Sydney has the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, which takes over Oxford Street for a night of celebration. Melbourne has the Midsumma Pride March, its equivalent in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. From November 2024, Brisbane will share the show of pride, but in a way befitting the River City: with the first-ever River Pride Parade as part of the new Melt Open festival. Boats will float from William Jolly Bridge to Brisbane Powerhouse, all embracing everything that a pride parade should be — just on the water. The River Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, November 9 in the afternoon, with Courtney Act leading the charge as Melt Open's just-announced inaugural ambassador. "A pride parade on the Brisbane River — what a brilliant twist on a cherished favourite! Just imagine the magic as we all come together to celebrate on the water, surrounded by the beauty of the city," said the Brisbane-bred Act. "As I lead the river parade, you can bet there'll be plenty of SPF beneath my makeup! This is truly a unique and fabulous way to honour pride and the stunning Brisbane River." "Prepare for a dazzling spectacle with the River Pride Parade fronted by the fabulous Courtney Act. Picture dykes on jetskis, drag-clad waterskiers, iconic queer boat parties and that's just the beginning. We welcome watercraft of all shapes and sizes to join the river parade and encourage everyone to get their spots along the river to view the carnival," added Pieta Farrell, Executive Producer of Melt Open. Registrations are open now for the River Pride Parade, which will help close out Melt Open's first year, with the entire fest running from Wednesday, October 23–Sunday, November 10. Don't have a boat? Organisers advise that watercraft of all shapes and sizes can take part. Melt Open was announced in 2023 as a fringe-style event to celebrate LGBTQIA+ art and performance everywhere from Fortitude Valley to Woolloongabba, showcasing queer work, talents, legends and allies. Brisbanites should already know that Brisbane Powerhouse has hosted Melt Festival for eight years and counting, with that event considered a predecessor to this newcomer. As its name makes plain, Melt Open is broadening its scope by building upon Melt's success — spreading beyond the Powerhouse, featuring more artists and venues, and operating as an open access-style shindig. The River Pride Parade is the second major program announcement for the debut Melt Open, and the second that'll make spectacular use of the fest's Brisbane location. The other: New York-based artist Spencer Tunick returning to Brisbane after 2023's Melt Festival stint, this time to close the Story Bridge to fill it with nudes for a new photography work. If you're eager to get your kit off in the name of art, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and diversity, registrations are still open for the installation, which will take place on Sunday, October 27 — and there's no limit on the number of participants. Melt Open 2024 will run from Wednesday, October 23–Sunday, November 10, with the River Pride Parade taking place on Saturday, November 9. Head to the Brisbane Powerhouse website for additional information, and to register for the parade. Images: Jack Martin.
What do Elvis Presley, Yayoi Kusama, Pablo Picasso and Ancient Greece have in common? In the coming months, all four will have items and objects on display across Victoria. Accordingly, if you're looking for an excuse to spend the cooler months in a museum or gallery, you have several — including peering at 44 ancient works dating back to the early bronze age. Those historic pieces will hit Melbourne Museum courtesy of Open Horizons: Ancient Greek Journeys and Connections, a new exhibition that's set to open on Saturday, April 23. Co-created and presented with the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Australian-first showcase will feature pieces from the Greek organisation's collection — which happens to be the richest range of artefacts from Greek antiquity worldwide — all of which will be making an appearance Down Under for the first time. In the case of two of the exhibition's big highlights — the gold Theseus ring, which dates back to the 15th century BCE, as well as a 2500-year-old marble sphinx that depicts a female head with the body of a winged lion — they'll make their debut outside of the National Archaeological Museum, too. Also coming our way: a collection of artefacts depicting Greek hero Heracles, as well as pieces that date through to the Roman period. [caption id="attachment_845137" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Column krater, clay, Herakles slaying the king of Egypt, Busiris, and his attendants. B. Maenad and Satyrs. By the Cleveland Painter.Unknown provenance.About 470 BC. Credit National Archaeological Museum and Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. Photographer Eleytherios Galanopoulos[/caption] Overall, Open Horizons: Ancient Greek Journeys and Connections will focus on not just Ancient Greece itself, but how the trade of ideas and goods influenced its culture — and how the Greeks also influenced the rest of the ancient world. "Since antiquity, the Greeks have always followed the open horizons of the sea, constantly travelling to every corner of the world. Extroversion, broad-mindedness and cosmopolitanism, as well as the ability to embrace and utilise foreign influences in a creative and original way have been integral elements of Hellenic culture," explains Minister of Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports Dr Lina Mendoni. Announcing the news, Museums Victoria CEO Lynley Crosswell said "we are excited to be collaborating with the National Archaeological Museum to bring some of the most remarkable artefacts direct from Athens for audiences in Melbourne to enjoy. This captivating exhibition will invite visitors to explore the cross-cultural connections that contributed to the formation of Ancient Greece." Open Horizons: Ancient Greek Journeys and Connections opens at Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton, on Saturday, April 23. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the museum's website. Top image: One of a pair of antefixes Clay Representations of Chimaera and Bellerophon mounting his winged horse, Pegasus. From Thasos. 550-500 BC. Credit National Archaeological Museum and Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. Photographer Magoulas.
First, Tony Kelly and Scott Hoskins brought their delicious doughnuts to town. Then they decided that the city really could use some more burgers. Now, the folks behind Donut Boyz and Hello Harry are unleashing two new ventures upon Brisbane. We hope you like Asian street food and fried chicken. No, both types of cuisine won't be available at one eatery; instead, Junk will serve up the former, and 2 Birds will focus on the latter. Like its predecessors, Junk heads down south after satisfying hungry stomachs on the Sunshine Coast. 2 Birds, however, is a new concept. If you've been paying attention to Brissie's recent dining news, you can probably guess where Junk will be opening its doors in October. Prepare to grab crispy pork belly salad, Peking duck spring rolls, Korean fried wings, soft shell crab steam bao and hearty bowls of ramen from its two-storey digs in Fish Lane (where else?). The chain plans to expand to Toowoomba in September and Melbourne's Punch Lane in November as well. As for 2 Birds, it's still looking for a space to call its own in Brisbane, though it'll open in Toowoomba next month. Once the poultry joint finds an ace location, it'll specialise in fried wings and pieces, and flame-grilled chicken sandwiches. Yep, you'll be able to eat chicken for days, although roasted corn on the cob and mac and cheese will also be available. Find Junk in Fish Lane, South Brisbane, from October. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information. To stay up-to-date about 2 Birds' plans, head to their Facebook page as well. Via The Courier-Mail.
One of the best films to hit cinemas in 2023 so far gets a song stuck in viewers' heads like it's been slung there with the stickiest of webs. Just try to watch a Spider-Man movie — any Spider-Man movie, but preferably the stunning Spider-Verse movies — and not get the cartoon theme song lodged in your brain. You can't. It's impossible. Tweak the earworm of a track's lyrics, though, and you have the perfect description of the first six months of this year at the pictures: the greatest features to flicker through projectors truly did whatever movies can. Among 2023's best films so far, one made the connection between a parent and child feel so aching new yet so deeply relatable that you might've convinced yourself that you lived this plot yourself. Another hung out with a Sardinian donkey to muse on the fragility of life, plus the way that all creatures great and small that aren't human are so often disregarded. Some rightly garnered awards for exploring close bonds and impassioned fights; others hopped all over Japan, or Korea, or wherever on the globe that John Wick has a battle to wage. One made the Australian outback look otherworldly — and another toyed with reality on multiple levels, and in a stunning fashion. They're some of the films that've shone brightly at picture palaces this year — some releasing last year elsewhere, but only debuting Down Under in 2023; some so shiny and brand-new that they've only just reached cinemas. More than 15 ace movies have graced the silver screen over the past six months, of course, but if you only have time to watch or rewatch the absolute best 15, we've picked them. Happy midyear viewing. AFTERSUN The simplest things in life can be the most revealing, whether it's a question asked of a father by a child, an exercise routine obeyed almost mindlessly or a man stopping to smoke someone else's old cigarette while wandering through a holiday town alone at night. The astonishing feature debut by Scottish writer/director Charlotte Wells, Aftersun is about the simple things. Following the about-to-turn-31 Calum (Paul Mescal, The Lost Daughter) and his daughter Sophie (debutant Frankie Corio) on vacation in Turkey in the late 90s, it includes all of the above simple things, plus more. It tracks, then, that this coming-of-age story on three levels — of an 11-year-old flirting with adolescence, a dad struggling with his place in the world, and an adult woman with her own wife and family grappling with a life-changing experience from her childhood — is always a movie of deep, devastating and revealing complexity. Earning the internet's Normal People-starring boyfriend a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and deservedly so, Aftersun is a reflective, ruminative portrait of heartbreak. It's a quest to find meaning in sorrow and pain, too, and in processing the past. Wells has crafted a chronicle of interrogating, contextualising, reframing and dwelling in memories; an examination of leaving and belonging; and an unpacking of the complicated truths that a kid can't see about a parent until they're old enough to be that parent. Breaking up Calum and Sophie's sun-dappled coastal holiday with the older Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall, Vox Lux) watching camcorder footage from the trip, sifting through her recollections and dancing it out under a nightclub's strobing lights in her imagination, this is also a stunning realisation that we'll always read everything we can into a loved one's actions with the benefit of hindsight, but all we ever truly have is the sensation that lingers in our hearts and heads. Read our full review. EO David Attenborough's nature documentaries are acclaimed and beloved viewing, including when they're recreating dinosaurs. Family-friendly fare adores cute critters, especially if they're talking as in The Lion King and Paddington movies. The horror genre also loves pushing animals to the front, with The Birds and Jaws among its unsettling masterpieces. Earth's creatures great and small are all around us on-screen, and also off — but in EO, a donkey drama by Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (11 Minutes), humanity barely cares. The people in this Oscar-nominated mule musing might watch movies about pets and beasts. They may have actively shared parts of their own lives existence the animal kingdom; some, albeit only a rare few, do attempt exactly that with this flick's grey-haired, white-spotted, wide-eyed namesake. But one of the tragedies at the heart of this adventure is also just a plain fact of life on this pale blue dot while homo sapiens reign supreme: that animals are everywhere all the time but hardly anyone notices. EO notices. Making his first film in seven years, and co-writing with his wife and producer Ewa Piaskowska (Essential Killing), Skolimowski demands that his audience pays attention. This is both an episodic slice-of-life portrait of EO the donkey's days and a glimpse of the world from his perspective — sometimes, the glowing and gorgeous cinematography by Michal Dymek (Wolf) takes in the Sardinian creature in all his braying, trotting, carrot-eating glory; sometimes, it takes on 'donkey vision', which is just as mesmerising to look at. Skolimowski gets inspiration from Robert Bresson's 1966 feature Au Hasard Balthazar, too, a movie that also follows the life of a hoofed, long-eared mammal. Like that French great, EO sees hardship much too often for its titular creature; however, even at its most heartbreaking, it also spies an innate, immutable circle of life. Read our full review. CLOSE When Léo (debutant Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (fellow first-timer Gustav De Waele) dash the carefree dash of youth in Close's early moments, rushing from a dark bunker out into the sunshine — from rocks and forest to a bloom-filled field ablaze with colour, too — this immediately evocative Belgian drama runs joyously with them. Girl writer/director Lukas Dhont starts his sophomore feature with a tremendous moment, one that's arresting to look at and to experience. The petals pop; the camera tracks, rushes and flies; the two 13-year-olds are as exuberant and at ease as they're ever likely to be in their lives. They're sprinting because they're happy and playing, and because summer in their village — and on Léo's parents' flower farm — is theirs for the revelling in. They don't and can't realise it because no kid does, but they're also bolting from the bliss that is their visibly contented childhood to the tussles and emotions of being a teenager. Close's title does indeed apply to its two main figures; when it comes to adolescent friendships, they couldn't be tighter. As expressed in revelatory performances by Dambrine and De Waele, each of whom are genuine acting discoveries — Dhont spotted the former on a train from Antwerp to Ghent — these boys have an innocent intimate affinity closer than blood. They're euphoric with and in each other's company, and the feature plays like that's how it has always been between the two. They've also never queried or overthought what their connection means. Before high school commences, Close shows the slumber parties, and the shared hopes and dreams. It sits in on family dinners, demonstrating the ease with which each is a part of the other's broader lives amid both sets of mums and dads; Léo's are Nathalie (Léa Drucker, Custody) and Yves (Marc Weiss, Esprits de famille), Rémi's are Sophie (Émilie Dequenne, An Ordinary Man) and Peter (Kevin Janssens, Two Summers). The film adores their rapport like a summer day adores the breeze, and conveys it meticulously and movingly. Then, when girls in Léo and Rémi's grade ask if the two are a couple, it shows the heartache and heartbreak of a boyhood bond dissolving. Read our full review. ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED With photographer Nan Goldin at its centre, the latest documentary by Citizenfour Oscar-winner Laura Poitras is a film about many things, to deeply stunning and moving effect. In this Oscar-nominated movie's compilation of Goldin's acclaimed snaps, archival footage, current interviews, and past and present activism, a world of stories flicker — all linked to Goldin, but all also linking universally. The artist's bold work, especially chronicling LGBTQIA+ subcultures and the 80s HIV/AIDS crisis, frequently and naturally gets the spotlight. Her complicated family history, which spans heartbreaking loss, haunts the doco as it haunts its subject. The rollercoaster ride that Goldin's life has taken, including in forging her career, supporting her photos, understanding who she is and navigating an array of personal relationships, cascades through, too. And, so do her efforts to counter the opioid epidemic by bringing one of the forces behind it to public justice. Revealing state secrets doesn't sit at the core of the tale here, unlike Citizenfour and Poitras' 2016 film Risk — one about Edward Snowden, the other Julian Assange — but everything leads to the documentary's titular six words: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. They gain meaning in a report spied late about the mental health of Goldin's older sister Barbara, who committed suicide at the age of 18 when Goldin was 11, and who Goldin contends was just an "angry and sexual" young woman in the 60s with repressed parents. A psychiatrist uses the eponymous phrase to describe what Barbara sees and, tellingly, it could be used to do the same with anyone. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is, in part, a rebuke of the idea that a teenager with desires and emotions is a problem, and also a statement that that's who we all are, just to varying levels of societal acceptance. The film is also a testament that, for better and for worse, all the beauty and the bloodshed we all witness and endure is what shapes us. Read our full review. SAINT OMER In 2016, a French documentarian with Senegalese heritage attended the trial of a Senegalese French PhD student who confessed to killing her 15-month-old daughter, who was fathered by a white partner, by leaving her on the beach to the mercy of the waves at Berck-sur-Mer. The filmmaker was fixated. She describes it as an "unspeakable obsession". She was haunted by questions about motherhood, too — her mum's and her own, given that she was a young mother herself as she sat in the courtroom. That story is the story of how Saint Omer came to be, and also almost exactly the tale that the piercing drama tells. In her first narrative film after docos We and La Permanence, writer/director Alice Diop focuses on a French author and literature professor with a Senegalese background who bears witness to a trial with the same details, also of a Senegalese French woman, for the same crime. Saint Omer's protagonist shares other traits with Diop as she observes, too, and watches and listens to research a book. A director riffing on their own experience isn't novel, but Saint Omer is strikingly intimate and authentic because it's the embodiment of empathy in an innately difficult situation. It shows what it means to feel for someone else, including someone who has admitted to a shocking crime, and has been made because Diop went through that far-from-straightforward process and was galvanised to keep grappling with it. What a deeply emotional movie this 2022 Venice International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning feature is, understandably and unsurprisingly. What a heartbreaking and harrowing work it proves as well. Saint Omer is also an astoundingly multilayered excavation of being in a country but never being seen as truly part it, and what that does to someone's sense of self, all through Fabienne Kabou's complicated reality and Laurence Coly's (Guslagie Malanda, My Friend Victoria) fictionalised scenario. Read our full review. WOMEN TALKING Get Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand and more exceptional women in a room, point a camera their way, let the talk flow: Sarah Polley's Women Talking does just that, and this year's Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar-winner is phenomenal. The actor-turned-filmmaker's fourth effort behind the lens after 2006's Away From Her, 2011's Take This Waltz and 2012's Stories We Tell does plenty more, but its basic setup is as straightforward as its title states. Adapted from Miriam Toews' 2018 novel of the same name, this isn't a simple or easy film, however. That book and this feature draw on events in a Bolivian Mennonite colony from 2005–9, where a spate of mass druggings and rapes of women and girls were reported at the hands of some of the group's men. In a patriarchal faith and society, women talking about their experiences is a rebellious, revolutionary act anyway — and talking about what comes next is just as charged. "The elders told us that it was the work of ghosts, or Satan, or that we were lying to get attention, or that it was an act of wild female imagination." That's teenage narrator Autje's (debutant Kate Hallett) explanation for how such assaults could occur and continue, as offered in Women Talking's sombre opening voiceover. Writing and helming, Polley declares her feature "an act of female imagination" as well, as Toews did on the page, but the truth in the movie's words is both lingering and haunting. While the film anchors its dramas in a specific year, 2010, it's purposefully vague on any details that could ground it in one place. Set within a community where modern technology is banned and horse-drawn buggies are the only form of transport, it's a work of fiction inspired by reality, rather than a recreation. Whether you're aware of the true tale behind the book going in or not, this deeply powerful and affecting picture speaks to how women have long been treated in a male-dominated world at large — and what's so often left unsaid, too. Read our full review. TÁR The least surprising aspect of Tár is also its most essential: Cate Blanchett being as phenomenal as she's ever been, plus more. The Australian Nightmare Alley, Thor: Ragnarok, Carol and The New Boy actor — "our Cate", of course — unsurprisingly scored an Oscar nomination as a result. Accolades have been showered her way since this drama about a cancelled conductor premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival (the prestigious event's Best Actress gong was the first of them), deservedly so. Blanchett is that stunning in Tár, that much of a powerhouse, that adept at breathing life and complexity into a thorny figure, and that magnetic and mesmerising. Even when she hasn't been at her utmost on rare past occasions or something she's in hasn't been up to her standards — see: Don't Look Up for both — she's a force that a feature gravitates around. Tár is astonishing itself, too, but Blanchett at her finest is the movie's rock, core and reason for being. Blanchett is spectacular in Tár, and she also has to be spectacular in Tár — because Lydia Tár, the maestro she's playing, earns that term to start with in the film's on-screen world. At the feature's kickoff, the passionate and ferocious character is feted by a New Yorker Festival session led by staff writer Adam Gopnik as himself, with her achievements rattled off commandingly to an excited crowd; what a list it is. Inhabiting this part requires nothing less than utter perfection, then, aka what Tár demands herself, her latest assistant Francesca (Noémie Merlant, Jumbo), her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss, Shadowplay) and everyone else in her orbit constantly. Strong, seductive, severe, electrifying and downright exceptional, Blanchett nails it. That Lydia can't always do the same, no matter how hard, painstakingly and calculatingly she's worked to ensure that it appears otherwise, is one of the movie's main concerns. Read our full review. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE All the money in the world can't make people in tights standing against green screens as visually spectacular and emotionally expressive as the Spider-Verse films. If it could, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and now Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse wouldn't be so exhilarating, look so stunning and feel so authentic. Spider-Man's eight stints in theatres with either Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland behind the mask — and all of the latter's pop-ups in other Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, too — have splattered around plenty of charm, but they'll now always swing far below their animated counterparts. Indeed, when Spider-Man: No Way Home tried to emulate the Spider-Verse by pointing its fingers into the multiverse, as Marvel's live-action world is now fixated upon, it paled in comparison. And, that isn't just because there was no Nicolas Cage-voiced 30s-era spider-vigilante Spider-Man Noir, or a spider-robot, spider-pig, spider-car or spider-saur; rather, it's because the Spider-Verse movies are that imaginative and agile. In Across the Spider-Verse, which will be followed by 2024's Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse plus a Spider-Women spinoff after that, being an inventive spider-flick initially entails hanging with Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld, Hawkeye). In most Spidey stories, Gwen Stacy is a love interest for Peter Parker, but the Spider-Verse Gwen from Earth 65 was bitten by a radioactive spider instead. Gwen also narrates backstory details, filling in what's occurred since the first feature while playfully parodying that overused approach. Then, when the movie slides into Miles Morales' (Shameik Moore, Wu-Tang: An American Saga) life, he takes her lead, but gives it his own spin. The first Black Latin American Spider-Man is now 15, and more confident in his spider-skills and -duties. In-between being Brooklyn's friendly neighbourhood Spidey and attending a private school that'll ideally help him chase his physics dreams, he's even guest-hosted Jeopardy!. But not telling his mum Rio (Luna Lauren Velez, Power Book II: Ghost) and police-officer dad Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway) about his extracurricular activities is weighing upon Miles, and he's still yearning for mentorship and friendship, especially knowing that Gwen, Peter B Parker (Jake Johnson, Minx) and an infinite number of other web-slingers are all out there catching thieves just like flies. Read our full review. SUZUME When the Godzilla franchise first started rampaging through Japanese cinemas almost 70 years ago, it was in response to World War II and the horrific display of nuclear might that it unleashed. That saga and its prehistoric reptilian monster have notched up 38 movies now, and long may it continue stomping out of its homeland (the American flicks, which are set to return in 2024, have been hit-and-miss). In such creature-feature company, the films of Makoto Shinkai may not seem like they belong. So far, the writer/director behind global hits Your Name and Weathering with You, plus The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimetres per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices and The Garden of Words before that, sadly hasn't applied his talents to good ol' Zilly, either. But Japan's animators have been musing on and reflecting upon destruction and devastation for decades, too — stunningly and heartbreakingly so, including in Shinkai's latest beautiful and heartfelt effort Suzume. This about a teenage girl, matters of the heart and the earth, supernatural forces and endeavouring to cancel the apocalypse firmly has its soul in the part of Honshu that forever changed in March 2011 due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the resulting Fukushima nuclear disaster. Suzume meets its namesake (Nanoka Hara, Guilty Flag) on Kyushu, Japan's third-largest island, where she has lived with her aunt Tamaki (Eri Fukatsu, Survival Family) for 12 years. More than that, it meets its titular high schooler as she meets Souta (SixTONES singer Hokuto Matsumura), who catches her eye against the gleaming sea and sky as she's cycling to class. He's searching for ruins, and she knows just the local place — an abandoned onsen, which she beats him to. There, Suzume discovers a door standing mysteriously within a pool of water, then opens said entryway to see a shimmering sight on the other side. That's an ordinary act with extraordinary consequences, because Shinkai adores exactly that blend and clash. To him, that's where magic springs, although never while spiriting away life's troubles and sorrows. Every single door everywhere is a portal, of course, but this pivotal one takes the definition literally. Read our full review. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 Almost a quarter-century has passed since Keanu Reeves uttered four iconic words: "I know kung fu". The Matrix's famous phrase was also the entire movie-going world's gain, because watching Reeves unleash martial-arts mayhem is one of cinema's purest pleasures. Notching up their fourth instalment with the obviously titled John Wick: Chapter 4, the John Wick flicks understand this. They couldn't do so better, harder, or in a bloodier fashion, in fact. Directed by Keanu's former stunt double Chad Stahelski, who helped him look like he did indeed know wushu back in the 90s, this assassin saga is built around the thrill of its star doing his violent but stylish best. Of course, The Matrix's Neo didn't just know kung fu, but gun fu — and Jonathan, as The Continental proprietor Winston (Ian McShane, Deadwood: The Movie) still likes to call him, helps turn bullet ballet into one helluva delight again and again (and again and again). Picking up where 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum left off, and once again so expertly and inventively executed that it's mesmerising, John Wick: Chapter 4 saddles its namesake with a new adversary: the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård, Barbarian), emissary of the death-for-hire business' powers-that-be, aka the High Table. After Wick puts the assassin realm's head honchos on notice during an early trip to the Middle East, the series' newest nefarious figure wants rid of him forever, wasting no time laying waste to the few things left that John loves. The Marquis has company, too — seeking a big payday in the case of the mercenary known as Tracker (Shamier Anderson, Son of the South), who has his own devoted dog; and due to a familiar deal with Caine (Donnie Yen, Mulan), a martial-arts whiz who is blind, and an old friend of John. That said, Wick has pals in this clash between the hitman establishment and its workers, which doubles as an eat-the-rich skirmish, including Winston, the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne, All the Old Knives), and the Osaka Continental's Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada, Bullet Train) and Akira (Rina Sawayama, Turn Up Charlie). Read our full review. INFINITY POOL Making not just another body-horror spectacle but an eat-the-rich sci-fi satire as well, Brandon Cronenberg couldn't have given Infinity Pool a better title. Teardowns of the wealthy and entitled now seem to flow on forever, glistening endlessly against the film and television horizon; however, the characters in this particularly savage addition to the genre might wish they were in The White Lotus or Succession instead. In those two hits, having more money than sense doesn't mean witnessing your own bloody execution but still living to tell the tale. It doesn't see anyone caught up in cloning at its most vicious and macabre, either. And, it doesn't involve dipping into a purgatory that sports the Antiviral and Possessor filmmaker's penchant for futuristic corporeal terrors, as clearly influenced by his father David Cronenberg (see: Crimes of the Future, Videodrome and The Fly), while also creating a surreal hellscape that'd do Twin Peaks great David Lynch, Climax's Gaspar Noe and The Neon Demon's Nicolas Winding Refn proud. Succession veteran Alexander Skarsgård plunges into Infinity Pool's torments playing another member of the one percent, this time solely by marriage. "Where are we?", author James Foster asks his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman, Dopesick) while surveying the gleaming surfaces, palatial villas and scenic beaches on the fictional island nation of Li Tolqa — a question that keeps silently pulsating throughout the movie, and also comes tinged with the reality that James once knew a life far more routine than this cashed-up extravagance. Cronenberg lets his query linger from the get-go, with help from returning Possessor cinematographer Karim Hussain, who visually inverts its stroll through its lavish setting within minutes. No one in this film's frames is in Kansas anymore, especially when fellow guest Gabi (Mia Goth, Pearl) and her husband Alban (Jalil Lespert, Beasts) invite the pair for an illicit drive and picnic beyond the gates the following day, which sparks a tragic accident, arrest, death sentence and wild get-out-of-jail-free situation. Read our full review. BROKER No matter how Hirokazu Kore-eda's on-screen families come to be, if there's any actual blood between them, whether they're grifting in some way or where in the world they're located, the Japanese writer/director and Shoplifters Palme d'Or winner's work has become so beloved — so magnificent, too — due to his care and sincerity. A Kore-eda film is a film of immense empathy and, like Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, After the Storm and The Third Murder also in the prolific talent's past decade, Broker is no different. The setup here is one of the filmmaker's murkiest, with the feature's name referring to the baby trade. But showing compassion and humanity isn't up for debate in Kore-eda's approach. He judges the reality of modern-day life that leads his characters to their actions, but doesn't judge his central figures. In the process, he makes poignant melodramas that are also deep and thoughtful character studies, and that get to the heart of the globe's ills like the most cutting slices of social realism. It isn't just to make a buck that debt-ridden laundromat owner Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho, Parasite) and orphanage-raised Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won, Peninsula) take infants abandoned to the Busan Family Church's 'baby box' — a chute that's exactly what it sounds like, available to mothers who know they can't embrace that part for whatever reason — then find good families to sell them to. There's a cash component, of course, but they're convinced that their gambit is better than letting children languish in the state system. In Kore-eda's usual kindhearted manner, Broker sees them with sensitivity. Even if blue hues didn't wash through the film's frames, nothing is ever black and white in the director's movies. The same understanding and tenderness flows towards mothers like So-young (Lee Ji-eun, Hotel Del Luna, aka K-Pop star IU), whose decision to leave Woo-sung (debutant Park Ji-yong) isn't easily made but puts Broker on its course. Read our full review. BEAU IS AFRAID Beau is afraid. Beau is anxious. Beau is alone. Beau is alive. Any of these three-word sentences would make a fitting name for Ari Aster's third feature, which sees its titular middle-aged figure not just worry about anything and everything, but watch his fears come true, concerns amplify and alienation grow — and then some. And, in the Hereditary and Midsommar filmmaker's reliably dread-inducing hands, no matter whether Beau (Joaquin Phoenix, C'mon C'mon) is wallowing in his apartment solo, being welcomed into someone else's family or stumbling upon a travelling theatre troupe in the woods, he knows that he's truly on his own in this strange, sad, surreal and savage world, too. More than that, he's well-aware that this is what life is inescapably like for all of us, regardless of how routine, chaotic or grand our individual journeys from emerging out of our mother's womb to sinking into death's eternal waters happen to prove. Aster has opted for Beau Is Afraid as a moniker, with this horror-meets-tragicomedy mind-bender a filmic ode to existential alarm — and, more than that, a picture that turns catastrophising into a feature. Psychiatrists will have a field day; however, experiencing the latest in the writer/director's growing line of guilt-dripping celluloid nightmares, so should viewers in general. Even with Chilean The Wolf House helmers Cristóbal León and Joaquin Cosiña lending their help to the three-hour movie's midsection, where animation adds another dreamlike dimension to a picture book-style play within an already fantastical-leaning flick frequently running on dream logic, Aster embraces his favourite deranged terrain again. He makes bold choices, doesn't think twice about challenging himself and his audience, elicits a stunning lead performance and dances with retina-searing imagery, all while pondering inherited trauma, the emotional ties that bind and the malevolence that comes with dependence. Read our full review. LIMBO When Ivan Sen sent a police detective chasing a murdered girl and a missing woman in the Australian outback in 2013's Mystery Road and its 2016 sequel Goldstone, he saw the country's dusty, rust-hued expanse in sun-bleached and eye-scorching colour. In the process, the writer, director, co-producer, cinematographer, editor and composer used his first two Aussie noir films and their immaculately shot sights to call attention to how the nation treats people of colour — historically since its colonial days and still now well over two centuries later. Seven years after the last Jay Swan movie, following a period that's seen that character make the leap to the small screen in three television seasons, Sen is back with a disappearance, a cop, all that inimitable terrain and the crimes against its Indigenous inhabitants that nothing can hide. Amid evident similarities, there's a plethora of differences between the Mystery Road franchise and Limbo; however, one of its simplest is also one of its most glaring and powerful: shooting Australia's ochre-toned landscape in black and white. Limbo's setting: Coober Pedy, the globally famous "opal capital of the world" that's known for its underground dwellings beneath the blazing South Australian earth, but reimagined as the fictional locale that shares the film's name — a place unmistakably sporting an otherworldly topography dotted by dugouts to avoid the baking heat, and that hasn't been able to overcome the murder of a local Indigenous girl two decades earlier. The title is symbolic several times over, including to the visiting Travis Hurley (Simon Baker, Blaze), whose first task upon arrival is checking into his subterranean hotel, rolling up his sleeves and indulging his heroin addiction. Later, he'll be told that he looks more like a drug dealer than a police officer — but, long before then, it's obvious that his line of work and the sorrows he surveys along the way have kept him hovering in a void. While he'll also unburden a few biographical details about mistakes made and regrets held before the film comes to an end, such as while talking to the missing Charlotte Hayes' brother Charlie (Rob Collins, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and sister Emma (Natasha Wanganeen, The Survival of Kindness), this tattooed cop with wings inked onto his back is already in limbo before he's literally in Limbo talking. Read our full review. REALITY Sydney Sweeney is ready for her closeup. Playwright-turned-filmmaker Tina Satter obliges. A household name of late due to her exceptional work in both Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sweeney has earned the camera's attention for over a decade; however, she's never been peered at with the unflinching intensity of Satter's debut feature Reality. For much of this short, sharp and stunning docudrama, the film's star lingers within the frame. Plenty of the movie's 83-minute running time devotes its focus to her face, staring intimately and scrutinising what it sees. Within Reality's stranger-than-fiction narrative, that imagery spies a US Air Force veteran and National Security Agency translator in her mid-twenties, on what she thought was an ordinary Saturday. It's June 3, 2017, with the picture's protagonist returning from buying groceries to find FBI agents awaiting at her rented Augusta, Georgia home, then accusing her of "the possible mishandling of classified information". Reality spots a woman facing grave charges, a suspect under interrogation and a whistleblower whose fate is already known to the world. It provides a thriller of a procedural with agents, questions, allegations and arrests; an informer saga that cuts to the heart of 21st-century American politics, and its specific chaos since 2016; and an impossible-to-shake tragedy about how authority savagely responds to being held to account. Bringing her stage production Is This a Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription to the screen after it wowed off-Broadway and then Broadway, Satter dedicates Reality's bulk to that one day and those anxious minutes, unfurling in close to real time — but, pivotally, it kicks off three weeks earlier with its namesake at work while Fox News plays around her office. Why would someone leak to the media a restricted NSA report about Russian interference in getting Donald Trump elected? Before it recreates the words genuinely spoken between its eponymous figure and law enforcement, Reality sees the answer as well. Read our full review.
Brisbane comedy fans, your autumn plans now include chuckling your way through sets by Josh Thomas, Nazeem Hussain, Joel Creasey, Rhys Nicholson, Nina Oyama, Melanie Bracewell and Arj Barker at the 2024 Brisbane Comedy Festival. Each year, the Brisbane Powerhouse-run event brings the giggles for an entire month, with more than 100 comedians set to stand behind the microphone when it next returns. Also on the 2024 list: Reuben Kaye, Luke Heggie, Ivan Aristeguieta, Guy Montgomery, Schalk Bezuidenhout and the return of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare. As always, BCF is a something-for-everyone fest. If you can't find something to laugh at, you mightn't have a funny bone. 2024's Brisbane Comedy Festival will take place from Friday, April 26–Sunday, May 26, filling not only New Farm's riverside arts venue with laughter, but also The Princess Theatre, Fortitude Music Hall and The Tivoli. So far, the event has announced its first 25 acts, spanning both local and overseas names, stand-up sets and broader events. The annual Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala is among them, kicking off the fest with a yet-to-be-revealed list of talents — and so is rom-com production 44 Sex Acts in One Week. Thomas' place on the bill is big news given that he hasn't taken to the BCF stage since 2013, which was when Please Like Me first arrived. When Sh!t-faced Shakespeare makes its comeback — yes, its name is as descriptive as it sounds, with one member of the troupe completely sloshed at each performance — it'll be to take on the Scottish play, aka Macbeth. And Deadloch fans will want to check out Oyama's onstage efforts. The first-round bill also includes Bob Franklin, Tony Martin, Bev Killick and Gretel Killeen teaming up for an Aussie Comedy Legends night; Kaye's brand-new show APOCALIPSTIK; and James Schloeffel from The Shovel and Charles Firth from The Chaser bringing Wankernomics: Solutionising the Corporate World follow-up Wankernomics 2.0: As Per My Last Email Brisbane's way. The 2024 Brisbane Comedy Festival will take place between Friday, April 26–Sunday, May 26. For further details and tickets — with the first shows on sale from 10am on Friday, November 17 — head to the festival's website.
Brisbanites, next time you head to Albion, you might want to say cheers to the experience. You won't want to raise a glass of any old tipple, however, because drinking Albion Gin while in the inner north suburb should now sit on your must-do list. The new tipple is the creation of distillery Granddad Jack's, which originally set up shop on the Gold Coast and has now branched out to Brisbane. The craft outfit makes its own craft gin, whiskey, vodka, coffee liqueur and specialty spirits, including its new signature variety of juniper-flavoured booze. Visitors to its new Collingwood Street digs will also be able to sip their way through limited-edition releases, with new types launched monthly, or opt for one of two beers on tap. So, get ready to tuck into the brand's core range, which'll now also be made in the Albion venue's 300-litre still and brewhouse. The distillery also has a barrel room just to house its whiskey and barrel-aged gin, all of which you can enjoy in cocktails — and, in terms of decor, you'll be knocking back drinks while surrounded by a rustic brick, wood and leather look. Food-wise, the distillery is BYO, including from eateries in the area. Given that the new Craft'd Grounds precinct is also set to open on Collingwood Street, you'll have plenty of choices. You can bring your dog along to Granddad Jack's as well, so your pupper can also scope out the joint. Patrons will notice a greenhouse onsite, too, which is where the Granddad Jack's team will grow the different botanicals it needs to create its spirit blends, as well as its garnishes; think: edible flowers, strawberries, cucumbers and mint. That greenhouse isn't just a functional space, either. There really was a granddad Jack, the grandfather of the distillery's co-owner David Ridden, and he loved spending time in his garden and greenhouse. He also was known to hit up the race tracks at Albion Park, so Granddad Jack's new site pays him tribute in multiple ways. Ridden and his son Luke, who is also the brand's head distiller, have been operating Granddad Jack's since 2018.
Usually when August rolls around, the Ekka takes over Brisbane. And, to encourage everyone to get their fix of rides, sideshows and showbags, the city scores a midweek public holiday to celebrate. But in 2021, the annual exhibition was cancelled due to the city's most recent COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown, which meant that enjoying a Wednesday without work didn't happen. And yes, this is exactly what occurred in 2020 as well. This year, just like last, the Queensland Government is moving the Ekka public holiday — so everyone is still getting a day off, even if it didn't happen when it usually does. Also like in 2020, that day without work will now happen on a Friday. Yes, you'll be scoring a bonus long weekend. If you had work plans for Friday, October 29, they've now been cancelled. Instead, prepare to sleep in, kick back and even head out of town. 'People's Day' is once again becoming 'People's Long Weekend', and yes, that means that Brisbanites will receive a three-day work-free span. Obviously, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is encouraging everyone to make the most of it. Announcing the change of date — which is in effect for 2021 and 2021 only — the Premier said it'll be "a wonderful long weekend", with the move applying to folks in the Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Scenic Rim areas. "This long weekend was such a success the last time we did it," the continued, while noting that border restrictions and the status of COVID-19 in other states means that holidaying in Queensland is the preferred idea. BREAKING: @TheEkka public holiday will be moved to Friday, 29 October after the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. The new public holiday applies to the Local Government Areas of Brisbane, the Scenic Rim and Moreton Bay.#Ekka #GoodToGo pic.twitter.com/SRwvyy7R44 — Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 17, 2021 Brisbane's 'People's Day' public holiday will now take place on Friday, October 29. For further details, read the Queensland Government's announcement. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. More details about the lockdown and associated restrictions can also be found on the Queensland Health website.
Mindfulness practice — achieving the mental state of focusing on the present moment — is gaining popularity as people attempt to regulate their stressful lives. People have turned to everything from meditation to colouring books to achieve mindfulness, but perhaps few people would think of doing a triathlon to achieve inner peace. Take three activities that promote mindfulness — specifically running, yoga and meditation — and you've got yourself a 'mindful triathlon'. Wanderlust 108 has been running these triathlon festivals since 2014, and the standard day has a few main components. First, there's the five kilometre run, although the site reassures you that you can walk instead of running — or even "prance, skip, stroll or strut" — as long as you reach the finish line. After that, theres 75 minutes of yoga accompanied by a DJ set, and finally 30 minutes of meditation to round out the whole-group activities. Once the structured section of the day has wrapped up, participants can also head to activities such as aerial yoga, acroyoga and hooping, or to lunch. It's part exercise, part dance party, part fest — and 100% focused on helping attendees feel great inside and out. Also on the agenda: walking meditation, essential oil classes and the Mindful Marketplace, which will help you take your new blissed-out state home with you. Returning to Brisbane on Saturday, October 20, this year's Wanderlust 108 will take place in West End's Orleigh Park. By Siobhan Ryan and Sarah Ward.
It couldn't have been hard to cast Pete Davidson as a stoner in Dumb Money, but getting the Bupkis star playing a part that barely feels like a part on paper is perfect in this ripped-from-the-headlines film. He doesn't give the movie's top performance, which goes to lead Paul Dano (The Fabelmans), but he's satisfyingly great as the DoorDash driver who's often trolling his brother online and in-person. He's also an example in Cruella and I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie's entertaining feature of one of the ideas that this true tale heartily disproves. Viewers know what they're going to get from Davidson, and he delivers. Wall Street thought it knew what it was in for when small-time investors splashed their cash on stock for US video-game store chain GameStop, too, but the frenzy that resulted demonstrated otherwise. It was in 2019 IRL when DeepFuckingValue aka Roaring Kitty aka Keith Gill first posted on subreddit r/wallstreetbets that he'd bought stock in GameStop, the Texas-born brand that had been struggling but he thought was undervalued. Dumb Money tells this story from Keith's digital enthusiasm through to the impact upon the financial markets, plus the worldwide attention that followed. In 2021, the GameStop situation wasn't just news. It was a phenomenon, and one of the great modern-day David-versus-Goliath scenarios. There's a reason that this recent chapter of history been turned into a movie, and not just because it's an easy candidate to try to emulate The Big Short: the big end of town kept pulling its usual strings, the 99 percent played their own game instead and the status quo was upended — temporarily. Amid its array of memes, news clips and TikTok snippets, Dumb Money meets Keith in the pandemic, where empty commutes to his industry gig contrast with netizens hanging on his virtual chatter. As the hachimaki-wearing, beer-sipping Roaring Kitty, the Bostonian YouTuber streams from his basement, talking about how "Wall Street gets it wrong all the time" — and why GameSpot might be one of those instances. His wife Caroline (Shailene Woodley, Robots) is already supportive, and viewers and forum posters begin to agree. Enter a motley crew of characters all snapping up stock: Pittsburgh nurse and single mother Jenny (America Ferrera, Barbie) dreams of being able to comfortably take care of her children, Austin college students Riri (Myha'la Herrold, Black Mirror) and Harmony (Talia Ryder, Do Revenge) have tuition to pay, and Detroit GameStop worker Marcos (Anthony Ramos, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) sports bigger ambitions than toeing the corporate line enforced by his by-the-book boss Brad (Dane DeHaan, Oppenheimer). Keith, Jenny and company comprise Dumb Money's titular term: it's what amateur individual investors are dubbed. On the supposedly "smart money" side sit the wealthy who want to get even wealthier. Hedge fund cronies Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Steve Cohen (Vincent D'Onofrio, Godfather of Harlem) and Kenneth C Griffin (Nick Offerman, The Last of Us) are all spliced into the pacy narrative from luxurious abodes — Miami mansions, well-appointed offices and country clubs — while looking like money as well as living and breathing it. With GameStop, they're aiming to make more by betting the other way. They'll profit as shares fall, which Roaring Kitty, his acolytes and their efforts to drive up the price to cash in themselves threaten. Also in the slick-and-sweating camp are Vlad Tenev (Sebastian Stan, Sharper) and Baiju Bhatt (Rushi Kota, Never Have I Ever), creators of trading platform Robinhood, which is touted as a democratising advance and widely used by GameStop stock devotees, then shifts its allegiances. Rogen, Stan and Australian filmmaker Gillespe collaborated on Pam & Tommy, which also took a slice of actuality, broke down the details, unpacked the chaos and served it up engagingly. It was an underdog tale as well — not by splitting its time between its eponymous celebrities and the folks who leaked their sex tape, but because Pamela Anderson's fight to be seen as more than a sex symbol beat at its centre. Here, the hierarchy is straightforward. There's no doubting who's battling and who already possesses the power, although an off-screen tidbit does cast a shadow over the anti-establishment push, emphasising that money talks no matter what. Among the film's executive producers are Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the investors famous for being portrayed by Armie Hammer in The Social Network, plus everything that movie covered about their involvement in Facebook's early days. Penned by Orange Is the New Black alumni Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, adapting Ben Mezrich's 2021 book The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees (the author's 2009 tome The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal was the basis for The Social Network), Dumb Money isn't the first time that the GameStop stock saga has reached screens. It also won't be the last. Two-part HBO documentary Gaming Wall Street arrived in 2022 with Succession's Kieran Culkin narrating, and doco film GameStop: Rise of the Players hit the same year. Reports have also swirled about a Netflix feature starring To All the Boys' Noah Centino and written by The Hurt Locker Oscar-winner Mark Boal, and another flick called To the Moon. Whatever else does follow, this version is clearly a Gillespe joint right down to the overt needle drops, which summed up Cruella in all the wrong ways — but style and substance find a better match here. Dumb Money keeps things snappy but never too sleek; it's lively and giddy but grounded; and it's about the rise to eat the rich, not just about rich who demand eating, even if reality's revolution hasn't been that ravenous. The narrative journey is all rollercoaster, as is the stock journey — rises, falls, soaring and dipping included — and Dano's key performance straps in for it all. He's calm, earnest, determined, passionate and likeable, selling Keith's growing folk-hero status as well as the fact that he's an everyman galvanising ordinary people from his suburban home while trying to carve out a better future for his family. Dano is also excellent when dealing with Davidson as Keith's gleefully shit-stirring brother Kevin, who borrows his car without asking to make his deliveries and skims off the orders he's ferrying around. This pair constantly prove apt in the film's story in multiple ways, including by conveying eagerness for more yet not dutifully buying what capitalism is slinging. Everyone around Dano and Davidson hits their marks, albeit without as much room for depth afforded by the screenplay, but Dumb Money is all the more compelling — and right on the money — for never forgetting that this is a collective tale.
Byron Bay is a standout spot. An iconic holiday destination for Aussies and celebrities alike, the coastal town draws crowds year-round with its gorgeous beaches, thriving wellness scene and bottomless good vibes. Byron does, however, get a bit crowded in the summertime. Escape the summer crowds and embrace the peace and quiet of Byron Bay during winter instead. Enjoy long walks on the beach, scenic hikes in the hinterland, and indulge in a laid-back lifestyle designed to unplug you from the fast-paced nine to five, a lifestyle that makes this town a special spot. We've teamed up with Crystalbrook Byron to give one lucky CP reader and a plus one that very getaway. Embrace the beauty of northern NSW with a stay in the luxurious Crystalbrook Byron — which is offering a special treat for anyone that's in need of a break, an intimate winter getaway for you and a plus one that includes: two nights of accommodation in a luxe suite, daily breakfast in Forest Byron Bay, complimentary bubbles, $500 spa credit in Eléme Day Spa and return flights from your home city. All that comes out to quite a lovely experience in one of NSW's loveliest towns. And if you fancy a return visit, you can join the Crystalbrook Crowd to get 20% off bookings until Saturday, September 30. To enter this giveaway, all you need to do is complete the form below. [competition]904144[/competition]
If you've ever coveted a fashion brand's whole aesthetic and wished you could step inside its ads, New Zealand clothing label Rodd & Gunn comes bearing good news: thanks to its chain of bars and restaurants, called The Lodge Bar & Dining, you can now do just that. Originally opening in Queenstown in 2016, then expanding to Auckland in 2020, and also making the leap to Melbourne in 2021, The Lodge turns Rodd & Gunn's rustic-meets-sophisticated vibe into a venue — and comes highly recommended from NZ. Its next stop: Brisbane, thanks to a new site on James Street that'll open in mid-May. In its homeland, The Lodge goes for a big alpine mood, naturally; however, don't just assume that it's skewing tropical in Brissie. Here, the new 150-seater eatery will feature wood flooring, wool rugs, and plenty of leather and brass decor. There will also be a wraparound balcony that lets patrons peer out over Fortitude Valley and New Farm, though, so it will be leaning into its Queensland location in at least one way. While an exact launch date hasn't been revealed, Brisbanites can look forward to roving around a 749-square-metre space in a heritage Queenslander, which has been revamped to play up the local design and also nod to NZ. Downstairs, you'll find a retail space for shopping, a dining room, plus a corner bar with banquette seating. Then, upstairs there'll be another bar, a private dining area and that aforementioned balcony. Also set to be part of The Lodge: a chilled wine wall, a bespoke bar made out of stone and a feature flagstone wall. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Lodge Bar (@thelodgebaranz) Menu-wise, the food will focus on Australian produce, while the wine list will go heavy on multi-award-winning NZ tipples. The Lodge Bar Group's chef Matt Lambert is responsible for the culinary lineup, with The Lodge Brisbane's Head Chef James Evangelinos putting it on plates — and master sommelier and The Lodge Bar's Head of Beverages Cameron Douglas doing the honours with the drinks selection. New Zealand has just reopened to Australian tourists effective Tuesday, April 12, so trips over the ditch are back on the agenda, of course. But consider The Lodge the slice of NZ you can eat, drink, hang out in and shop your way through without hopping on a plane — all on James Street. Find Rodd & Gunn x The Lodge Bar & Dining at 49 James Street, Fortitude Valley, from mid-May — we'll update you with an exact opening date when it is announced.
Apologies, scorned women — when it comes to cinema, hell hath no fury like an impassioned filmmaker angry about race relations in his beloved country. Or, to put it another way, no one makes a seething big-screen statement about bigotry in the US like Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and Chi-Raq director Spike Lee. You could call his latest joint many things, and they all fit: a crusading comedy laced with searing commentary, a tale so enraging and ridiculous that it can only be true, and a savage political polemic, for starters. Still, what echoes loudest in BlacKkKlansman isn't the megaphone that the film gives to its specific, valid and vital perspective. Rather, it's the shocked silence that emanates as the 70s-set picture holds a much-needed mirror up to America today. In the type of true story that'd be accused of being too far-fetched if it was fiction, BlacKkKlansman chronicles that one time an African–American police officer went undercover in the Ku Klux Klan. All his infiltration mission took was three things, each as crucial as the last. Firstly, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) had to get a job as a Colorado Springs detective, then convince his superiors that his talents exceeded the records room. Next, he had to spot a newspaper ad, put on a white-sounding voice and call the Ku Klux Klan's local chapter. Finally, he had to enlist his Jewish colleague Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to be the face of his fake persona. That Stallworth also managed to strike up a phone-based friendship with Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke (Topher Grace) didn't hurt, either. With Lee adapting the real-life Stallworth's book with a trio of co-writers, BlacKkKlansman's narrative is filled with telling juxtapositions. The fact that everything on screen did happen, despite all logic seeming to dictate otherwise, is just the beginning. Furthermore, the contrast between the film's comic and horrific elements only scratches the surface. Also peppered throughout: the progressive posturing of the police force versus the bureaucratic reality, the discrimination faced along racial lines compared to gender and religion, and the smarts needed to bring down an organisation that operates on such sheer stupidity. Plus, as Stallworth strikes up a fledgling relationship with student activist Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier) — who happens to be escorting a Black Panther leader (Corey Hawkins) into town — the movie explores clashing methods of fighting deep-seeded racism. Helming the film it feels like he was born to make, Lee approaches his weighty material with the complexity that it deserves. Indeed, there's nothing simple about BlacKkKlansman, not only in its themes but in every element both in front of and behind the lens. Acting-wise, Washington puts in an intelligent, assured performance — sharing his dad Denzel's knack for commanding the screen with little more than a look and some silent swagger — while Driver's usual casual vibe serves his character well, and Grace gives prejudice a chillingly articulate face. Stylistically, the movie boasts the visual depth and texture that comes from shooting on 35mm, a suitably layered yet stirring soundtrack, and the energetic pace you'd expect from a filmmaker so committed to his cause. And yet, there's one aspect that Lee and company perfect above all else. Tonally, BlacKkKlansman is a feat that might never be beaten. It's a procedural and a caper that combines a mix of history, humour, tragedy and a sense of injustice; a film that has no interest in subtlety, and yet sometimes feels like it's actually (and purposefully) holding back. That's not one of the movie's many juxtapositions, and nor is it a failing of nerve. Instead, it's a concerted and clever choice. Lee waves his ire around like a flag, while at the same time adopting the best approach to capture broader attention. His fury and ferocity never subsides, but rather shape-shifts through awkward laughs, surreal encounters, world-weary sorrow and raw terror alike. Whether kicking things off with a pointed overview of cinema's racist leanings since the advent of the medium, sticking to its period setting, or underscoring the narrative's parallels with the reality of today via heartbreaking news footage, BlacKkKlansman is all the more powerful, resonant and relevant as a result. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpxJIWz8MNQ
Winter is when Aotearoa really turns it on. There's snow on the mountains, clear skies over Lake Tekapo and hot pools to warm you up on freezing days. Whether you're hitting the slopes, exploring the wine regions, or just settling in somewhere cosy, New Zealand is all about slowing down, clearing your head and enjoying every moment. To help you plan the perfect escape, we've rounded up eight of the best winter stays across the North and South Island – and every one of them is ten percent off when you book via our dedicated travel platform, Concrete Playground Trips using your Visa card. From boutique gems to lakeside luxury, these are the hotels worth checking into this season.
J-horror devotees, rejoice: Australia's Japanese Film Festival is back for 2023, and it boasts a couple of highlights for lovers of scary cinema. If you're a fan of Japan's contribution to frightening flicks, then The Forbidden Play is your first must-see. Behind the lens is Hideo Nakata, the director of 1998's iconic Ringu, aka the movie that helped spark a global obsession (and the American spinoffs, too). This time, the filmmaker tells of a son wanting to bring his mother back to life, so much so that he keeps chanting a resurrection spell that awakens something evil. This year's JFF isn't just about unsettling titles, but it does also feature Immersion, which hails from Ju-On: The Grudge director Takashi Shimizu (who also helmed the first US remake starring Sarah Michelle Gellar). In his latest effort, he's playing with grudges again, as well as traditional Japanese superstitions, virtual reality and a secluded island — which is never a good setting for a horror film. That's the unnerving contingent for JFF 2023, which is focusing on films that explore connections between the past and the present when it tours the country across spring. Of course, it will also serve another function: letting audiences head to Japan from their cinema seats. Everyone has a favourite place in the world to visit. If you love travelling vicariously through movies when you can't do the real thing — in-between trips, or when your budget or just life in general doesn't have room for big holidays — then you likely have a favourite country-focused cinema event as well. JFF is one such event, surveying the latest and greatest in the nation's filmography. 2023 marks its 27th year, in fact, complete with a packed program. Among the delightful aspects of this film festival is its two-pronged approach in most cities, giving both recent and retrospective titles their own time to shine. One part of the event heroes latest releases, the other goes big on classics, and each has their own run of dates. You'll find that setup in Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney from September–November, with Perth the only location solely focusing on new movies. Officially opening the fest for 2023: We're Broke, My Lord!, a character-driven story about an unexpected inheritance from director Tetsu Maeda (And So the Baton Is Passed). From there, audiences can also look forward to the aforementioned to J-horror pictures; the animated Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom; Citizen Kitano's tribute to actor, comedian and filmmaker Takeshi Kitano (Outrage Coda); and Yokaipedia, which is about three boys on a monster-filled quest. Fellow standouts include Yudo: The Way of the Bath, a comedy about bathhouse rituals; romance We Made a Beautiful Bouquet; Natchan's Little Secret, where three drag queens head to a funeral; and Single8, with director Kazuya Konaka's paying tribute to filmmaking before the digital era. And, in the special series — aka the fest's retrospective thread — post-war Japanese cinema figure Kо̄ Nakahira is in the spotlight. JFF will screen 1956's Juvenile Jungle and Milkman Frankie, 1957's Temptation, 1962's Danger's Where The Money Is!, and 1963's Mud Spattered Purity, as well as Flora on the Sand, Only on Mondays and The Hunter's Diary from 1964, plus 1965's The Black Gambler. JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Canberra: Special series: Saturday, September 30–Monday, October 2 at NFSA Latest releases: Wednesday, October 11–Sunday, October 15 at Palace Electric Perth: Latest releases: Monday, October 16–Sunday, October 22 at Palace Raine Square Brisbane: Special series: Friday, October 6–Sunday, October 8 and Wednesday, October 11 at QAGOMA Latest releases: Wednesday, October 18–Sunday, October 22 at Palace Barracks Melbourne: Latest releases: Monday, October 23–Sunday, October 29 at The Kino and Palace Balwyn Special series: Thursday, November 2–Sunday, November 5 at ACMI Sydney: Special series: Monday, October 23–Wednesday, October 25 at The Chauvel Latest releases: Thursday, October 26–Tuesday, October 31 at Palace Central, Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona The 2023 Japanese Film Festival tours Australia from September–November. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website. Top images: ©2023 The Forbidden Play Film Partners, © 2023 IMMERSION Production Committee.
Whether you're a city slicker or certified survivalist, enjoying life on an outback station is an unforgettable experience. Fortunately, the areas surrounding Cunnamulla are home to a number of historic farmlands that welcome visitors for outdoor adventures and backcountry camping. One such example is Franc Villers Station, which features serene unpowered camping sites alongside a picturesque dam. Here, you're welcome to fish, swim or just relax in the country air. Meanwhile, Nulla Station offers camping along the Warrego River right beside a wildlife reserve, with a network of tributaries and rocky outcrops offering self-guided explorations. Head to the website to choose from a variety of accomodation options. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Weird food museums have plenty in common with everyone's favourite doughy Italian dish — there's a type for everyone, and no one can resist their charms. Quite a number exist around the world, celebrating everything from ramen to currywurst to jell-o, but the latest will revel in the deliciousness that is pizza. Who doesn't want to while away a few hours in a pizza cave, pizza fun house or at the pizza beach, then play some pizza games? No one, that's who. They're just some of the attractions on offer at the pizza-themed space, which is is popping up in New York at a yet-to-be-disclosed location. Like the city's other over-the-top ode to a food that everyone loves, aka the Museum of Ice Cream, it's a short-term affair, running from October 13 to 28. Other highlights include an artist's gallery, presumably showcasing plenty of ace pizza-making; an interactive exhibit exploring the history of pizza, as well as promising to tell the dish's untold story (if it reveals that pizza also tastes great cold, well, that's something that everyone knows); and something called 'pizza zen', which, if it's meditation involving pizza, we're sure everyone will be onboard with. There'll also be a pizza screening room — if you'd like to watch clips of pizza, perhaps? So far, few concrete details about what any of these attractions actually entail have been revealed, but they sure will involve pizza somehow. The Museum is being called an "artistic tribute to pizza", according to its website, while the event's ticketing listing describes it as "a place to take amazing photos" and "a space to bask in multi-sensory, psychedelic pizza joy." Expect Instagram to be overrun with pizza photos, basically. If you're wondering about actually eating pizza, yes, attendees will also get a slice with their $35 ticket, from a vendor outside the venue. But, as every pizza fiend knows, one piece is never enough, so "the Museum will do its best to make additional pizza available." Via Eater.
Since opening in mid-2019, Za Za Ta has taken its culinary cues from Israel. Executive chef Roy Ner was born there, after all, and has long enjoyed mixing his heritage into his cooking. A year latter, in a huge revamp of its menu, the Fortitude Valley restaurant is also finding inspiration in another source — in an entirely plant-based menu. Za Za Ta's bar and kitchen is now serving up a Tel Aviv-style vegetarian lineup — so your next meze bites and bigger meals won't feature any meat, but they will be big on wood-smoked charcoal flavours. From the small-plate selection, on offer is a mix of share-friendly dishes, such as hummus made with braised chickpeas and a 63-degree egg ($15), silverbeet and feta börek fingers ($17), whipped feta with spiced beetroot ($14). Or, if you're feeling particularly hungry, you can opt for the shish barak, aka Lebanese-style pumpkin dumplings ($24); or the Turkish-influenced lentil and mushroom manti dumplings ($23), too. The slow-cooked eggplant h'raime ($26) serves up a spicy Moroccan dish alongside a tomato salad, the cauliflower shawarma ($24) also features smoked labneh and quince, while the traditional Israeli date pudding ($9) is just one of the dessert options. And, for those who don't know where to start, there's a $59 chef's choice deal. Drinks are also be a big focus at Za Za Ta, with rum beverages and spice-infused cocktails that use fresh cold-pressed juices, whichever citrus fruit happen to be in season and Middle Eastern botanicals. There's also a wine list that leans Australian, French and Italian, with biodynamic, organic and skin contact vinos, too — plus a selection of craft beers. Updated August 12, 2020.
Everyone has seen a TV show about renovating homes, buying real estate, blitzing backyards and building dream houses, even if they're not your preferred kind of viewing. But no one has watched an entry in the home renovation genre quite like The Curse, a spoof arriving this spring that gets Emma Stone (Cruella) and Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal) playing a couple hosting their own home improvement series — and having some bad luck. Unsurprisingly, Fielder doesn't just star but also co-created, co-writes and co-directs. And, also to the astonishment of no one, the end result looks like far from your average series. A home makeover show, but eerie: that's the vibe in the just-dropped first teaser trailer for The Curse, complete with unsettling tunes to match. There's also Stone's opening line in the sneak peek at the ten-part series: "did you know you can put out fires with the sun?". Spoken with the cheery tone that's only ever used by people hosting TV shows, those 11 words are as disquieting as the score by the Safdie brothers' collaborator Oneohtrix Point Never. And, yes, not just the talent that made Good Time and Uncut Gems sound so unnerving but the sibling filmmakers behind them are also involved in The Curse. Benny Safdie (Oppenheimer) co-stars, co-created, co-writes and co-directs, with Josh Safdie an executive producer. Fielder and Stone play Asher and Whitney Siegel, who host a show on HGTV — American pay TV network Home & Garden Television — called Fliplanthropy. Newly married, they're trying to have a baby, but find their plans disrupted. Cue The Curse's title, obviously. [caption id="attachment_920385" align="alignnone" width="1920"] (L-R): Emma Stone as Whitney and Nathan Fielder as Asher in THE CURSE, Season 1. Photo Credit: Beth Garrabrant/A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.[/caption] Benny Safdie plays their producer, with Barkhad Abdi (Little America), Corbin Bernsen (White House Plumbers) and Constance Shulman (Search Party) also featuring. Like everything almost everything of late, it seems — Close, Beau Is Afraid, You Hurt My Feelings, Past Lives, smash-hit Australian horror movie Talk to Me, fellow TV series Beef, the return of iconic Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense to cinemas, the Nicolas Cage-starring Dream Scenario — The Curse hails from A24. In Australia, it'll stream from Saturday, November 11 via Paramount+. Check out the first teaser trailer for The Curse below: The Curse will stream from Saturday, November 11 via Paramount+. Images: Beth Garrabrant and John Paul Lopez/A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
Earlier this week, we were pretty floored by the sci-fi-turned-reality that is the underwater home. Now, the latest in architecture is once again daring us to new extremes — this time in the form of the jaw-dropping Cliff House. Conjured up by Melbourne company Modscape, the five-storey dwelling clings to your regular cliff face, affording dramatic ocean views, avoiding neighbours and enabling coastal development without the dreaded high-rise skyline. It's also the most terrifying holiday home we've ever seen. We're not sure who has the cojones to live here, as this is next level extreme real estate — for example, is that last storey a pool or a ocean-accessing hole? Overall, according to the Modscape site, the design is "inspired by the way barnacles cling to the hull of a ship... visualised as a natural extension of the cliff face rather than an addition to the landscape, creating an absolute connection with the ocean." The Cliff House came about as a response to an increasing number of requests from clients wanting to inhabit Australia's more treacherous coastal sections. Obviously, the big question — how does the house not plunge perilously into the ocean? Modscape's modular design and prefabrication technologies are crucial to the concept. Several modules are stacked on top of one another and kept in place with engineered steel pins. You enter the house through a top floor carport, where you meet an elevator that descends to each of the five floors. As far as interior design goes, the mock-up emphasises minimalism, allowing for total appreciation of the location. At this stage, the Cliff House is still in concept phase, but the company is confident that given the right cliff face, it'll be totally doable — if you're game. Via Inhabitat.
Anything humans can eat, dogs think they can munch on as well. But as every responsible pet parent knows, that isn't actually the case. So, we've all weathered those adorable, yearning, pleading looks from our beloved pooches as we've tucked into something they'd like to taste as well. And, we've all felt the heartbreak at letting our cute critters down — even though it's for their health. Does your doggo get a twinkle in their eye whenever there's a doughnut around? It wouldn't be the first — and, for the next fortnight, it's in luck. In the lead up to International Dog Day on Thursday, August 26, Krispy Kreme has announced the release of a limited-edition range of 'doggie doughnuts'. They're doughnut-inspired dog biscuits, actually, but they sure do look like the real thing. The eye-catching bikkies are a collaboration with Coolum-based pet treats business Huds and Toke, and they come in six different varieties. If you love Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts, perhaps your pupper will adore the dog biscuit version as well. Or, you could let then go barking mad over choc iced, choc cookie, choc cheesecake, choc sprinkles and strawberry sprinkles varieties. The biscuits aren't made from doughnuts or from chocolate, of course; instead, they use a hard-baked cookie base, as well as frosting made from ingredients like carob and yoghurt that's been designed specifically for dog jaws. The bikkies are also meant to be good for chewing and for dental cleaning — and they're designed to last longer than your usual dog treat. If these round delights will get your four-legged friend's tail wagging, you can buy them in six-packs (for $14.95) between now and Thursday, August 26 at Krispy Kreme stores — including via drive-thru and click-and-collect. And, they are just for pets — so just like how Fido or Rover can't have your doughnut, you can't have their version either. Krispy Kreme's doggie doughnuts are now available from the chain's stores — including via drive-thru and click-and-collect — until Thursday, August 26.
Pull out your loose change stash and check under the couch, because one of Paddington's favourite haunts is serving up an impressive end-of-week deal. Every Friday, Kettle and Tin is slinging dumplings for $1 a piece. Head on in from 3pm and bring your appetite — and all the gold coins you can find. Choose between pork and chive or vegetarian, which both come pan-fried. There is one catch — punters must purchase a full-priced drink to access the $1 dumpling extravaganza. No bookings are required, so just mosey on in before 9pm — but you might want to reserve a table online anyway in case they're all snatched up when your dumpling craving hits. Image: Kettle and Tin.
Where would we be without movies in 2020? While we'd usually say that there's no such thing as a bad year for the filmic medium, this year has been something else. Yes, cinemas have been closed for a hefty portion of the year, and have closed again in Melbourne. Yes, plenty of big blockbusters have shifted their release dates or ditched their in-cinema release for streaming instead. But the joy and escapism that watching a flick provides — even when you're in lockdown, quarantining or isolating at home — has been particularly cathartic in 2020. Still keen to queue up a big heap of movies, and a hefty dose of couch time? Enter Movie Frenzy, the week-long online film rental sale. Until Thursday, August 13, it's serving up a sizeable lineup of popular flicks from the past year, all at $3 or less per movie. On the lineup: the murder-mystery thrills of Knives Out, standout horror remake The Invisible Man, the war-torn tension of 1917 and a candy-hued take on comic book mayhem in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). You can also spend some time with Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit or Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, watch Daniel Radcliffe with weapons nailed to his hands in Guns Akimbo, and see Kristen Stewart get scared under the sea's surface in Underwater. Jumanji: The Next Level, Sonic the Hedgehog, Just Mercy and Midway are also on offer, as are Like a Boss, Dolittle, Bloodshot and Bad Boys for Life — and while some are more worth your attention than others, we'll let you do the choosing. You can nab the cheap flicks via your digital rental platform of choice, including Apple TV, Fetch, Google Play, Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, Amazon Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office and YouTube — although just what's available, and the price, will vary depending on the service. And you won't need a subscription, unless you decide to join in the fun via the Foxtel Store. Movie Frenzy runs until Thursday, August 13 — with film rental costing up to $3 per movie.
Paris, oh Paris. What with your cobblestone streets, your heavenly, heavenly bakeries, your old men playing the accordion on the street, your ridiculously difficult but seductive language… you’re pretty good at, well, everything I guess. You’re not very good at sharing the wealth though. Until now. Paris, the center of the Surrealist art movement, has an extensive collection of surrealist art works at one of the world’s best museums of modern and contemporary art – the Musée national d’art moderne, in Paris’ iconic Centre Pompidou. They’re bringing 180 surrealist works by 56 artists over to the GoMA for ‘Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams’, which will be on show from June through to October. There’ll be paintings, sculptures, ‘surrealist objects’, films, photographs, drawings and collages, displaying a historical overview of the Surrealist movement since its discovery in the early 20s. The Gallery of Modern Art is the exclusive Australian venue for the exhibition – thanks Paris! Brisbane owes ya one - the Four and Twenty meat pies are in the post.
If 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater wants to catch a wave, but doesn't feel like going to the beach, he can hop on a board at his inland surf ranch in Lemoore, California. Next time the surfing champ is in Australia, he'll be able to hang ten at a second facility on the Sunshine Coast. While no dates have been announced, the second surf ranch is set to open in Coolum, a 90-minute drive from Brisbane. It'll sprawl over a 510-hectare site, with 75 percent of the space dedicated to wetlands, public areas and lakes — although the surf ranch is clearly the main attraction. Like the Californian spot, the Sunny Coast's surf ranch will use the Kelly Slater Wave System — which, after taking ten years to develop, is crucial to the whole concept. It creates "repeatable man-made waves that convincingly deliver the power and shape of ocean waves most sought after by accomplished surfers, including a hollow barrel allowing for long tube rides". It was the impressiveness of these man-made waves that convinced surfing's governing body World Surf League (WSL) to acquire a majority stake in the Kelly Slater Wave Company (which created the wave technology and owns the Lemoore ranch) back in 2016. Opening more surf ranches was always part of WSL's plans — and, thankfully for us, it's launching the next one in Australia. [caption id="attachment_747864" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kelly Slater surfing at World Surf League's surf ranch in Lemoore, California.[/caption] As well as serving up all of the waves and none of the rips, unpredictable conditions and not-so-friendly sea creatures, the $1.1 billion development surrounding WSL's first Aussie ranch will also feature an eco-resort, a hotel, shops, a 'farm to plate' restaurant, serviced apartments, a sports centre, a school and houses. That means that you can head by for a surfing vacation or, if you're super-dedicated and have always wanted an excuse to pretend that you're in Point Break, you can move into the residential area. Like the Lemoore facility, the surf resort will be used for both competitions and coaching purposes. And if you're wondering why WSL has Queensland on its radar, the reasons are twofold. Firstly, surfing is set to become an Olympic sport at the Tokyo games next year. Secondly, the Sunshine State is contemplating putting in a bid for the 2032 Olympics. Australia already has a few man-made surfing spots for the public in the works, with Urbnsurf Melbourne launching this summer, and a Sydney location due to open next year. An outfit called Surf Lakes has also built a prototype spot at Yeppoon in regional Queensland, but it's only for testing — although the ultimate hope is that commercial versions will follow. WSL Surf Ranch is set to open in Coolum, Sunshine Coast. We'll let you know when exact dates are announced. Images: WSL Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California.
Got a taste for design? Enjoy your music? I might have an event you’d enjoy. You might have heard that BIGSOUND is on this week, it’s pretty large. Well, this year, the team behind BIGSOUND are introducing a new component to festivities; the BIGSOUND Music+Design Conference. Music and visuals have become intrinsically linked ever since the birth of moving pictures, maybe even before that. Album art, poster design, music clips – there are so many aspects of music that are enhanced by some good visuals. BIGSOUND is celebrating that element of music. On the conference panels are a massive list of who’s who in Music/Design. Perhaps one person that is worth name dropping is rock-god superstar, Nick Cave. Yes, the Nick Cave. In addition, several design houses are on hand to showcase some of their ideas and projects. Though a ticket might cost you a pretty penny, there are some freely accessible sections for the public to enjoy. The Artisan Beer+Design Lounge will be open from 2pm until 8pm where patrons can sample delicacies from Street Food Australia and craft beer from The Scratch – not to mention, they can have a squiz at some great design work. This is bound to be revolutionary aspect of the BIGSOUND conference. If you are in any way intrigued about music and design, this could be for you.
There's only one thing wrong with the third season of Reservation Dogs: it's the show's last. After three years and 28 episodes spent with Muscogee Nation residents in Oklahoma — and also on a journey to California and back — this coming-of-age dramedy says farewell as sublimely and soulfully as it's said everything else since 2021. When Reservation Dogs initially arrived, including on Binge in Australia, its debut season delivered one of the best new TV shows of that year. Next, its second spin served up one of the best returning shows of 2022. The show's swansong achieves the same for 2023, and in a ten-episode run that takes many of the series' own messages to heart. There's a skill in recognising when something's time has come, as Reservation Dogs knows. As co-created, executive produced and written by Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), this series is also well-aware that little lasts in life, but anything that's truly great always leaves an imprint and makes an impact. And, the show lives and breathes the idea that doing the best that you can with the time that you have is one of the noblest of purposes. Accordingly, while the teen-centric comedy about restless Indigenous North American adolescents feels like it could (and should) keep telling its stories forever, it wraps up with a season that's a rich and resonant goodbye — and continues to expand its slice-of-life tales, hero its distinctive perspectives and sink into minutiae that's seen nowhere else on television. Waititi gave Reservation Dogs its biggest name when it began with four Okern residents, aka the titular Rez Dogs, stealing a Flaming Flamers delivery truck to try to sell it to raise cash for their dream escape to the west coast. On the filmmaker's resume, it's one of a trio of brilliant half-hour comedies, premiering after the What We Do in the Shadows television spinoff was already a couple of seasons in and preceding pirate rom-com Our Flag Means Death. It's Harjo who is Reservation Dogs' guiding force, however, steering a series that couldn't be more original — and perfect. The casting, the cinematography, the equal parts dry and offbeat humour, the mix of clear-eyed reality and deeply felt spirituality, the thoughtfulness that swells through every touch: episode by episode, including in its masterful last season, these elements combine to make outstanding television. From its first-ever instalment, Reservation Dogs has hung out with its characters as they chase dreams and face truths, and realise that life is all about flitting between the two. So, it has enjoyed Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Fitting In), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese's (Lane Factor, The Fabelmans) company as they learn about the transience of existence at every moment, whether they're striving to see more than the place that they've always called home, grappling with loss or pondering what the future means. Of course moving on was always going to come for this show, then. Of course it's finishing on its own terms, too. And of course its final season is more moving, ruminative and mesmerising than ever. When viewers last saw the Rez Dogs at the end of season two, the OG quartet plus Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds), their once-rival and now somewhat-reluctant newcomer to the group, had finally made the trip to California that they'd been working towards their entire lives — but with added urgency after the death of their friend Daniel. Season three picks up with the gang still far away from home, and still journeying even when they do return. Elora considers both her past and her future, complete with an excellent guest appearance by Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight) in an episode that Jacobs directed. Bear goes wandering on his own, including through several revelatory encounters (and with the spirit of The Battle of Little Big Horn warrior William Knifeman, as played by another Rutherford Falls alum in Dallas Goldtooth, still popping up). Both Cheese and Willie Jack keep discovering new learnings within their community. All continue to utter and inspire the term "shitass", all while navigating everything from grief to hope. Harjo remains unafraid to depart from his leads along the way, whether sliding into history to explore myths, traditions or horrors inflicted upon Indigenous children; hanging with the Rez Dogs' parents and elders now as well as in their younger days; and taking the revenge-fuelled Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn, Alice, Darling) out of folklore and into a denim jumpsuit. A true portrait of community — and, of it teens embracing what it means to be a part of it — Reservation Dogs finds a story, be it big or small, for everyone within its frames. In season three, Bear's mother Rita (Sarah Podemski, Resident Alien) contemplates a big promotion that'll take her away from Okern, Elora's forever-20 mum Cookie (Janae Collins, Killers of the Flower Moon) still has messages to send as a spirit, and Jackie's aunt Bev (Rutherford Falls lead Jana Schmieding) has a spark with Officer Big (Zahn McClarnon, No Hard Feelings). Indeed, Reservation Dogs floats between characters as skilfully as it jumps between genres, in a series that can be anything in any given episode. During this last stretch, it's a road-trip awakening and an adventurous magical-realist odyssey. Then it dives into horror akin to Jordan Peele's work (see: Get Out, Us and Nope), as well as workplace comedy. Reservation Dogs flirts with 70s-set Dazed and Confused territory after that, plus an Ocean's-esque heist and sincere family drama as well. Harjo and his creative team nail each and every one — and ensure that every turn reinforces the show's survey of Native American life. This is a series that revels in the daily specifics, including the triumphs and joys; honours cultural conventions and how they're passed down; parodies cliches; and never forgets for a moment the plight that First Nations Americans have endured since colonial times. Everyday facts, ghostly visitors, decrying the worst of history, watching the next generation find its own way while balancing tradition and modernity, championing Indigenous talents emerging and experienced (including Killers of the Flower Moon's Lily Gladstone, Dead Man's Gary Farmer, The Last of the Mohicans' Wes Studi and Dances with Wolves' Graham Greene in the latter category): that's the juggling act that Reservation Dogs couldn't handle better. As Atlanta also achieved while similarly musing on race in the US, serving up surprises in every single episode and proving a creative masterpiece, it sees the moment-by-moment scene and the broader view. That both pictures take in the Oklahoma landscape also helps Reservation Dogs look like little else, as well as feel it. The show's legacy is equally pivotal; Bear, Elora, Willie Jack and Cheese especially will be deeply missed, but Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis and Factor shouldn't ever be far from screens after this exceptional breakthrough. Check out the trailer for Reservation Dogs season three below: Reservation Dogs streams via Binge. Read our review of season two, too. Images: Shane Brown/FX.
Brisbane has a brand new hangout spot with plenty of beer to drink, thanks to the opening of Felons Brewing Co. at Howard Smith Wharves. Launching today, Friday, November 23, the brewery is the first of the precinct's bars and restaurants to welcome customers. It's also the city's first riverside brewery, so prepare to sink plenty of hoppy beverages with one mighty fine view of the water, the Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point and the CBD. First announced back in August, Felons serves up brews made on the premises, with an Australian pale ale, crisp lager, middy and IPA always on tap — and a sparkling cider, too. The focus is on "natural and balanced beers of no fuss," says head brewer Tom Champion, who's one of several Felons team members with an ex-Little Creatures background. A rotating array of other beers are also on offer, as well as a wine list; however, Felons' other big highlight is its food. Think shucked oysters, prawns with cocktail sauce, hot wings and burgers, with woodfired pizzas set to join the menu at a later date. If you're settling in for a substantial meal, then mains that range from Moreton Bay bugs to crumbed veal to a whopping one-kilo Angus rib eye are available as well. From the dessert selection, a mango and passionfruit pavlova looks like a standout — as does the warm choc chip and macadamia cookie with vanilla malt ice cream and butterscotch. Making one of HSW's heritage-listed sheds its home, Felons wants everyone to know that it's there — so much so that you can spot its name on the brewery's roof from afar. The black-lettered sign is designed to be a landmark that can be seen from the air, and measures 47 metres long and five metres tall. It's also a nod to the site's past, with the wharves' old warehouses decked out the same way back in the day. When HSW's other two sheds open, they'll do the same thing. On Friday, November 30, Felons will have company, with long-awaited overwater bar Mr Percival's also opening this month. And already available to hire is the first of HSW's venues, Howard's Hall. It boasts uninterrupted river views, retractable glass windows and rooftop terraces. Eventually, the precinct will also include five other indoor entertainment spaces, plus multi-use outdoor spaces and entertainment stages. The list goes on, with the finished precinct also set to welcome Greek taverna Greca, a two-level Asian fusion joint, Brisbane's first Toko restaurant and four other restaurants, as well as the city's second Art Series Hotel, a coffee roaster, a bakery and a green space that supplies HSW's eateries with fresh produce. Find Felons Brewing Co. at the Howard Smith Wharves precinct, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane. For more information visit the brewery's website.
Perpetually moody rockers Sonic Youth are selling some of their vintage equipment and gear in order to raise money for Shelter Box USA, a charity devoted to responding "instantly to natural and manmade disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are in most need." The band has already put several items up for sale on eBay with more expected to come in the next few days. For those interested there is a xylophone that was used in the recording of Daydream Nation's 'Kissability', a 1970s Rhythm Ace Drum Machine, a very odd looking glockenspiel, an array of guitar road weary guitar cases complete with band stickers and even a custom-made mixer that was built for the band and used on stage by bass guitarist and vocalist Kim Gordon. So far the best buy looks like the xylophone, which is by far the cheapest item going for just $50. But then again it is hard to go past a vintage 1970s drum machine. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rK9QkjXm0I8
If you're bored with standard light bulbs, or are looking for a creative light fixture to add some style to a room, why not get imaginative and do it yourself? Creating your own orbs, hanging lights or lamps can actually be much simpler than you may think, and they also make use of materials you'll probably have lying around the house sitting stagnant and useless anyway. Establish an alternative ambience, add some creative flair or improve the decor of a room simply by adding some alternative lights you've made yourself. Here are 12 of the most impressive, innovative and easiest DIY light fixtures made from everyday household objects. Wine Bottle Plastic Spoon and Water Jug Bendy Bamboo Straw Chandelier Cloud Light Paper Flower Jars Paper Cups Doily Lamp Bowler Hats Cupcake Cups Orb [Via Buzzfeed]
Four days, one coastal hotspot, and oh-so-much to see, eat, drink and do: that's your latest excuse to treat yourself to a trip to Byron Bay. Back in July, it was announced that the seaside New South Wales town was getting a brand-new festival that's all about food and culture — and now that event, Caper Byron Bay Our Food and Culture Festival, has announced its program. Firstly, yes, the fest has undergone a name change. Rather than just lapping up all that the region has to offer under its old title Revel, the new moniker now encourages attendees to go a-frolicking. But other than that one switch, the idea is still the same, spanning eating, drinking, checking out art, listening to tunes and being merry in gorgeous surroundings. Taking place between Thursday, November 10–Sunday, November 13, Caper boasts a hefty culinary component as curated by Chef David Moyle, who has been Chief of Food at Harvest Newrybar since 2020. Highlights include bottomless oysters and bellinis at Balcony Bar & Oyster Co, natural wine-fuelled degustations at Supernatural, distillery tours at Brookie's Gin and a sourdough workshop with Bread Social. Soon-to-open newcomer Bar Heather is doing a five-course dinner with Palisa Anderson, while 100 Mile Table at Stone & Wood is hosting a backyard barbecue — and Treehouse on Belongil is opting for a mix of beats, bubbles and brunch. A farm-to-table feast with The Farm and Three Blue Ducks and The Hut's Spanish fiesta are also on the bill, alongside pop-up yum cha — with the Brunswick Picture House being taken over by Melbourne Chinatown diner ShanDong MaMa on the Saturday and Sunday. Also making the journey, but from Brisbane: Louis Tikaram from Stanley, who'll be part of a cabaret takeover at the same space. Another standout: celebrating embrace Bundjalung Nation's Indigenous culture via a walk on Country tour led by Explore Byron Bay owner and Arakwal woman Delta Kay, then a five-course lunch curated by Karkalla chef and owner Mindy Woods. An 'anti-bad vibes circle' with OneWave Fluro Friday; free exhibitions at Yeah, Nice Gallery, art salon Gallery 7, Gallery 3 and ThomGallery; and horse-riding followed by brunch or lunch at Zephyr Shack are also on the wide-ranging agenda, with more than 30 events filling out the program If you're keen to see where the day takes you in-between the official activities, head to the Caper Village, aka a massive food, beverage, music and art precinct that's set to sprawl across the whole North Byron Hotel in the Byron Arts and Industrial Estate. It'll host live music, DJs and art installations, as well as workshops, panels and talks. Caper Byron Bay Our Food and Culture Festival runs from Thursday, November 10–Sunday, November 13 at various locations around Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers region. For more information, head to the festival's website. Images: Jess Kearney.
One of Australia's foremost auteurs. One of the country's best actors. The outback noir genre. The stunning Aussie landscape. The nation's traumatic history of racial inequality. The remnants of the colonial past that still echo today. Break Limbo down to those basic components and, on paper, it might seem as if Ivan Sen is in limbo himself. The filmmaker has been here before with Mystery Road and then Goldstone. In fact, with those two movies about Indigenous detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen, Jack Irish), he started Australia's best film and TV franchise, which has gone on to spawn three ABC series after its two big-screen outings so far. Whatever writer, director, co-producer, cinematographer, editor and composer Sen keeps adding to his resume — including detouring into sci-fi with 2022's Loveland — he'll always be the reason that Mystery Road and its followups exist. With Limbo, he isn't repeating himself. Rather, he's a filmmaker haunted by the nation's reality and driven to keep exploring it. Enter this black-and-white Coober Pedy-shot tale about another police officer riding into a small Aussie town to look into a case that few people have been all that fussed about until now because the victim isn't white. Enter a purposeful examination of the way that the trauma a country has spent two centuries perpetuating and overlooking can only linger. Enter one of the most powerful movies of Sen's career, and a spectacular collaboration with another acclaimed Aussie: Simon Baker. It mightn't seem like a stretch to see Baker play someone affiliated with law and order. He isn't in American TV procedurals The Guardian and The Mentalist anymore, though. Since back in his E Street days, he's frequently forged on-screen ties with the thin blue line — and in recent Australian film High Ground as well. But Baker continues to grow and astound as an actor. In Limbo, he's an astonishingly guarded yet vulnerable presence as heroin-addicted detective Travis Hurley, who is on a cold-case mission while traversing his own purgatory. His task: investigating the 20-year-old disappearance of Indigenous girl Charlotte Hayes, which garners an unsurprisingly wary response from her brother Charlie (Rob Collins, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and sister Emma (Natasha Wanganeen, The Survival of Kindness). Sen and Baker first met in 2004 back, far earlier in their careers. The former had a project that didn't eventuate, but now they've finally made a collaboration happen. "You know, you don't count your eggs until they're hatched when it comes to actors," Sen tells Concrete Playground about wanting to get Baker onboard for Limbo. "But he responded very quickly and very strongly, and so then the whole script just changed, and focused on our interactions and our conversations — which usually happens with with my work. Once the actor comes on, we start. Okay, let's find the real story here and pursue that." Baker was similarly enthused. "I like Ivan Sen's films. I really like his films. He's a good filmmaker. He's got a clear vision and he knows how to get that onto the screen," he advises in the same discussion. "And he's very singleminded and he does a lot of the stuff [behind the lens]. So, from a filmmaking standpoint alone, I wanted to go through that experience." Screening in Australian cinemas since May 18, the end result is already one of the standout Aussie movies of 2023. Back in February, Limbo premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, contending for the Golden Bear — and, with fellow homegrown title The Survival of Kindness, broke a 17-year drought for Australian films in the prestigious official competition. This is clearly more than just a new Mystery Road, as Sen and Baker expanded upon in their chat with Concrete Playground. We talked to the pair about the enduring appeal of outback noir and law enforcement stories, the feature's real-life ties, shooting amid Coober Pedy's underground dugouts, and whether there's a future for both Jay Swan and Travis Hurley — including together. ON THE CONTINUING FASCINATION WITH OUTBACK NOIR AND LAW ENFORCEMENT Ivan: "I guess it's a combination of constantly having the justice system within our faces, within our family and within our communities. The justice system is always there. And it's always been like that — and things haven't been getting better either over the last few years. In combination with that, I've always had an attraction to police work. I'm a fan of all those 24–48-hours shows, American police documentaries and even COPS, believe it or not — you know, the Fox COPS. Because they show reality. They're a chance to see. The cops are always cleaning up society's 'garbage' and that 'garbage' has always involved my family — and it's something that's always been of interest to me." Simon: The truth is that's just sort of what unfolded for me. For a large part of my career early on, I was a young parent and I came from a pretty blue-collar existence, so I always saw my role as less as an artist and more as someone that had to provide for a family. So I focused more on that, and it happened to come about through television [on shows like The Guardian and The Mentalist]. Which, in American television, there was a period of time there where there was nothing on American television that wasn't a procedural crime show. If it wasn't a procedural crime show, you were in in scrubs reciting medical jargon, which I was always going to be shit at — too many syllables." ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LIMBO'S STORY Ivan: "Like everything, everything just comes from the power of place. Coober Pedy has been within my sights for many years, specifically the underground living culture of the place, which I don't think has been really explored very much in narrative before. So I was keen to make a story that involved the underground and aboveground elements of this incredible landscape. I just went out there and the story just came to me, really. It's a manifestation of a lot of the crimes that have affected Indigenous families and the lacklustre response from authorities. While I was out there writing the film there, I found out there was actually a very similar thing that happened in Coober Pedy with a young girl there — very very similar. But if you start digging below the surface, there's not many country towns in Australia that don't have some kind of case like this at some point." ON THE PROCESS OF MAKING AN IVAN SEN-DIRECTED AUSSIE CRIME-THRILLER Simon: "When we first met, we were both pretty young and pretty green in our careers. It was nice to come back together now that we both had a bit of mileage under our belts. And we both kind of — well, certainly I can speak for myself, I know who I am a lot more these days than I probably did back then. It was good. We played around with the script. The story pretty much stayed the same, but there was a bit of stuff here and there that we played around with, and dug in a bit deeper with — and that was a very easy and fluid experience working that way. It was a lean and very focused production. We didn't shoot over a great period of time, and it was really efficient. I like that experience. I like the feeling of serving — like you're making something. You're not standing still for too long that you kind of get bored with the process; you're in among it and you're making something. I think that, coupled with the story — I thought the way into the story was really interesting. It's about so much and at the same time it's really efficient in the way it is about so much. I had a great time. It's weird because I never thought I was not going to have a great time. There's a lot of times when you when you sign onto a movie or you get involved in a movie and you sometimes you go 'oh shit, what have I got myself into here?'. And I never felt that ever. When making a film goes well from the script onwards, it gets better and better, and more focused. But to do that you've really got to know what the movie is about properly. And often what the movie is about can be derailed because people get attracted to shiny things — and, next thing it can become this indulgent exploration. You've got a crew there, and 'maybe we'll shoot this?', and it might have nothing to do with actually what the movie is about. Then you end up with a bunch of spare parts that people try to put back together as a movie. But Ivan, from the very first script, it's about about refining and improving on that. And I feel like that's the way — that's a great way to make a film. So you're never really losing what that the genesis is, it's only getting stronger and stronger. And then you know that, as an actor, what you're putting into it, what you're doing, is contributing in a very positive way." ON COOBER PEDY'S INFLUENCE OVER THE STORY Ivan: "For a story that's about people that are damaged and kind of stuck in their ruts, stuck within their environments, Coober Pedy lends itself to this idea of a limbo — living in a memory or living in a place where you can't move forward or backwards or up or down. And the landscape of Coober Pedy is so desolate that it just allows you to focus, and especially with the black and white, it really lets you focus on the characters and this predicament that they're all faced with of not moving forward or moving back. Coober Pedy has this whole underground living culture that I find fascinating, and I also felt appropriate for the state of mind of all these characters who were stuck in these positions where where they couldn't move forward or backwards — and also, to a point that they were not aware that they were within this position as well. There's just something about that underground aspect there which also does connect with the religious connotation of limbo and what that is within the Bible of of being not in hell and not in heaven — halfway in-between waiting for your time, waiting for a decision to be made about your fate. I felt that was really appropriate as well." ON HOW LIMBO'S HEROIN-ADDICTED COP EVOLVED ON THE PAGE AND SCREEN Simon: "I think the idea of him being in his own sort of purgatory or his own sort of limbo, and he's stuck as a human being, and having his own struggles and sense of trauma, I thought was an interesting point into this story of this other family and their trauma, and how fractured and broken that family was because of that trauma. I felt like that was the key into it, where in a sense it helped him to identify and figure out — well, not figure out; I don't really believe that he's gonna figure it out — but it gives it gives him a level of empathy and relatability, in a way, coupled with the kindness of the family bringing him in. Originally, what was it, Ivan? Originally, in the very first script that I read, he was a diabetic?" Ivan: "Yep." Simon: "And I think we talked about the idea of him actually being someone that is medicating because he can't face his own demons. Then we took that further into this idea of a person that's running from themselves through addiction. Then we explored it from there. There was something about that addiction that creates a vulnerability, and in that vulnerability there is that opportunity. No matter how hard he shields himself from feeling or connection, the vulnerability of addiction makes him susceptible to being able to connect — or for someone to connect with him, like the family or particularly the kids in that family breaking through that shell. It's almost like the harder he works to protect himself, the more vulnerable he gets." ON GIVING LIMBO A SEQUEL — OR EVEN BRINGING IT INTO THE MYSTERY ROAD FRANCHISE Ivan: "Wouldn't that be interesting — the duo, the two cops. Hopefully Simon and I will go on to do more stuff together. I'm a believer in if you feel like you've done something, you've done it, and there's no need to kind go back again unless there's a really good reason for that. Simon and I, I think we get along pretty well. We're a pretty good, creative, efficient, energetic team for old guys. We give those young guys a run, I reckon, for their level of passion. Ours is probably more mature, like a nice fine wine or something. But who knows? Never say never. I think there may be another Jay Swan film at some point. I have another idea for for Jay. Probably more in line with this one with the subtlety of it. Maybe a romance?" Limbo opened in Australian cinemas on May 18. Read our review.
Usually when the Easter long weekend hits, music fans descend upon Byron Bay for five days of live tunes. Both in 2020 and 2021, that didn't happen — with Bluesfest cancelled last year when the pandemic began, then scrapped again this year after a new COVID-19 outbreak saw NSW Health issue a public health order to shutter the event. Thankfully for music lovers and festival devotees, the 2021 festival hasn't been ditched completely. More than a month after it was originally due to take place between Thursday, April 1–Monday, April 5, Bluesfest organisers have announced that it'll move to October instead. So, mark Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4 in your diary. That's another long weekend, although the rescheduled fest will be one day shorter than normal. Once again, the long-running festival will return to Byron Events Farm (formerly Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm) just outside Byron Bay. Originally, 2021's event was set to be headlined by Jimmy Barnes, Tash Sultana, Ocean Alley, Ziggy Alberts and The Teskey Brothers, but organisers haven't made any new lineup announcements yet. The fest will unveil its full new bill sometime next week, and revealed in a Facebook post announcing the new dates that it has "been adding more of Australia's absolute best talent". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bluesfest Byron Bay (@bluesfestbyronbay) Bluefest also advised that season tickets for the festival will go on sale next week as well, with one- and three-day tickets available before that — but no specific dates were provided. Eager music fans can sign up for the waitlist now, and will be notified when tickets drop. Current ticketholders will be contacted by Moshtix with all the necessary information about the new dates, rolling your existing tickets over and getting a refund if you can no longer attend. And, because five-day passes were sold for the April dates, Bluesfest organisers are promising "something very special" for folks with those lengthier tickets during the October dates. Yes, that'll also be revealed sometime next week. Bluesfest 2021 will now run from Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. The new lineup announcement is set to be announced sometime next week — to register for the ticket waitlist, head to Moshtix. Top image: Andy Fraser
UPDATE, August 20, 2021: Promising Young Woman is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Promising Young Woman would've made an excellent episode or season of Veronica Mars. That's meant as the highest compliment to both the bubblegum-hued take on the rape-revenge genre and the cult-status private detective series. Make a few casting swaps, and it's apparent how the latter would tackle this tale. Actually, as Veronica Mars fans know, the beloved TV show repeatedly examined the way women are treated in a patriarchal society, and the privilege afforded the wealthy, white and male at the expense of everyone else. It also explored rapes on college campuses in its third season, spanning the impact upon victims, the aftermath and the culture that's allowed such attacks to proliferate. Promising Young Woman writer/director Emerald Fennell clearly isn't blind to these parallels, even casting Veronica Mars stars Max Greenfield (New Girl) and Chris Lowell (GLOW) in her feature debut. Don't go thinking the Killing Eve season two showrunner and The Crown actor is simply following in other footsteps, though. At every moment — and as channelled through Carey Mulligan's fierce lead performance — the brilliant and blistering Promising Young Woman vibrates with too much anger, energy and insight to merely be a copycat of something else. When Mulligan's character, Cassie Thomas, is introduced, she's inebriated and alone at a nightclub, her clothing riding up as she slouches in her seat. Three men discuss women over beverages by the bar, complaining that they can't hold meetings at strip joints due to the objections of a female colleague. They notice Cassie while chatting, with one commenting, "they put themselves in danger, girls like that". Voicing worries she could be taken advantage of by guys who aren't as nice as him, Jerry (The OC's Adam Brody) checks she's okay. A shared Uber ride follows, as does the offer of a drink at his place and, despite Cassie's out-of-it state and his supposed chivalry, Jerry's sexual advances. But when Cassie snaps her eyes open wide, asks what he's doing in a firm voice and reveals she isn't actually drunk, the night takes a turn — something Jerry didn't anticipate, just as he didn't ever entertain he was that kind of man, but one familiar to the medical school dropout-turned-coffee shop employee he's trying to bed. Colour-coded names and tallies scrawled in a notebook illustrate this isn't a first for Cassie; it's her weekend routine. Fennell's script drip-feeds details about its protagonist's motivations for her ritualistic actions, the reason for ditching her studies seven years prior and why she spends her weeknights staring at photos of her childhood best friend; however, the specifics aren't hard to guess. Since moving back in with her parents (The Mortuary Collection's Clancy Brown and Like a Boss' Jennifer Coolidge), Cassie has taught lessons to opportunistic men hiding behind faux gallant facades — the type of guys who'll tell a woman they don't need so much makeup, then try to ply them with liquor when they're already sauced and take off their clothes while they're passed out, as Neil (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bad Neighbours 2) does. But then ex-classmate Ryan (Bo Burnham, The Big Sick) walks into Cassie's workplace. She spits in his coffee and sparks still fly, but it's the news that someone from their past has returned to town that changes her vigilante quest. In its much-talked-about trailer and in the film itself, Promising Young Woman makes stellar use of Italian quartet Archimia's orchestral version of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'. It arrives late in the movie, but anyone who saw the promotional clip knows it's coming — and that forewarning doesn't undercut its power, or how expertly it encapsulates the entire feature. Fennell wants viewers to fill in the pop song's words themselves, rolling around lyrics such as "a guy like you should wear a warning" and "poison paradise" in their heads. She wants everyone pondering toxic masculinity, and how heat-of-the-moment passion is often used to nullify consent concerns, too. Often dressed on her nights out like she could've stepped out of a music video, Cassie is on a self-given mission of vengeance against sexual violence, so Promising Young Woman deploys every method possible to reinforce that idea. Another 00s track, Paris Hilton's 'Stars Are Blind', accompanies a romantic sing-along that segues into an affectionate montage of Cassie and Ryan's dating honeymoon — and using a song by an objectified celebrity whose sex life has been so frequently dissected and shamed that no one now bats an eyelid obviously isn't accidental either. Fennell's savvy, provocative and downright fearless choices just keep coming. Indeed, there's a relentlessness to Promising Young Woman overall that mirrors the persistence of grief and pain after trauma — and that remains the case even when the film makes big tonal swings, which always reflect the highs and lows of Cassie's emotional rollercoaster ride. Through cinematographer Benjamin Kracun (Monsoon, Beats), the movie weaponises its pastel, peppy and popping Instagram-friendly imagery, crafting a vicious flick about a dark subject that's gorgeous to look at. It fills its frames with vibrant surface sheen, as sighted at bars and in Cassie's outfits, then peels back their allure, making its audience constantly grapple with the contrast. Promising Young Woman never lets its protagonist's rage subside either, including in a bold finale that's one of its very best touches. It's furious from start to finish, Cassie is always inflamed, and sharing that feeling even in the film's most overt setups and obvious scenes (which are also some of its most entertaining) is a foregone conclusion. And, of course, Fennell has also made the smart decision to cast Mulligan, and to draw upon her near-peerless ability to express complex internalised turmoil. It's one of the reasons that she's such a standout in everything from An Education and Drive to Shame and Wildlife, and it's once again on display in this sharp, strong and formidable portrayal. No woman brings sexual assault upon themselves, with this whole intelligent and astute revenge-thriller rebuffing the bro-ish bar guy's early observation in every way possible, and meting out punishment to those who think similarly. But Mulligan's performance as Cassie hammers home the dangers of that wrong notion in a manner that ensures Promising Young Woman is than just a female empowerment fantasy. She scorches, sears and resounds with such burning truth, and so does the feature she's in as a result. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vdaJcoKk0s
Spending time with your loved ones, exchanging gifts with your nearest and dearest, enjoying hearty feasts and the boozy sips that go with them, decking the halls with boughs of holly, singing jolly carols: they're all tried-and-tested ways to celebrate the festive season. But sometimes, you just want to get tap, tap, tapping around a mini golf course, competing against your date, mates and/or family for putt-putt supremacy — and you want it to be Christmas-themed, too. Across the merriest part of 2022, the above situation is about to become a reality at Victoria Park's mini golf course. As it has done in previous years, the venue is giving its greens a temporary seasonal makeover, pairing swinging a club at a ball with plenty of festive cheer, decorations and sculptures. Head along from Friday, November 11–Tuesday, January 3, where you'll find bells, bows and twinkling lights. In past years, the course has also sported holly, giant candy canes, gingerbread houses, elves, toy soldiers and everything else festive that it can think of. Reindeers and Santa are usually involved, too, and different sections of the 18-hole site will be designed around ideas like Chrissy Down Under, Santa's mailroom and Christmas morning — plus there'll be a festive feast fairway, The North Pole and a 'deck the halls' hole. Find out whether you're naughty or nice at Christmas Putt Putt from 6am–10pm Sunday–Thursday and 6am–11pm Friday–Saturday — which means that you can stop by on your way to work, during your lunch break or after quittin' time as well. If you drop by post-6pm, you'll take to the green beneath Christmas lights, naturally. Victoria Park's Christmas putt putt follows hot on the heels of its Halloween shenanigans, which only wrapped up on that spooky date. Christmas Putt Putt takes over the Victoria Park Putt Putt Course at 309 Herston Road, Herston from Friday, November 11–Tuesday, January 3, open 6am–10pm Sunday–Thursday and 6am–11pm Friday–Saturday — with tickets costing $23 for adults. For more information, head to the venue's website. Images: Pandora Photography.
When the first images of Lily James playing Pamela Anderson in new miniseries Pam & Tommy dropped, they captured an astonishing transformation. The Pursuit of Love star didn't just look like herself dressed up as the famed Baywatch actor; thanks to the show's hair, makeup and costuming teams, she appeared as if she'd leapt into Anderson's body Being John Malkovich-style. That feeling only grew as several trailers arrived. In the finished product, her performance borders on uncanny. It needs to, and not merely to ensure that James never just seems like she's simply slipping into a red swimsuit for an easy impersonation. Now streaming on Disney+, with its first three episodes hitting the platform at once and the remaining five set to drop weekly going forward, Pam & Tommy focuses on Anderson's marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan, The 355) in the 90s. It's all about the pair's sex tape as a result, because that intimate recording was the pop-culture scandal of the 90s, and it's impossible to step into Anderson and Lee's romance without it. Indeed, the show knows that it's spinning a wild story, even by celebrity terms. It's well aware that everyone watching will hit play with their own ideas already formed about the incident, and about the central duo's larger-than-life public personalities as well. Pam & Tommy leans into that exact certainty to begin with — talking penis and all — but, as James' performance demonstrates, it never sees the tale it's telling as a joke. [caption id="attachment_841923" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erin Simkin/Hulu[/caption] First, that chattering genitalia. After meeting Anderson at a club, clicking instantly and enjoying a boozy night, Lee is smitten — and his junk (voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Jason Mantzoukas) audibly helps him talk through his feelings. It's an attention-grabbing moment, and one that Pam & Tommy will always be known for; yes, this is now and always will be the prattling package show. But the immediately memorable scene also serves up the risqué with a side of heart, and makes one of its OTT subjects — as Anderson and Lee have long been regarded in the public eye, at least — more human in the process. It's even a little cheesy: he's a guy falling for a girl and working through his excitement by talking to himself, as plenty of rom-coms have lapped up over the years. Pam & Tommy is both a romance and a comedy at times. Crucially, though, it's a piece of recognition that Anderson and Lee's plight isn't quite the narrative it's been immortalised as for the past quarter-century. It isn't a coincidence that Australian-born director Craig Gillespie helms some of the series' episodes, because he unpacked a sordid real-life story that solidified a famous woman's reputation in I, Tonya, too. That's the real point of focus here, although the fact the series went ahead without Anderson's approval undercuts its aims more than a little. Still, on-screen, there's no doubting Pam & Tommy's quest to expose how unfairly Anderson was treated after carpenter Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen, An American Pickle) stole footage of private moments with her then-husband. [caption id="attachment_841925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kelsey McNeal/Hulu[/caption] Lee might get to converse with his dick — with Stan playing that scene, and his entire role, with as much commitment as James displays over and over again (and with as much helpful TV styling) — but he's also painted as a dick as first. Gauthier is one of the contractors helping build the ultimate bedroom for Lee's newly wedded bliss, and the rocker is a jerk of a customer. He keeps changing his mind about what he wants, blaming everyone else and, when he decides he's unhappy, refuses to pay or return Gauthier's tools. So, the disgruntled ex-employee hatches a plan to make off with Lee's safe, not knowing what it holds inside. When he finds the tape along with guns and cash, he's still so eager to get revenge on Lee that he enlists porn-producing pal Miltie (Nick Offerman, Devs) to help make it public, which he sees as his new payday. Pam & Tommy wants you to side with mullet-wearing Gauthier initially — including when Lee pulls a gun on him while he's just trying to get his work equipment back — but its real allegiance lies with Anderson. Its tender heart, too, something that the show shares with Lee and his chatterbox of an appendage. As it charts the path that Anderson and Lee's tape takes from their safe to Gauthier to eagerly paying customers, and then to the internet in online porn's early days, the series keeps returning to the fallout for the Baywatch and Barb Wire star. As she explains to Lee and to their lawyers more than once, things aren't the same for a man caught getting intimate on camera as they are for a woman, and the way that this true tale has already played out IRL has made that plain several times over. Come for the scandal, for the talking penis that everyone's babbling about, and for a show that always knows it's a rollicking ride, but stay for a far more thoughtful retelling and interrogation of a tabloid-fodder incident that changed multiple lives — and one more than most — weaved in, too. Also stay for the series' eagerness to spend time with its eponymous duo exposed as real people, and as victims of a crime, rather than as pop-culture punchlines. Stay for the magnificent performances by James and Stan as well, with both actors investing remarkable depth into figures who've rarely been allowed to be seen as such. And, obviously keep sticking around for the dripping 90s nostalgia in the process, including the outfits and soundtrack (because Yellowjackets isn't the only new show revelling in the decades' tunes). Check out the Pam & Tommy trailer below: The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy are currently available to stream via Disney+, with new episodes dropping each Wednesday. Top image: Erin Simkin/Hulu.
Whether you love his work, get frustrated by his off-screen behaviour or just don't know what to make of him, Shia LaBeouf can't be accused of being boring. His resume spans everything from family sitcoms, Transformers flicks and lyrical road trips into America's heartland, to performance art at the Sydney Opera House and live-streamed anti-Trump protests — as well as marathoning his own movies in public, and wearing a paper bag on his head at the Berlin International Film Festival. His output and antics can only be described as eclectic, and, as much as anything can fit that pattern, LaBeouf's next project seems to. Called Honey Boy, it's an autobiographical film written by and starring the actor. Delving into his past as a child star, LaBeouf doesn't play himself, but instead steps into his father's shoes. Laying bare his own tumultuous ups and downs during his childhood and young adult years, LaBeouf grapples with his fame, mental health and addictions — while getting Noah Jupe (Wonder, A Quiet Place) and Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird, Boy Erased, Ben Is Back) to play versions of his on-screen alter-ego, called Otis, at different ages. Directed by first-timer Alma Har'el, the film also features FKA Twigs, Natasha Lyonne, Clifton Collins Jr, Maika Monroe and Martin Starr. While, on paper, Honey Boy certainly sounds as if it could go either way — as many of LaBeouf's stunts have over the years — it premiered at Sundance back in January to rave reviews. And, as the just-released first trailer shows, it doesn't hold back when it comes to delving into trauma. The same can be said of LeBeouf's performance as his dad, and of Hedges' impersonation of LeBeouf as a teenager. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2jNCFjALSA Honey Boy doesn't have a release date Down Under as yet — we'll update you if and when that changes.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. HOUSE OF GUCCI For the second time in as many movies, Lady Gaga is caught in a bad romance in House of Gucci. Yes, she's already sung the song to match. The pop diva doesn't belt out ballads or croon upbeat tunes in this true-crime drama, unlike in her Oscar-nominated role in A Star Is Born, but she does shimmy into a tale about love and revenge, horror and design, and wanting someone's everything as long as it's free. Eschewing the earthy naturalism of her last film performance and tapping into her famed on-stage theatricality instead, she's perfect for the part of Patrizia Reggiani, aka Lady Gucci, aka the daughter of a trucking entrepreneur who wed into one of the world's most prestigious fashion families, helped unstitch its hold on its couture empire, then went to prison for murder. She's exceptional because she goes big and lavish, and because she knows that's the type of feature she's meant to be in: a soapy spectacle about money and power that uses its depiction of excess as an interrogation technique. Complimenting Gaga for nailing the brief — for acing it so dazzlingly that she's sauntering down her own catwalk as most of her co-stars virtually watch from the floor — gives House of Gucci a tad too much credit, though. Ridley Scott's second film in mere months following The Last Duel, and his third in a row to examine wealth and influence after 2017's All the Money in the World, this fashion-world saga skews large, lush and luxe with each choice, too, but doesn't land every sashay with quite the outsized lustre of its crown jewel. If House of Gucci's veteran director was picking an outfit instead, he would've chosen a killer gown, then wavered on the accessories. Some of his other decisions gleam, as seen in the movie's knowingly maximalist and melodramatic air. Others prove fine, like its jukebox-style soundtrack of 70s and 80s bangers. A few moves are so cartoonish — Jared Leto's ridiculousness, and the Super Mario-style accents sported by almost everyone on-screen — that they play like cheap knockoffs. The story itself is a standout, however, as adapted from Sara Gay Forden's 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. When Patrizia meets law student Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver, Annette) at a 70s-era party, mistakes him for a bartender, then realises who he is, it sparks a rollercoaster of a relationship — starting with Maurizio being disinherited by his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons, Love, Weddings and Other Disasters) for their marriage. Still, the newest Gucci knows what she wants: a place in the family's dynasty. She isn't the lone cause of the Guccis' unfolding, thanks to Rodolfo's brother Aldo (Al Pacino, Hunters), his penchant for watering down the brand and tax evasion, and his wannabe-designer son Paolo (Leto, The Little Things), but she's the Lady Macbeth pushing Maurizio to seize the company by any means. And, because the reason that House of Gucci even exists was written in news headlines over a quarter-century ago, she's behind Maurizio's killing in 1995. "I don't consider myself a particularly ethical person, but I'm fair," Patrizia offers partway into the movie, a moral code that still sees her order his hit after their divorce — helped by a TV psychic-turned-pal (Salma Hayek, Eternals), because that's the kind of tale this is. Interviewed in 2016, Patrizia called herself "the most Gucci of them all", an idea that Scott and his screenwriters Becky Johnston (Arthur Newman) and Roberto Bentivegna (short El otro lado) don't ever give Italian-lilted voice to, but still use as their basic pattern. In the sartorial realm, Gucci might stand for high-end indulgence, but House of Gucci sees both the allure and the cost of the brand reflected in Patrizia's status-hungry actions. Read our full review. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE Spraying reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels across cinema screens like a spirit supposedly sprays ectoplasm — gushing reimaginings, spinoffs and seemingly never-ending franchises, too — Hollywood ain't afraid of no ghosts. It loves them in horror movies, obviously, but it adores the spectre of popular intellectual property even more. These phantoms of hits gone by can be resurrected again and again, all to make a profit. They haunt both cinemas and box-office blockbuster lists, making film-goers and the industry itself constantly feel like they're being spooked by the past. With 14 of Australia's 15 top cash-earning flicks of 2021 all falling into the been-there-done-that category in one way or another, looking backwards in the name of apparently going forwards is now mainstream filmmaking 101, and the big end of town rarely likes bustin' a money-making formula. After more than a few pandemic delays, that's the world that Ghostbusters: Afterlife floats into — a world that's made worshipping previous glories one of the biggest cash-spinners show business could've ever dreamed up. The fourth feature to bear the Ghostbusters name, but a new legacy sequel to the original 1984 film, this reanimated franchise entry certainly sports a fitting subtitle; treating its source material like it's nirvana is firmly filmmaker Jason Reitman's approach. To him, it might've been. Although he established his career with indie comedies such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno, he's the son of director Ivan Reitman, who helmed the OG Ghostbusters and its 1989 follow-up Ghostbusters II. To plenty of fans, those two initial comedy-horror flicks were something special as well; however, acknowledging that fact — and trying to recreate the feeling of being a kid or teen watching the first Ghostbusters nearly four decades ago — isn't enough to fuel a new film. To be fair, the younger Reitman isn't particularly interested in making a new movie; Be Kind Rewind's "sweded" Ghostbusters clips are more original than Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Instead, he directs a homage that sprinkles in links to its predecessor so heartily that it's probably easier to name the scenes and details that don't scream "hey, this is Ghostbusters!" as loudly as possible. And, even when Reitman and co-screenwriter Gil Kenan (Poltergeist) appear to shake things up ever so slightly, it all still ties back to that kid-in-the-80s sensation. Sure, Ghostbusters: Afterlife's protagonists aren't adult New Yorkers, but they're small-town adolescents who might as well have ambled out of one of the era's other hot properties: Steven Spielberg-helmed or -produced coming-of-age adventure-comedies about life-changing, Americana-dripping, personality-shaping escapades. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, Malignant) is one such child, and a new inhabitant of the cringingly titled Summerville, Oklahoma at that. With her mother Callie (Carrie Coon, The Nest) and brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), she's made the move because the granddad she never knew just passed away, leaving a dilapidated rural property to his estranged family. The townsfolk speak his nickname, "dirt farmer", with mocking and intrigue, but his actual moniker — and all that equipment he's left behind — brings big changes Phoebe's way. While being Dr Egon Spengler's granddaughter doesn't initially mean too much to her, other than giving her love for science a genetic basis, she's soon segueing from testing out ghost traps with local teacher Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd, The Shrink Next Door) to cracking Egon's secret efforts to stop a world-shattering supernatural event. Read our full review. NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN Start how you mean to go on is common-sense filmmaking advice. It's the medium's obvious first step, but it's also an elusive achievement. And, it's a feat that's usually only evident in hindsight — when a viewer can see if a stellar introduction really did signal just as sublime things to come, or vice versa. Never Gonna Snow Again perfects the concept, however. In its arresting opening moments, a man walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland, and everything about the scene ripples with moody intrigue. The grey fog infusing the film's setting, the enigmatic look on the mysterious protagonist's face, the feeling that anything and everything could happen: filmmakers Malgorzata Szumowska (Mug) and Michal Englert (also the movie's cinematographer) deliver it all at the outset, and then back it up over their feature's 116 minutes. In Never Gonna Snow Again's initial images, that inscrutable man is Ukrainian masseur Zhenia (Alec Utgoff, Stranger Things), who walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland. His destination is lined with lavish identical houses — the kind that the song 'Little Boxes' has satirised for almost six decades now — but he's about to be its most extraordinary visitor. His hands can help knead away physical troubles, a must for everyone with his profession. But as he works his physical magic, his touch can soothe minds as well. Trundling his massage table from well-appointed home to well-appointed home, he quickly builds up a devoted client list of well-to-do residents desperate for his help. He steps into their worlds, spying their outward gloss — the similar wreaths on each door, the doorbells chiming with snippets of classic music — and palpating away their inner pain. As that glorious opening scene establishes almost-unnervingly well, there's a surreal, seductive and otherworldly atmosphere to Never Gonna Snow Again, which Szumowska and Englert let float through their frames like a lingering breeze. There's also a devastatingly savvy interrogation of the type of rich lives that pine for Zhenia's involvement, including their complete obliviousness to him as anything more than a salve for their ennui. Much festers in the feature's McMansions. As it contemplates the everyday malaise that dulls wealth's superficial glow, as well as the vast chasm between gleaming exteriors and empty insides, much haunts Never Gonna Snow Again, in fact. Thematically, it wades into familiar territory — at a time when Succession and The White Lotus are the best shows on TV, and Parasite won the Best Picture Oscar just a year ago, it's probably easier to name movies and TV shows that don't shred the rich to pieces — but it stands out like a pink-hued home in an estate plastered with white and grey. Plenty dazzles in Never Gonna Snow Again, too, including Szumowska and Englert's confident handling, which knits together magical realism and razor-sharp observations about class — and about modern life's rubbish in general as well — with canny precision. Indeed, the movie could've easily crumbled in other hands, and likely will if anyone ever erroneously decides it needs an English-language remake. Perhaps the filmmaking duo's smartest decision is also their most visible, however, because Utgoff's performance is just that magnetic. He's the presence that all those well-to-do clients warm to, lean on and rely upon, and the source of comfort so reliable and cosy that they aren't ever challenged to shatter their bubbles to think about him as a person rather than a set of helping hands — but he has Never Gonna Snow Again's audience constantly pondering and questioning. CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG Nostalgia might be one of pop culture's most-called-upon forces — see also: Ghostbusters: Afterlife — but it can't turn every childhood favourite that reaches cinemas into a winner. Leaping from the pages of Norman Bridwell's illustrated books, the new live-action Clifford the Big Red Dog film is a huge generic slog, shoehorning its oversized, crimson-hued hound into a jumble of routine scenarios that are about as rare as wayward dog faeces in a public park. The giant scarlet woofer gallops into a by-the-numbers, family-friendly action-adventure flick that's a missive against judging things by their appearances, a cautionary tale about bullying and a takedown of nefarious corporate interests. Ron's Gone Wrong barked up all the same trees recently and, while it was hardly an instant classic, it runs circles around this. The point of Clifford the Big Red Dog, no matter what the narrative spins, is right there in the title: it's a story about an abnormally large, unusually ruby-coloured canine, and that's what people want to see. Despite 80 books to the character's name, it's a one-note idea that screenwriters Blaise Hemingway (Vampires vs the Bronx), Jay Scherick and David Ronn (Baywatch) — working with a screen story by Justin Malen (Yes Day) and Ellen Rapoport (Desperados) — unsurprisingly set about fleshing out, but also often sideline their eponymous mutt in the process. Clifford's hijinks couldn't sustain an entire feature, but he's really just a big red sidekick for the bulk of the film. He's an enormous cherry-toned sign for accepting things that are different, too, a well-intentioned message that couldn't be more glaring given that a big red dog yaps the very concept. Clifford isn't originally a giant pet when Emily Elizabeth Howard (Darby Camp, Dreamland) first makes his acquaintance in a Central Park animal-rescue tent run by the mysterious Bridwell (John Cleese, The Very Excellent Mr Dundee). He's definitely the same shade as a tomato, though, and his bond with Emily is instant — even if her mess of an uncle, Casey (Jack Whitehall, Jungle Cruise), says she can't take him home. And yet, this little critter still finds his way into his new pal's backpack. The next morning, he's also no longer a tiny pup. Plus, when he starts attracting attention around New York, he's targeted by a tech billionaire (Tony Hale, Being the Ricardos) who wants him for scientific purposes — but the already-teased Emily, who is taunted at her private school for being there on a scholarship, won't let anyone either take or victimise Clifford for standing out. The look and mood in Clifford the Big Red Dog is sunny with a side of saccharine, and it has John Debney's (Home Sweet Home Alone) relentlessly cheery score to match. With the movie's namesake blazing away in every frame he's in — not due to his hue or size, but via the terrible CGI bringing him to digital life — director Walt Becker (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip) was never going to helm a subtle film, but everything here is exactly as nuanced as a towering vermillion puppy. The result isn't quite as doggone awful as pooch-driven buddy cop flick Show Dogs, although that's an extremely low bar. It's never as goofy as it should be, however, and it really should sport all the goofiness it can dig up (smatterings of toilet humour don't count). Clifford the Big Red Dog can also only wish it was as visually creative and emotionally endearing as the recent page-to-screen all-ages movie standard: the Paddington films, which keep being pushed into a menagerie of their own by every pale imitation. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; and December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Worst Person in the World.
Attention, Wes Anderson enthusiasts: The trailer for his latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, has just been released. This follow-up to the wildly popular Moonrise Kingdom is giving us another project to look forward to, with all the oddities that resonate with Anderson fans. The story follows Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a manager at the swanky Grand Budapest Hotel and his devoted lobby boy, Zero Moustafa. The suave Gustave is a hit with the mature lady guests, and when one of them dies, he is suspected of murder and theft. So he and his precious sidekick make a run for it, and the story unfolds into a whirlwind of adventure, mystery, romance and, of course, comedy that captivate us with Anderson's films. It looks like Anderson won't be abandoning his colourful, dreamy sets; dry, poker-faced humour; and eccentric characters anytime soon. The usual suspects in the cast include Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. Tilda Swinton, Jude Law and Saoirse Ronan are also thrown in, making The Grand Budapest Hotel one Anderson's most dynamically cast films yet. It is set to release in 2014. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk Via The Verge.
When Queensland's Go Cards were introduced, they were billed as a quicker, easier way to pay for public transport — but if you've ever had trouble topping up, been wrongly slugged for not touching off or been forced to pay paper ticketing prices after leaving your card at home, then you might disagree. In fact, you've probably been dreaming of a day when you won't need that little piece of plastic. Well, we have good news: ditching your Go Card is getting closer to becoming a reality. Back in 2018, it as revealed that the Queensland Government was planning to trial and implement electronic payment methods for public transport. Then, in 2020, the first such test got underway on the Gold Coast. The latest step: giving the smart-ticketing technology a run on Queensland Rail services, which is what's happening on the Ferny Grove line right now. So, since Monday, June 6, you can now pay for your ticket using your smartphone; Visa, MasterCard or AMEX credit or debit card; or smart watch. All you need to do is tap on and off using your card or device, as long as you're only travelling between Ferny Grove and Central stations — not beyond. From Mon 6 Jun, our next #SmartTicketing customer trial is coming to Ferny Grove train line!🚆 You'll be able to tap on & off using a credit or debit card, smartphone or smart device.* https://t.co/74kjENTV4a *T&Cs apply. For travel between Ferny Grove & Central for adult fares. pic.twitter.com/gwuHMcQ6ra — Translink (@Translink_QLD) June 4, 2022 In even better news, the train trial will be expanded to include other lines before 2022 is out, although which routes will be covered hasn't yet been advised. That said, more than 230 smart ticketing gates will be installed across 19 Queensland Rail stations. After that, the contactless payment testing will move to Queensland buses and ferries, covering more than 13,500 smart ticketing onboard payment devices. And if you're wondering how the Goldie's light rail trail has been going, more than one million trips have used the technology as at May 2022. [caption id="attachment_811655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Queensland Government $371 million smart-ticketing project is designed to complement rather than replace the existing system. That means that if you do happen to be attached to your Go Card for some reason, you can keep using it. Originally, the plan was to roll out the system across all of Queensland by 2023; however, whether that's still the case, and exact timings of when Brisbanites can expect to ditch their Go Cards, hasn't yet been revealed. Smart ticketing is currently being trialled on the Ferny Grove line on Queensland Rail trains. For further details, head to the Translink website. Top image: Kgbo.
A big serve of movie star magic is coming to Canberra this summer; though thankfully you won't need to avoid any film crews or hordes of screaming fans. Rather, it's all happening thanks to the National Film and Sound Archive's exclusive new exhibition Australians & Hollywood, running from Friday, January 21–Saturday, July 17. This blockbuster showcase is set to celebrate Australia's many contributions to the silver screen, both in front of and behind the camera. It invites you to dig in and relive all the best, most iconic bits of Aussie cinema via an intriguing collection of costumes, props, behind-the-scenes footage and screenings. You'll see personal treasures from homegrown cinematic icons including Baz Luhrmann, Mia Wasikowska, Eric Bana and Paul Hogan, alongside scores of movie artefacts. Think art concept books for Romeo + Juliet, the customised steering wheels featured in Mad Max: Fury Road, the clapperboard from 2021 sci-fi epic Dune and more. And once you've explored the collections, you can continue your cinematic adventure by catching one of the National Film and Sound Archive's regular film nights dedicated to Aussie flicks. Book your timed visit to check out Australians & Hollywood here — it'll be open daily from 10am–4pm, as well as Friday nights throughout summer. Top images: 'Lion', by Mark Rogers; 'Extraction', Jasin Boland courtesy Netflix; 'The Prom', Melinda Sue Gordon courtesy Netflix; 'Romeo + Juliet'.
Summer means long days, beach outings and lively nights, but when the heat makes it unbearable to even venture outside, create your own slice of paradise in the comfort of your home. With the festive season around the corner and no sign of the cost-of-living crisis slowing down, turn your balcony into a vibrant destination for leisurely catch-ups over home-cooked spreads and refreshing tipples. With the help of Weber, we've pulled together five ways to elevate your outdoor living space, so you can while away the hot summer days without working up a sweat. The Weber Lumin A good barbecue is a quintessential summer experience, but it's often too tricky to turn that dream into a reality when you're stuck on an apartment balcony. Legendary barbecue brand Weber has you covered with the Lumin — a compact electric barbecue designed to be set up in smaller spaces. Don't let its size or lack of gas fool you. The multi-functional Lumin packs a punch and is able to deliver a range of cooking methods, from grilling to steaming and smoking. Simply plug the barbecue into any electrical outlet and you're ready to don your apron, crack open a cold one and get barbecuing. Pillow Loungers If you're living in the vicinity of the city, it's unlikely that you'll have space for anything bigger than a single recliner (if you're lucky). But you can still bring the beach to your balcony with Business & Pleasure Co's pillow loungers. Crafted from UV and weather-resistant Pleasuretex fabric, the Reclining Pillow Lounger boasts five adjustable settings and is easily transportable for any picnic, pool or beach needs. If you have a little more room to play with, the Modular Pillow Stack is the versatile hero to solve all your outdoor comfort needs. Arrange the pillows to suit any occasion, whether it's a cosy sofa, reading nook, sun-bathing deck or additional seating for guests. Both loungers come in a variety of sunny colours to bring a dash of Euro summer to your home and can be folded flat for storage. Cocktail Trolley Between cooking and lounging, you won't want to make the long trek back into your apartment for drinks. Round out your outdoor set-up with a cocktail trolley, which can double as storage, a counter for meal prep or a display shelf. Brighten up your aperitivo hour with Fenton & Fenton's all-weather aluminium and powder-coated outdoor bar cart, or keep things fresh with the Heller Alfresco Cooler from Temple & Webster. The latter comes complete with an 80-litre capacity for ice and drinks, as well as a drainage plug and tube for easy cleaning. To really impress your guests, we'd even recommend grilling or smoking fruit on your Lumin to create a seasonal cocktail with a smoky twist. Outdoor Rugs An outdoor rug might seem counterintuitive, but Ruggable's garden and patio rugs are a colourful way to tie your space together. The outdoor range is stain, water, fade, mould and mildew-resistant. The best part? Your rug can be thrown into the washing machine when it inevitably gets a little dirty. Whether you're looking to create a Mediterranean escape, jungle oasis or coastal haven, there's a print and style to suit every aesthetic. Greenery Experience the great outdoors, no matter your outdoor dimensions. Make even the smallest balcony feel ever-so-slightly bigger with some lush greenery. Don't have any semblance of a green thumb? Opt for artificial plants, like these click-and-fix artificial turf tiles from IKEA, luxe faux botanicals from Pottery Barn, or smaller hanging plants from The Plants Project. You won't ever have to worry about killing a fiddle leaf again. Find out more about the Lumin at the Weber website.
After blockbuster exhibitions in 2017 and 2019, The National: New Australian Art — an epic contemporary Australian art exhibition held across three major Sydney galleries — is back. Due to open on Friday, March 26, the program will feature works from 39 emerging, mid-career and established artists at the Art Gallery of NSW, the MCA and Carriageworks. At the helm for this edition of the biennial set of exhibitions are Matt Cox and Erin Vink (AGNSW), Abigail Moncrieff (Carriageworks) and Rachel Kent (MCA). Each gallery will exhibit a unique and distinct collection of new Australian art from artists such as Abdullah MI Syed and Lauren Berkowitz, plus artistic collective such as A Constructed World and the Karrabing Film Collective. The exhibitions will run simultaneously across the three galleries, all kicking off on the same date but finishing at various times until Sunday, September 5. Find out more at The National's website — and find out which artists are being exhibited at which galleries via the MCA, AGNSW and Carriageworks. [caption id="attachment_804284" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bilirubin Bezoarn, 2019, installation view, photographer: Christo Crocker[/caption] Top image: Zan Wimberley
The best joke in The Boss is the one that no one talks about. Whatever Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) is wearing, her outfit includes a turtleneck jumper pulled up over her chin. Whether it's meant to be slimming or is simply an eccentric style option, it looks as ridiculous as it sounds — and while there's no avoiding the silly sartorial sight that greets viewers every time the protagonist graces the screen, the unusual clothing choice is actually among the film's most subtle elements. The fact that it remains hilarious while never earning a mention or explanation is refreshing, particularly in a movie that takes every other chance it can to either state or rely upon the obvious. At the beginning of the film, which McCarthy co-wrote with her director husband Ben Falcone, Darnell is a self-made titan of business. After wheeling and dealing her way to the top, she's the 47th wealthiest woman in America, and at the filling stadiums, splashing cash around and dispensing self-help advice stage of her career. Alas, all it takes is an insider trading charge and a stint in prison for her fame and fortune to disappear. With nowhere to go upon her release, Darnell turns to her former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell) to help get her life back on track — and seizes upon a brownie-selling opportunity inspired by Claire's young daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson). The Boss is an awkward film, and not just because it pairs a predictable storyline with clumsily inserted scenes of outlandish behaviour. It's the kind of movie in which school girls brawl with their mothers in the street, and swearing and physical antics are presented as the height of comedy. Yet the bulk of the awkwardness stems from McCarthy herself. Arguably The Boss ranks alongside The Heat and Spy as one of the actresses better starring roles, but with Identity Thief and Tammy also on her resume, that's not saying much. As committed as she remains to doing whatever it takes to garner laughs, there's no escaping the feeling that she's done it all before. The fact is, audiences may well be getting tired of watching McCarthy bear the brunt of violence, become the butt of jokes and deliver expletive-filled dialogue. Showcasing rather than stretching the energetic performer's many talents is the movie's main aim, however it actually fares best in quieter, less exaggerated moments. There's an astuteness and understanding in the ever-changing dynamic between McCarthy and Bell, even if the latter frequently threatens to steal the show from the former. Dissecting the ways women can both come together and tear each other apart, their exchanges provide The Boss with its much-needed heart. Of course, such moments of depth are few and far between, as is demonstrated by McCarthy's other main adversarial relationship with an over-the-top Peter Dinklage as her ex-boyfriend turned rival. That the end result proves a jumble of earnest sentiment, too-easy gags, one-dimensional characters and inconsistent absurdity is hardly surprising. But at least there's always those unexplained turtlenecks to keep you chuckling.
The Gold Coast has Cucina Vivo. Sydney is home to Cucina Porto. Now, Brisbane boasts Cucina Regina. The chain of authentic-style Italian restaurants sits inside The Star's various locations, serving up classic dishes and drinks in old school-leaning surroundings. In the River City, the new riverside Queen's Wharf precinct is now your destination when the hankering hits for hand-stretched pizzas, homemade pasta, panna cotta from the dessert trolley, and negronis and limoncello sours. Brisbanites have been looking forward to Cucina Regina since October 2023, when it was initially revealed that it'd join the $3.6-billion CBD spot that took almost a decade to come to fruition. Several of The Star's eateries in other cities have made the jump to the Queensland capital, including cocktail bar Cherry and Japanese fine-diner Sokyo — adding to a precinct that also features Luke Nguyen's reimagined Fat Noodle, the new LiveWire and Black Hide's latest guise, all three of which have moved over from the old Treasury. At the 160-seat Cucina Regina — which is part of The Terrace, the riverfront space at the end of the Neville Bonner Bridge before visitors get to The Star Brisbane — the menu isn't just about Italian food; it's about comforting Italian fare. Trattorias are a big influence on the restaurant's look, feel and menu, with Australian design studio Tom Mark Henry in charge of the neutral-heavy fitout (which covers an 18-person private-dining space as well) and Italian-born Chef Davide Incardona overseeing the kitchen as Executive Chef. Whether you're tucking into puffed pizza bread as a starter, stone-baked prosciutto- or garlic prawn-laden slices, a 40-day dry-aged scotch rib fillet or the Brisbane menu must-have that is Moreton Bay bugs, you'll likely be enjoying something from the woodfired grill. Other options include calamari, burrata, bruschetta and arancini among the smaller bites; rigatoni carbonara, spiced Italian sausage ragu, and salted ricotta and roasted pumpkin agnolotti from the pasta picks; veal scallopini, the house speciality; and a 1.1-kilogram t-bone steak in the bistecca alla fiorentina. And for dessert? Tiramisu, Nutella pizza, a choice of lemon or chocolate cannoli, lemon sorbet and affogatos are among the choices. A banquet menu for four people, costing $89 and featuring ten dishes, is on offer if you're known to have trouble deciding on what to eat. For just a bite with a drink, there's also the snack range. Among the beverages, Italian wine gets its time to shine, naturally, while spritzes both boozy and alcohol-free equally tempt tastebuds — and classic cocktails are available upon request.
Whether sprawling across a Tokyo warehouse, taking over a Japanese castle, turning old oil tanks into waterfalls or even popping up in Melbourne, the digital art made by creative collective Teamlab can make you feel like you're in another world. That's a sensation we could all after the past year year, even if visiting the group's overseas sites is currently off limits due to international travel restrictions. Enter Teamlab's latest project: the online-only Sakura Bombing Home. If it sounds familiar, that's because it's a twist on Flowers Bombing Home, which Teamlab launched in 2020. The project has been updated for cherry blossom season, because Japanese students usually graduate at this time of year — but can't currently enjoy the usual festivities due to the pandemic. Like the bulk of Teamlab's work, Sakura Bombing Home is interactive; however, as its name suggests, art lovers can take part from their own couch. The collective is asking its audience to draw and colour-in pictures of cherry blossoms — either on paper or on your phone — then take a photo and upload it to the group's site. Your pics will then be added to the bright, kaleidoscopic, constantly moving and evolving piece. That's the participatory part of the project. When it comes to watching — whether you've gotten arty first, or you just want to view the piece without breaking out your colouring pencils — you can head to Teamlab's YouTube channel. Sakura Bombing Home is live streaming constantly, joining together cherry blossoms created by folks all over the world. While viewing, you'll notice petals scattering, then coming together to form new images. Unsurprisingly given the sensory nature of its physical installations, Teamlab recommends viewing Sakura Bombing Home on your television set, "or as large a device as possible". The project will be available for the foreseeable future, too, with the collective advising that it "will bloom until the end of the coronavirus" — and that it'll also stick around afterwards "for people to remember this era". For more information about Teamlab's 'Sakura Bombing Home' — or to add your own drawing — visit the art collective's website. To watch the live-streamed artwork, head to its YouTube channel.
2024's working year might've only just begun, but it's already time to book in a big overseas holiday. Put in that leave request ASAP. Block out your calendar. Bust out your suitcase, too, and make sure your passport is up to date. Your destination: the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, because Coachella is back for 2024 with a characteristically impressive roster of acts. Mark Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 14 and Friday, April April 19–Sunday, April 21 in your diaries — including if you you're just keen to check out the livestream. (Remember, Coachella was livestreaming its sets long before the pandemic.) The full bill is a jaw-dropper, as usual, with Lana Del Rey headlining the Friday nights, Tyler, The Creator doing the Saturday nights and Doja Cat on Sunday nights. Also, the reunited No Doubt are on the bill, but without a set day so far. Also hitting the stage: a stacked array of acts that also spans everyone from Blur, Ice Spice, J Balvin and Peso Pluma to Sabrina Carpenter, Grimes, Lil Yachty and Flight Facilities. Whether you're after new tunes, the biggest music names right now or dripping nostalgia, it's on offer at Coachella 2024. Anyway, let's be honest, you haven't truly read any of those words — you'll be wanting this: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Coachella (@coachella) For music lovers planning to watch along from home, Coachella will once again team up with YouTube to livestream the festival. That's no longer such a novelty in these pandemic times but, given the calibre of Coachella's lineup, it's still a mighty fine way to spend a weekend. For those eager to attend in-person, you can signup for access to tickets over at the festival's website — with pre-sales starting at 11am PT on Friday, January 19 (aka 5am AEST/6am AEDT on Saturday, January 20). At the time of writing, the festival advises that best bet for passes is the second weekend. Coachella 2024 runs from Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 14 and Friday, April April 19–Sunday, April 21 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Find out more information and register for tickets at coachella.com — with pre-sales starting at 11am PT on Friday, January 19 (aka 5am AEST/6am AEDT on Saturday, January 20). Top image: Casey via Wikimedia Commons.
Cake sadly can't fix all the world's troubles, but it can provide a mighty fine temporary dose of sweetness. And if you like your baked treats by the jarful, for free, and part of a city-wide art installation and scavenger hunt — as inspired by Banksy, too — then The Mason Baker has just the thing for you across the rest of October. The Brisbane-based company is known for its mason jars filled with cakes, including salted caramel, strawberries and cream, blueberry and lemons, chocolate ganache and sticky date pudding varieties. For the rest of the month, though, it isn't just selling them and delivering them to your door — it's popping emergency cake boxes around the city, all filled with free desserts. The boxes are bright red, stuck to walls around town and look just like normal emergency points. But, in great news for your tastebuds, they come with jars of cake instead of fire extinguishers. Hunting them down is part of the fun, with the boxes placed in different spots around Brisbane, ready to be broken open. For hints about their whereabouts, you'll need to keep an eye on The Mason Baker's Instagram each day. Explaining the cake-fueled activation — not that anyone really needs an excuse to give away cake — The Mason Baker owner and founder James Willis said that he's aiming to brighten up this chaotic year. "Our gourmet jarcakes were designed to be the perfect gift to send to someone whether they have had a bad day, are celebrating something exciting, as an 'I love you' or as a 'just because'," Willis said in a statement. "I think the people of Brisbane definitely deserve a pick-me-up after the year we've all been through." For more details about The Mason Baker's emergency cake boxes, keep an eye on its Instagram feed.
