swan Street to admire its newest artwork created by renowned mural artist Jarad Danby and commissioned by Great Northern Brewing Co. to celebrate the launch of Long Run, a Queensland-exclusive lager inspired by the pioneering spirit of the outback. The mural blends classical realism with contemporary styles and tells the story of Longreach's connection to the outback and stands as a permanent fixture in the town centre, adding a vibrant touch to the local landscape. For a relaxing experience, take a Thomson River cruise at sunset, where you can admire the breathtaking outback scenery while learning about the region's history from local guides. Finish the evening with a traditional campfire dinner, complete with billy tea and damper, under a sky ablaze with stars. Get your hands dirty as you experience a working cattle station with a visit to Camden Park Station, just outside Longreach. You'll hear captivating stories of outback life, see cattle mustering in action, and witness the impressive 100-year-old homestead where royalty once dined. It's a chance to connect with the outback lifestyle and enjoy the genuine hospitality of the outback. You can even camp at the cattle station for a truly immersive adventure. Where to Eat Longreach may be a small town, but it has no shortage of hearty, delicious meals. Start your day with a pastry from Merino Bakery and a strong coffee at The Branch — a local favourite known for its wholesome breakfasts, tasty lunches, delectable dinners and creative cocktails. Another eatery for your itinerary is the award-winning Harry's Restaurant, just across the road from the historic Longreach Railway Station. The restaurant is named for local legend Harry Redford, also known as Captain Starlight. At Harry's, you can enjoy modern Australian fare made with fresh, seasonal (and local) produce. Don't miss a visit to The Woolshed Restaurant, where you can enjoy an authentic outback dining experience with a menu focused on slow-cooked meats and classic Aussie sides — you might even be dazzled by local country musicians. Where to Stay Longreach has a range of accommodation options that cater to all tastes and budgets. For a luxurious experience, try the Saltbush Retreat, which offers a myriad of accommodation options from its well-furnished rustic chic cabins to its comfortable cottages. There's a swimming pool on-site to cool off during the warm days and, it's basically across the road from the airport making travel time mere minutes. If you prefer something more central, Longreach Motor Inn is a popular choice with comfortable rooms and Harry's Restaurant on-site. There is secure on-street parking and if you're not driving you can avail of its free airport shuttle service. For those wanting to get closer to nature, Mitchell Grass Retreat offers a glamping experience that combines outback adventure with luxury. It's perfect for those who love the idea of camping but want to have a full bathroom to themselves. Each luxury tent has an ensuite bathroom, king-sized bed, bath and a private deck from where you can enjoy the views out to the Mitchell Grass Plains. Not a bad base for your outback adventure. Final Tips The best time to visit Longreach is during the cooler months, from April to September, when daytime temperatures are more pleasant, and evenings are crisp. Regardless of when you travel, pack for the heat. Even in the cooler months, daytime temperatures in Longreach can soar, so pack sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water. And finally, make time to meet the locals. The friendly and welcoming community is a highlight of the town. Keep an eye out for local celebrity Ollie, a Brahman bullock, and his owner stockman and entertainer John Hawkes. Ollie was orphaned at two days old and has been raised by Hawkes ever since. You might spy Hawkes riding Ollie through the down or chatting with other locals over a coffee accompanied by Hawkes' border collies, Henry, Arthur and Jane. From its fascinating aviation heritage to its stunning outback landscapes, Longreach is a destination that offers a true Australian adventure. Whether you're sipping a cold beer after a day of exploration or watching the sunset over the Thomson River, this town will captivate you with its charm, history and rugged beauty. Concrete Playground was invited to Longreach by Great Northern to celebrate the launch of The Long Run Lager.
If Stone & Wood's ales and lagers happen to quench your hard-earned thirst, then you now have a new place to drink them, with the Byron Bay-based brand opening up a brewery and taproom in Brisbane. Five nights a week, Brissie beer lovers will find the amber liquid flowing at 99 Bridge Street in Fortitude Valley. Of course, even when the doors aren't open at the heritage-listed building — which has been preserved on the outside, gained custom-built Blackwood Collective furniture on the inside, and is also decked out with very fitting stone and wood decor, as well as plenty of greenery — the eight-hectolitre brewhouse and its five fermenters will still be operational. First announced in mid-2018, and launching in late 2019, Stone & Wood's new Brisbane base is serious about its beer. Onsite, it brews one-off small batch tipples that are only served at the venue — and, even better, they're poured straight into your glass from tanks located behind the bar. Don't expect cocktails, wine or spirits to sip on, or pub-style entertainment like TVs or pokies, either. While you're here, you'll drink beer, talk about beer, look at beer-making apparatus and just generally be made fully aware that you're in a brewery. If everything else doesn't do the trick, hanging planters made from old kegs will definitely help remind you of your boozy location. The spot does include a merchandise outlet, should you be keen on wearing your affection for Stone & Wood on your sleeves in a literal sense — and there's also a space that'll be used for community events, as well as training workshops by the brewer's trade partners. Food-wise, the brewery welcomes a rotating array of local food vendors, picking outfits that match its beers. First up is Mr Bunz, because steamed buns and brews go together mighty nicely. If you're keen to settle into the 150-person space, start knocking back cold ones and take in the view over the street, the venue doesn't take reservations, so just walk on in. The 90-person function area will be available from December, should you be eager to add some beer to your Christmas merriment, too.
"Does it always have to end up in a big giant dance battle?" asks the latest Step Up film, Step Up All In. Yes, that's an actual line of dialogue in a movie about trading fancy footwork for supremacy. The feature's Moose (Adam G. Sevani) poses the question to his ragtag gang of friends when yet another squabble sees them settling things on the dance floor. In doing so, he becomes the series' most self-aware expression, as well as the clearest enunciation of its purpose. Dance battles — plus contests, trials, tryouts, auditions, and any other competitive outlets — remain prominent not only to showcase performers' skills and add drama but to allow something to be dreamed about and aspired to, then achieved, attained and overcome. So if you've seen even one dance movie, whether from the Step Up franchise or any other (or even just Zoolander or Guardians of the Galaxy), then you know that yes, it does always have to end up in a big giant dance battle. Of course, there's more to be learned from the many efforts that have shuffled across screens since the days of Busby Berkley, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. What other important knowledge do dance films impart? We trawled through the best and worst to find out. Nobody should stay in the corner If there's one lesson the Step Up franchise preaches again and again, it's that playing by the rules doesn't offer a path to glory. If the first film's hero, played by Channing Tatum, hadn't vandalised a prestigious performing arts school and been burdened with helping clean up as punishment, the entire course of the series may have changed — and Tatum may not have become the cinema superstar he now is today. Indeed, he peddled the same message in the semi-autobiographical Magic Mike, where working a stripping job frowned upon by most offers the titular character his only hope of earning enough money to finance his dream business. Tatum is following in formidable footsteps, with ignoring instructions a dance movie staple across all possible extremes of the subgenre. In family-oriented effort Girls Just Want to Have Fun, a young Sarah Jessica Parker constantly falls afoul of her dad in her efforts to dance, while in Dario Argento's horror film Suspiria, an American ballet student in Munich finds out the truth about her new school when she flouts the rules and sneaks around. Perhaps the best-known instance comes from that perennial favourite, Dirty Dancing. Everyone remembers when Baby (Jennifer Grey) disregarded her father's decree that she stay away from bad boy dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), and when she wouldn't stay in the corner. (No one remembers when Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights unsuccessfully tried to recreate the same scenario.) Stick it (or step up) to the man In the fourth Step Up film (known as Step Up Revolution and Step Up: Miami Heat in differing parts of the world) it's not just a competition the dance crew seeks to win, though that's obviously part of the equation. In an oft-used scenario, they also square off in an against-the-odds battle with a heartless property developer threatening to gentrify their neighbourhood. Filmed flashmob-style performances help them wage both wars, providing contest entries and disrupting their nemeses efforts, but it is the challenge to authority that resonates as the feature's strongest statement. Dancers just don't know how to lie down for the man, so it seems, with putting bodies on the line their favourite form of fight. Step Up 3D, Honey and Centre Stage: Turn It Up also offer variations on rallying against authority, while an attempt to stop a corporation destroying a Brazilian rainforest drives The Forbidden Dance (a barely recalled effort attempting to cash in on the lambada craze, but the one that isn't called Lambada). And if there's one thing Footloose cemented in the consciousness of multiple generations, first in 1984 and again in the 2011 remake, it's that anyone who dares bans dancing must be defied, confronted and trounced. Stop, collaborate and listen Part of the fun of the Step Up series as it has continued is its unashamed amalgam of styles and genres. Never afraid to try something new and different when it comes to the dance scenes, if nothing else, the films themselves offer an inventive array of settings and show a wide range of sources of inspiration. Step Up All In's first breakout sequence ramps up the horror in a striking mad professor's laboratory number, while its climax sees its characters see past their rivalries to embody the same maxim in the story as well as the aesthetic. The movie is in good company, with seminal 1980s feature Breakin' teaming breakdancing with jazz ballet, Save the Last Dance's entire conceit based around the pairing of classical and ballet, and even Australia's own Strictly Ballroom introducing a Spanish influence into the titular type of dancing. Other features have interpreted the concept a little differently, but still with the same result. In Black Swan, a shy but ambitious ballerina must channel her dark side and break free from her prim and proper facade to get the lead in a production. The Full Monty saw middle-aged men get their gear off to make money after becoming casualties of Sheffield's declining steel industry. Mad About Mambo found football skills in samba. Recent release Cuban Fury tasked Nick Frost's uncharacteristic romantic lead with overcoming a childhood fear of salsa dancing to earn respect and pursue love. https://youtube.com/watch?v=j8XGmZ8HDIU There'll never be a crisis you can't dance your way out of The catharsis of getting your groove on has become so embedded in the dance film genre that almost every movie has its own example. Diving into your passion as an escape from your problems is sound advice; if movies have taught us anything, you'll emerge with a clearer head at the very least. The quintessential angry dancing scene from Footloose has become so iconic that Kevin Bacon once again kicked off his Sunday shoes to recreate it — well, with the help of a double — on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary earlier this year. The High School Musical movies gave Zac Efron not one but two opportunities to express his ire, the third film's moving feast of fury far superior to the second film's weak wander around a golf course. Andrea Arnold's excellent social realist effort Fish Tank shows a more serious side as its teen protagonist copes with her ills — including a liaison with Michael Fassbender — through hip-hop dancing. The trope has also been parodied in Hot Rod, where Andy Samberg's wannabe daredevil punch-dances out some anger in the forest, as well as TV's Flight of the Conchords in a number called Bret's Angry Dance. Cult comedy hit The FP took dancing through a crisis to the other extreme, with its characters forced onto their feet — duelling in an arcade game called Beat-Beat Revelation — to survive. Just do it Working as a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night, but dreaming of a more traditional way to tap your toes? Moved to the big city with stars in your eyes, but not sure if you have what it takes to give it a go? Flashdance, Burlesque and the aptly titled Make it Happen each offer a fictional testament to trying instead of wondering, as does almost every film in the subgenre that culminates in a competition: think Battle of the Year, Streetdance, Stomp the Yard, How She Move and even Take the Lead's Antonio Banderas-led ballroom dancing-focused effort, all of which address self-doubt and champion taking a chance. Billy Elliott shows just what can eventuate if, struggling valiantly through all obstacles in your way, you make it to the top of your chosen field. In Silver Linings Playbook, the stakes and the outcome are much more modest, but even securing a sense of achievement is worth the effort.
Summer in Australia must've treated Kesha well at the beginning of 2025, because she's repeating the trip in 2026. Last January, the pop star ventured Down Under for two gigs, playing a House of Kesha show in Sydney and also the Australian Open's music lineup in Melbourne. In February 2026, she's taking to the stage at a series of headline concerts around the country, including in Brisbane. The two-time Grammy-nominee is bringing The Tits Out tour this way, with her Australian gigs part of the biggest headline run of Kesha's career so far — which kicked off in July 2025 in the US and also has European shows locked in for March 2026. [caption id="attachment_1015395" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ryan Bakerink/FilmMagic[/caption] With ten top-ten singles across her career so far, plus six albums under her belt — 2023's Gag Order and 2025's Period among them — Kesha has no shortage of tunes to draw upon live. 'JOYRIDE', 'TiK ToK', 'Only Love Can Save Us Now', 'Your Love Is My Drug', 'Take It Off' and 'We R Who We R' are among the tracks on her current setlist. In the River City, she's playing Riverstage on Thursday, February 19. [caption id="attachment_975223" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendan Walter[/caption]
Between 1919 and 1948, Oscar Micheaux made 44 films, few remain in existence today; a tragedy, because each film was reportedly infused with a burning passion for social reform and passionate social commentary. As the first African-American filmmaker, Micheaux was always going to be a trail blazer. He fought against stereotypes and aimed to raise the profile of African-Americans in a period of extreme racism and prejudice. The Gallery of Modern Art is hosting a retrospective of Micheaux’s work, playing some extremely rare films, some of which were landmark pieces of cinema at the time of production. On display are three silent films and four sound films. Each holds a piece of Micheaux’s creative spirit and desire for a better world. Check out the GOMA website for a list of films and session times. These films may never be screened in Brisbane again, so they are a rare treat for any cinephile.
In these multi-purpose, multi-tasking, multi-hyphenate-filled times, the idea of a winery simply featuring rows of vines, the facilities to make vino, and somewhere to buy and drink it is long gone. Sure, all of the above are still included — but so are sculpture gardens, luxury hotels and four-acre spaces filled with edible greenery, plus giant five-storey cubes. The latter is the standout attraction at South Australian winery d'Arenberg, which opened its new centrepiece in McLaren Vale on December 14. More than 14 years and $15 million in the making, the towering structure looks like a partially twisted Rubik's Cube floating above the plants below. Of course, even over-sized versions of everyday puzzles don't usually feature an art gallery, a wine inhalation room, a virtual fermenter, a blending bench, a video room or a smartphone app-linked functionality that's being dubbed an "alternate reality wine museum." A cellar door and a restaurant are part of the space as well, the former boasting panoramic views over McLaren Vale, the Willunga Hills and the Gulf St Vincent, and the latter serving up seasonally changing degustations over two levels. Anyone visiting for a sip and to stock up their own wine reserves can expect to pay $10 to enter, then try 30 different grape varieties, 70 wines and choose from four different premium tasting flights (for an extra fee). Meanwhile, hungry attendees can feast on a menu cooked up by husband and wife team Brendan Wessels and Lindsay Durr. Other highlights include 115 televisions, and a glass roof that features 16 hydraulic umbrellas — which lift in a choreographed sequence. As well as proving unlike any other winery in the country, it's anticipated that the massive square will become a tourist attraction. "The d'Arenberg Cube has been a once in a lifetime project – high tech, yet grounded in the dirt of our McLaren Vale vineyard, with views to the future," explains d'Arenberg Wines chief winemaker and viticulturalist Chester Osborn. Images: d'Arenberg.
In the rainforest at the back of Cairns, you'll find locals cooling off at much-loved swimming hole Stoney Creek. Whether you want a quick dip not too far from town or to hike your way to a waterfall further afield, this series of private swimming holes has all your swim cravings covered. It's just a short walk from the carpark in Barron Gorge National Park to the first pool perched underneath a small footbridge. Swim here or continue down the left side of the creek adjacent track past a series of swimming spots before reaching the spilling waters at Old Weir Falls. If you're keen for even more mountain action, head back to the footbridge after a swim at the falls and take the right side track up to Glacier Rock. [caption id="attachment_832593" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption]
Cafes, bars and restaurants aren't generally known for being lucratively profitable (unless you're a celebrity restaurateur, say, or a certain hospitality juggernaut in Sydney). But Cost Price Cafe is taking it to the other extreme — it makes zero profits. The cafe, which launched in March this year, serves uni students and workers alike from its truck in Marshall Park. The prices of its items are fluid, changing every fortnight. At present, it's selling small coffees for $2.50, large for $3, tea for $1 and biscuits for 50 cents. There's no extra charge for alternative milk or an extra shot and you also get a 20-cent discount if you bring in a reusable cup. The items are costed as such to cover wages, ingredients and other essentials — but if the cafe sells more than expected and "makes a profit" the price of the items will decrease. And owner Leonie Bucher expects that they will — she explains in a graph on the cafe's Facebook page that if the cafe consistently sell 150 coffees a day, the price will go down to $1.48. To maintain transparency, you'll be able to monitor the current price of coffee — as well as the cafe's other costs — on its Facebook page. It's a bold idea, but here's hoping you'll be able to swing $1 coffee sometime soon. Find Cost Price cafe Marshall Park, Kelvin Grove Road, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane. It is open from 6.30am to 11.30am, Monday to Friday. For more info, visit costpricecafe.com.au.
Australians, it's time to break out the gin and juice again — because Snoop Dogg is coming back to our shores. For the first time since 2014, the rapper is hitting stages Down Under as part of this new 'I Wanna Thank Me' tour, which'll be playing arenas in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in October and November 2022. Clearly, the musician/actor/cook book author/wrestling MC/wine brand owner will be dropping shows like they're hot as he raps his way through the RAC Arena, Qudos Bank Arena, Rod Laver Arena and Brisbane Entertainment Centre. He'll also be inspiring hip hop fans to be the life of the party and, if you can remember his time as Snoop Doggy Dog and Snoop Lion across his career, to ask about his name as well. Yes, you can expect to hear singles such as 'What's My Name?', 'Gin and Juice', 'Drop It Like It's Hot' and 'Snoop's Upside Ya Head', as well as tracks from his latest album — which shares its moniker with the tour. His 17th record, I Wanna Thank Me came out in 2019. So did a documentary with the same title, which you can watch in parts on Snoop's offical YouTube channel if you need something to tide you over while you wait for his new live shows. After a lack of big international tours coming our way for the past two years due to the pandemic, Snoop joins a growing list of musicians that are planning to head to Australia in 2022. So, you might need to slot his shows into your diary alongside gigs by Tyler, The Creator, Alanis Morissette, Lorde and My Chemical Romance. SNOOP DOGG 'I WANNA THANK ME' 2022 AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES Perth — Wednesday, October 22, RAC Arena Sydney — Friday, October 28, Qudos Bank Arena Melbourne — Saturday, October 29, Rod Laver Arena Brisbane — Tuesday, November 1, Brisbane Entertainment Centre Telstra pre-sale tickets for Snoop Dogg's 'I Wanna Thank Me' tour go on sale at 12pm local time on Friday, September 10. Then, general public tickets on sale at 4pm local time on Monday, September 13. Visit the tour website for further details.
Brisbanites, if catching a train is on your agenda over the upcoming slate of public holidays, you might want to rethink your travel plans. TransLink has announced that track work will take place over Easter, the weekend following Anzac Day and the Labour Day long weekend, with a number of stations closing as a result. Buses will replace rail services in the affected areas. Across Easter, the impact is thankfully minimal — trains won't run between Darra and Springfield Central for the three-day period between Friday, April 19 and Sunday, April 21, affecting four stations on the Springfield line. Between Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, it's the Ferny Grove line's turn, impacting the entire 14-station route from Ferny Grove to Central. It's over the three days between Saturday, May 4 and Monday, May 6 that more Brisbanites will be affected, with major track works sparking closures on the Beenleigh, Gold Coast, Cleveland, Ipswich-Rosewood and Springfield lines. Everything from Roma Street to Yeerongpilly will shut on the first two routes, the stations between Roma Street and Murrarie will do the same for folks headed Cleveland way, and all stops from Roma Street to Corinda will be out-of-action for those travelling west. The works will address a number of issues, including lowering a track at Springfield station, replacing rails between Bowen Hills and Windsor, replacements at Roma Street station and general maintenance across the lines. If you're thinking that this'll add some time to your journey, you're absolutely right. Travellers have been advised to factor extra time — up to an extra hour each way over the Labour Day weekend — into their trips. For more information, and to check train and bus timetables, visit the TransLink website. Images: Ash Kyd/ Denisbin via Flickr.
Already home to a natural landmark that can be seen from space, as well as a luminous installation that brightens up the night sky, the Northern Territory is about to add another stellar sight — and site — to its list. From next year, Australia's Top End will make history when it becomes the first privately-owned location outside of the United States to launch NASA rockets. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility is partnering with the NT's Arnhem Space Centre, SBS reports, with private outfit Equatorial Launch Australia receiving the contract to provide temporary launch facilities in the southern hemisphere. Four rockets, measuring approximately 15 metres high, are expected to launch from the spaceport next year according to the ABC, with each spending around 15 minutes in suborbital space. Their purpose: scientific investigations. Already a lure for tourists, it was Arnhem Land's distinctive landscape and geographical location that reportedly proved an attraction — with NASA clearly taking the Top End moniker literally. The ASC is located in Nhulunbuy, around 700 kilometres east of Darwin. While NASA won't take off from the site until next year, it's expected that the ASC will be ready to launch small rockets by the end of this year. Even better — the centre is planning to launch spaceflights in 2020. The news comes as Australia keeps stepping up its space game — or reigniting it after closing down the Australian Space Office back in 1996. The federal government announced formed the Australian Space Agency in 2018, and revealed that it'd be headquartered in Adelaide from this year. In a statement, ASA Head Dr Megan Clark AC said that "NASA's interest in conducting a sounding rocket campaign in Australia shows the increasing importance of commercial launch activities from Australia". Via: SBS/ABC. Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
Hailing from the USA, the buffalo wing is a deep-fried chicken wing coated with cayenne pepper sauce, butter, herbs and spices, usually served with a range of dipping sauces. Brisbane seems to have an affinity with these finger-licking bites of spice and sauciness, so it's no surprise that there's plenty of places where you can get your fix of high quality buffalo wings. We've narrowed it down to the top four places where you can buy these spicy little suckers. From food trucks to German-style beer houses (of all places), here's our wrap up of the best buffalo wings in Brisbane.
Rock legend Patti Smith will soon see her most iconic pageturner made into your newest binge watch. The 68-year-old's immortal Just Kids memoir is being made into a Showtime miniseries. The best bit? Smith is producing and co-writing the series — alongside Penny Dreadful showrunner John Logan. Announced at this year's Television Critics Association press tour, Showtime’s new series will follow Smith's National Book Award-winning memoir detailing her years spent living in New York City with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. No cast or release date has been announced, but uppity predictions will inevitably flow over the next few months. Costumes though: It goes without saying, the series already has one hell of a script. Smith, whose sequel memoir M Train is set to hit shelves on October 6, is keen to delve further into her own NYC youth with the series. “A limited series on Showtime will allow us to explore the characters more deeply, enabling us to develop stories beyond the book and allow a measure of unorthodox presentation,” said Smith in her media statement. “The medium of a television limited series offers narrative freedom and a chance to expand upon the themes of the book.” Via Flavorwire.
The tradition of the 'last meal' is a complex one. In early Europe, the gesture functioned as an act of appeasement — a small token to ward off the spirit of the accused haunting its executioners. In modern times, the act is somewhat less superstitious. A little sweetener to the incalculable moral dilemma of corporal punishment. This is what NZ-born, Brooklyn-based photographer Henry Hargreaves sought to explore in No Seconds, his series of eerie re-creations of those final bites taken by America's most wanted. At a glance, the 12 visually rich photographs seem harmless enough. The shots of chicken and peas resemble something your mother might make you on a trip back home, and the steak and eggs are reminiscent of a meal picked up at a country diner. Of course, most plates are full of comfort food; the same kind of thing you could pick up one particularly hungover morning, or devour with a hint of shame at night. This empathy is exactly what's so worrisome about the series. With the camera positioned above each meal, Hargreaves invariably puts you in the seat of the killer. He forces you to reminisce about home-cooked meals or how much you love fresh strawberries mere moments before your eye wanders to the label reading "John Wayne Gacy ... Rape, 33 counts of murder". In an interview for the exhibition catalogue, Hargreaves said he wanted "the viewer to think of [the prisoner] as a person for a moment instead of them being anonymous". "It's a subject that people can relate to and are curious about," he said. "We all eat and we all die." Of course, the circumstances do differ. The series is further complicated by the fact the tradition may be on the way out in some places. In 2011, Texas — a state well-known for its continued support of the death penalty — put an end to last meals claiming it a waste of taxpayer funds. A premise made complicated by inmates such as Victor Feguer. Hung in 1963 for kidnap and murder, Feguer asked for just a single olive with its pit. Apparently, he thought it might grow into an olive tree from inside his body and hoped it would make use of him as a symbol of peace. Regardless of your politics, the photographs are definitely food for thought. See the series in full at Hargreaves' website. Via Buzzfeed.
When The Duffer Brothers, the siblings who brought the world Stranger Things and gave Netflix its biggest hit yet in the process, announced that their obsessed-over and adored series was returning for a fourth season — a reveal made all the way back in 2019, just months after the third season released — they did it in the only way they know how. "We're not in Hawkins anymore", the video heralding the news advised. Even when dropping 45-second videos comprised solely of graphics and moody tunes, the Duffers' fondness for filtering their show through classic pop-culture references remained firmly intact. So it is that Stranger Things 4 ventures beyond its trusty small-town setting, and in several directions. It keeps those nods and winks to flicks and shows gone by streaming steadily as well. This fourth go-around, seven episodes of which arrive on Friday, May 27, ambitiously expands in other ways, too — not quite so many that you'd need seven Dungeons & Dragons dice to count them, but enough that it's noticeable. It's bigger and longer, with no episode clocking in at less than an hour, one in the first batch running for a feature-length 98 minutes, and the final two not set to release until Friday, July 1. Its teenage stars are bigger and taller as well, ageing further and faster than their characters. The show has matured past riffing on early-80s action-adventure movies, such as The Goonies; now, it's onto slashers and other horror films, complete with new characters called Fred and Jason. And with that, Stranger Things also gets bloodier and eerier. It's still the show that viewers have loved since 2016, when not even Netflix likely realised what it had unleashed — and no, that doesn't just include the demogorgon escaping from the Upside Down. But growing, as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong), her boyfriend Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), and their pals Will Byers (Noah Schnapp, Waiting for Anya), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink, Fear Street) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy) all visibly have, comes with a few pains. The Duffers give fans more this time around, entertainingly so; however, the flow of the season's super-sized episodes and sprawled-out narrative threads is often askew. But that's hardly the worst problem to have — and pressing "next episode" instantly when each set of credits rolls remains as easy as ever. Eleven and company all do have worst woes to deal with. Six months after the battle of Starcourt, Eleven lives in Lenora Hills, California, with Will, his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The Souvenir Part II) and their mother Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America). There, the weather is sunny yet little is rosy. The former government test-subject writes otherwise in letters back home, but high school is an onslaught of mean-girl bullying, which spills out violently when Mike visits over spring break. Eleven's powers have also vanished, and she's haunted by the loss of Jim Hopper (David Harbour, Black Widow) — as is Joyce, who now sells encyclopaedias from home. Life isn't any better in Indiana. More accurately, it's terrifying and insidiously grim. A pre-holiday Mike has joined the high school D&D club with Dustin, as run by metal-loving outcast Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn, Small Axe). So has Lucas, but he's also on the basketball team, trying to work his way up the social ladder. Haunted by her brother Billy's (Dacre Montgomery, The Broken Hearts Gallery) death in season three, Max refuses to fit in anywhere, but needs the gang's help when a new form of evil seeps out of the Upside Down and starts leaving a body count. Also ready to assist: Steve Harrington (Joe Keery, Free Guy) and Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke, Fear Street), who've graduated to working in the Hawkins' video store, plus the school newspaper's new star reporter Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer, Things Seen & Heard). And, in Russia — because that Hopper is alive and definitely isn't in Hawkins was revealed between seasons — frosty bleakness is status quo. But the stranded Hawkins Police chief remains as stubborn as ever, even shackled in a Soviet gulag. Obviously, he's determined to regain his freedom. Stranger Things 4 is many things: a reminder that high school is hell, and just being a teenager is torturous, too; a musing on trauma and the way it carves through hearts and souls, as slasher flicks tend to be; an escape caper; an enormous love letter to horror master Wes Craven, a wonderful stab of casting included; and another book in the show's superhero story. One of its most frustrating aspects: the way it throws around that S-word, because everything has to be a superhero tale these days (see also: the clearly Stranger Things-influenced Firestarter remake). This series has always been at its best when it's embracing two other genres, sci-fi and horror. Ramping up the latter, and using it to explore the chaos of being caught between childhood and adulthood, is season four's savviest touch. While it isn't particularly new or inventive, it cuts deep, mining the pain of making mistakes, being forever changed by life's ups and downs, and grappling with the realisation that some wounds truly are forever. As a result, for all of its efforts to roam beyond its original setting, Stranger Things' fourth season feels more like itself on familiar ground, unsurprisingly. That sensation helps give Sink one of the season's best performances so far — its weightiest and most textured, too — complete with a stunningly deployed 'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush as her personal soundtrack. It's also in Hawkins where the stakes are greater, the plot tighter and the diversions funnier, in no small part thanks to Matarazzo's still-stellar timing, Keery leaning as hard on Steve's comedic vibe as he has since season two, and Hawke making every Robin moment an utter delight. There's no place like home, after all, including when that town is a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Sunnydale and Twin Peaks. Although they're both 90s references, rather than hailing from the Duffers' beloved decade prior, the blood of Buffy and Twin Peaks have long pumped through Stranger Things' veins. That feels especially the case in season four, which is also the most melancholic yet — but with a clearly vast budget, as made plain by the special effects that the Duffers and fellow directors Shawn Levy (Free Guy) and Nimrod Antal (Predators) have at their disposal. And, with all that dripping 80s nostalgia, of course, because it wouldn't be Stranger Things without it. The expected but never derivative winks and callouts to the decade's screen touchstones keep coming, naturally, like they too are spilling out of the Upside Down. Also flowing faster than Dustin's one-liners, Steve's glorious locks, Eleven's steely stares, Joyce's nervous energy and the horrors of season four's new Lovecraft-esque big bad? The can't-stop-watching thrill of having Stranger Things back, slinking into its darker trip — ups, downs, occasional awkwardness and all — and binging compulsively. The first seven episodes of Stranger Things season four hit Netflix at 5pm AEST / 7pm NZST Friday, May 27, with the remaining two set to follow on Friday, July 1. Images: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
After 32 years of hosting live tunes — including from local favourites such as Resin Dogs and Screamfeeder, Aussie greats like Nick Cave and Silverchair, and international acts including The Pixies and The Black Keys — The Zoo is saying farewell to Brisbane's music scene forever. The team behind the venue announced the heartbreaking development via social media, advising that the Ann Street spot was bidding farewell due to "rising operational costs and decreasing returns". "As passionate music fans and proud members of the community, it's impossibly hard to share the news that after nearly 32 years of live music, The Zoo will be closing its doors on July 8th," the statement begins. "Sadly, the financial reality of keeping music venues afloat in 2024 is all too stark. The Zoo reached its highest ticket sales in its 32-year history last year, yet this was still not enough to combat rising operational costs and decreasing returns," it continues. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Zoo (@thezoo.bne) "As a music venue, we try our best to keep venue hire costs as low as possible for artists and promoters, which means that the financial risks are on the venue, and we depend on bar sales for profit. The cost of supplying alcohol is rising, and bar sales are going down, likely due to a mix of lifestyle changes and cost of living stress for our patrons." "The hard truth is that we've been running at a loss for over three years. Despite exploring every avenue available to us, we could not secure the level of support needed to surmount the continued financial strain. We have no choice but to call last drinks for both of our beloved music venues." While Brisbanites have until Monday, July 8 to head along to The Zoo for the last time, its sibling bar Stranded — the punk-inspired cocktail spot that opened in 2022 — will close up on Monday, May 6. So, this news brings two massive changes for Fortitude Valley. It isn't an overstatement to say that Brisbane won't be the same without The Zoo, which has been a go-to venue for gigs, and one of the city's most famous, for its three-decade-plus run. "To our loyal punters and past performers, we thank you for the great times we've shared; the decades of dancing, singing and moshing. The kindness of our community of music lovers is a gift The Zoo team has cherished," the closure announcement also notes. "We hope you'll continue to support local live music and keep the scene alive in Brisbane and nationwide. We encourage you to advocate for live music, to implore our government and music bodies to do everything they can to prevent more venues from closing their doors due to the industry-wide financial pressure that is decimating venues across the country." Shows were scheduled for after The Zoo's shutdown date, with ticketholders set to be contacted. Current co-owners of Cat Clarke, Luke 'Boo' Johnston and Shane Chidgzey added a pizzeria, launched Stranded and started a bottle-o during their run — and, in collaboration with OG co-founder Joc Curran, also celebrated the venue's 30th birthday with a massive festival with 100-plus artists in 2022. [caption id="attachment_873288" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luke Henery[/caption] The Zoo will close at 711 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley on Monday, July 8, 2024. For further information and to buy tickets in the interim, head to the venue's website. Stranded will close at 3 Winn Lane, Fortitude Valley on Monday, May 6, 2024. Images: Cat Clarke / Luke Henery.
