It's nice to escape out of the big city sometimes. Just a hop, skip and a jump (90 minutes) from Sydney, the Pullman Magenta Shores Resort is a worthy way to exit hectic Sydney and get a little quality R&R in. Beachfront and with numerous, luxurious pools, the resort is nestled in between Tuggerah Lake and the sea, so swimming is probably #1 on your holiday priorities list. For those who can drag themselves away from their sunlounger, the resort is the perfect gateway to the New South Wales Central Coast. Around summer, this area is your go-to for outdoor adventures ranging from surfing and paddleboarding to quad biking and ziplining through the treetops. Take your pick from beaches like The Entrance, Bateau Bay, Shelly Beach, Copacabana or Macmaster's, enjoy your cold-drip coffee barefoot in the cafes of Avoca and Terrigal, and breathe in a big gulp of fresh air at Bouddi National Park. So you can further remind yourself that you're out of the city, all rooms at the Pullman Magenta Shores (choose from a studio apartment up to a three-bed villa) have relaxing nature views, just so you can remind yourself that you're out of the city. You can kick back in the Lagoon Pool, the heated lap pool indoors if it's a bit nippy, or even the beach rock pools if you want to go crab-watching. The Resort is also home to the Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club, designed by Ross Watson and 18-holes long to fully occupy your vacation days. You're only allowed on this private green if you're staying at Pullman Magenta Shores, or if you've invested in a pricey membership, so take advantage. If you're tuckered out from the activity time or golf isn't your bag, head to the on-site Vie Spa to pamper yourself in one of their five treatment rooms. Once you're hungry from all the relaxing, head over to the resort's fine-dining Barrett's Restaurant, or Shallows Bar – there's a tasting menu as well as a wood-fired pizza oven and a range of share plates on the menu, so your belly will be just as happy as your relaxed muscles.
The Brisbane Underground Film Festival (BUFF) brings to you a host of films for those whose love of cinema goes beyond the megaplex. Each year BUFF screens the recent, the risky, the curious, underrated and the overlooked. With everything from the highbrow of experimental and video art to the lowbrow of slapstick, blood and boobies, all who attend are guaranteed the most interesting films around. You can take your pick from the following cinegraphic delights: Thu 1 Nov 7pm - The Colour Wheel (screens with Kappa)Thu 1 Nov 9pm - The Comedy (screens with Hansel and Gretel)Fri 2 Nov 7pm - Video Diary of a Lost Girl (screens with Polly, Jennifer and Melissa)Fri 2 Nov 9pm - You Are What You Eat! Get thee to the Vomitorium! (With an introductory talk by Jack Sargeant)Sat 3 Nov 12pm - Zero Killed (screens with Parallel Paradoks)Sat 3 Nov 7pm - The Wolf Knife (screens with Holiday)Sat 3 Nov 9pm - Showgirls 2 Due to the nature of the films, it is an 18+ event (ID may be required). Otherwise, it’s “the most fun you can have in a dark room with strangers”.
The pandemic has given us all new pastimes, from baking sourdough and piecing together all the puzzles to watching every Nicolas Cage movie ever made and mixing up top-notch cocktails at home. For the past few months, we've all added something else to our list, too: keeping an eye on Australia's COVID-19 vaccination rates. We all know why we're all currently fascinated with jab percentages. Back in July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia will tie its efforts to manage COVID-19 to vax rates moving forward. So, as the country reaches certain vaccination milestones — 70 percent of Aussies over the age of 16 receiving two doses, and then 80 percent — the way that Australia handles the pandemic will evolve. Restrictions will start to ease, lockdowns will be less likely, international travel will open back up and people who've been fully vaxxed will live life under loosened rules. As both New South Wales and Victoria have dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks this year, vax rates have continued to be thrust into the spotlight. Both NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews have highlighted specific jab thresholds, and announced that lockdown rules will begin to change when they're met. Accordingly, that means that we're all now paying extra attention to those vaccination figures and noting every milestone — with Australia just hitting a big one. Today, Friday, September 24, Australia has officially hit the 50-percent fully vaxxed mark, based on all eligible Australians over the age of 16. That's nationwide, and it's big push towards hitting those 70-percent and 80-percent marks. Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt revealed that 50.1 percent of eligible Aussies are now double jabbed, and 74.8 percent have had their first dose. In total, more than 26 million jab have been given so far, including two million this week. We have also passed the 50% double dosed mark (50.1%) for the eligible population (74.8% for first dose). And a record primary care day of 211,335. Please keep coming forward to be vaccinated. — Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) September 24, 2021 Wondering why you might be interested in the Aussie rate, and not just vax numbers in your own state or territory? As part of that plan announced by the PM — the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response — vaccination rates have to reach the 70-percent and 80-percent fully jabbed marks across the entire country before an individual state or territory can start easing the rules. That state or territory also has to reach those thresholds itself before it can do anything, of course, but that isn't the only important figure. So, this news inches us all closer to those target vax thresholds — and that's obviously the kind of news we could all use. You can keep an eye on the jab rates at a number of different websites and, if you still need to get vaccinated, these helpful maps show you where in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
A smokejumper stationed to a Montana watchtower, plagued by past traumas and forced to help a teenage boy evade hired killers, Those Who Wish Me Dead's Hannah Faber actually first debuted on the page. Watching Angelina Jolie bring the whisky-swilling, no-nonsense, one of the boys-type figure to the screen, it's easy to assume otherwise. The part doesn't quite feel as if it was written specifically for the smouldering movie star, though. Rather, it seems like the kind of role that might've been penned with Liam Neeson or Denzel Washington in mind — see: this year's The Marksman for the former, and 2004's Man on Fire for the latter — then flipped, gender-wise, to gift Jolie a new star vehicle. On the one hand, let's be thankful that that's not how this character came about. Kudos to author Michael Koryta, who also co-writes the screenplay here based on his 2016 novel, for conjuring up Hannah to begin with. But on the other hand, it's never a great sign when a female protagonist plays like a grab bag of stock-standard macho hero traits, just dressed up in a shapelier guise. It has been six years since Jolie has stepped into a mere mortal's shoes — since 2015's By the Sea, which she wrote and directed — and she leaves no doubt that Hannah is flesh and blood. There's still an iciness to the firefighter, and she still has the actor's cheekbones and pout, but Maleficent, she isn't. She's bruised, internally, by a fire that got away and left a body count. After hanging out with her colleagues, parachuting out of cars and brooding in her tower, she's soon physically in harm's way as well. As Those Who Wish Me Dead's plot gets her to this juncture, it also cuts back and forth between forensic accountant Owen Casserly (Jake Weber, Midway) and his son Connor (Finn Little, Angel of Mine), plus assassins Patrick and Jack (The Great's Nicholas Hoult and Game of Thrones' Aiden Gillen). Thanks to a treasure trove of incriminating evidence against important people that no one was ever supposed to find, these two duos are on a collision course. When they do cross paths — while Owen is trying to take Connor to stay with Ethan (Jon Bernthal, The Peanut Butter Falcon), his brother-in-law, a sheriff's deputy and one of Hannah's colleagues — it also nudges the boy into the smokejumper's orbit. As he demonstrated with his scripts for Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River, actor-turned-writer/director Taylor Sheridan (12 Strong) favours a patient approach. His narratives frequently boast an entire forest's worth of moving parts, and he's never in much of a rush to piece them all together. Accordingly, he takes his time bringing Hannah and Connor into each other's lives, and unfurls their ordeal from there with the same unhurried air. Those Who Wish Me Dead isn't interested in fleshing out its characters any more than the plot demands, however. The audience spends ample time with the film's central duo, yet can't claim to really get to know them. They're both haunted by what they've seen and lost, and neither is keen to spill too many words talking it through — but, although both Jolie and her young Australian co-star Little do exactly what they're asked, and even impart as much soulfulness as they each can on top, these characters could've been shaken out of any western-leaning, action-infused crime-thriller. They could equally walk right out of this flick and into the next formulaic entry in the genre. Also just as familiar: the cat-and-mouse games that ensue as Hannah and Connor try to reach the authorities, Patrick and Jack attempt to track their every move, and Ethan and his pregnant wife Allison (Medina Senghore, Happy!) become entangled in the drama. Naturally, an encroaching blaze fuels a significant part of the narrative — which proves inevitable from the very first frame, but does at least give Sheridan and cinematographer Ben Richardson (Mare of Easttown) a smokier visual palette. As its score keeps stressing, this is meant to be a tense film. It isn't; ticking boxes so dutifully is rarely suspenseful, as the otherwise vastly dissimilar Spiral: From the Book of Saw has also demonstrated recently. Still, Those Who Wish Me Dead does possess its own distinctive look. While texture and urgency are largely absent from the story, all those leaves and flames do their best to approximate the same sensations. Your eyes will register the difference, but your blood pressure will remain undisturbed. Occasionally — not enough, but occasionally nonetheless — Sheridan, Koryta and co-writer Charles Leavitt (Warcraft: The Beginning) don't make the obvious choice. When the feature allows Hannah and Connor's melancholy moods to linger, or does the same with a shot that doesn't immediately thrust the plot forward, it toys with being a more interesting film. The same applies to the way that it lets Allison play the hero, albeit after first putting her through a violent ordeal while she's literally barefoot and pregnant. Patrick and Jack are also curious inclusions. They're so one-note, it's hard to see what actors of Hoult and Gillen's calibre saw in the parts, but they'd also likely make a great double act in an In Bruges-esque Martin McDonagh flick. Jolie is tasked with anchoring this melange of elements, which she does; however, this isn't a feature that star power can bolster. Instead, Those Who Wish Me Dead is a generic movie that flirts with more, led by an impressive lead who's capable of more. It wants to burn bright, but usually only flickers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV6VNNjBkcE
If technology has taught us anything, it's that there's no realm of everyday life that it won't intrude upon. No, we're not talking about a Matrix-style situation — but the latest product to be infused with artificial intelligence might get you wondering if absolutely everything needs a tech upgrade. When it comes to the humble toothbrush, you could be forgiven for thinking that electric versions were about as advanced as things were going to get (or that anyone needs, to be honest). Enter an AI-infused instrument for keeping your chompers clean. It's the first of its kind, and it sounds incredibly clever and helpful, as well as a bit like technology in overdrive. The Ara, a product made by oral care company Kolibree and launched at the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show, features 3D motion sensors, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer that all collect data about how you're brushing — and how you can do better. Like everything, there's app attached that collates the relevant information, including details of the date and time you attended to your dental hygiene, the duration, and the zones brushed. Expected to be available from March 2017 at a cost of US $129, The toothbrush will also capture data when it isn't connected to the app. With the Ara designed to help improve their oral health, users also receive a weekly update telling you "how well you've brushed over the last seven days," which I'm sure everyone will look forward to. To be honest, we shouldn't be all that surprised. If smart hair brushes can help you keep your locks in tip-top condition, of course a toothbrush was going to come along that did the dental version of the same thing. Via Dezeen.
Do you like scary movies? If your answer is yes — and that question has you itching to revisit Scream — then Jakop Ahlbom's Horror is for you. The acclaimed Swedish director and film aficionado has turned his love of all things frightening into an internationally acclaimed physical theatre production, and it's making its first trip to Australia Serving up spine-tingling thrills while nodding to everything from The Shining to Rosemary's Baby to The Exorcist, Horror blends black humour with the genre that gives the show its name, complete with a host of cinematic special effects that aren't usually used in live theatre. That means not just blood-splatter aplenty and slasher flick-style orchestral screeching, but swinging an axe through a wealth of classic movies and tropes in a head-spinning fashion. Expect more than a few chills when it heads to QPAC from September 26 to 29 as part of this year's Brisbane Festival. Still game? The smart, sinister homage sets its creepy fun in a haunted house — where else? — where a young woman and her friends are forced to confront vengeful spirits still smarting from a traumatic family event. Trading dialogue for illusion, mime, movement and music, it'll make you feel like you're a mere few steps away from a real-life horror flick. And, thanks to Ahlbom's stage magic, you will be. Images: Sanne Peper.
"I didn't want to simply be a socialite," Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo) tells us. "I wanted to become the king of socialites." He has succeeded grandly in this most empty of ambitions; his life seems an endless parade of high-society gatherings, fashionable soirees and art gallery openings. A louche writer resting on the laurels of his lone novel and the occasional magazine piece, Jep has turned recently turned 65 and is shaken from his decadent torpor when he learns that his first love has died. The news acts as a reminder of his own looming mortality and is a chance to reflect on the gradual decline of Rome, the city he came to as a young man, at once drawn to its vibrancy and seemingly determined to be unimpressed with it. The film begins with an elaborately staged, gloriously shot party and doesn't reveal its immaculately dressed, glamorously jaded protagonist for several minutes, an approach in keeping with its interest in the colourful characters who inhabit his world. It is peopled with eccentric characters like Jep's combative editor, a spirited stripper who becomes involved with Jep, a centurion nun who eats only roots and a cluster of society wives, conmen and vacuous social climbers. Dispensing acidic observations a la Truman Capote, Jep surveys scenes of debauchery and hedonism with an air of slightly tired amusement. At times he seems the ultimate cynic — when he responds to a friend's taunt about his work and she calls him a misogynist, he corrects her: he is actually a misanthrope. Yet there is something melancholy about the character and the milieu he inhabits, something increasingly desperate about their pretensions and endless search for novelty, a sense that they live in the shadow of the city's great history. Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino's last film was the somewhat divisive little gem This Must Be The Place; this is a much more elaborate affair, stuffing dozens of vignettes of city life into its 142-minute running length. It evokes comparison with his great countrymen Federico Fellini and feels like a belated companion piece to La Dolce Vita, in its ambition, sweep and affectionate but pointedly warts-and-all portrait of a decaying, decadent metropolis. Filmgoers who like a sturdy narrative will likely be frustrated by The Great Beauty's structural looseness and epic sprawl, but those who can tap into its kaleidoscopic approach will find a dazzling, intoxicating feast of colour and life. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Dyt430YkQn0
It isn't called the big screen for nothing — and, when you head to the pictures, that's typically what you spend a couple of hours peering at. But you won't just be staring at a giant rectangle at Wonderdome, Australia's new pop-up cinema experience. In a blend of film, music and art that takes its cues from planetariums, you'll be sat in a dome watching movies that've been specifically designed to take up the whole 360-degree space that's towering above you. Melbourne Planetarium's regular fulldome sessions, the Melbourne International Film Festival's own fulldome programming and the Brisbane International Film Festival's foray into the same space a decade back have all served up this same kind of immersive view, if the overall concept sounds familiar. But when Wonderdome hits Sydney's Entertainment Quarter between Saturday, December 4–Sunday, January 30, it'll also be following in the footsteps of Coachella and Burning Man by creating a dedicated fulldome space that's all about this type of cinema-going. It'll also offer Australia's largest-ever 360-degree projection cinema. The structure itself is a geodesic steel dome that spans 21 metres in diameter, and is filled with multiple projectors, as well as a 7.2 surround sound system. To watch, you'll recline on throne-style beanbags and stare up at the movie. Given that the projection sprawls all around you, it's been likened to virtual reality — but without the goggles. During Wonderdome's debut run in Sydney, it'll screen a lineup of 22 films — including the dazzling Coral Rekindling Venus, about fluorescent coral reefs, bioluminescent sea creatures and rare marine life, from Emmy Award-wining Australian filmmaker Lynette Wallworth. Other highlights include National Geographic's Flying Monsters, about flying dinosaurs, which is narrated by the one and only David Attenborough; the climate-focused Dynamic Earth, which benefits from Liam Neeson's vocal work; and Carriberrie, which focuses on Indigenous Australian dance and song. Fulldome cinema is also known for its psychedelic and eye-popping visual displays, which is where Samskara, from artist Android Jones, comes in — plus Labyrinth, which is filled with squares, streets, passages, corridors and rooms; and Luminokaya, which lets you explore Cambodian temple complex Angkor Wat. The rest of the program also features the architecture-focused Urban Levitation; Distant Life: Alien Worlds, about whether humanity is alone in the universe; Flight of Fancy, which recreates a space jump at 120,000 feet; and other space-centric titles such as From Earth to the Universe and Journey to the Centre of the Milky Way. There's a lineup of fulldome movies for kids, too, because this is an all-ages space. Snacks-wise, you'll be able to grab something to eat and drink either before or after each Wonderdome session, with the menu including jaffles, chips, slushies, chocolates and ice creams. Plus, there'll be a gin bar, as well as a lineup of craft beers. Wonderdome's Entertainment Quarter season will also accept New South Wales' Dine & Discover vouchers, if you have some left — or you're eager to get your hands on more when two extra vouchers become available for NSW residents over the age of 18 sometime this summer. And if you won't be in Sydney this summer, cross your fingers that Wonderdome will plan stops in other cities. The fact that it's is pop-up dome obviously makes that easier. Wonderdome will pop-up at Sydney's Entertainment Quarter from Saturday, December 4 –Sunday, January 30. For more information, or for tickets from 11am AEST on Wednesday, November 17, head to the Wonderdome website.
Travelling solo can be great fun. There's no arguments about where to go, no bickering about where to eat and no ruining of life-long friendships that don't translate well from your hometown to the road. But it can get lonely too. You can Instagram great views, delicious meals and cute animals till your fingers are sore, but sometimes even 100 likes are no substitute for real-life, two-legged company. And someone to take a photo that actually has your face in it. So an Aussie adventurer by the name of Troy Elmes has come up with a solution — he's created an app that facilitates meet-ups for people who are travelling the world on their lonesome. Called Solo Traveller, it's a bit like Tinder for travellers (but without the sexy bit). You swipe through profiles of people who are on the road near you, let them know you're keen to meet up and connect with them in real time. Search results can be filtered according to age, gender, location, common interests and/or shared goals. Elmes invented the app after extensive travel on his own along Spain's Camino Trail. "I noticed there were a lot of like-minded solo travellers out there not having someone to share life’s moments with," he says on his website. "I also noticed how difficult it was to meet new people within my age range and there was an incredibly large and diverse group of travellers out there that were looking for the same connection, information and new experiences." Wanting to put these lone travellers in touch with each other, Elmes created Solo Traveller. Download it from the App Store or Google Play and keep it on-hand for the next time you're in a foreign city and desperately seeking good conversation. Image: Steven Lewis via Unsplash
Brisbane's getting another alcohol-fuelled brunch, and this one has a dress code — of leotards, lycra, spandex, leg warmers, and anything glittery, sparkly, shiny and neon. While you're channelling a thoroughly 80s vibe, teased hair won't go astray. Perhaps it'll even make you more aerodynamic on the roller rink. While it was originally planned for June, Sunday, August 11 is your chance to dress up in all of the above and strap on a pair of roller skates. You can't dance around a Roller Disco Brunch without them. When you're not busting out your smooth retro moves to plenty of the era's hits — yes, Cyndi Lauper songs will be given a spin by the DJ — you'll be tucking into a meal and quenching your boozy thirst. Tickets are on sale now, with multiple sessions taking place at Prohibition. Peachy keen, jelly bean? Aware that brunch doesn't have to happen before midday? You can book in for slots from 11am–12.30pm, 1–2.30pm and 3–4.30pm, which include unlimited pizza, bottomless bubbles and skate hire, all for $63. Fancy simply putting on some skates and getting active? You can do that from 5–6.30pm and 7–8.30pm for $31.50, with the fee also covering skate hire. Updated June 28.
With its fantastic puppetry, tight choreography and more than a few damp-eye moments, the National Theatre of Great Britain's production of War Horse is taking another canter across Australia's stages. After first touring Down Under in 2012–13, the Tony Award-winning play will return in 2020, with seasons currently planned for Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel of the same name, the boy-meets-horse tale was originally adapted for the stage by British playwright Nick Stafford, and directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, way back in 2007. Opening shortly before the start of the First World War, War Horse is the love story of a Devonshire lad, Albert, and a young foal, Joey — who, once it has come of age, is sold into service for the British Army. Seeing the injustice in this, the play's boy hero fights against age restrictions and cartwheels to Calais to save Joey, at which point his youthful bravado is tear-gassed into the harsh reality of early modern warfare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMVKWxZyIZU After its first NT run, the play proved to be such a tremendous success that it relocated to the West End and Broadway, and has galloped across everywhere from Canada, Germany and the Netherlands to South Africa and China. Along the way, it has picked up two Olivier Awards and five Tonys, including for Best Play — and been seen by thousands of audiences. You might also remember the 2011 film adaptation of Morpurgo's novel, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, starred a long list of British talent including Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch, and was nominated for six Oscars. On the stage, War Horse owes its longevity to South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, which has created a stable of horses, some soon-to-die cavalry, crows, swallows and a very animated goose. Though surrounded by puppeteers and, in parts, constructed out of obviously mechanical pieces, these puppets realistically breathe and quickly pop out as the most genuine players in the show. War Horse plays Melbourne's Regent Theatre from January 10, 2020, then heads to the Sydney Lyric from February 15, before moving to Perth's Crown Theatre from March 24. For further details, and to join the ticket waitlist, head to warhorseonstage.com.au.
Each year, the folks at Sydney-based film festival organisers Queer Screen ask an excellent question, and answer it in the best way possible. That query: what's better than one queer-focused film festival popping up every 12 months? The response: two, of course. Here's another train of thought that the crew have been posing, too: what's better than two celebrations of LGBTQIA+ cinema in Harbour City picture palaces? The solution here: sharing the love by taking the movie-worshipping online nationally. Queer Screen runs the Mardi Gras Film Festival during the first half of every year, so that's been and gone for 2023. It also gives cinephiles the Queer Screen Film Fest later each year — and that's next on the agenda. This isn't any old QSFF, either. It's the event's tenth anniversary, and the fest is marking that milestone with more than 30 films, plus that online component for audiences across Australia. For those playing along in-person, the physical fest runs from Wednesday, August 23–Sunday, August 27 at Event Cinemas George Street. For people on the couch, you'll have until Sunday, September 3 to get streaming. And that 30-plus films includes ten narrative features, three documentary features, four retrospective flicks getting encores, two TV shows and 19 shorts from 11 different countries. There's more range if you hit up a cinema rather than your television, but it's a mighty impressive lineup all the same. Opening the Sydney sessions is Blue Jean, a four-time British Independent Film Award-winner about a lesbian teacher in Thatcher's England — and, at the other end of the fest, Theatre Camp will close out QSFF 2023 with a crowd-pleasing comedy about loving the stage, as starring and co-written and co-directed by Booksmart and The Bear's Molly Gordon. Elsewhere, the lineup includes Cannes Palm d'Or-winning Shoplifters filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, which picked up this year's Queer Palm; Marinette, about soccer legend Marinette Pichon (and, yes, arriving just after the Women's World Cup); Busan International Film Festival hit Peafowl, about a Korean trans woman's homecoming; and Medusa Deluxe, which jumps into a hairstyle competition. There's also the Berlin-set Drifter, page-to-screen drama Lie with Me and Indigo Girls doco It's Only Life After All, plus the AIDS in Hollywood-focused Commitment to Life. Or, heading back into sports, Equal the Contest follows regional women's Australian rules football team Mount Alexander Falcons in an exploration of the barriers still faced for women and gender-diverse people on the field. And those retro titles? They span Anchor & Hope, about a trio's complicated relationship; German coming-of-age romance Centre of My World; rom-com Nina's Heavenly Delights, focusing on a woman reuniting with her Indian family in Scotland; and the southern Chile-set The Strong Ones. "Queer Screen is celebrating not only its 30th year of existence, but also the tenth edition of our mini festival. It's an incredibly exciting year and I'm thrilled to be bringing such an outstanding selection of films to Sydney to continue the celebrations," said Festival Director Lisa Rose. "Ten years ago, when the first Queer Screen Film Fest began, we only screened seven films and the whole thing was run by volunteers. This world-class program is a very fitting tribute to how much we have grown and to how LGBTIQ+ stories have found their place, front and centre, on the international stage." Queer Screen Film Fest 2023 runs from Wednesday, August 23–Sunday, August 27 at Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney — and online nationally until Sunday, September 3. For more information, visit the festival's website.
If you're a Queenslander or a Victorian with a trip to Sydney in your future — or vice versa — the pandemic has just interrupted your plans. Yes, again. With the New South Wales capital currently experiencing a new COVID-19 cluster, both its northern and southern neighbour states have declared parts of the city either hotspots or red zones, depending on their respective terminology. And, as a result, both Queensland and Victoria are shutting their borders to seven Sydney Local Government Areas. Victoria announced the news late on Tuesday, June 22, while Queensland did the same today, Wednesday, June 23 — and each state's border closures come into effect at different times, too. In Victoria, the change actually kicked in at 1am this morning. In Queensland, it'll apply from 1am on Thursday, June 24. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1407302855405363202 Accordingly, folks who've been in the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick LGAS will no longer be permitted to enter either Victoria or Queensland, other than in a few circumstances. Victoria is allowing the state's own residents who've been in the identified LGAs, which are now classes as red zones under its traffic light-style permit system, to obtain permits to return home — but they'll then need to quarantine for 14 days. If you're not a Victorian resident and you've been in the seven Sydney regions, you can no longer enter Victoria. In Queensland, residents entering from the seven Sydney hotspots will need to go into hotel quarantine for 14 days — and non-residents will only be allowed to enter if they receive an exception, and will also need to go into hotel quarantine for a fortnight. Plus, everyone will need to complete one of the state's online travel declarations first, after that system was brought back into effect last week. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1407478815853400064 Queensland actually already made a similar move on Saturday, June 19, but limited to Waverley local government area. So, when 1am hits on Thursday, June 24, it'll be joined by the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick under the state's hotspot declaration. For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 border restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. For more information about COVID-19 in Victoria and the state's current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health website.
Seven years after it was first announced, five since it opened and a year after floating plans to launch in Noosa, too, things are still looking up at The Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Down in the venue's Lobby Bar, part of Head Chef Andy Gunn's menu now comes from above, in fact. Setting up a rooftop garden that grows organic produce to use onsite will do that. The sky-high patch of greenery doesn't only serve the Lobby Bar — The Calile's function spaces benefit, too — but it's a key force behind Gunn's latest range of dishes. Now that the venue can offer a rooftop-to-table spread, he's gone with a French-themed concept. Think: steak frites paired with rooftop leaves, confit duck consommé with rooftop herbs and baked camembert with rooftop honey. The garden towers above the James Street hotel, complete with eight wooden planter boxes on the Doggett Side of the building, plus a colony of bees that make honey just for The Calile's guests. Future Wild is a partner in the leafy venture, while architecture firm Richards and Spence has continued its association with the structure — after originally designing it — by lending its skills to the greenery as well. Boasting its own lofty source of ingredients helps The Calile's commitment to sustainability, with the Lobby Bar working towards a zero-waste goal. "We've designed flexible menus that enable us to replace ingredients where required," advises Gunn. "Our garden sets Lobby Bar apart from other venues. Guests know ingredients have been harvested directly from the garden and placed with care on their plate and, as a chef, it's an amazing tool and privilege to have." Earlier in the year, the garden was planted with French millet, buckwheat, mung bean and other legumes, which were then cultivated and composted, resulting in top-notch soil. For the autumn planting, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, garlic and sorrel grace the beds, as do more than 42 varieties of lettuce, plus grapevines. A veteran of Urbane in Brisbane and Le Cinq at Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, Gunn has assistance in the kitchen from his wife Amélie, who oversees the bar's baked items and pastries. Her approach: adapting traditional skills for a local context; "people don't want heavy cream and butter-rich dishes in Brisbane's climate," she notes. Accordingly, patrons can tuck into French toast tiramisu, or crepes made with rooftop honey and freshly baked baguettes. Also new: a wine list curated by the venue's recently appointed sommelier Thibaud Cregut, also favouring French tipples such as Louis Roederer vintage rosé from Champagne and Domaine des Hates petit chablis, plus organic Australian vino. Find The Calile Hotel's Lobby Bar at 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley — open 6.30am–late Monday–Friday and 7am–late Saturday–Sunday.
Melbourne band Strange Talk seem to be on a good thing at the moment. Their sound has drawn comparisons to Cut Copy, Phoenix, Friendly Fires and Yeasayer, and judging by the popularity of the aforementioned bands, such a powerful music brew can't be a bad thing at all. And judging by their fast paced success - its not. After releasing the track 'Climbing Walls' to which they received a lot of triple j love for last year, the four piece have quickly gained a following. Along with the fans have come notable gigs including performances at Parklife, Good Vibrations and the support spot for Foster the People's sold out Melbourne shows. The indie-pop act is now setting its sights on Brisbane and to help make the night just that extra bit fun, local rising stars Mitzi will also be performing. Combining disco beats, syncopated guitars and laid back vocals, Mitzi's smooth and alluring sound is also winning the band a lot of fans. The performance comes hot on the heels of their recently released debut EP All I Heard. Both bands are set for great things, which means you are in for a great show.
At the beginning of 2012, when the world discovered that Channing Tatum was starring in a movie about male strippers — and that it was based on his own experiences working in the field — everyone was a little sceptical. Which was understandable. Magic Mike boasts a great director in Steven Soderbergh, and a cast that also includes Matthew Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough and peak McConnaissance-era Matthew McConaughey, but, on paper, it was hardly a sure thing. Of course, once the film hit the screens, it was a hit. More than that — it was a smart and sensitive look at men chasing the American Dream by taking off their clothes. Sequel Magic Mike XXL, which released in 2015, not only repeated the feat but added more depth, and Tatum successfully turned what could've been a forgettable chapter of his pre-fame life into a successful big-screen franchise. Actually, he's turned it into a stage and screen franchise. Yes, Magic Mike was always going to go back to where it all began. In Las Vegas, London and Berlin, Magic Mike Live has been letting real-life male dancers strip up a storm for eager audiences. Not to be confused with Magic Mike the Musical — because that's something that's also happening — the "immersive" dance show is coming to Australia in 2020. When its Aussie leg was first announced last year, the show was set to debut in Melbourne in May 2020; however, then the pandemic hit. After delaying those dates, Magic Mike Live will now unleash its stuff in Sydney from Thursday, December 17. It'll then head to Melbourne from Tuesday, June 8, 2021, with Brisbane and Perth seasons set to follow at yet-to-be-revealed dates. In each city, Magic Mike Live will steam up a 600-seat spiegeltent called The Arcadia. It's the world's largest spiegeltent, because clearly this kind of show has plenty of fans. This is the first time that the performance will be held in the pop-up two-storey spot, which comes with 360-degree views of the stage, a glass lobby, custom bars, a mini food hall, and a lounge area both inside and out. And while it's blazing a trail venue-wise, on the stage, the Aussie show will combine elements of the Magic Mike Live's three other international productions. While Tatum came up with the idea for Magic Mike Live and co-directs the show, the Step Up, 21 Jump Street, Logan Lucky and Kingsman: The Golden Circle star isn't actually one of the performers. Instead, a cast of 20 — including 15 male dancers — will showcase a combination of, dance, comedy and acrobatics. Continuing her role from the films, stage show co-director and choreographer Alison Faulk is behind the sultry moves, drawing upon a career spent working with Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Missy Elliott, P!NK, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. It probably goes without saying, but if you're already thinking about buying Magic Mike Live tickets, expect to have plenty of hens parties for company. MAGIC MIKE LIVE AUSTRALIAN TOUR Sydney — Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, from Thursday, December 17, 2020 Melbourne — Birrarung Mar, from Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Brisbane — TBC Perth — TBC Magic Mike Live tours Australia from Thursday, December 17, 2020, when it kicks off its shows in Sydney. It'll then hit Melbourne from Tuesday, June 8, 2021, with Brisbane and Perth seasons set to follow at yet-to-be-revealed dates. For more information, or to buy tickets for the Sydney leg, the website. Top image: Jerry Metellus.
Hailing from hilly Tasmania, Melbourne-based architect Andrew Maynard welcomes the flat, 'blank canvas' that Melbourne's landscape provides. Allowing his design to dominate the landscape and tapping into his ingenuity, Maynard designed his incredible 'Hill House' incorporated into the side of - you guessed it - a hill. Intended to be a "celebration of the synthetic, the manufactured", the house features a modernistic interior within a "reoriented" layout design. Visitors are ushered into the kitchen, as opposed to a traditional living or sitting room, and the lucky kids get an entire little 'home' of their own. [Via Lost at E Minor]
Throughout the pandemic, treating ourselves to Gelato Messina's desserts has become a tasty self-care go-to, and the chain has been releasing quite the lineup of special sweet treats — its own takes on Viennettas and Iced Vovos included — to help. Now, after a chaotic few weeks weather-wise across Queensland and New South Wales, the gelato brand is putting its OTT dishes to great use in another way, raffling them off to raise cash for flood relief. Buy a $10 ticket, go in the draw to win Messina treats, gelato tubs, chocolates, vouchers and merchandise: that's what's on offer until 11.59pm on Sunday, March 20. The gelato chain is hosting its own raffle, with $5000 in desserts and prizes up for grabs — in 150 packs filled with more than 60 of the brand's limited-edition wares. Those aforementioned Messinettas and Iced Vovo bavarians are included, with 2o of each on offer — and 20 of Messina's Basque cheesecake hot tubs as well. There's also 20 1.5-litre gelato tubs, 30 sets of its pick 'n' mix choccies, and five $150 Messina vouchers. Messina socks, caps, hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts and balm — they're all on the list as well. Tickets can be bought online, with 100 percent of the profits to be split between Australian Red Cross and Vinnies flood appeals across NSW and Qld. Winners will then be notified on Monday, March 21. Eating gelato, assisting folks in need: that's the best and most helpful way to enjoy dessert. Gelato Messina's flood appeal raffle is selling tickets until 11.59pm on Sunday, March 20. Head to the Messina website for further information.
If an early 20th-century Jewish immigrant found himself walking around in 2019, what would he think of the world? That question comes with a flipside, of course, because it's equally valid to wonder how today's folks would react in response. With Seth Rogen starring as a ditch-digging, rat-catching new arrival from Eastern Europe to Brooklyn, these are a couple of the queries pondered by An American Pickle. It's the latest in a long line of comedies that trifle with time while doubling as time capsules, and it falls firmly from a familiar mould. Some such flicks send teens to the past via Deloreans and phone booths, as seen in the Back to the Future and Bill & Ted franchises. Others focus on people from another era grappling with modern living, as the likes of Encino Man and Blast From the Past demonstrated. Yes, these concepts were particularly popular in the 80s and 90s — but no matter when they flicker across our screens, they do two things: serve up a snapshot of the attitudes and norms prevalent when they're made, and explore how current perspectives intersect with those gone by. That's true of An American Pickle, and overtly so, with seeing, examining and giggling at the contrast between century-old ways and contemporary ideas a considerable part of the film. Not only that, but this Simon Rich-penned adaptation of his own short story Sell Out does all of the above broadly and blatantly — pointing out that big, bushy beards have become hipster beacons, for example, and that much has progressed since the 1900s. Consequently, there's no avoiding just how slight An American Pickle is. Its protagonist might fall into a vat of brine, get sealed in, then emerge in a new millennium, but this movie isn't diving deep. Thankfully, mixed up with all the obvious jokes are two thoughtful performances, both by Rogen, that help the film interrogate the push and pull between the past and the present in a moving fashion. Rogen plays Herschel Greenbaum, a new arrival to US with his wife Sarah (Succession's Sarah Snook), after the pair leave their home of Schlupsk to escape Russian Cossacks and chase a better life. Rogen also steps into the shoes of app developer Ben Greenbaum, Herschel's great-grandson and only living descendant when he awakens in his preserved (and presumably extra salty) state. The two men are the same age, and look alike. That said, they sport differences beyond Herschel's facial hair and Ben's technological know-how. It's the usual generational divide, as instantly recognisable to everyone watching. The elder Greenbaum is devoted to his family and faith, and is horrified that his sole remaining relative doesn't appear as fussed about either, while Ben gets increasingly frustrated with his great-grandpa's know-it-all-approach, bluntness and incessant meddling. Rich gives the two men more reasons to argue, and for Ben to start plotting Herschel's downfall. An app that rates companies on their ethics, an artisanal pickle business that becomes a viral hit and a towering billboard for vodka all factor into their feud. So too does Ben's willingness to capitalise upon Herschel's inherent ignorance of 21st-century minutiae, and the proud and stubborn Herschel's insistence upon staying set in his ways. The details are almost superfluous and, as the narrative keeps picking low-hanging comic fruit, they feel that way in the movie as well. Herschel upends Ben's business plans with some unethical behaviour, and Ben tricks Herschel into spouting his dated and offensive opinions on social media, but there's never any doubt that it'll all eventually work out. As a result, even though An American Pickle delivers plenty of conflict, there's no real drama here — and no real investment in Herschel and Ben's spat. Instead, the movie deploys over-the-top clashes in the service of clearcut gags and satirical observations, and to drum up easy laughs. Well that, and a product placement-driven fondness for Soda Stream that's the one thing Herschel and Ben always agree on. But, despite how straightforward it all proves, the film still boasts heart, sweetness, and an understanding of how the past always leaves an imprint, the future needn't fastidiously be chained to tradition, and that everything old and all things new have a symbiotic relationship. Yes, watching Rogen battle with himself manages to convey those notions. Luckily, too, given that the latest feature from The FP's Brandon Trost is rather standard otherwise. Generally, everything about An American Pickle takes the expected option — including switching aspect ratios to distinguish between 1919 and 2019, and using varying colour palettes to differentiate between Eastern Europe and America — but that description doesn't fit Rogen. If you've seen him in everything from Freaks and Geeks and Knocked Up to the Bad Neighbours movies and Long Shot, you've probably started predicting how he plays his parts here. And yet Herschel and Ben feel grounded and textured in a way that little else in this flick does. Rogen offers up two convincingly melancholy visions of two men cartoonishly wrapped up in their own needs and ideas, and his dual performances are consistently anchored in relatable emotions instead of merely self-evident jokes. And, in an affable but also mostly forgettable film, he's the only aspect that doesn't feel like it's been pulled straight from a jar that's been sitting on the shelf for quite some time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC2dsAGvGy0 Top image: Hopper Stone. © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Clothes swaps aren't just for humans. Your pupper deserves some dapper pre-loved threads too. If you've got a pile of collars, leashes, harnesses and old doggo outfits looking for a new home — and would like a new pile in return — then wag your tail over to Pup Stuff Swap. Bring something, take something. That's how these things go, and it's the same whether it's targeted at creatures on two legs or four. It's worth remembering that a swap relies on everyone donating usable items — things that can still be worn, aren't damaged or broken, but you just don't want anymore. Run by Good Swap with Suburban Pup, and taking place at The Pick Up Joint in Spring Hill, the swap will have everyone barking from 8.30–10.30am on Saturday, January 26. It's all free, but bring your wallet if you'd like some coffee and cakes — for humans. There'll also be dog meal mix on offer for you to take home, but you'll need to bring your own container.
The trend of 'cancelling' someone is a contentious one. If you're in support of a person's cancellation, it'll likely have something to do with how you feel about their cancel-causing behaviour. But what if you support the behaviour? What if you'd do it yourself? The water gets murky. Considering that a successful cancellation can determine how the rest of a person's life plays out, should it be up to a wildly unregulated population of netizens to carry out? Or, is it a case of power to the people when careers end and lives change as a result of previously unchecked problematic behaviour? There's much to say about a case for and against cancel culture, which you can hear for yourself on Thursday, July 13 at The Parley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiaHlHg8op0 The debate will see two teams attempt to persuade an adjudicator (and audience) at the Powerhouse's Underground Theatre. Although debates typically culminate with a winner being crowned, The Parley is committed to 'empathetic debate' — an initiative driven by mental health charity spur:org's anti-hate project Sticks & Stones, which is dedicated to creating safe spaces for challenging discussions. Why? So society can move to a space of listening and sharing different perspectives with the intention of finding common ground — not division — and to tackle the issue of hate in online settings. Whether you think some cancellations are deserved or you believe people should have the chance to defend themselves or change, The Parley will deliver an illuminating conversation — perhaps solidifying your stance or changing it. Grab your pals, nab your tickets and get ready to hear some compelling conversationalists make their case. The Parley: Should Cancel Culture Be Cancelled? debate hits the stage at the Brisbane Powerhouse's Underground Theatre on Thursday, July 13 at 6.30pm. For more information and to nab your tickets, head to the website.
Since opening late in 2018, Brisbane's Howard Smith Wharves precinct has continued to expand. The spot already boasts a riverfront brewery, an overwater bar and a sprawling Greek taverna, as well as an Art Series hotel with a rooftop pool, waterside Betty's Burgers, gelato joint, light-filled restaurant and just-opened Cantonese restaurant and bar — and now it's home to Jonathan Barthelmess' new two-level Japanese izakaya. First announced earlier this year and called Yoko Dining, this is restaurateur Barthelmess' second HSW venue. The new restaurant and bar sits next door to his existing Greca restaurant, and takes inspiration from his time spent in Tokyo, where his fine diner The Apollo is located. If you've ever visited the Japanese capital's izakaya and music bars, you'll be well prepared for Yoko Dining. Think tunes spun on vinyl, an upbeat vibe and a retro-yet-futuristic feel both in the downstairs restaurant and on Yoko's mezzanine level. The upper space also features a hidden bar and a dining space. Decor-wise, renowned interior architect George Livissianis has jazzed up the heritage building's original timber framework with bursts of yellow, concrete fixtures and blonde wood, plus an interesting lighting design, all while keeping to a box-style structure. In the kitchen, Kitak Lee leads the charge, with the head chef already a veteran of Barthelmess's Japanese joint in Sydney, Cho Cho San. A hibachi (a Japanese charcoal grill) sits pride of place in the kitchen, the seafood-heavy menu heroes smoky flavours, and there's a raw bar serving up fresh sashimi, tempura and seasonal gyoza. You'll also find noodles, tonkatsu, wagyu and charcoal chicken among the mains — and plus pork kakuni bossam, which is braised pork belly Japanese-style. As for dessert, choose between shaved ice kakigori, mochi, matcha and mango-flavoured soft serve, and a mille feuille slice made with yuzu and strawberry. As for drinks, prepare to sip your way through yuzu slushies, vodka-splashed iced teas, ten different types of sake, and a range of umeshu (plum wine), yuzushu (yuzu liqueur) and shochu. Japanese whiskeys, Japanese and Australian beers, and sodas with optional booze are also available — as is wine on tap and in bottles from a 100-strong list. Yoko Dining is now open at Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane — Monday–Friday from midday–late, and weekends from 11.30am–late.
Australia's undying affection for Bill Murray has been shown through film tributes the country over— at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema, Brisbane's Catchment Brewing Co. and, most recently, Melbourne's Howler — but now the man himself is set to visit the country. But the actor, comedian and all-round good guy won't be emulating Peter Venkman or Carl Spackler or even Steve Zissou — he'll be performing classical spoken and musical works alongside distinguished German–American cellist Jan Vogler. The show's called New Worlds, which comes from an album of the same name the pair released last year. In it, Murray takes a different turn to how you my have seen him on-screen — he performs vocals to classic American music, and excerpts from American greats like Mark Twain, Walt Whitman and Ernest Hemingway. This will be accompanied by classical scores (think Bach, Schubert and Ravel) by Vogel and his ensemble. The show will be held at the QPAC on Friday, November 16.
It was only a matter of time before Australia's penchant for themed brunches spawned an all-out, fairytale-inspired breakfast feast. And you'll have the chance to partake — and channel your inner Ariel, Mulan or, even, Simba — when a huge (unofficial) Disney-themed bottomless brunch and sing-along party rocks into town for the first time ever. There's no word yet on where or when this shindig‚ dubbed The Magical Brunch, is going down, but we do know that it's heading to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — and costumes are definitely encouraged, so you'd best start hunting for your best Elsa gown or Cruella de Vil two-tone wig. Prince, princesses and singing candelabras will sit down to an afternoon brunch feast "served fairytale-style" — we're hoping for something similar to Belle's 'Be Our Guest' feast in Beauty and the Beast — along with two hours of unlimited Champagne, beer or mimosas. Word is there'll be themed entertainment and a Cinderella-worthy dance floor for post-brunch twirling, too. Best dust off the DVD collection and start singing, and dancing, to those classic tunes. Tickets are apparently limited, so head over to the Magical Brunch website and sign up now for the chance to be involved.
Anyone abreast of Brisbane food and drink news has no doubt heard the hype surrounding Clayfield cafe My Mistress. If you're wondering what the fuss is about, you surely haven't had occasion to drive past. First and foremost, the place is dazzlingly inviting. Strategically adorned with vines and shrubbery, the leaf-green coloured cubby house of a building is a lush sanctuary. Even despite the servo next door, My Mistress is the stuff of lazy Sunday morning dreams. Open only since the end of January, the cafe has hit the ground running. The dreaded weekend breakfast queue is a given, but even weekday mornings see competition for tables. The number of diners-in far is far greater than the number of those just after a takeaway coffee. Ladies who brunch, post-workout smoothie sippers, dog walkers and young student-types keep the cafe busy throughout the morning. Announcing your plans to visit 'My Mistress' will grow steadily less amusing each time, but the cafe commands a loyal following. The adultery theme doesn't seem to have deterred many, and it is a theme to which the cafe commits. Menu subheadings are 'Cheeky Fling', 'Main Affair' and 'On the Side'. Dishes include the Eggs Marilyn (organic caramelised onion and caraway rye, free range fried eggs, Margaret River smoked ham, wilted spinach topped with a creamy hollandaise sauce, $17) and the Eggs Monica (free-range scrambled eggs on a corn, halloumi and zucchini fritter, blistered cherry tomatoes and a seasoned avocado smash, $17). The Morning Glory ($12) is a saucy delight: smoked bacon, rocket, Swiss cheese, tomato relish, aioli and a fried free range egg peeking out of a toasted bagel. Coffee is good, worth travelling a little bit of extra distance for, and there is also freshly squeezed juice, seasonal smoothies, herbal teas and cold press coffee.
Tokyo might be filled with dotty creations thanks to its Yayoi Kusama museum, not to mention gorgeous animation at its Studio Ghibli museum; however that's just the beginning of the Japanese capital's immersive creativity. From June 21, it'll become home to a new digital art museum — the city's first, and one that'll dedicate its more than 10,000-square-metre space to interactive, kaleidoscopic artistry. While one-off Tokyo events have combined multi-course dinners with multi-sensory projections and turned a greenhouse into a light and music-filled garden patch, Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless will offer up those kind of attractions all year round. In fact, it's a collaboration between interdisciplinary art collective teamLab, aka the folks responsible for the aforementioned animated meal, and urban developer Mori Building, whose sky-high gallery in the city's Roppongi district hosted a giant game of Space Invaders 52 storeys above the ground last year. Set to feature more than 50 works, the museum will be split into five different areas — but, as the site's name indicates, there won't be any walls or borders between each space. Instead, visitors will roam from through a gallery where art works blend into each other, communicate with each other, move across installation rooms and even fuse with other pieces. Highlights include installations that'll make you feel like you're wandering through lily pads, sliding through fruit and sitting in an aquarium; a tea party that pairs real-life cuppas with virtually blooming flowers; and a forest of lamps that respond to human interaction, spreading their light as people approach each bulb. Still on the garden theme, the museum will also feature an 'athletics forest' complete with spaces for jumping, hanging on swinging bars, navigating a weightless space and climbing on gradients of different elevations, bridging the gap between the artistic and the physical. Plus, the site is located in Odaiba — which means travelling over the city's famous Rainbow Bridge to get there, and adding some extra brightness to your visit. Due to open on June 21, the museum will operate seven days a week, all year round. For more information, visit the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless website.
Burger lovers of Brisbane, rejoice — yet another (yes, another) place selling your favourite food is posed to join the culinary lineup. If you've ever grabbed a burg on the Gold or Sunshine Coasts, then you might be familiar with our newest resident: Betty's Burgers. After announcing they'd be opening new stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane last year, their shiny new burger joint opens today — Thursday, June 22 — inside Westfield Chermside's brand new dining precinct, their first in Brisbane. This new pastel-coloured store will have custom Italian wall tiles and room for 100 diners. It joins Bin 931 Bar and Dining from Gold Coast Little Truffle restaurateur and chef Daniel Ridgeway, and Bootlegger from Sydney's Tom Chidiac of Sourdough and The Naked Duck fame, along with Zeus Street Greek and 4Fingers Crispy Chicken in the new food precinct. So what's Betty's all about? Well, they do a range of burgs that have been pretty well received on the coast. If you haven't tried one yet, you can except their classic, crispy chicken, pork belly and mushroom signature burgers to make their way to Sydney, as well as their insane Shake Shack-esque frozen custard concoctions. These are called 'concretes', and you can choose to get things like peanut brittle, pecan pudding, doughnuts and lemon cheesecake mixed through them. A photo posted by Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co. (@bettys_burgers) on Dec 2, 2016 at 12:22am PST Betty's was first opened in Noosa by David Hales in 2014. He has since opened more stores across the country — three on the Gold Coast, one in Toowoomba, one in Melbourne and, just yesterday, one in Sydney. Another Brisbane store is already slated to open in Newstead this year. Betty's Burgers is now open from 10.30am till late seven days a week at Westfield Chermside, Corner Gympie and Hamilton Roads, Chermside. For more info, visit bettysburgers.com.au. Words by Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
There are many things that are great on ice. Champagne and caviar are two. The Nutcracker is another. The stage performance of The Nutcracker is already something to behold, but add high-speed leaps, throws and astonishing acrobatics and you’ve got a jaw dropping-ly great show. Described as the world’s best theatrical ice-skating company, The Imperial Ice Stars are making their triumphant return with their brand-new production - The Nutcracker On Ice. Ice may seem a tricky surface to dance upon, however the 25-strong company of world ice-skating champions make it look easy and graceful, never failing to impress their audiences. The production is to be a feast for the senses – especially when it comes to the sets. The world’s best ice-skaters will be leaping and twirling around a set created by renowned scenic designer, Eamon D’Arcy. Add the costumes and Tchaikovsky’s famous music, and you’ve got a pretty cool production...literally…
Heading down the highway to Burleigh is no longer on the agenda for Brisbanites keen for a bite at Two Yolks. Instead, Grey Street in South Bank is your destination, with the brand opening a new flagship store, its first in the River City. The Gold Coast-born chain does brekkie burgs, bacon and egg burgs, scrambled eggs on burgs, spicy chicken burgs, truffle burgs, old-school burgs, mortadella burgs and more. Given the name, eggs are clearly a prime feature of this eatery's burgers, and expect them to ooze when you take a bite. Two Yolks boasts Charles Olalia (ex-The French Laundry, Guy Savoy) as Executive Chef Partner, but it hasn't gone upmarket with its burg offering. The vibe here is retro — see: decor decked out like a diner, with wood panels sourced from Italy and tiles from Japan — as Brisbanites can enjoy all day, hence the array of breakfast options. Also on the morning lineup: burgers that span halloumi; sausage and cheese; bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato; and mushroom and avocado. That's where where the mortadella burg comes in, too, which is inspired by Anthony Bourdain. And, there's a croissant version of eggs benedict, plus a breakfast burrito. Burritos are part of the Two Yolks' spread, too. Sides include cheesy truffle fries, chilli cheese tots, hash browns, hand-battered onion rings and bacon on a stick — plus chips paired with eggs, of course. As for drinks, shakes come in the holy trinity of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, as well as a boozy espresso martini version. Mimosas, bloody marys and orange spritzes feature among the cocktail range, and beers are also on offer.
He's directed a mockumentary about sharehouse-dwelling vampires in Wellington, one of the most offbeat and adorable fugitive films there is, and the best big-budget blockbuster about a certain cape-wearing, hammer-wielding Norse god- turned-superhero that's reached screens so far. Now, after winning hearts and laughs with not only What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, but New Zealand comedies Eagle vs Shark and Boy too, Taika Waititi has turned his attention to making fun of Hitler. His latest movie is called Jojo Rabbit, with the beloved filmmaker not only writing and directing, but starring as the Nazi. It's a satire, obviously, following a bullied but nationalistic young German boy called Jojo (newcomer Roman Griffin Davis) who discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace) in their attic. He doesn't quite know what to do, so he asks the obvious person for help: his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler. World War II-set films are a very common sight on the big screen, so if you feel like you've seen every possible take on that period of history, Jojo Rabbit is here to change your mind. As the movie's initial teaser and its just-released full trailer both show, this isn't your usual grim, serious war flick. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this month, and based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, it's being badged as an "anti-hate" comedy, should you need more of an idea of the tone that Waititi is going for. As well as the writer/director himself, the film co-stars the high-profile likes of Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Alfie Allen. It's not the only project that Waititi has in the works — it was just announced last week that he'll be directing the next Thor film, Thor: Love and Thunder — but it is the only one where he gets Hitler to call himself a lunatic and a psycho. Check out the new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL4McUzXfFI Jojo Rabbit releases on December 26 in Australia.
Over the past decade, Marvel has trained superhero-loving cinema-goers well. Now 23 films into its enormous cinematic universe and showing zero signs of stopping, the comic book company has basically taken over the big screen, with three of its huge movies ranking among Australia's top five box office hits of the year in 2019 alone — Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel and Sony-Disney collaboration Spider-Man: Far From Home. More flicks are coming in 2020, of course. So are a heap of TV shows, all headed to Disney's new streaming platform. But, if you'd love to see your favourite spandex-clad crime-fighters try to save the world in person, you'll be happy to know that's coming next year as well. Marvel Universe Live! is exactly what it sounds like, with the production taking more than 25 characters such as Spider-Man, The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, teaming them up on stage and letting audiences marvel (pun intended) at their exploits. Featuring everyone from Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Hulk to Captain America, Doctor Strange, Black Widow and the Wasp, it tasks the beloved superheroes with facing off against some of Marvel's infamous villains, including Nebula, Loki and Green Goblin. And, it packages their antics with video projections, special effects, and both aerial and motorcycle stunts. The performance is aimed at all ages and, in news that's about as unsurprising as most wisecracks that Tony Stark ever uttered, the show has proven a massive success in the United States, Latin America and Europe. As a result, it was only a matter of time until it hit Australia, which it'll do across March and April next year. Obviously, attendees won't be watching Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson or Tom Hiddleston — or any of the many, many other high-profile stars who feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, if you're happy to get your Marvel fix however you can, then you can do just that in arenas and stadiums around the country in 2020. Thanks to recent news — namely the revelation that, due to negotiation breakdowns between Disney and Sony, Spider-Man may no longer be part of the MCU — it might also be your last chance to see the web-slinger join forces with other Marvel heroes, other than on the page. Of course, Disney and Sony might also come to mutually agreeable terms and the MCU could continue on as it is, so heading to Marvel Universe Live! would just be a bonus. MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! 2020 DATES Adelaide — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, March 26–29 Melbourne — Rod Laver Arena, April 2–6 Brisbane — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, April 11–13 Sydney — Qudos Bank Arena, April 16–19 Perth — RAC Arena, April 25–27 Marvel Universe Live! pre-sale tickets are available from 9am on Monday, August 26 with general sale starting at 9am on Wednesday, September 11 via Ticketek.
It's Australia's only major film festival organised by an art gallery — and it's back for another round of cinematic fun. Hosted by the Gallery of Modern Art for the second consecutive year, the Brisbane International Film Festival leans into its unique setting. Where else can you watch a world premiere documentary about a great Australian artist, then wander through an exhibition showcasing the same figure? Or see a whole strand of movies that owe more than a little something to the stage, then get immersed in a mixed-media showcase that explores the same topic? As always, BIFF boasts plenty of other highlights — screening between Thursday, October 3 and Sunday, October 13 at GOMA and a number of other Brisbane cinemas, the full lineup spans more than 100 titles. From proven favourites to new discoveries to retro delights, here's our must-see picks from the 2019 program. OVER THE RAINBOW Some topics just keep luring us all in, and the Church of Scientology is one of them. It's the cinematic equivalent of quicksand — no matter how unsettling every film on the subject proves (and, let's face it, they're all disturbing), they're near-impossible to escape. Filled with incredulous first-hand accounts that range beyond Louis Theroux's My Scientology Movie and Alex Gibney's Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (and Paul Thomas Anderson's fictional drama The Master, too), Over the Rainbow spends time with folks who've fallen under the organisation's powerful thrall, whether in the past or still today. They share their tales to documentarian Jeffrey Peixoto, who lets their words tell the story — and lets his visuals plunge viewers into their mindset. The result is a moving, immersive exploration of an ominous and infuriating realm, complete with an entrancing score by Aussie band HTRK. At BIFF, the band will also be in attendance, performing the whole thing live as the fascinating film plays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPRG5Nnf_4M THE CAT RESCUERS Adorable and heartbreaking in equal measure, The Cat Rescuers charts the efforts to care for New York's growing stray cat population. While the Big Apple is known for its human-sized hustle and bustle, it's very much a haven for felines as well. In fact, there are as many cute kitties roaming the streets as there are living with two-legged owners. Flitting between four particularly dedicated cat-loving NYC residents over the course of several years, filmmakers Rob Fruchtman and Steve Lawrence scratch their way through the associated ups and downs — the mousers saved and sent to happy homes, the ones scrounging for food and struggling in the snow, and the toll it all takes emotionally. Like Istanbul-set cat documentary Kedi and Santiago-set canine film Los Reyes, this heartwrenching movie not paints a portrait of the animals within its frames, but of the city they call home, and of the way that society treats its vulnerable four-legged inhabitants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEjFOkCKb3g PAIN AND GLORY Antonio Banderas has a rich, multi-decade filmography across both Spanish and Hollywood cinema to his name, including his previous work with auteur Pedro Almodovar. And yet, he's never been better than in Pain and Glory, which won him this year's Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award. Almodovar hasn't been in as fine a form in years either — not since he took Banderas into completely different territory with The Skin I Live In. With Penelope Cruz also featuring, re-teaming with his original stars and lightly drawing from his own past is clearly working for the celebrated director. There's such a quiet, thorny and tender core to this account of an ageing filmmaker (Banderas) rueing love lost and choices made, all while trying to manage his failing body, reconnecting with an old acquaintance, and falling back into memories of his mother (Cruz). There's such a glorious command of colour and movement in the film's evocative imagery, too. This is a film to get lost in, and in its sumptuously, sweepingly handled titular emotions as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYBF0CfbfhA THE THIRD WIFE With The Third Wife, writer/director Ash Mayfair draws upon her own family history, making an exceptional filmmaking debut in the process. Gorgeously shot and movingly performed, this 19th century-set Vietnamese drama follows the arrival of 14-year-old May (Nguyen Phuong Tra My) into a rich family. She's marrying in and, as the title makes plain, becoming the third wife to a wealthy landowner. With little choice or agency, she's forced to fall into place in a strictly patriarchal society — navigating the existing familial order, finding a place among her new husband's other spouses, and bearing the weight of expectation that, because of her youthful age, she'll finally extend the bloodline by bearing a son. As May's story ebbs and flows, Mayfair spins a touching tale of desire and oppression that both looks to the past and simmers with modern-day relevance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d1KP-OhBP4 LITTLE MONSTERS Just when you think you've seen absolutely every zombie film there is to see, and then you've gnawed your way through a few more, too, Little Monsters offers its take on the genre. And, if a dose of Aussie humour wasn't enough, it enlists Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o — who was last seen spreading unease in Us — as an undead-fighting school teacher. Taking her five-year-old students on an excursion to a farm, Miss Caroline soon finds more than animals nipping at their heels, with the ravenous masses coming a-chomping. Josh Gad plays a bowtie-wearing children's TV presenter, Alexander England pops up as a slacker musician, and the whole thing comes from the mind of actor-turned filmmaker Abe Forsythe, aka the writer/director who managed to both satirise the Cronulla riots and make a strong anti-racism statement in 2016's Down Under. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrUkRs8wDo0 COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD True crime, political scandal, conspiracy theories — if you're keen on any of the above, this year's Sundance World Cinema — Documentary winner is like catnip. As he tends to do, Danish TV host and documentarian Mads Brügger (The Ambassador) hones in a tale that's both completely outlandish and firmly steeped in reality. His subject in in Cold Case Hammarskjöld: the 1961 death, in a plane crash in Zambia, of Swedish economist and UN Secretary-General Dag Hammersjköld. That the titular figure was killed was attempting to assuage the ongoing conflict in the Congo has raised suspicions across Africa for decades, so Brügger amasses and unpacks all of the evidence that he can find. Lengthy, detailed and engrossing, the result is a story that needs to be seen to be believed — although, if you can't quite place your faith in all of its claims, that comes with the filmmaker's purposefully provocative approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn_-YoG69Sw PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE Every obvious fiery term applies to Céline Sciamma's lush romantic drama. It simmers carefully, burns slowly and, after waiting for its embers to spark, sets the screen alight. Stepping back to 18th-century Brittany, the assured French filmmaker spins a yearning tale of passion and desire — of knowing that your greatest needs can only be satisfied fleetingly, grappling with that fact and relishing what brief happiness you can. Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) is a betrothed woman who refuses to sit for a traditional wedding portrait, much to her mother's (Valeria Golino) dismay. Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is the painter called in not just to commit the bride-to-be's likeness to canvas, but to do so surreptitiously while acting as her companion. As friendship and more blooms between the two, Sciamma's exquisite feel for unspoken emotion and inner awakenings blazes brightly, as it did in Water Lilies, Tomboy and Girlhood. Also evident is the writer/director's masterful way with her actors, and with stirring visual compositions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTlhjBUikVw YOUNG AHMED In the past two decades, Belgium's Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have directed eight films. Many, like L'Enfant and Two Days, One Night, are masterpieces — and a whopping seven of them have scored awards or special mentions at the Cannes Film Festival. Those prize-winning ranks also spans their latest, Young Ahmed, which nabbed the brothers this year's Best Director gong. Applying their trademark understated, humanist and observational approach to a radicalised Belgian teen, they grapple with an increasingly common topic: the extremist path that can sometimes beckon to socially isolated young men. In Ahmed's (Idir Ben Addi) case, the otherwise average Muslim high schooler's life changes when a forceful imam (Othmane Moumen) introduces him to incendiary ideas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qn70iqo-4Q MONOS The relentlessness of modern life, the ongoing unrest in Colombia, and the ceaseless trials and tribulations that plague all teens facing adulthood — they all sit at the centre of stunning South America-set thriller Monos. Set in a camp of teen guerrillas, Alejandro Landes' third film follows gun-toting rebels that have barely said goodbye to childhood, but are still tasked with guarding an American hostage (Julianne Nicholson). Unsurprisingly, even with nothing around but fields, jungle, a cow to milk and occasional enemy fire, little goes according to plan. Engagingly lingering between a dark fairytale and a psychological treatise on war, combat and humanity's dog-eat-dog nature, the result is one of the year's definite standouts. From the eye-popping landscape cinematography, to the needling tension of Mica Levi's score, to the commanding performance from the young cast, there's a reason that Monos keeps proving a festival hit around the globe, including winning Sundance's Special Jury Award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VBsi0VxiLg ROMEO + JULIET When BIFF announced its first 2019 titles a couple of months back, it promised a spectacular (spectacular) lineup in one specific way. With Baz Luhrmann and his frequent collaborator Catherine Martin acting as the festival's patrons this year, a feast of their flicks was always going to happen — and if you only find time to revisit one on the big screen, then Romeo + Juliet demands your attention. Long before he was Rick Dalton, Leonardo DiCaprio played half of the world's most famous infatuated couple, with Claire Danes joining him as the similarly ill-fated Juliet to his Romeo. As everyone has known for centuries, William Shakespeare's tragedy is a tale of heartbreaking potency; in Luhrmann's hands, it's brought to life with unparalleled movement, colour, style and immediacy (and, as plenty of parties keep reminding us, with a killer soundtrack as well). Still have room for a few more movies? Don't worry, we have a few more suggestions. From our rundown of Australian titles to check out this year, Emu Runner is screening at BIFF. And, from our Berlinale highlights, so is The Souvenir, Varda by Agnes and Ghost Town Anthology as well. Back at the Sydney Film Festival, we couldn't recommend In My Blood It Runs, In Fabric highly enough. Once the fest was over, we also added Judy & Punch and The Dead Don't Die to our picks. At MIFF, we buzzed about Memory: The Origins of Alien, Matthias & Maxime, The Day Shall Come and The Wild Goose Lake before the fest — and Beanpole and The Grand Bizarre afterwards. Yep, there's plenty to watch. The 2019 Brisbane International Film Festival runs from Thursday, October 3 to Sunday, October 13 at a variety of Brisbane venues. For further information, and to book tickets, head to the festival website.
Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art started 2023 by musing on air, with floating mirrored spheres, volcanic mounds, and dances between light and darkness to help. When the year comes to an end, it'll turn its attention to fairy tales, complete with twisted woodlands taking over the South Bank venue. In-between, GOMA is shining a spotlight on two Australian artists, Michael Zavros and eX de Medici, in a pair of exhibitions that feature everything from cars to blood swabs. eX de Medici: Beautiful Wickedness runs from Saturday, June 24–Monday, October 2, and is responsible for GOMA getting bloody. That's thanks to one of the Canberra-based artist and tattooist's early pieces, The Blood of Others, which features samples from eX de Medici's tattoo clients back in the 90s. In Beautiful Wickedness, the gallery harks back even further — four decades, in fact — to chart eX de Medici's ongoing exploration of life's fragility, death, greed, power, conflict and more. This is the most extensive retrospective to-date on the artist, spanning more than 100 works. Here, visitors can peer at watercolours; intricate botanical studies; ample works featuring flowers and skulls; large pieces that feature moths and weapons, and explore war's pointlessness; and even a bridal gown that takes its cues from Julie Andrews' dress in The Sound of Music. Images: installation views of Michael Zavros: The Favourite and eX de Medici: Beautiful Wickedness, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2023. © Michael Zavros and eX de Medici / Photographs: Joe Ruckli © QAGOMA.
Somewhere on the timeline of illustration history, the humble comic spread from the sweaty palms of pre-teens and into mainstream and indie media. Film companies pumped millions into realising childhood dreams, while pretty girls with black hair revealed that they were also fluent in the secret language of frames, inks and lettering. Comic books, graphic novels, manga — these galaxies amid the universe of illustrated words had successfully wooed the zeitgeist. Now, Graphic, in its second year celebrating comic books and related cultural media, will show Sydney just how much we need those 'funnies'. Legendary comic artist and writer Robert Crumb headlines the 2011 festival at Sydney Opera House. Responsible for deconstructing the American comic book and revolutionising the form forever, his sexual, shocking and acid inspired illustrations include famous cartoon characters like Fritz the Cat and Keep on Truckin'. To win one of five double passes to see Robert Crumb, simply subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm on Friday, July 15. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FlT4QZchxQw
When Gelato Messina launched its first Brisbane store back in March 2017, it was a long time coming, with the chain not only an established favourite in Sydney and Melbourne, but scooping up its creaming wares in Coolangatta already. Now the ice cream wizards are giving dessert-loving Brisbanites another fix — and giving its existing West End shop a sibling — with a second location due to open in Fortitude Valley this month. Come 5pm on Thursday, March 21, gelato fiends will want to head to James Street's Ada Lane, as part of the revamped precinct surrounding The Calile Hotel. That's where Messina will be slinging the same frosty treats that fans know and love, just on the other side of the river. Like its other stores around the country, Messina Fortitude Valley will feature 40 flavours that are churned fresh on the premise, including a set range and a lineup of inventive weekly specials. There is one difference, however. Messina now has a new type of cabinet, which has only been rolled out to its Canberra venue so far. While that mightn't sound all that exciting, the new style means that you'll be able to get a better look at the gelato while you're trying to decide which flavour (or flavours, admit it) to devour. The cabinets have a glass lid, of course, but will keep its precious cargo protected from air, wind and moisture. Messina Fortitude Valley will also sell the chain's full range of gelato cakes, which were just given a revamp before summer. In the future, you might be able to pick up a bottle of Messina's own milk — sourced from its jersey cows in country Victoria — in store as well. Decor-wise, apart from the new cabinet, expect concrete exteriors and a small outdoor seating area. And for Messina aficionados fond of its creative pop-up menus, the brand has another March treat for Brisbanites, thanks to a new 'Take My Breath Away' sundae that'll only be available at this year's Brisbane Ice Cream Festival. Find Messina Fortitude Valley at Shop RW11, Ada Lane, 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley from Thursday, March 21, open from 12pm daily.
Mere days in and 2023 is already starting off in an exciting — and extremely delicious — fashion. Each month, Melbourne and Brisbane's Lune Croissanterie unleashes a fresh range of menu specials, spanning new and beloved creations. To kick off the new year, that means the return of quite the Frankenstein's monster of baked goods: the Iced Vovo cruffin. Back in 2022, the cult-favourite bakery began the year with lamington cruffins. 2023's choice is clearly just as tasty. The words you're looking for? Yum and yum. It's exactly what it sounds like, stuffing a cruffin with coconut custard and raspberry jam, dipping it in raspberry glaze, sprinkling coconut on top and adding another button of jam as well. Fans of Kate Reid's pastry haven can pick up a pink-hued treat at Lune's Fitzroy and Armadale stores in Melbourne, as well as at its South Brisbane digs in Brisbane — and you can order them online in Brissie, too. In the tastebud-tempting stakes, it also has company, spanning both sweet and savoury dishes. Also on the menu: a coconut rough pain au chocolat, the OG Lune twice-baked pain au chocolat. It includes a chocolate coconut frangipane filling, plus large coconut flakes and drizzled chocolate on top — and it's on offer at all Lune locations, and online from South Brisbane and Burnett Lane. The January specials list also boasts twice-baked almond frangipane and vanilla crème croissants, which are topped with a slice of raw honey; mixed berry danishes, highlighting summer fruits; and pineapple upside down cakes, for a retro bite. And, the savoury special is spanakopita as an escargot, as filled with a spinach, ricotta and feta mix, then seasoned with lemon and herbs. Different specials are on offer at different stores, and only the Queensland venues also do pre-orders. Lune's January specials menu runs from Tuesday, January 31, with different specials on offer at Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne, and South Brisbane in Brisbane. In Brisbane only, you can also order them online. Images: Peter Dillon.
When the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras arrives each year, it fills the Harbour City with LGBTQIA+ celebrations, including in the New South Wales capital's cinemas. Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival doesn't just confine its movie love to the big screen, however. And, when it hits streaming as well, it isn't solely about Sydney audiences. That's the case again in 2024, with 161 titles showing both in picture palaces and via nationwide small-screen sessions. In its 31st year, MGFF is running in two parts: as a physical fest from Thursday, February 15–Thursday, February 29 at venues around Sydney, then online across the country from Friday, March 1–Monday, March 11. The IRL component has a date with Event Cinemas George Street and Hurstville, Ritz Cinemas Randwick, Dendy Newtown, the Bearded Tit, Hayden Orpheum Cremorne, the Sydney Opera House, the State Library of NSW and Westpac OpenAir Cinema. The at-home section is headed to your couch, of course. Attendees venturing out of the house can kick off MGFF with opening night's Femme, which stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Culprits) and George MacKay (1917) in a British neo-noir thriller about a drag performer seeking revenge after an attack. Then, after launching in 2023 with Australian director Goran Stolevski's coming-of-age film Of an Age, the fest will close in 2024 with the filmmaker's Housekeeping for Beginners. Other in-person highlights include All of Us Strangers, as led by the internet's boyfriends Paul Mescal (Foe) and Andrew Scott (Fleabag), which screens at Westpac OpenAir Cinema; a night at the Sydney Opera House dedicated to music from queer flicks, spanning tunes from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Moonlight and Portrait of a Lady on Fire; and the Billy Porter- (Big Mouth) and Luke Evans (Good Grief)-starring Our Son, about a long-term marriage disintegrating. Documentary A Portrait of Love, focusing on Archibald award-winning artist Craig Ruddy and directed by My Name Is Gulpilil's Molly Reynolds, will enjoy its world premiere at the fest. So will Australian feature In the Room Where He Waits and Argentina's Blue Lights, the first about a theatre actor in hotel isolation for seven days upon returning Down Under for his dad's funeral, and the second exploring friends and family members who get together for a 70th birthday party. From the retro titles, John Waters' 1974 classic Female Trouble gets a 50th-anniversary spin, 1984's Another Country with Rupert Everett (Napoleon) and Colin Firth (Empire of Light) will mark its 40th birthday, and 1995's When Night Is Falling scores a 4K restoration. The Ritz will be alive with The Sound of Music, too, via a sing-along session with the Order of Perpetual Indulgence and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir. Elsewhere at the fest, other standouts range from the Australian premiere of Filipino animation The Missing and Gena Marvin-focused doco Queendom to France's Along Came Love and Noёl Coward exploration Mad About the Boy: The Noёl Coward Story. Or, there's Melbourne-set Aussie coming-of-age film Sunflower, Hacks star Meg Stalter in Cora Bora, Japan's I Am What I Am about the expectations placed upon an asexual woman, Hilma af Klint biopic Hilma from director Lasse Hallström (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), another Sydney stint after SXSW for The People's Joker and Sundance-winning documentary Kokomo City. "The theme focuses on films that start conversations. People will be keen to discuss and dissect them as soon as the credits start to roll," said Festival Director Lisa Rose about the 2024 lineup. "There's so much to sink your teeth into, including several that will inspire lively debate." For cinephiles watching on from home, choices include All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, the Berlinale Teddy Award-winning love story about two men dealing with Nigeria's anti-gay laws; Mexico's All the Silence, centring on a CODA (child of deaf adults) and her girlfriend who is deaf; F.L.Y., which sees two exes living under the same roof during the pandemic; and Mutt, which won Lio Mehiel a Special Jury Award-winner at Sundance for their performance. Or, opt for drama Old Narcissus about getting older in Japan, with a 74-year-old children's author finding connection with a sex worker. You'll also be able to stream several shorts packages online, including sessions dedicated to Asia Pacific, comedy, gay, non-binary and gender diverse, queer horror, queer documentaries, transgender and sapphic films. The My Queer Career short film fest will hop online as well, featuring seven films competing for $16,000-plus in prizes. Queer Screen's 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival 2024 runs from Thursday, February 15–Thursday, February 29 at venues around Sydney — and online nationally from Friday, March 1–Monday, March 11. For more information, visit the festival's website.
A mere three months in, 2023 has already been an eventful year for Brisbane's oldest-surviving CBD pub. Back in February, it was announced that The Victory Hotel was closing its doors, with ALH Hotels deciding not to renew its lease on the 168-year-old Edward Street venue. But now it's up, trading and pouring beers again — since mid-March, under new management and with big plans in its future. Athena Group has inked a long-term lease on the site with owners Precision Group, and also revealed that it's giving the trusty spot a revamp. The Vic is heritage-listed thanks to its hefty history — it was first constructed in 1855, initially known as the Prince of Wales, and is a prime example of 19th-century corner hotels — and the facade will remain. But an interior makeover is in the works. [caption id="attachment_894546" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] "We are committed to creating a landmark development that will serve as a cornerstone of Brisbane's revitalisation," said Athena Group Founder Michael Dixon. "Our partnership with Precision Group reflects our shared visions for innovation and excellence in property development, and we look forward to working collaboratively to achieve this goal." "The Victory Hotel has played an important role in Brisbane's history, and we're excited to be partnering with Athena Group to reimagine its future," added Precision Group's Leasing Executive Rory O'Brien. "Our focus is on creating a world-class destination that will attract visitors from across Australia and around the world, while preserving the heritage of the site for future generations." [caption id="attachment_894552" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Victory Hotel beer garden in 2009 via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] The redevelopment's budget will hit the multimillions, and a development application is expected to be lodged in 2024 after design and planning work has been finalised in conjunction with the Brisbane City Council. Beyond that, however, no specifics in terms of cost or exactly what'll be done to the site have been unveiled. The Vic is no stranger to facelifts, though. This'll be one of many in its lifetime, including during the 1880s, 1920s–30s — when the venue's name was changed to the moniker Brisbane knows today — and then the 1950s as well. The beer garden area scored a makeover in the 1980s, with an awning added in 1995 and more changes to the outdoor space in the 2000s. Find The Victory Hotel at 127 Edward Street, Brisbane City, with a development application for the pub's revamp expected to be lodged in 2024.
If you've ever dreamed of constantly being the life of the party, then this creation by Joey Andolina will be right up your alley. Instead of the standard carrying of a boombox in the hand or over the shoulder, this boombox is attached to a vest and can be worn with ease. The vest features two motorcycle speakers which protrude from the shoulders. Furthermore, an 8” Boss Audio Bass900 subwoofer is located on the back of the vest for more bass power. The whole device is powered by a rechargable battery, and volume can be adjusted from the hip. Arriving just in time for summer, this vest boombox allows you to show off your fashion prowess while blasting European hardstyle relentlessly as you walk around the block. If you're serious about partying, you know you'll have to wear the sunglasses like the model in the above picture.
Having been praised at the hands of Pitchfork and Rolling Stones Magazine, American dream-pop duo Beach House are nothing short of musical perfection. Since forming eight years ago, this Baltimore-born pair's presence on the music scene has been growing rapidly, with their latest album Bloom labelled as their best yet. Described by Triple J as an album, “that creeps under your skin and stays there; beautifully dense and seriously captivating", it is no surprise that Bloom worked its way into many of the most recognised 'Best Albums of 2012' lists. With the release of Bloom, accompanied by a string of world-wide festival performances and gigs, Beach House have gained a deep devotion amongst its growing community of fans through their whimsical instrumentals and songstress, Victoria Legrand's, haunting voice. After performing at Woodford Folk Festival and Falls Festival, Beach House will be gracing the Tivoli with their over-ripe youthful presence. As a band that captures the simplest of emotions and deconstructs them through the most innovative of musical sound, Beach House is a marvel that should not be missed. Check out Beach House's 'Myth'
IKEA's blue-and-yellow Frakta bag has been a shop staple for more than three decades. It has helped carry your purchases of (too many) tea light candles, and proven an integral part of moving house. It's been used to make everything from masks and boots to bucket hats and even outfits for dogs, and has inspired a $2000 Balenciaga knockoff as well. And now, it's getting a new colour — so get ready to add a different hue to that pile of bags stuffed in one of your cupboards. Back in 2019, the Swedish retailer dropped a limited-edition rainbow version of the instantly recognisable, and super versatile bag; however, it was only available for short time. From November this year, IKEA will release a vibrant pink iteration as well, this time as part of a new collaboration with designer Zandra Rhodes. The vivid Karismatisk bag falls under the Rhodes-designed, 26-piece collection of the same name and, obviously, it's pink. The colour is bright, and there's another design flourish you won't find on the regular blue Frakta, too: side frills. "It is playful and functional — and the colour pop of pink adds an extra Zandra accent," said the designer. The Karismatisk bag will be available to purchase at IKEA stores n Richmond, Rhodes and Logan from November for $3. It'll also be available online at the same time. Across the rest of Rhodes' collection, you can also pick up cushions with eye-catching prints, both blue and pink vases, gold lampshades, and a range of rugs — plus mirrors, LED lighting, and candlestick and tea light candle holders. The Karismatisk bag will be available to purchase at IKEAs stores in Richmond, Rhodes and Logan from November for $3, and online via the retailer's website at the same time.
Another year in beer has come and gone and, with it, has left us with some damn impressive brews. 2016 was a massive year for the Aussie craft beer scene, with many new brewers coming to the fore around the country, making it an especially tough job narrowing down our favourite beers to a mere ten — but, after a year of beering and one massive end-of-year tasting (necessary research, we assure you), we can truly say these ten proved to be ace beers from first taste to last drop, across weeks and months, in group tastings, out at bars and solo sessions. Here, we've scored brews for their colour, aroma, balance, consistency and overall style, with a tasting panel that included CP's senior craft beer writers, experienced bartenders, craft beer fiends and even the coveted palate of Cicerone Johnathan Hepner of Marrickville's new boutique craft bottle shop Bucket Boys. Prime your palates, Playgrounders. Here you have it — CP's picks for the most notable beers of 2016. PIRATE LIFE'S, IIPA While American hop bombs known as the Imperial IPA can taste something like licking a pine cone, Pirate Life's IIPA sets itself apart from the pack. This monster in a can is everything they've been achieving in the States and we're proud to see it done so well on our side of the pond. It takes much to balance such copious amounts of hops, but the malt rides through the hop storm and holds steady, striking the ever-present need for balance between high-strength alcohol and delicate but vigorous hop flavours. It's been a massive year for the brewery, and we're looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us in 2017. BOATROCKER BREWING CO.'S MITTE BERLINER WEISSE Boatrocker Brewing Co.'s Mitte is true to the refreshing Berliner Weisse style through and through. Aged in Chardonnay barrels, the straw yellow, cloudy sour is bright on the nose, giving way to a fresh tartness on the palate. The barrel-aged effect makes for a complex, mature beer that hits all of the senses and the Brettanomyces (a genus of yeast) is nicely blended, giving a strong backbone without the over-the-top funk that so many Brett beers develop. This brew only comes in in 750ml bottles, but, even so, you won't be sharing. HOPE BREWHOUSE'S,BLACK IPA Hope Brewhouse came out guns blazing this year. There's something about their new line of industrial black and white tinnies that just begs for drinking. Their style is backed up with an impressive range of brews, most notably the Black IPA, which is just fantastic. The full hop flavour in this beer does not detract from the malt backbone — a hard act to pull off. It may be Head Brewer Matt Hogan's winemaker approach to beer, but this brew is impeccibly balanced and a trip to their Nelson's Bay brewhouse should be on your next road trip list. MORRISON BREWERY'S JACK BARREL-AGED DOPPELBOCK Morrison Brewery is at the forefront of how bang-on Tasmanian brews are. Jack presents a cluster of flavours that somehow manage to balance one another rather than present a competing mishmash on the palate. Notes of cherry, vanilla, oak and apricot all stand hand-in-hand in this brew, and the sherry barrels it's aged in gives lingering warmth without being overpoweringly alcoholic. The beer is ideal to serve with rich foods, gamey meats or dessert, but we thoroughly enjoyed it on its own as well. Overall, it's a hard brew to get right — but get it right, they have. LA SIRÈNE'S PARADOXE La Sirène turns out some of the best farmhouse-style and wild fermented beers in the game, and Paradoxe is no different. A true saison in colour and aroma, the tropical, tangy fruits on the palate give way to a light, dry finish. The brew is reminiscent of a white wine, with notes of elderflower and melon. The local hops give the beer that all-important punch and stops it from falling flat, while a slight creaminess at the finish balances the entire brew out. This is a beer for wine lovers, beer lovers, cider lovers — you name it. A top notch beer from an ace brewery. SHENANIGANS BREWING'S DEATH BY HIBISCUS Shenanigans Brewing, though still humble gypsies, are able to continuously wow us with their brewing style. Their annual Sydney Craft Beer Week limited release was our favourite yet. Death By Hibiscus was made using a ridiculous amount of fresh hibiscus flower — we're talking one kilo per keg — and the result is a saison that is truly magenta in colour. The beer is sour without being overly so, and, despite all of the hibiscus, is only slightly floral, with a more overt, citrusy flavour on the palate from added mandarin zest. The overall complexity and creativity of this one gave it a well deserved spot on this list. LAST RITES BREWING COMPANY'S LOVE COUNTRY TASMANIAN IPA Last Rites Brewing Company's Love Country is yet another great brew from Tassie. Described as 'piña colada-inspired', the overt notes of summer fruits — like peach and pineapple — give way to rich toasted coconut from the late addition of roasted barley. This illusion of creaminess gives the beer a sense of body without any sweetness, and the intoxicating aroma will make you wish you were drinking it from a coconut shell on a beach somewhere. Whether you like piña coladas or not, this beer is hard not to love. SOUTHERN BAY BREWING CO.'S LUCIFER'S GOLD GOLDEN STRONG ALE Lucifer's Gold is, by far, the biggest offering from the Southern Bay Brewing Co. — it took us completely by surprise. The combination of Belgian yeast and European hops gives a tight nose of bubblegum, clove, and esters redolent of Beligan strains, which clamour together without once stepping out of line. It has picture perfect clarity, is beautifully carbonated and the backbone offers a malt sweetness that doesn't cloy or distract from sip to sip — a combination that is extremely rare. We imagine the brewers sitting around on a case of Belgian classics before jumping atop their own brew kit to try their hand at creating their own — and they nailed the style. Spot on. MISMATCH BREWING CO.'S NEGRONI IPA Negronis are having their time in the limelight — and while we've seen plenty of ridiculously great twists on the cockail this year, the Negroni IPA from Mismatch Brewing Co. takes the cake. A collaboration with sister company Adelaide Hills Distillery, this beer nails the taste of the cocktail in aroma, flavour and balance, and somehow manages to perfectly mimic that unmistakable Campari component. Orange on the nose gives way to a strong alcoholic flavour and the perfect bitter finish, fully accomplished by blending the beer with homemade bitters post-fermentation. This beer touches all of the elements of a true Negroni, while still being a clean, well balanced beer. BOATROCKER BREWING CO.'S RAMJET WHISKY BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL STOUT Boatrocker Brewing Co. is so nice, we couldn't help but name them twice — despite actively trying not to do so. This English-style imperial stout was aged in whisky barrels from Melbourne's Starward Whisky for six months, giving it big, bold top notes of whisky, oak and a hint of fresh toast. Pungently vinous with stewed fruits, marzipan and tobacco, the beer is then served through flavours of a port wine and coffee. At an 11.4 percent ABV, this beer is surely not a substitute for breakfast, but you want a primed palate for it. This was the last drop in a long day of tasting and it was, rightfully so, the prize. HONOURABLE MENTIONS At the risk of making this list too long, we left out some seriously impressive brews from incredible breweries, all of which are well worth seeking out and would have made a top 15. Two Metre Tall's 2016 vintage of their original and plum sours Feral Brewing Company's 2016 Tusk imperial IPA (Part II) New England Brewing Company's Hop Cannon series Bridge Road Brewers' Mayday Hill Series Akasha's Korben D If you're on the hunt for the goodies mentioned above, we recommend calling into Bucket Boys if you live in Sydney, or check out our best bottle shops for craft beer in Melbourne and Brisbane. Co-written by Marissa Ciampi and Mikey Lowe.
For the first time in over two decades, the Grammy Awards will take place in March this year, after the music industry's night of nights was postponed due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. The ceremony has been pushed back from its original date of Sunday, January 31, and will now be held on Sunday, March 14 Pacific Time. For Australian viewers looking to tune into the ceremony, the new date to mark in your calendar is Monday, March 15. In a joint statement regarding the postponement from Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr, CBS executive Jack Sussman and show producer Ben Winston, the worsening COVID-19 situation in LA was cited as the reason for the postponement. "The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do," reads the statement. The announcement comes after a record 29,464 new COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County were reported in a single day on Saturday, December 26. There are currently 7898 COVID patients currently hospitalised in Los Angeles County. Leading the 2021 list of Grammy nominees is Beyoncé with nine nominations for her song 'Black Parade' and her collaboration with rapper Megan thee Stallion 'Savage (Remix)'. Australians Tame Impala and Flume are nominated for awards in the Best Alternative Music Album and Best Dance Recording categories respectively. Flume previously took out the Best Dance/Electronic Album Award in 2017 for his album Skin, while Tame Impala have been nominated twice previously but have never won. You can find the full list of nominees via the Grammy Awards' website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRiUi28UpA The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards have been postponed to Sunday, March 14, 2021 Pacific Time — which is Monday, March 15, 2021 in Australia. For further information, head to the Grammy Awards website. Top images: Grammy Awards, M.Johnson / Flume, Andy Fraser.
Lobster has long been the fancy champagne of the seafood world. For most of us, it's the kind of dish that you can only justify having when you really feel like going all out and treating yo'self — but, this month, the indulgent crustacean-based meal is gracing Betty's Burgers' menu. Combining fresh lobster meat, the chain's special mayonnaise, shallots, chives, lemon and spice, Betty's new lobster roll will be on offer at all of its 22 Australian stores from Thursday, February 13. If your stomach is already rumbling, you can tuck into one for a reasonable $23 (which includes a side of fries). You'll need to get in quickly, though, as the lobster roll only available for a couple of weeks — or until sold out. It's worth noting that last time the roll was on the menu, it only lasted less than a week. So if you're particularly keen, it's best to go sooner, rather than later. Known for its Shake Shack-style burgs and frozen custard desserts (called concretes), Betty's is making a foray into lobster to celebrate its beachy roots. While you can now grab a Betty's burger at nine Sydney outlets, four Melbourne spots, five Brisbane outposts, one Toowoomba eatery and one location in Adelaide, the company first began in Noosa, and then expanded to the Gold Coast. Betty's Burgers' lobster roll is available at all 27 Australian stores from Thursday, February 13. For more information and to find your nearest store, visit Betty's Burgers' website.
It's 27 years since The Cult's first album went platinum. Electric's impossibly high energy saw the Bedford-born rock band's career explode overnight. Perhaps it was something to do with the crazy circumstances in which it was recorded. "[Electric's] definitely a Polaroid of a certain period in my life," frontman Ian Astbury told Max TV recently. "New York City, 1986, when New York was kind of lawless ... We barely slept making that record ... We'd pretty much get up, go to the studio, work till midnight, maybe 1am, go out, come in at seven in the morning, and go do it again, every day." Now, as part of their Electric 13 World Tour, The Cult are going to play the entire album live for Australian audiences for the first time. It's a kind of sequel to their 2009 Love Live Tour, which Astbury described as "such an incredible experience". The show will include a second set, featuring tracks from the band's eight other studio albums. https://youtube.com/watch?v=k6PgftKbQnQ
For some, getting behind a microphone to sing in public is their idea of hell. For Lost Souls, it's the whole reason that the new Fortitude Valley watering hole exists, complete with an underworld theme. The decor isn't a comment on karaoke's detractors, though. Rather, it's a continuation of the new addition to Brunswick Street's sibling venue next door. When you've already given Brisbane a retro arcade bar called Netherworld that's playfully decked out with murals to match its love of monsters and all things hellish, leaning in when expanding comes with the territory. January 2024 will mark seven years since Netherworld first welcomed in patrons, taking over the pub on the corner of St Paul's Terrace corner that was formerly The Shamrock, The Step Inn and the Underdog. Lost Souls is already open, launching in mid-December just before that anniversary and nestling into a different area in the same building. So, you can now mash buttons over a brew, then belt out a banger over a few more — as long as you head by from Tuesday–Sunday. Five karaoke rooms await, all with the requisite look — aka creature-filled murals — but also an upbeat feel. Accordingly, while skulls and tentacled critters don the walls, including around the screens displaying the all-important words to all the tracks that punters can sing, so do bright hues. Expect pink and purple paint, plus lighting to match, whether you're crooning 'Love Shack', 'Baby Shark', 'Yellow', 'Creep' or Mariah Carey's Christmas ditties. Brisbane's own Nelson Gibbins is responsible for the art and design, carrying over his collaborations with the Lost Souls team from Netherworld. Each of the quintet of spaces adorned with his work has its own look, spanning from the pastel nightmares of the 'Cute as Hell' room to the psychedelia of 'King Cane Toad', both of which can seat eight people. Shipwrecks and ravenous crustaceans are part of the 16-seater 'Beyond the Abyss' suite, while tombstones and skeletons feature in the also 16-person 'Boneyard Ballads' space. For groups of 20, 'The Ritual' — which takes its aesthetic from an occult ceremony gone awry in a 1940s Brisbane mansion — awaits. Bookings are available for an hour — and for those in need of liquid courage, the bar serves craft brews, cocktails, wine and spirits. Non-alcoholic options are also on the menu. For a bite to eat, you'll need to head to Netherworld either before or after your time behind the mic, where the Hellmouth Diner's fully vegan spread — with carnivorous ingredients only available as extras — features karaage tofu, garlic bread subs made with vegan meatballs, peanut butter oreo pies and more. Find Lost Souls at 186 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley — open 4–11pm Tuesday–Thursday, 4pm–1am Friday, 12pm–1am Saturday and 12–11pm Sunday.
When bushfires swept through the Snowy Mountains in January 2020, Selwyn Snow Resort in Cabramurra sustained extensive damage. Unsurprisingly, the facility didn't operate during winter, spending the past focusing on clean-up and redevelopment efforts instead — and it has just announced exactly what's in store as part of its rebuild. A reopening date hasn't yet been set, but work has now started on the site, after planning approval was received last month. Also pivotal: the signing of a new 40-year lease between the New South Wales Government and the Blyton Group, the venue's owner. Accordingly, the resort is sticking around for the long haul, and it has big plans. That includes a new L-shaped Selwyn Centre, which'll house all guest facilities and services in one building — spanning ski and snowboard hire, lockers, ticketing, food and drink venues, seating and the kids club. There'll also be a new resort operations centre, where mountain staff will be based, complete with a new ski patrol setup. The staff accommodation will be moved, the chairlift will be upgraded and extended, and the snowmaking infrastructure will get a makeover. [caption id="attachment_802692" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Render of new Selwyn Centre[/caption] Also on the agenda: two new snow carpets just for perfecting turns — and, as part of a bigger and relocated toboggan park, another 150-metre snow carpet. The latter facility will also score a platform atop its slope, and the snow sports learning area will move into the toboggan park's former space, giving it more room. Mainly aimed at children but also bound to welcome the young at heart, a Winter Wonderland will join the resort, too. Taking pride of place will be a skating rink that can operate in all conditions, and also double as a bumper car arena. Visitors will be able to walk through a miniature enchanted village, and take snowshoe walking tours of Kosciuszko National Park. Strictly for the littlies, there'll be a tubing carousel and kid snowmobiles. Selwyn Snow Resort will implement a new ticketing system as well, when it's ready to reopen. Announcing the rebuilding plan, Blyton Group Chairman Kevin James Blyton noted that "in the aftermath of the fires, we committed to building a bigger and better Selwyn and we meant it. I'm very pleased that the long-term future of Selwyn Snow Resort has been secured. Selwyn Snow Resort has been the place for thousands of families to learn to ski or snowboard over the years and I'm very pleased that this will continue for generations to come". Selwyn Snow Resort is rebuilding at its existing site at 213A Kings Cross Road, Cabramurra, New South Wales. A reopening date hasn't yet been announced — head to the resort website to keep an eye on the project's progress.
Welcome to... Brisbane's annual celebration of all things science for another year, and a returning festival with prehistoric creatures firmly on its mind in 2023. From Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, March 26, the Australian offshoot of New York's World Science Festival will return to the River City, unleashing everything from talks, panels and workshops through to films, parties, and both science and art installations. A hefty highlight from a program with a whopping 130-plus events: dinosaurs, and plenty of them. This year's World Science Festival Brisbane arrives shortly after Queensland Museum's massive Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition kicks off, which is bringing the largest-known land mammal ever to the city. So, given that QM is behind WSF's Brissie offshoot as well, of course it's throwing a heap of dinosaur-themed conversations and activities into its just-announced lineup, including two chats featuring Argentinian palaeontologist Ignacio Escapa — plus Erth's family-friendly Prehistoric Picnic, which'll let life-sized (and lifelike) puppet versions loose in the South Bank Piazza. Of course, World Science Festival's 2023 highlights don't just involve looking to the past. Get ready to look up, too, with astronomy and space travel always a feature of this five-day event. That includes guests from NASA, the European Space Agency and the Australian Space Agency, some appearing in-person and others virtually, to chat about soaring away from this blue rock and also the cosmos in general. And, with a program that was announced back in late 2022, regular WSF feature Curiocity is back for 2023 as well. The free interactive festival within the broader festival is all about installations that merge art and science; think: livestreamed cats, semi-autonomous robots living their mechanical lives, and "semi-intelligent seesaws" that talk, sing and create conversations. It'll span 14 works from artists around the globe, kicking off with World Science Festival on Wednesday, March 22 but running for 12 days through to Sunday, April 2. Other standouts from the overall WSF bill for 2023 include physicist Professor Brian Greene heading to Australia for the first time since 2019, headlining conversations about space exploration, memory, humankind's origins and the James Webb Space Telescope; The Hatchery's annual turtle hatching session (yes, with real, tiny turtles); 2022 hit Night of the Nerds making a comeback with Mark Humphries asking the questions, and comedian Dan Ilic and science communicator Angharad Yeo answering them; and A Rational Fear! podcasting live. Also, make a date with the planetarium, because it'll be showing the stunning CORAL: Rekindling Venus by award-winning Australian filmmaker Lynette Wallworth. If you haven't seen the immersive 2012 film before, or any movie made to play on a fulldome screen, you're in for quite the treat. Plus, Lunchtime Labs will take over the Queen Street Mall again, while Queensland Museum will make itself the WSF base for live tunes, performances, comedy and science — complete with a brand-new adults-only nighttime event with a pop-up bar. And, Queerstories will make its World Science Festival premiere, heroing LGBTQIA+ scientists and storytellers — and fungi will earn an in-conversation session, which is timely if you've been watching The Last of Us. Over at the Gallery of Modern Art, a film lineup will ponder humanity's intersection with nature, too. Part of Brisbane's cultural calendar since 2016 — making the city the centre of the science and technology universe for a few days each year — World Science Festival returns to venues around town, clustered around Queensland Museum and South Bank, after a disrupted few years. As well as navigating the pandemic since 2020, in 2022 the event was waylaid by the weather. Due to flooding, it moved online instead, and unleashed Curiocity in winter instead of autumn. World Science Festival Brisbane 2023 runs from Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, March 26, with Curiocity Brisbane taking place from Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, April 2. For more information and to buy tickets, head to the World Science Festival Brisbane website. Top image: Yaya Stempler.
