Following the announcement of this year's theme for the Sydney Writers' Festival, Concrete Playground caught up with the festival's artistic director, Chip Rolley. Texan-born Rolley, 47, reveals his personal take on the 2012 theme: the fine line between what is public and private. Read what Rolley as to say about the question of privacy - "the question of our time" - and start getting amped for the festival, which kicks off May 14. Concrete Playground (CP): This year's SWF focuses on the line between public and private matters. Why do you think that this topic is relevant to modern readers and writers? Chip Rolley (CR): I'll never forget when the ex-News of the World journo Paul McMullan told the UK Leveson Inquiry into the media, "Privacy is for paedos." The audacity of it: if you're concerned about privacy, you must have something to hide. That crystallised for me the question of where we draw the line between public and private. The sense that that line is vanishing has been building for years. Not just because of UK scandal rags, or even the increased state security apparatus. But with social media we post things about ourselves that in previous times we might not have even told our loved ones. It seems to me it's the question of our time. CP: How does this issue affect the artistic community? CR: It turns out the question we are all asking ourselves now is one that writers have been asking themselves for years. Any person who writes a biography or a memoir asks themselves this question. How much do I reveal – about myself or family members? How far do I go into the personal life of the public figure I'm writing about? Fiction writers, who often rework the stuff of life into their novels wrestle with this as well. Sydney Writers' Festival seemed to me a natural opportunity to explore this issue and to look at Australia's and the world's writing through this prism. CP: Can the breaking down of the public/private barrier be beneficial to readers? Does this create a more authentic author-to-reader experience? CR: I don't know about "more authentic". There will always be an art to writing – to rendering life and experience through words. But those memoirs that take a really liberal approach to the question (have a look at Joshua Cody's [sic]) can often be invigorating as a result – but only if done well… CP: How has this affected the accessibility of literature? CR: In one sense the Internet and social media have made all of us writers. We are all exploring these issues – deciding what to reveal and what to keep to ourselves. Perhaps that will lead to a wider understanding of writing or a greater appreciation of art in doing it well. CP: Some forms of writing (autobiography, memoir, etc.) are distinctly personal. How do you expect works and authors who work in these genres to contribute to the festival? CR: We explore myriad genres every year and this year is no different. There are some events that directly address the theme, such as "You Must Have Something To Hide" (which looks like it will sell out). Two other big events – "The Feminist Supremacy?" and "Why Get Married When You Could Be Happy?" – take the temperature of the two great social movements of the past 40 years (the women's movement and the gay liberation movement) – both of which relied on the transformative idea that the personal is political. But the beauty of the theme is that it will pulse through all the events, whether they directly address this issue or not. It will percolate through conversations as people spill in and out of the venues and it will emerge in ways we don't even yet see. CP: Do you think it is possible to be a writer, yet maintain your privacy? CR: I do think it's possible, if only to save your material for a rainy day…
It's already one of the most anticipated films of 2017 — Danny Boyle's iconic 1996 film Trainspotting is finally getting the sequel you kind of don't want to see but can't look away from. Set to be released on February 9, T2 will apparently be loosely based on Irvine Welsh's 2002 novel Porno, which was released six years after the film of Trainspotting. And while Trainspotting was perhaps the most effective campaign against shooting up heroin (and the need to learn the dialect and slang of Edinburgh youth), T2 may well do the same for the amateur porn industry. Don't worry, there'll probably still be gratuitous drug use. The old guard is back, with Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle reunited by Boyle, and even John Hodge, the screenwriter of Trainspotting, has worked on the film. Here's the latest trailer, one of the more detailed we've seen pop up ahead of the film's release. Take a peek and see Mark Renton (McGregor) returning to the only place he can ever call home. Gang's all here. T2 is in cinemas February 9.
In most places, the sight of cranes littering the skyline is a sign of change, with each giant machine usually working on a new building or development. In Bristol in the United Kingdom until late September, one particular crane isn't simply obscuring the view as it helps construct a new living space — it's offering a glimpse of stunning vistas and somewhere to stay itself. The latest project from Canopy & Stars, Crane 29 is a treehouse built into a crane high above the city's harbourside. Offering cosy, lofty accommodation for two, it's perched eight metres in the air and will remain open for 100 nights over the British summer. Inside, visitors will find plenty of touches that aim to conjure up the feeling of actually sleeping in the trees, rather than in a apartment in a crane. Wood-lined walls, wooden furniture and fixtures, greenery aplenty, planters designed to attract birds and butterflies, an indoor hammock and organic toiletries are all part of the sustainably built package. And, in case you're wondering, we're guessing Crane 29 is still being called a treehouse just because it sounds much, much better than cranehouse. Anyone keen to climb up for a night in the distinctive space can't just book in, however; due to the demand, potential patrons must enter a lottery and then cross their fingers. Successful applicants will pay £185 for a weeknight stay, and £250 for a weekend evening. Via AOL UK. Images: Canopy & Stars.
Everything is coming up Lorde. Fresh off topping the US Billboard alternative songs chart and announcing that her highly anticipated debut LP, Pure Heroine, will be released on September 27, she has now announced an accompanying October tour of our shores that is set to sell out immediately. The teenage songstress from across the ditch has had a meteoric rise to fame in the past 12 months, with her EP The Love Club downloaded more then 60,000 times before hitting double platinum when available for sales, and her hit tracks 'Royals', 'Love Club' and 'Tennis Court' continue to dominate Australian airwaves. She is so popular here that she was given the formidable task of filling Frank Ocean's Splendour in the Grass shoes after his late withdrawal, and whilst this may have overwhelmed many 16-year-old musicians performing only their eighth gig, she did it with aplomb, performing one of the best sets of the festival. Her song 'Royals' begins "I've never seen a diamond in the flesh". Well this is your chance to see a musical diamond in the flesh, who, if she continues at this rate, will soon be joining Russell Crowe and Phar Lap on the list of Kiwis we wish to call our own. Get in quick though; the last time she was here she sold out immediately and tickets will certainly not be this cheap the next time she arrives. Tickets are on sale on Monday, 19 August. The full tour dates are: Wednesday, 16 October - The Zoo, Brisbane Tickets through 1300 762 545 or www.oztix.com.au Thursday, 17 October - Metro Theatre, Sydney Tickets through (02) 9550 3666 or www.metrotheatre.com.au Saturday, 19 October - Zierholz at UC, Canberra Tickets through 1300 762 545 or www.oztix.com.au Monday, 21 October - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne Tickets through (03) 9427 9198 or www.cornerhotel.com All tickets: $30.00 + BF (presales) $46.95 + BF (presales with digital album) $35.00 (door sales)
Arts festival Bleach* is back for another winter to showcase the Gold Coast in all of its glory. The popular tourist destination's beaches get some love, of course, as do its valleys and the Nerang River. Sun, surf, sand, tree-surrounded sheds, leafy gardens, radiant sights wherever they'll fit, rollerskating musicals, dance parties with waves as a background: they're all on the hefty 2023 program. Marking its 12th year, Bleach*'s latest go-around will run from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 13, and it is indeed sizeable. Across that 11-day span, more than 300 artists will unveil their work at 218 performances. That includes the familiar festival focus on specific spots around the city: North Burleigh, for events by the beach; the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, which means that more grassy shows await; Broadbeach, in the new cultural precinct; HOTA, Home of the Arts, the Goldie's go-to year-round; and the Currumbin Valley, where Acoustic Life of Sheds will set up for another year. That said, one of Bleach*'s big events for 2023 will hit the road, because that's what cement mixers do. These ones have been turned into works of art by Gold Coast-based artist Dion Parker, with a convey of eight vehicles adorned with monstrous but playful sights. Yes, they're monster trucks but in a different guise, as inspired Stephen King's horror short story Trucks, and they'll be taking to the streets all throughout the fest's dates. In North Burleigh, the esplanade is again the place to be, starting with the First Light opening service by William Barton and violinist Véronique Serret at 6am on launch day. After that, the Your Local North Burleigh Hub will feature eight hours of live tunes daily, while installations Pulse / Connect and Light Lines are meant to be interacted with — one turning your pulse rate into a vibrant sight at a beachside pyramid, the other shimmering like a kaleidoscope with over 1000 luminous lines. [caption id="attachment_903402" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pekka Makinen[/caption] Then there's Looks Like a Tourist, which pops people in inflatable orange suits, gets them roaming, and wants everyone to consider the impact that its namesake has on scenic spots. Also a highlight: the self-explanatory ten-minute dance parties, again with a stunning backdrop. Over at Broadbeach, expect everything from cabaret and comedy to drag and theatre — and a floating barge concert series, Lebanese cafe with traditional food and music and Studio 54-style queer performance. Social Muscle Club will get you chatting with strangers, while The Pageant riffs on children's beauty pageants, as part of a lineup with more than 20 shows. For Bleach*'s stint at the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, Katie Noonan will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell's Blue, and a free daily afternoon sound and meditation experience will help festival attendees find their bliss. HOTA's contribution to the lineup gives the festival rollerskating music theatre show Roller Coaster, which will take over the venue's outdoor stage, features plenty of action on four wheels and is inspired by true tales. And, it'll also host The Imaginary Aviary, where musicians improvise musical pieces as guided by the architecture of and art at the HOTA Gallery. [caption id="attachment_903403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Light Vines[/caption] Top image: Jorge Serra.
We've seen social media play it's part at the pointy end of politics with Egypt's facebook revolution, but does it have a role in regular democracy? Iceland seems to think so. The country suffered badly at the hands of the financial crisis, causing the collapse of their banking system, and bringing down its government. In such a dire situation, tearing up the rule-book and starting again starts to look like a good idea, but who exactly should be involved in drafting a new constitution? Well, it's a document for the people, so why not have it written by the people? Given that their current constitution was copied from Denmark's in 1944 with a bit of find-and-replace work, a new version is probably due. Iceland's constitutional council has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and is using the social media channels to get the public involved in drafting the new constitution. Draft clauses are published to the council's website so the public can see exactly what they're up to, and provide feedback. The draft constitution, which will include checks to prevent further financial crises and changes to the way elections are run, is due to be put to a referendum at the end of July. Involving the entire population in the political process hasn't really been feasible in any nation since democracy's early days, but perhaps the internet is the way to manage it in the modern world. Australia's Senator Online has been trying to get at least one internet-driven representative into a 'traditional' parliament, but Iceland's constitution could be the first example of a democracy built on the internet involvement of its population. [Via Guardian UK, image via flickr]
Originally presented as Vasily Kandinsky: Around the Circle in New York's iconic Guggenheim Museum, this in-depth retrospective of Vasily Kandinsky — one of the early 20th century's most notable modernists — is coming to the Art Gallery of NSW. Visitors to Kandinsky get to experience the changing inspirations and themes in his work, tracing his beginnings in Germany, his return to his home country of Russia, and his final settling down in France. As much as his surroundings had a transformational impact on his masterful work, he was also influenced by his decade of teaching at the Bauhaus school. "Kandinsky was unwavering in his desire to uplift humanity and in his belief in art's capacity to transform self and society," says Sydney exhibition curator Megan Fontanella. "His story, ultimately one of hope and resilience, continues to resonate a century later. It has been my distinct pleasure to partner with the Art Gallery of New South Wales in bringing Kandinsky's work to new generations in Australia." Kandinsky is remembered as a pioneer of abstract art and a theorist of his time, which visitors to the exhibition will see in the many paintings, woodcuts and watercolours on display. This comprehensive showcase will explore the legacy of an artist who was as influential as he was experimental. More than 50 of his works are on display at the AGNSW, including early- and late-career highlights like Blue Mountain (1908–09), Dominant Curve (1936) and Composition 8 (1923). Tickets to Kandinsky are available for $35 for adults, $32 for concessions, $30 for members, $18 for kids 12–17 and $88 for a family pass.
Already a go-to for affordable European spreads, Paddington's Nota has now added a wine bar to the mix. Three years after first opening at 224 Given Terrace, the inner-west restaurant has taken over the space next door, turning it into your next favourite vino-swilling spot. Still present: the exposed brick walls and mirrors aplenty, as Nota has boasted ever since it took over fine diner Montrachet's old Paddington digs after the beloved French eatery moved shop. Now, under the rebadged name Nota Restaurant & Wine Bar, the venue is pairing those eye-catching surroundings with a dedicated area to enjoy tipples — with or without a bite to eat. First announced earlier in 2022 and now up and running, the revamped Nota has become a 90-seater, and has knocked down the adjoining wall between its two spaces so that patrons can mosey between them. On the bar side, you'll find a five-metre wall of wines, wines and more wines. Warm lighting sets the mood, a bar snack menu will keep your stomach from rumbling, and the full Nota menu is also available. Owners Kevin Docherty and Sebastiaan de Kort (ex-Moda) have also enlisted Italian-born, French-trained Head Chef Matteo Pisanu to take care of the kitchen. On the menu: oysters, savoury churros with anchovies, cheeseburger spring rolls and tempura fish sandwiches among the smaller options; plus beef carpaccio, scallops burrata, spanner crab pasta and more. As for all that vino, restaurant manager Yanika Sittisuntorn has grown Nota's range from 12 bottles upon opening to 90-plus now, and is particularly fond of lesser-known and experimental varieties. Find NotaRestaurant & Wine Bar at 224 Given Terrace, Paddington — open 6pm–late on Tuesday, 4pm–late on Wednesday–Thursday and 12pm–late Friday–Saturday. Images: Markus Ravik.
A broad national network of mental health treatment centres, including up to 57 additional clinics for adults, is part of the Federal Government's landmark $2.3 billion investment in the mental health sector. It represents the single largest Commonwealth commitment to mental health and suicide prevention in history, according to the Coalition. Announced as part of the 2021–22 Federal Budget on Tuesday night, the new National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan brings the government's total estimated mental health spending to $6.3 billion in 2021–2022. The lion's share of spending ($1.4 billion) will go towards improving the accessibility of mental health services for vulnerable Australians. This includes improving access to community-based mental health services ($487.2 million) with an initial 32 new centres for adults, and expanding the existing Headspace network for youth aged 12–25 through the establishment of ten new dedicated clinics ($278.6 million). "The past twelve months have no doubt been some of the most difficult for many young people. It's not surprising that we've seen an increase in need across all parts of the mental health system," Headspace CEO Jason Trethowan said in a statement. "We know increased investment in early intervention is key to supporting young people's mental health." [caption id="attachment_811701" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pexels stock image: Anastasia-Shuraeva[/caption] Almost $249 million of the spend is allocated to prevention and early intervention, including investments into broadening the digital services available in Australia through a new, world-class digital platform. The system will be home to online professional counselling as well as offering peer and clinical support under Head to Health. A further $298 million is promised for suicide prevention, with the government committing more than half of this spend ($158.6 million) to ensuring Australians who attempt suicide receive continued care and support once they leave hospital. Another $107 million is dedicated to supporting vulnerable groups in the community, which includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific services such as a 24/7 crisis line run by Indigenous Australians. $202 million is also committed to training and growing the mental health workforce. "We have a monumental task ahead of us to ensure that our system levels up to our expectations, and treats people with the care and compassion they deserve," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement. "[This] is an investment for all Australians." Currently, one in five Australians experience mental health issues every year. 3,000 Australians lose their lives to suicide each year and it remains the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–44 years old. You can read the Federal Government's National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan online. A media release is also available to the public, or head to the government's website to view a range of available fact sheets.
Summer is here, and so is Brisbane's rainy, stormy season. In fact, the arrival of wet weather with December has served up one of the only constants in this chaotic year. And today, Sunday, December 13, is definitely forecast to be wet — as is much of the week. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the city is expected to be hit with up to 80 millimetres of rain on Sunday, after receiving 18.6 millimetres in the past 24 hours. On a day where the top temperature is only expected to reach 24 degrees, BOM is predicting between 35–80 millimetres, to be exact, via a 95-percent chance of showers. And, it also notes that "heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding is forecast to develop". BOM is also forecasting a possible thunderstorm, plus southeasterly winds at 20–25 kilometres per hour that'll turn southerly and reach 25–40 kilometres per hour in the late afternoon. The warning comes after 313 millimetres of rain fell in the Upper Springbrook area surrounding the Gold Coast up until 1am this morning, with 279 millimetres of that coming within a six-hour period. Tomewin, in the Northern Rivers region, recorded 274 millimetres in the same six-hour block, while Currumbin Creek received 264 millimetres of rain — and rain and showers are expected to not only keep coming, but get more intense again in southeast Queensland south of Hervey Bay again this evening. https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1337876412083171329 Unsurprisingly, BOM has issued a warning for a huge swathe of the state's southeast, including not only Brisbane, Redcliffe, Caboolture and Cleveland, but also the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Island, North Stradbroke Island, Fraser Island, Jimboomba, Beaudesert and Springbrook. Along the coastline, "abnormally high tides exceeding the highest tide of the year are expected to develop" — leading to dangerous surf conditions. Brisbanites can expect wet weather through the week, as per the current forecasts, including between 25–60 millimetres on Monday. Across Tuesday–Thursday, there's a 60–80 percent chance of more rain, and temperatures aren't expected to exceed 29 degrees. If you need to head out, don't forget to pack your umbrellas and raincoats — and keep an eye on the warnings. To keep an eye on Brisbane's weather forecasts and warnings, head to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
Miranda Devine. Yeah, you've heard of her. Maybe you connect her with the profile shot that gazes smugly at you from the pages of the Telegraph somebody's discarded on the seat of the bus, or then again, maybe you're picturing the scenes of speechless, apoplectic rage with which your friends and loved ones are occasionally wont to speak of her. But make no mistake, there's nothing wrong with Miranda Devine's opinions per se. She just likes things clean, white, middle-class, conservative and heterosexual. Nothing wrong with that, she's entitled to her opinion. In fact, she's so entitled to it that she is the "leading columnist" with the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, who gift her an entire page in Australia's most popular tabloids in which to exercise her right to free speech. Which is all well and good until you get crazy-eyed hysterics ringing up talk-back radio and using her articles to back up what are often reactionary and evidence-free arguments. On Sunday, August 14, The Daily Telegraph published her column entitled 'It's a Myth Conception: The problem of a fatherless society.' While ostensibly about the pregnancy announced last week of Senator Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache, Devine manages to complete some truly spectacular logical acrobatics to take us from a pregnant lesbian couple to the seemingly connected statement, "You only had to see the burning streets of London last week to see the manifestation of a fatherless society." Makes sense, right? To a lot of people it doesn't, and one of the people it rubbed up the wrong way was Tom Ballard, Triple J breakfast presenter, comedian and self-described "professional homosexual". Check out Tom's measured, yet whimsical, response below. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KkMv_GzhETk
A few years ago I invented a drinking game for people wanting to give up booze. It was very simple: you only drank when Johnny Depp played an American. Almost overnight, global alcohol consumption dropped to near-prohibition levels, even when many of Depp's non-American roles were actually inclined to drive people to drink. So far down the zany Tim Burton/Jack Sparrow character hole had Depp descended that the very notion of him playing a serious role again seemed as ludicrous as his daily jewellery selections. Then, from out of nowhere, came the chilling Black Mass trailer, and it was as if all might suddenly be right in the world again. To hell with the drinking game, we wanted to see Depp actually act and it looked like that might just be what was happening. Yes, he was still in some intense makeup (complete with vampiric blue eyes and slicked back white hair), and yes, there was a thick Boston accent at play, but at its core this looked like gritty, dramatic Depp back to his legitimate best. Thankfully, the trailer wasn't lying. Black Mass is the true story of Boston’s infamous crime lord James ‘Whitey’ Bulger (Depp) and his astounding protected status as a secret tier-one informant for the FBI. The more you learn about Bulger, the more remarkable his tale becomes. For one, his brother William (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) was the longest-ever serving senator from Boston, and Bulger's childhood friend John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) became a key figure in the FBI’s anti-mafia division. The short of it was that Connolly convinced Bulger to rat on his competition (primarily the Italians) in exchange for what amounted to a free run from police and the FBI regarding his own illegal operations. That arrangement saw Connolly rise in the ranks, but also allowed Bulger to transform from small-time hood to a national player in organised crime, and for years there seemed to be nothing anyone could do to stop him. The strength of Black Mass is in its cast, which — along with its leads — boasts the likes of Kevin Bacon, Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll and Peter Sarsgaard. There’s no weak link on the acting front, and even the bit parts turn in solid performances (Juno Temple’s brief appearance as a naive hooker the standout). Instead, it’s the story where the film is found lacking. For such a remarkable tale of corruption and secret allegiances, the focus on Bulger’s crimes feels wasted and misdirected, if only because the 'Boston gangster saga' has already been done many times over, and — it should be said — better (The Departed topping that list). Arguably the most intriguing dimension to the entire Bulger story is the Bulger dimension — the brothers, one a gangster and the other a powerful politician — yet it barely rates a mention, and Cumberbatch’s screen time is among the smallest in the film. How, in the modern era, one brother's affairs did not bring down the other’s raises compelling yet frustratingly unanswered questions that would have given the story a meatier emotional narrative and greater momentum. Still, take nothing away from the performances and please, raise a glass to the long overdue return of Johnny ‘Dramatic' Depp.
Cimarrón is a work of performance art that looks at the more primitive aspects of our lifestyle. Created by Sally Lewry and hosted by Metro Arts, Cimarrón is an evocative call to those living in our modern society to return to the wild, to remember what it was like in a primal state. The title refers to something that which cannot be tamed, perhaps our inner animal? Lewry and her associates have attempted to display the confronting elements of the female form and perhaps Australian society as a whole; an intriguing prospect and one worth exploring in our fast-paced age of technology. Lewry is a renowned Melbourne-based performance artist whose work looks into socio-political issues and the human condition. She works with strong physical movement, improvisation, imagery, language, video, design, light and sound in her presentations, making her not only a diverse artist, but an engaging one. Cimarrón will be running until March 22.
Fancy getting an early start on a big citywide festival? And, while you're at it, celebrating Vietnamese Lunar New Year? Before BrisAsia Festival takes over Brisbane for the first three weeks of February, filling as much of this town of ours with as many events as it can — as it does every year — it's marking the changing of the lunar calendar at the Hội chợ Tết 2023 Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival. Your destination: Richlands. Running from 5.30–10pm on both Friday, January 13–Saturday, January 14, this LNY celebration is organised by the Queensland Chapter of the Vietnamese Community in Australia, takes place at CJ Greenfield Complex Park, and includes food stalls, lion dances, music performances and a traditional costume parade. Drop by for Vietnamese cuisine aplenty, arts showcases and possibly even learning a new skill — calligraphy is on the lineup, too. Also on offer: firecrackers, a martial arts performance, and an official festival photo booth to snap some memories while you're there.
He went from being the cute kid in Batman Begins to the most hated character in Western pop culture. Jack Gleeson, the actor who played King Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones is coming to Australia next month as part of the national nerd-out that is the Supanova expo. Prepare your poisons — but seriously, please don't poison him — Joffrey lives again. Unfortunately (or very fortunately, depending on where you live) Gleeson will only be hitting up the Brisbane and Adelaide legs of the show. He will be filling the spot made available by Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) as she had to withdraw from the expo to fulfil commitments for her role in The Hunger Games. Gleeson will also be joined by Peter Cullen, the voice actor who plays Transformers' Optimus Prime. This appearance will be made all the more interesting as, after 'leaving' Game of Thrones, Gleeson has actually quit acting completely. Though he's now focusing on his university studies instead, there's undoubtedly a lot to be said about the devastating consequences Joffrey's character has had on his career. Really — how can we see him as anything else but the evil boy king? His Q&A should prove for some really interesting insight into the mechanics of intense fandom. Those in Melbourne and Sydney will have to wait until April and June respectively. And, at that point, the expo will be making the rounds without Gleeson. Hardcore fans and haters will have to take this clip as some kind of small consolation: Supanova will be at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 28-30 and at the Adelaide Showgrounds November 22-23. For more information about the lineup or Sydney and Melbourne offerings, see the website.
Brisbane might be the centre of the political world during G20, but come March 2015, there’s no other place Australia’s cinephiles will want to be. The auteur’s auteur, David Lynch, is coming to town. Yes, you read that correctly. Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art has pulled off their greatest programming coup yet, presenting Australia’s first David Lynch exhibition from March 14 to June 7. Exclusive to the Queensland capital, David Lynch: Between Two Worlds is the largest retrospective of Lynch's practice to date, charting 50 years of his output across all media — and we mean all of it. Developed closely with Lynch himself, the exhibition features more than 200 works. Lynch is best known as a filmmaker; however he has worked as a visual artist for 50 years, producing an extensive body of paintings, photography and works on paper. Lynch’s film prowess is the stuff of cinema legend, his inimitable mind creating the wonders that are Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. Bold, strange and with a singular style, his films really are incomparable. His output on the small screen is just as iconic, courtesy of a little TV show called Twin Peaks and its film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. You might have heard of them. If you were already excited about the beloved series returning for a third season in 2016, as announced just last month, then the exhibition’s anniversary celebration of what many rightfully consider the best television show ever made is going to be right up your alley. In addition to a complete collection of his film, video and television efforts at the Australian Cinémathèque, including a specially-curated program of Lynch's short and feature films, works for television, documentaries and independent projects produced for online platforms, the exhibition will take over the rest of the Gallery of Modern Art. Rarely seen paintings and drawings from the mid 1960s, lithographs, an important presentation of Lynch's photographs of factories and nudes, and recent large-scale paintings are among the creative treats on offer. There’s plenty more news to come, too, with details of exclusive events — including a chance to get up close and personal with the man himself at an artist in-conversation session, as well as public programs and special musical performances still to be announced. Get the pie and coffee ready for December, when tickets go on sale. Visit www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/davidlynch for more information. Images: David Lynch — Derek Hudson/Getty Images David Lynch, United States b.1946 / Head #3 2013 / Gelatin silver print on Baryta paper / Courtesy: David Lynch and / © The artist
Black Bear Lodge has been slowly finding its niche since it opened it’s doors to the public and welcomed them into a distinctly man cave-esque oasis. But now winter has hit, they have well and truly become the main stay to hang out during the colder months. Something about the comfortable couches, dim lighting and wood cabin decorations, subtly highlights how Black Bear Lodge is the most ideal Brisbane location. However, even the most gorgeous and enticing venues can be lacklustre if they don’t have live music to entertain the crowds. Luckily Black Bear Lodge has been quick to snap up the most eclectic and amazing performers to showcase. This Friday Old Mate will be launching their new EP ‘Word is Bond’ to a rapturous audience. Made from members of Bitch Prefect, their sound is said to be a great cacophony of saxophone and guitar, which could not be more perfect for Black Bear. They will be supported by Martyr Privates, Outerwaves and BSR DJ’s.
Before Taco Bell used Brisbane as a testing ground, another overseas fast food giant got there first. That'd be Japan's MOS Burger, who've been slinging its wagyu, teriyaki chicken and crispy fish burgers in Queensland since 2011. And, just like its US counterpart, it is now planning to expand across the rest of the country. The brand is set to make its Australian presence known in a big way, with 100 stores slated around Australia in the next five years, according to The Courier-Mail. Presently, it has just six outlets in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, after initially launching in Sunnybank eight years ago. For those new to MOS Burger — which stands for "mountain, ocean and sun" — the chain started in 1972, and is littered not only across Japan, but in much of Asia. It currently boasts 1335 stores in its homeland, 258 in Taiwan, 33 in Singapore, 20 in Hong Kong, 16 on South Korea, 14 in China, eight in Thailand and two in Indonesia, with its Australian eateries the company's first venture out of the region. Menu-wise, MOS Burger serves up a style of burg that's familiar, but with Japanese flavours. Think gourmet cheeseburgers with wasabi and patties of wagyu doused in horseradish — plus more standard fare with regular American-style ketchup and mustard. They also do sushi burgers, which involve seafood tempura, smoked salmon or barbecue beef stuffed between a steamed quinoa rice bun with seaweed. Or there's the low-carb 'tomami', featuring the usual burger ingredients inside (you guessed it) a tomato. Via The Courier-Mail. Image: Hunter Nield via Flickr.
Usually, February is the month that gets hearts all aflutter. But if you're in the mood for romance this March and April, Sydney is about to welcome a new pop-up museum on that very topic. Called The Museum of Love, it's the latest venture from the folks behind the sweet-themed Sugar Republic. Expect the same kind of photogenic setup, but this time swapping out lollies galore for pink hues and oh-so-many hearts. Remember the cartoon way of representing romance, where animated figures see hearts in front of their eyes as they go weak at the knees? That's what you'll be seeing, too, if you head along to the three-level installation. Open from Thursday–Sunday each week during its seven-week season, The Museum of Love will fill a warehouse with words about love, tokens of love, neon signs to fit the theme, rosy-coloured streamers, teddy bears and more. Yes, there'll be a heart-shaped ball pit that you can hop into, because of course there will be. Among the pieces of art and lovestruck backdrops, plenty of different facets of types of love will be covered — including first crushes, weddings, platonic relationships with your mates, family bonds, self-love and heartbreak. From the 'rose-tinted glasses room' to the life-sized wedding cake, it has all been developed by Creative Nation, the aforementioned team behind Sugar Republic, in conjunction with emerging Sydney artists Jade Goodwin and Madeleine Golden. Other highlights span a wall filled with scents of romance, a mirrored room so you can adore your own reflection, a confetti shower, and a swing surrounded by flowers that's designed for attendees and their best mates. There's also a Las Vegas-style Chapel O' Love, and you can play the 'Perfect Pair' TV game show as well. Or, walk through the Teddy Bear Tunnel, take an awkward family portrait, then settle in at the Heartbreak Cafe. If you're keen to fall head over heels for the pop-up, each ticket gets you an hour inside the museum, and costs $35. Also, The Museum of Love is the first attraction as part a year-long Sydney program — so it seems that you can look forward to other yet-to-be-revealed Instagram-worthy pop-ups to follow. Find The Museum of Love at at 47 George Street, Sydney from Friday, March 5–Sunday, April 18, open Thursday–Sunday each week. For further details, head to the pop-up's website.
This time of year can get pretty hectic. Your head is abuzz as you try to sort holiday plans, organise your New Year's bash and tie up loose ends at work before everybody's on break. And despite all your post-it note reminders of "Choose a good gift for Mum", it's easy for those gift shopping plans to fall by the wayside, to end up running out of time and giving your nearest and dearest the uninspired box of chocolates, candle or pair of socks. To help you avoid the Christmas Eve shopping scramble, we've partnered with Australia Post and pulled together gift ideas for every important person in your life. It's the A to Z of gifts, covering every present you'll need to give — from your partner to your parents, we've got you sorted. Moreover, they can all be ordered online and conveniently delivered to your nearby Parcel Locker, so you don't even have to go to the shops. Let your fingers do the walking, forgo the crazy Christmas crowds and rest easy knowing your parcel is stored securely till you're ready to collect. YOUR PARTNER With any luck, you'll score some time off with your main squeeze over Christmas. Set them up for a nice and relaxing break by giving them the gift of a quality cup of joe and a good pageturner — and not just for the festive season, but for the rest of the year. Every month, the Coffee and a Classic subscription service will ship your partner a classic novel, something to sip — choose between coffee, tea or hot chocolate — book-themed bric-a-brac, snacks and a bookmark every month. So, they can unwind over the holidays (and beyond) with a good book and tasty beverage. If you're lucky, maybe they'll give you the cliff notes over a cuppa. How much? From $28.99 YOUR PARENTS If your parents are stuck in past, drinking instant coffee out of convenience, show them the power of good brew with one of these handcrafted pour overs and coffee cup and some beans from Sydney-based Coffee Alchemy. Pour over is the ultimate 'slow coffee style', and it's as simple as making a cup of Moccona freeze-dried, but tastes miles better. You can forget about teaching your folks how to use a complex Nespresso machine, this much cheaper alternative is an easy and pleasant way for them to make their morning coffee. Also, the chic ceramic contraption, handmade in Thailand by Cone Number 9, looks a helluva lot better than that "World's Best Dad" cup. How much? Coffee pour over and cup $79, coffee beans from $14 YOUR SIBLING There's a good chance you've shared a few Domino's pizzas with your bro or sis before — back when you were both on student budgets, your metabolism knew no limits and food really wasn't your priority. But now you're older, it's time to up the ante and treat your sibling to a top-notch pie. Where to Eat Pizza features more than 1700 pizzerias from all over the world, so your sib can peruse the pages and pick out a pizzeria for you both to try. Bonus points if you plan your next overseas trip around these top-notch slices. Gift them this ultimate pizza directory and you'll be well and truly in the good books. How much? $30.95 YOUR BESTIE One of the greatest things about Christmas holidays is the promise of beachside hangs with your bestie. Well, ensure your ride-or-die is the trendiest person on the beach and gift them a beach towel by Sydney-based artist Miranda Lorikeet. The designs, all crafted by Lorikeet on MS Paint, are at once strikingly simple and undeniably dramatic. Seascapes, cliffs and rocky mountains are depicted in sunset-inspired pastels, providing the perfect backdrop for a day at the beach. And if your friend is a fan of the illustration, you can pick up a range of other wares featuring the same design, which means their next birthday present is sorted. How much? From $38.99 YOUR FUR BABY Reward your very good dog or cat with a plush new bed from Nice Digs. Depending on the personality of your pupper or pussycat, you can pick a design to suit — there's a bright Palm Springs-inspired print for the playful and a soft velvet number for the precious. The beds come in two sizes — to accommodate both great and small — and will look fab in any abode (which makes it kind of like a design gift for yourself, too). Oh, and don't let anyone make you feel bad about your purchase, your pooch or mew is as much a part of the family as anyone else. How much? From $139 THE CREW Do you and your crew communicate exclusively through memes? When you get together, is it mainly a chance to rattle off quotes from your favourite shows? If yes, these pretty, pretty, pretty, good pop culture mugs are sure to be a hit. Pick whichever reference best speaks to your squad, and give your friends the gift of a giggle every time they drink from the mug. From Parks and Rec to Curb Your Enthusiasm, all manner of screen fiend is catered for. Get ready to enjoy the jollies to come. How much? $28.53* ANY KIDS IN YOUR LIFE We all secretly want to be that cool adult who can make even a bratty kid smile. But children can be really hard to please, phases come and go — from Fortnite to fidget spinners — and it's difficult to know what they like (or don't). It's best to go for something classic that's both fun and timeless. Enter Finksa, a seriously addictive log-tossing game from Finland. Crafted from eco-friendly birch, it's shock resistant, aesthetically pleasing and most importantly it doesn't emit any annoying beeping or buzzing. Treat your whippersnapper to a Finksa and have some fun with them over the holidays. How much? From $69.90 THE HOST Agreeing to host the Chrissy bash is a pretty generous act, who knows how long it will take to get rid of that red wine stain or how bad those prawn heads are going to smell in the wheelie bin over the coming days. So, it's important to splash out on your host and pick them up a pressie they'll treasure. Since they like entertaining, treat them to a Uashmama paper bag where they can store their bread. Made from washable paper, which looks like leather but machine washes with ease, Uashmama bags are handsewn in Tuscany using a cultivated fibre that does not contribute to deforestation. So, the bags are sustainable, stylish and sure to make up for any spilt vino. How much? Medium-sized bag (perfect for bread) $32 WORK SECRET SANTA Arguably one of the hardest gifts to buy, you don't want to spend a bunch but still want your gift to be impressive, thoughtful and practical. Opt for a hydration tracking water bottle and help your office pal stay hydrated and healthy. Crafted from tough Tritan plastic, the drink bottle boasts an intuitive system that tallies the number of bottles you've consumed without any hydration tracking apps or complicated calculations. Let's face it, we all need to drink more water and this makes it super easy for your work wife or hubby. How much? $13.77* Christmas shopping has never been so simple — order online, ship to a Parcel Locker and avoid the hectic shops with Australia Post. *Price correct at time of writing.
Another day, another international ride-share company driving around the streets of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. This time, it's an Indian-born platform called Ola, which we're told operates in over 110 cities, hosting a whopping one billion annual rides worldwide. That's over two million trips each day, and growing fast. After rival Taxify hit Australia last year, Ola has been making its way around the country, following up its launches in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne by zooming into Queensland. It also started operating in Canberra, should you be in that neck of the woods anytime soon. In total, Ola has 30,000 driver-partners registered across the nation. To entice Brisbanites into giving it a go, it's also offering one free ride up to $20 for new users. You'll have to get in fast, however, as the free trip is only available for a week after sign-up — and the offer is limited to a short period, although Ola haven't announced when it'll end. The company counts its driver-partner focused approach as its main point of difference, hoping to tempt Australian drivers with incentives and upskilling opportunities. As Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal explains, that should result in a more competitive industry all round. "With a strong focus on driver-partners and the community at large, we aim to create a high-quality and affordable travel experience for citizens and look forward to contributing to a healthy mobility ecosystem in Australia," he said. Ola plans to launch in Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart soon.
In 2007 we all heard the news and we had been hoping for but not expecting; Sebadoh had reformed. Rejoice! Having gone quiet in 2000, the indie favourites had finally decided to get back on the horse and do what they do best: play music. For the uninitiated, the band were immensely popular during the '90s with albums such as Bubble and Scrape and Bakesale, containing strong, guitar driven songs that were almost immediately familiar and impressive. The band released numerous albums throughout that decade before putting the instruments down for a seven year hiatus. Now, a bunch of years after reforming, Sebadoh have released a brand new album, entitled Defend Yourself. This is the first new studio album in fourteen years and earned the No. 1 on the "New Alternative Artists" Billboard chart upon debut. Not bad for a few aging rockers, right? Sebadoh will be playing at The Zoo, tickets are still available so act quick!
Swimming, snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef all rank right up there on everyone's bucket list, but splashing around away from the shore isn't without its perils. If you've been scared off by stories of tourists being left behind in the water — or watched too many ocean-based horror films, given it's a growing genre — then an Australian-developed new tracking system might appease your fears. In a world first, it allows tour operators to know where everyone is when they're in the water. And, of course, it helps them ensure that everyone has hopped back onboard. Called the Tourist Onboard Management System, or TOMS, the system works in two ways. Firstly, everyone on the tour has their palm prints scanned upon boarding and disembarking the vessel. Secondly, while in the water, swimmers wear a waterproof wristband with an in-built GPS tracker. Back on deck, their movements can be charted in real time — so, as you're paddling around — with the system boasting one-metre accuracy. Currently at the prototype stage, TOMS underwent its first test in Cairns this week, the ABC reports. And while it might sound like a fancier, more expensive way to do something that people have been doing unaided for years — that is, count folks — the system helps tackle the issue of human error. If the trials prove successful, it's hoped that it'll be rolled out among commercial operators in around 12 months time. Via ABC / Cairns Post.
It happens every year, but 2023 is certainly going by in a flash — it's hard to believe that we've already farewelled summer. With the end of the warmer weather, it's easy to let the weekend roll around with no plans besides a couple of drinks at the pub and then a finale of cosy TV-watching and ordering in. But, we think it should be different. Let's think bigger, and ensure we milk every second from our precious days off. Spectacular stretches of sand and fresh autumn oceans, bushwalks and scenic vistas, sitting around a campfire sharing a bev or two — it's the nature life for us. Along with The Bottle-O, the store slinging your favourite boozy sips all over Australia, we've rounded up some amazing road trip options so you can make the most of your sweet freedom. Get ready to dust off your tent and hit the road. [caption id="attachment_891810" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Liens[/caption] TO BE OCEANSIDE: ROAD TRIP TO STRADBROKE ISLAND, CAMP AT MINJERRIBAH CAMPGROUND AT CYLINDER BEACH About two hours from Brisbane you will find Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island) — aka Straddie — a tropical oasis that also happens to be the world's second largest sand island. Straddie has a plethora of activities to keep everyone happy, from amazing bush walks to dolphin watching. Or, if you prefer minimal exertion, a whole host of spots for simply sitting back and enjoying your delightful time off by the beach. If you are feeling overwhelmed with options and want to really soak up the area, a Stradbroke Day Cruise is the best way to make sure you don't miss a lick of this slice of paradise. On your adventure, you'll take a guided walk through North Gorge, where you'll discover panoramic views, followed by a relaxed lunch at the renowned Cylinder Beach. The camping intel? Stay after lunch and head to Minjerribah Campgrounds. You'll be just steps from the sand, the sound of the waves rocking you to sleep. Before you set out from the mainland, make a pit stop at The Bottle-O Spring Hill to pick up a slab of craft brews — sunset viewing is optimal with a drink in hand, after all. [caption id="attachment_891808" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Chromatic Exposures[/caption] TO GET INTO THE BUSH: ROAD TRIP TO THE SUNSHINE COAST HINTERLAND, CAMP IN HUNCHY If you want sweeping views and a good dose of natural charm, plan for a weekend in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. You get the best of both worlds with coastal and mountain views, plus amazing food and drinks to enjoy in town. If you want the VIP experience, we suggest the Scenic Food and Wine Tour, which will showcase some of the famed region's finest produce. Or, if you're wanting a bit more excitement, it's time you tried abseiling at sunset. As you take your 50-metre descent down Mount Timbeerwah, gaze over your panoramic vista across Noosa's Hinterland and Sunshine Coast for the ultimate sunset experience. After your adventure, head to the Hunchy Hills campground. The privately run campsite is on the site of a former banana and pineapple plantation, and is close to hiking, fishing and swim spots. As you make your way north from Brisbane and head up into the hills, stop at The Bottle-O Baringa Tavern to take your pick of Aussie beers, ready-to-drink gin concoctions and delicious drops of vino. FOR EPIC HIKES: ROAD TRIP TO MOUNT BARNEY, CAMP AT MT BARNEY LODGE If going on more hikes was one of your New Year's resolutions, grab some mates and head to Mount Barney. Soak in the beauty of the lush World Heritage Gondwana Rainforest, with rare and protected plants and animals aplenty. Home to some of the best hiking and walking trails, this pristine area has a diverse landscape offering refreshing creeks, waterholes and waterfalls — marvel at it all, and then take a dip to cool off during your ventures. Every walker will be happy here, with a huge range of hikes for those up for a challenge and those wanting something chill. Plus, you can camp at the Mt Barney Lodge, which offers sites right on the river bed (and guided expeditions, too). Or, if you want an easy breezy sleep without any need to pack your gear, opt for one of the rustic family cabins. The drive from Brisbane is about two-and-a-half hours, and The Bottle-O Shearer's Arms is on your way — with more than a few nice bottles to choose from and keep in the esky. FOR CLOSE PROXIMITY TO CREATURE COMFORTS: ROAD TRIP TO NOOSA, CAMP AT HABITAT NOOSA If you are looking for a no-fuss weekend away that still feels like you are worlds away from home, Noosa is your best bet. The famed quintessential beach town is friendly, laid back and has some amazing nature and scenery to discover. Think crystal-clear waters surrounded by dense rainforest — heaven. Plus, a range of amazing cafes and restaurants to indulge in. Maybe Rock Salt, the BYO fine-diner (which has a menu calling out for a bottle of something crisp and fresh), or stroll to Bombetta if bountiful bowls of pasta are on your mind. Once you've luxuriated in the serene lifestyle, drive 25 minutes to Habitat Noosa for a picturesque camping (or glamping) experience. This heavenly spot has you covered with a range of camping options and water activities. Kayak or paddle board along Lake Cootharaba, or make friends with the wildlife. There is even an onsite eco brewery and bistro, serving locally sourced produce so there's no stress if you rush to extend your stay and your BYO stash runs out. [caption id="attachment_891809" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] InSydeMedia[/caption] IF YOU'RE GOING FOR LONGER THAN THE WEEKEND: FLY TO DARWIN, CAMP AT SANDY CREEK Not technically a road trip per se, but if you have managed to score a few extra days off, why not take a flight to Darwin and see what the gorgeous Northern Territory has to offer? From Darwin, you'd be sad to miss a tour of Litchfield National Park and its bounty of waterfalls and wildlife. Explore beautiful forests and pristine waters, relaxing in the waters of Florence Falls before locking the experience in with a dip in Buley Rockhole. From there you can continue the adventure with camping at the Sandy Creek Campsite in Tjaynera Falls where you can explore stunning landscapes among magnetic termite mounds. Just make sure you don't forget an esky, you'll want to end the day with an ice-cold beer (that you picked up from The Bottle-O Palmerston after you hopped off the plane). Wherever the road leads you this weekend, find your nearest The Bottle-O and stock up on some standout bevs. Ready to start planning? Head to the website. Top Images: Mvaligursky; Karl Stipek; Clement Yacoub; Raygar.
In Netflix's Ugly Delicious, acclaimed chef David Chang explored the history of different dishes and occasionally caught up with a celebrity friend — such as Aziz Ansari, Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. With Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, he's doing pretty much the same, just focusing on specific global cities rather than specific foods. And, yes, once again he has some high-profile company. The four-episode food and travel show sees the Momofuku founder head to various corners of the world and eat three meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner, of course — with the famous person who happens to be by his side. In Vancouver, he spends a day with Seth Rogen. Over in Marrakesh, he eats and chats with Chrissy Teigen. Laughing through Phnom Penh with Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon and kicking back in Los Angeles with Master of None's Lena Waithe are also on the agenda. The aim is not to only focus on cuisine, but to explore the variety of cultures and experiences that the planet has to offer — although, naturally, plenty of food is going to be consumed. Chang and his guests devour tasty doughnuts, dumplings, burgers and (accidental) bowls of oil, share stories, learn new things and (as is always the case with these kinds of shows) make viewers hungry and envious that they're not there with them. Netflix seems increasingly fond of these types of culinary-focused series, as the star-studded The Chef Show also demonstrated earlier this year. While that program is presented by filmmaker Jon Favreau and chef Roy Choi, Chang popped up on two episodes — and so did recurrent foodie fan Rogen, too. If you want to catch Chang in the flesh, he'll be hanging out and cooking at Western Australia's Gourmet Escape this November. Otherwise, check out the trailer for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner below and start watching here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Foc0I0CACY You can stream Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner on Netflix now.
The Australian film world has a striking new talent. Scooping up a best director gong at the Sundance Film Festival in January and winning the prestigious Crystal Bear in Berlin the following month, Adelaide's Sophie Hyde has with her debut feature, 52 Tuesdays, produced a powerful and progressive piece of cinema that defies formal, social and narrative expectations. With memorable characters and exceptional performances helping to shore up an intriguing structural gimmick, it's a bold and original coming-of-age drama that discerning local audiences should hurry to the cinema to see. Newcomer Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays Billie, a 16-year-old high-school girl struggling to find her footing after her lesbian mother Jane (Del Herbert-Jane) announces her intention to become a man. The transition, which involves a regimen of testosterone along with surgery, will take a year, during which time Jane — now going by James — requests that Billie go and live with her father (Beau Travis Williams). Billie agrees, on the condition that she can still visit every Tuesday after school. Honest, insightful and bravely against the grain, 52 Tuesdays is a magnificent debut for cast and filmmaker alike. Expect big things going forward. Read our full review of 52 Tuesdays here. 52 Tuesdays is in cinemas on Thursday, May 1, and thanks to Vendetta Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y5WcMzEYRGU
Earth Hour is a symbolic action. Although there is carbon saved by turning things off, the point is the unmissable demonstration that a huge chunk of the world's population caring about the same thing at the same time. If we can manage this for Earth Hour, why not for grander environmental things? The Hour started in Sydney in 2007, and has become an international event in the years since. There are Earth Hour events in Kenya, India and Ireland these days, but you don't need to travel so far afield to find a way to join in this time around. At its simplest, all you need to do is stay home and turn off the lights. But if you'd like to have a more social darkened moment, you can head to a candlelit restaurant or one of a raft of other lights-off events. Image of Earth Hour Switch Off 2010 by Sewell / WWF.
Karl Shoobridge’s Cut Copy Culture exhibition is not without thought provoking undertones. In his latest exhibition, Shoobridge explores the success of artworks that have been produced en masse in artist factories, and then testing these reproduced images for substantive meaning when placed in a new context. The prime interest of Shoobridge’s exhibition is the search for cultural significance and new value systems. The artwork we are seeing reproduced is today taking a turn towards the digital. Shoobridge is exploring this, taking the time to meticulously hand paint images that would have otherwise been churned out by assistants. Shoobridge has taken the core of these digitally reproduced artworks, cropping and dragging the timeframe and hierarchies of the initial painting to expel any original meaning. What we are left with, and subsequently what we will see in his exhibition, are works of art with new signifiers and value systems. The idea of the exhibition is, through long-term experience and intimate understanding, to get us thinking about the construction of an image. Overall, Shoobridge is using his works to suggest the finished form of an image is only part of the artwork, and we need to also look at the processes and techniques employed in its creation.
First, Australia got a Harry Potter-themed brunch and dinner. Now, we're getting a wizarding beer festival. If the boy who lived's flicks were still gracing cinemas, exploring his adult life, we're certain he'd be keen on this magical festival. Whether you're still not over Harry or you just wish you'd had the chance to attend Hogwarts because you know you're destined to be in Gryffindor (and to be seeker on the quidditch team, obviously), you'll want to make a date with this event. You'll sip brews in a wizarding wonderland, while making your way between wand-making classes, DJs and tarot card readers. There's no word yet on exactly what beers you'll be drinking — local numbers? international favourites? alcoholic butterbeer? — but your ticket does include a 12-ounce (355-millilitre) brew on entry, and five tokens you can use on beers and the aforementioned activities. The Wizard's Beer Festival is set to hit Sydney at a soon-to-be announced location on March 1, 2020, then do the same in Melbourne on March 8, 2020, before heading to Brisbane on March 15, 2020. Folks in costumes pretending to be Hermione, Dumbledore and others isn't really our idea of a magical HP experience, but perhaps a few boozy butterbeers will get you in the right mood. And if not, you can organise a trip to see the Cursed Child stage show in Melbourne, if you haven't already. The Wizard's Beer Festival will hit Sydney on March 1, 2020, then Melbourne on March 8, 2020 and finally Brisbane on March 15, 2020. You can sign-up via the website to be notified when tickets go on sale. Top image: Wizard's Brunch UPDATE, NOVEMBER 16: This article was updated to include details of The Wizard's Beer Festival's planned events in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Pumpkins, lollies and dressing up in costume: they're the parts of Halloween that suit everyone, even if you're not a fan of scary movies. Hitting up Victoria Park's pop-up Halloween-themed outdoor cinema night actually falls into that category, too — because while these flicks suit the occasion, they don't include spine-tingling frights. On Saturday, October 29, just days before Halloween itself, this inner-city patch of turf is hosting two flicks — for free, out on the grass, and with picnics welcome. It all kicks off at 6.30pm with Pixar's supremely family-friendly Monsters, Inc, which'll also deliver a big dose of nostalgia. Then, come 8.15pm, Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands will unfurl its gothic fantasy — and a prime Winona Ryder performance. Entry doesn't cost a thing but, if you don't pack your own snacks and drinks, you'll want your wallet to hit up the onsite food truck. They'll be serving from 5.30pm. Also, this movie night is dog-friendly, but Rover will need to remain on a leash. And if you feel like getting tap, tap, tapping around a Halloween mini-golf course, too, you'll be in the perfect place for it. That'll cost you as well, however.
If you watched Parks and Recreation, then wished you could be Leslie Knope, agreed that waffles are the best way to start the day, started celebrating Galentine's Day and wished that you could attend a harvest festival, congrats — that's the perfect reaction. Most of those are easy to achieve, too, other than wanting being the show's protagonist. And, by heading to Stanthorpe between Friday, February 25–Sunday, March 6, you can easily tick one of them off of your list. Every two years, the town throws a huge party, celebrating all the food and drink that the Granite Belt region has to offer. The Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival is the end result, and it's promising everything from apple picking, wine fiestas, berry farm tours, grape-stomping sessions and leafy gardens again in 2022. Other highlights include farmers markets, art exhibitions, a big free street party to kick things off, brewery tours, a gala ball, a fun run, busking championships, fireworks, an apple pie competition and movie screenings. You'll also be able to peer at a wall of fruit, because why not? 2022 marks Stanthorpe's 150th birthday, too, if you need another reason to make the almost three-hour drive southwest from Brisbane for a weekend or two. Images: Leeroy Todd Photography.
With the Golden Globes having just passed, and the Oscars fast approaching, the internet has gone wild with appropriations of the nominated films and people involved in them. From Facebook pages dedicated to the funny things Jennifer Lawrence says to adulterated posters with their 'honest' titles, the world wide web loves to poke fun at the films we hold dear. And this new addition to the fray is hilarious. Created by YouTuber Pop Culture Brain, this video is a parody trailer of Spike Jonze's latest offering, Her. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as Samantha, the artificially intelligent operating system in the introverted Theodore's (Joaquin Pheonix) home. Pop Culture Brain, however, swaps out Johansson with another famous Samantha — Sex and the City's Samantha Jones. Cue the silliness. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IhIbmgQSyDE Kim Cattrall's notorious character is crass, lewd and oh so '90s. When you cut the quotes from the context of the show and switch them with the dialogue from the original trailer for Her, what you get is an absurdly uproarious piece of gutter humour. Rather than an unconventional love story, Spike Jonze's solo script writing debut becomes a rampant sex party between a computer and a lonely guy. Naturally, its audio is NSFW. Via Huffington Post.
What will food look like in the future? Will it come in the form of a pyramid-friendly pill dispensed from your microwave? Will calories be an optional extra? Will Michelin-starred restaurants serve eye fillet in mason jars. For the latest episode in their 'Plate Project' series, Food & Wine asked some of the most original-thinking epicures of our time to imagine what we'll be eating 35 years from now. As you'd expect, the results are varied and not altogether that appetising. Some of the thinkers saw the humour in the challenge. Anthony Bourdain will be serving 1%-ers a giant bug, though perhaps that's more telling of his fetish for watching people devour splindly creatures whole than of any cynicism founded in unjust distribution of money. The architects and designers at AvroKO played on food as addiction with a plate serving everything form marinated white anchovies to a 2006 pinot noir in syringes (“Don’t forget to eat your garnish!”) On the more serious side, ethically sourced produce and fish farms ranked high as a topic of conversation. Vibrant garden-picked veggies are pitted against their factory-produced counterparts on the sculpture by ceramicist Jono Pandolfi, while author Paul Greenberg's plate substitutes salmon for farmed shellfish (cleans waterways), kelp (clears coasts of harmful nitrogen) and Peruvian anchoveta (high in omega-3s). And it's not just the food that raises issues, with chef Jose Andres taking a stab at people who still eat off paper plates. Though perhaps throwing them in the bin after eating suggests a very narrow frame of thought — anyone for a deep-fried plate? Via Fast Company. Anthony Bourdain, chef, author and TV host - Food of the Future for the 1% Jose Andres, chef - No More Waste Jono Pandolfi, product designer and ceramicist - Gardens vs. Factories Paul Greenberg, author - Improved Fisherman AvroKO, architects and designers - Pharm to Table Dave Arnold, instructor and inventor - Fried Plate Via Food & Wine.
We're first introduced to Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), an unpleasant socialite who's fallen on hard times, as she talks the ear off a poor woman on a plane to San Francisco, her fellow passenger having made the mistake of interrupting a monologue she was having with herself. It's a fitting introduction to Woody Allen's claustrophobic new drama, which follows Jasmine to San Francisco, where she hopes to start afresh after her husband, Hal (Alec Baldwin), is exposed as a fraudster and adulterer. An unrepentant snob with a haughty bearing and a wardrobe full of designer clothes, Jasmine finds herself at odds with her adopted sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), whom she plans to stay with until she is back on her feet. Jasmine had little time for Ginger when she was living high on the hog in Manhattan and finds herself appalled at Ginger's working-class lifestyle and new boyfriend, Chili (Bobby Cannavale), a mechanic. Still clinging to her old luxurious lifestyle and increasingly embracing delusion, Jasmine finds she is so cut off from the modern world that she needs basic computer classes before she can even think about her lofty ambitions to train as a designer. The story flashes back and forth between Jasmine's glamorous New York life of polo matches and Hamptons holidays and her later comeuppance in California. Along the way, Ginger and ex-boyfriend Augie (Andrew Dice Clay) make a rare visit to New York, where Jasmine suggests Hal can invest money for Ginger and Augie. The flashbacks find Jasmine in wilfully ignorant bliss, raising the question of whether she should have taken more of an interest in his staggering accumulation of wealth. There are definite echoes of Blanchett's tour de force performance in A Streetcar Named Desire here, with Chili a kind of hot-blooded Stanley to Jasmine's pretentious Blanche Dubois figure. As in the Tennessee Williams classic, the arrival of a down-on-her-luck heroine strains the relationship of her reluctant hosts, and Hawkins is terrific as the long-suffering Ginger. The performances make up for the shortcomings in a script which is surprisingly slight at times, lacking for something new to say about the Bernie Madoff-like figure of Hal and his downfall. Still, the prickly figure of Jasmine, a character who is by turns contemptible and pitiful, washing Xanax down with vodka as she endlessly recounts stories from better times, is perfectly realised, and Blanchett's compelling work lights up one of Woody Allen's darkest films. https://youtube.com/watch?v=BXnktqEWvGM
When you're taking your pet pooch to the pub, park, cinema, opera, for brunch or to any other dog-friendly event, you want your four-legged friend to look its best. Yes, all puppers are adorable anyway, because just comes with the territory. But your furry little woofer is certain to dial up its natural cuteness in a piece from The Iconic's new pet range. Whether your dachshund would look dapper in a fleece-lined denim vest, your jack russell terrier needs a Christmas-patterned jumper or your shih tzu could do with a cable-knit or fringed sweater, you'll find it on offer in this new line. Brands such as Paul Smith, Filson, Sebastian Says and Pethaus are all part of the retailer's pet-focused range — as are Driza-Bone oilskin dog coats and RM Williams leather leashes. More than 60 items are currently available (including various sizes and colours), spanning collars, harnesses and leads, as well as hoodies, pullovers and coats. Elf-themed jumpers, vests embroidered with the words 'girl gang', macrame leashes, gold collars — they're all covered. The fashion and accessory line will add further items throughout the year, too, because even your doggo's wardrobe can change with the seasons. While The Iconic has dubbed the line its 'pet-friendly edit', so far it's all for dogs. That said, if you can somehow manage to get your cat into a vest or sweater, then you're well-equipped to slip them into something from this range. The Iconic's Pet-Friendly Edit is currently available to purchase online, with further items due to be added to the range later this year.
Life is always a little brighter on the Gold Coast, given the beachside city is home to all that sun, surf and sand, but it'll be positively bursting with colour and art as well when July rolls around again. That's when Surface Miami Street Art Festival will take place for 2023, making its home in the suburb of Miami and connecting its two creative precincts — from Hillcrest Parade through to Lemana Lane — with plenty of paint. For two weeks, between Sunday, July 2–Sunday, July 16, this fest is going all in on its chosen format. On the bill: everything from large-scale outdoor murals to a fence-line exhibition featuring more than 80 artworks, and a secret gig, plus drinks, more tunes, nature photography and fun for all ages. At Miami Marketta, the fest will launch with a big opening day session featuring live murals, tunes and coffee. The same spot will also play host to a digital art and photography exhibition, a showcase of handmade art and painting, James Reyne and Ella Hooper hitting the stage, and a Pub Choir session. Although some events do cost to get in, the overwhelming majority of Surface Miami Street Art Festival is free — other than however you make your way down to the Goldie. Updated June 26.
The Emirates British Film Festival is back for another year, with more Benedict Cumberbatch than ever before. The Sherlock star gives a sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated performance in The Imitation Game, about mathematician Alan Turing, the man who cracked Nazi Germany's Enigma code and, in doing so, helped turn the tide of the war. The historical thriller is one of 15 recent films on the festival program, which kicks into gear at select Palace Cinemas this week. Other standouts include the Belle & Sebastian-infused musical God Help the Girl and the intense action-drama '71, set on the streets of Belfast during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. There are also new films from acclaimed directors including Liv Ullmann, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, in the form of Miss Julie, Jimmy's Hall and Mr. Turner, respectively. The contemporary contingent is bolstered by a selection of six beloved classics from the 1960s. Get a dose of kitchen-sink realism with Billy Liar, go on the run with Michael Caine in The Italian Job or experience full-blown Beatlemania with A Hard Day's Night.
If your idea of a stellar Sunday includes a Cantonese banquet and cracking river views, then Howard Smith Wharves go-to Stanley has you covered. One of the precinct's top spots, it's getting into the yum cha game every weekend, serving up everything from XO seafood dumplings and barbecue pork buns with chilli jam to spicy chicken feet, salt and pepper squid, and stir-fried egg noodles. Stanley's Yum Cha Sundays take place on Sundays, with sittings between 11am–4pm. For $49 per person, you'll also tuck into prawn har gow, scallop siu mai, duck and mushroom dumplings, and steamed broccoli with oyster sauce — and Cantonese egg tarts for dessert. For those feeling particularly indulgent, there's a $129 option, too, which includes two hours of bottomless champagne. And, you can pick and choose other add-ons for an extra cost, should you be hankering for peking duck pancakes, barbecue pork char siu, steamed toothfish or five-spice roast duck.
For every popular film franchise, there must be an origin story — or that's how it frequently feels. The latest beloved series to step back into its past to provide an insight into how one of its characters became who they are: Pixar's adored Toy Story saga, which is now diving into Buzz Lightyear's history (and has a trailer to prove it). First, to answer the obvious question, this isn't a film about how the talking toy was manufactured. If anyone could make that delight, it'd be Pixar, though. Instead, Lightyear focuses on the flesh-and-blood Buzz in Toy Story's world, aka the space ranger who inspired the plaything that's been such a pivotal part of four films so far. So if you've ever wondered why there even was a Buzz figurine, now you'll find out. "My Lightyear pitch was, 'what was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?' I wanted to see that movie," explains filmmaker Angus MacLane, who previously co-directed Finding Dory, and also worked as an animator on both Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. To tell that tale, MacLane's film follows Buzz on an intergalactic adventure — a trip that, as the just-dropped trailer for Lightyear shows, he's mighty excited about. Chris Evans swaps from wearing Captain America's spandex to voicing the spacesuit-wearing Buzz, and he's joined by a cast that includes Keke Palmer (Hustlers), Dale Soules (Orange is the New Black) and Taika Waititi (Free Guy) as new space ranger recruits. The film hits cinemas in June — reaching the big screen, unlike Pixar's past two releases Soul and Luca, as well as its soon-to-stream Turning Red — but the most adorable part of the Lightyear trailer right now belongs to Buzz's new robot cat companion Sox. Yes, you can already see how many toys that mechanical feline is certain to inspire. Check out the Lightyear trailer below: Lightyear will release in cinemas Down Under on June 16, 2022. Top image: © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Since the mid-1800s, we've all been told to deck the halls with boughs of holly come Christmastime. While sprucing up your chosen joint with greenery is solid advice, there's no need to restrict your merry embrace of nature to just one type of plant. Deck your coffee table with pots of cacti. Adorn your bathroom shelves with planters filled with succulents. Brighten up your loved ones' homes with whichever leafy morsel you think they'll love. Whichever you choose, find whatever you're looking for at The Lanes Plant and Homewares Market. On Sunday, November 24, the one-off market will take over Fortitude Valley's Bakery, Winn and California Lanes between 10am–2pm, all as part of the precinct's A Very Laneway Christmas event. More than 32 stallholders will be slinging the likes of plants, flowers, kokedamas, ceramics, candles and homewares, with Botanic Box, Botanical Lab, The Flower Source, Max and Mort, Made with Grace, Alice Nightingale and Hunchmark Ceramics among the sellers. Live music will also feature, tying in with the three laneways' Welcome Back to the Lanes free live gig series. And, you can also take part in one of five different workshops, covering areas such as seed bombs, plant potting and that ol' Xmas gift favourite: terrariums. Images: Botanic Box / Max and Mort.
If you're a true-blue Aussie KFC fan, you've probably felt a little miffed by the fried chicken empire's decision to completely overlook us when doling out its unique merch. Our mates in New Zealand got KFC candles, the USA scored chicken-scented sunscreen and Japan lucked out with fried chook-inspired bath bombs. Well, now it's finally our turn for a piece of the finger lickin' action, as KFC launches what might just be the most Aussie merchandise collection ever. Dropping as part of a month-long fundraising initiative by the KFC Youth Foundation the limited edition goodies will be up for grabs online from noon tomorrow, Thursday, August 16. All profits from merch sales will go towards supporting local youth-focused charities, including Youngcare, StreetWork and ReachOut. The unique haul includes cotton trackies in that famous KFC print, racy red KFC-inspired budgie smugglers, printed socks, a necklace and a '100% Original Recipe' tee. You'll also be able to get your mitts on the world's first-ever KFC-scented surfboard wax and — if you're extra quick and willing to part with $3000 — the single-edition 'Harland' surfboard, emblazoned with the Colonel's face. If subtlety's more your style, nip into any KFC restaurant across the country to show your love with one of their limited run enamel badges. The five-strong collection features a mini nuglife box, the Colonel's iconic black tie, an Original Recipe bucket, a tie-wearing chicken, and a tiny homage to the KFC drumstick. Catch the collection from 12pm, Thursday August 16, right here.
There are very few faces as synonymous with Australian cinema as that of actor David Gulpilil. From his 1971 breakout in Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout to his recent collaborations with arthouse filmmaker Rolf de Heer, Gulpilil's career is full of unforgettable performances, many of which represent turning points for the depiction of Indigenous Australians on screen. His third and most recent film with de Heer marks the last part in a loose thematic trilogy — one that began with The Tracker in 2002 and continued with Ten Canoes four years later. But while those films dealt with Aboriginal history, Charlie's Country takes place in the present. It's also one of Gulpilil's first major film projects since his incarceration for assault in 2011; de Heer visited him in prison so they could work together on the script. It's perhaps for these two reasons in particular that the film feels so resoundingly authentic. Gulpilil's Charlie resides on an Indigenous settlement in Arnhem Land, the very same territory that his kinsmen have lived in for generations. But the truth is the land is no longer theirs. Charlie enjoys a genial relationship with the entirely white police force, yet differences in culture seem to make run-ins almost inevitable. When the cops confiscate his shotgun and destroy a lovingly made hunting spear, Charlie decides he's had enough. And so the ageing Charlie goes trekking into the bush, intent on living as his ancestors did before the first white settlers. For a time he's successful. He hunts, and paints, and sleeps in a makeshift hut. But then comes the rain and with it a sad realisation: the way of life he wants to return to is one that no longer exists. De Heer's slow narrative defies traditional arcing, the rewarding if occasionally directionless sense of realism enhanced by his naturalistic camerawork. The film's grim depiction of certain sections of the Indigenous community may put some viewers in mind of Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah. At times the film can be similarly difficult to watch, although on the whole it's much less unpleasant. Indeed, a warm sense of humour, particularly in the early scenes, puts harsher moments into relief. Gulpilil looks far older than his 61 years, but as Charlie he may never have been better — he's just taken home a best actor award at Cannes for it. It's a performance loaded with understated feeling, one that's obviously informed by a wealth of personal experience. His very face tells a story, about a country, its people, and its cultural and cinematic history. What a wonderful piece of acting in a likewise remarkable film. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ly8_7Su4m4c
When Fortitude Valley gained its newest laneway, California Lane, it celebrated the occasion with a festival. Of course, there's never a bad time to throw a fest in the Valley, so the suburb's trio of laneways — aka Bakery Lane, Winn Lane and California Lane — are putting on three weekend-long mini festivals between November 3 and 17. Welcome Back to the Lanes gets underway with live tunes across the three spots, as well as Tym's Guitars, from 11.30am on Saturday, November 3. Then check out three hours of music at Phase 4 from 3pm on Sunday, November 4 — and come back again for the next two weekends. The times and lineup will change each week, so keep your eyes peeled; however A Love Supreme, Sacred Shrines, Stone Cold Fox and the Pete Allan Collective are among the first acts on the bill. As well as a free soundtrack, the event is designed to get you soaking up the space between Ann Street, Brunswick Street, McLachlan Street and Winn Lane — so, between sets, you won't be lacking in places to eat and drink.
For fans of Adam Driver, 2019 was a movie-watching delight. When he wasn't tackling zombies in Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die, he was investigating CIA-sanctioned torture in The Report. He scored an Oscar nomination for his relationship struggles with Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story, and fought the force in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, too. Alas, after that welcome onslaught of Driver-starring flicks in such short succession — The Man Who Killed Don Quixote also released Down Under the same year, in fact — he didn't appear on our screens in 2020. But this year, he'll be back in cinemas in one of his most-anticipated films yet. In the works for half a decade — and reportedly initially delayed in part due to Driver's busy schedule — Annette tells the tale of stand-up comedian Henry (Driver) and his soprano opera singer wife Ann (Marion Cotillard). He's funny, she's famous, and their lives are happy and glamorous; however, when their daughter Annette is born, they're changed forever. Few other narrative details have been revealed, but their story plays out in a musical — and if the just-dropped first trailer gives any indication, viewers can expect a brooding, dreamy, sweeping and immensely gorgeous film to dance across the screen. Actually, movie buffs can expect all of the above simply based on Annette's director. It has now been nine years since Leos Carax's Holy Motors hit cinema screens, becoming one of the most memorable films of both the decade and the 21st century in the process, so his next project has been eagerly awaited for quite some time. Annette will also mark the French filmmaker's English-language debut. And, after being shot late in 2019 and initially expected in 2020, it'll open this year's Cannes Film Festival in July. Exactly when viewers elsewhere will get to see the film hasn't been announced, but whenever it surfaces locally, it'll be a certain big-screen event. Every director wishes that they made movies that no one else could even dream of, but Carax is genuinely one of those filmmakers. Here's hoping that we soon get to see what Carax's inventive mind has put together next. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068aFF8fOIA&feature=emb_logo Annette will open the Cannes Film Festival on July 6. Details for the film's release Down Under are yet to be revealed — we'll update you with further details when they're announced.
In Joel Edgerton's second film as director and sixth as a screenwriter, the actor-turned-filmmaker also takes a role in front of the camera, as the head therapist at a Christian facility. Sporting a trim moustache and a prim-and-proper look that'd make Ned Flanders proud, Boy Erased's Victor Sykes claims to be able to make teens pray the gay away and embrace heterosexuality. The counsellor expresses little sympathy for his charges. He may also have personal experience with his field of interest, but belittling the kids in his care — and forcing them to unearth family skeletons to apportion blame for their sexuality — is his technique. Sykes is the unmistakable villain of the piece, and rarely more than one-note. And yet, the film he's in thankfully doesn't share the same overall obviousness. Gay conversion should be condemned. It's a horrific and inhumane practice that's somehow still part of life in the US as well as Australia. Worlds away from his filmmaking debut The Gift, Edgerton may paint his character in the most glaring of terms (and do a fine enough job doing so), but Boy Erased itself is much more evenhanded. In the second movie about the subject this year after The Miseducation of Cameron Post, the film directs its quiet but palpable anger towards those humiliating and persecuting queer teenagers in a misguided attempt to turn them straight. For anyone that seeks such services, it offers empathy. In a story about a college kid sent away by his preacher father and dutiful mother, that distinction is important. Based on Garrard Conley's memoir, just with the names changed, Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) is the well-rounded son of Arkansas pastor Marshall (Russell Crowe) and his wife Nancy (Nicole Kidman). Soon, he's also an unhappy attendee at the Love In Action therapy centre. After a horrific incident at school forces him to come out, his Baptist parents — and his dad, specifically — deem conversion the only option. Just what Jared and his fellow participants (including singer Troye Sivan and filmmaker Xavier Dolan) endure will threaten both his sense of self and his relationships. Edgerton may write, direct and act in Boy Erased, but one of his biggest achievements stems from how he treats the film's main characters. This is a sensitive, earnest, sombre and understated movie that's shot in neutral tones, and wants to explore what motivates folks like the Eamons. Rather than judge them, it tries to understand these people who clearly love their son yet still send him to a conversion camp. With Jared, the film doesn't shy away from the impact of his experience, the conflict it causes or the difficulties of being a gay teen in general. He's hurt and uncertain, and also defiant and determined. He wants his parents' love, but not the emotional torture he's put through with their approval. Eventually, he also wants to stop self-censoring his identity to please others. Of course, these characters aren't just creations on a page, jumping from Conley's recollection to Edgerton's dramatic script. Edgerton's other big coup with Boy Erased is evident in the portrayals that he nurtures out of his core trio of actors. Crowe grapples with the intersection of Marshall's faith and being a good father, while Kidman helps convey the punishing patriarchal constraints of religion, with both playing their parts in a textured and thoughtful manner. And as he proved in Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird as well, the supremely talented Hedges excels at internalised performances. Indeed, his work here encapsulates Boy Erased at its best. If Edgerton's own near-cartoonish part represents the movie at its most blatant and furious, then Hedges embodies the complex emotions that swell in almost every scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBZQ5F5T51I
Melburnians, get ready to sit in the room where it happens — because Lin-Manuel Miranda's game-changing, award-winning, rightly raved-about Hamilton is finally coming to town. After initial rumours back in May suggested that the hit show would play Her Majesty's Theatre from March 2022, that news has just been officially confirmed and announced. So, mark Wednesday, March 16 in your diary, and don't throw away your shot to see the biggest thing in musical theatre this century. The Broadway blockbuster finally made its way to Australia earlier this year, opening at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March with a cast that includes Jason Arrow as Alexander Hamilton, Chloé Zuel as Eliza Hamilton, Lyndon Watts as Aaron Burr, Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler, Matu Ngaropo as George Washington, and Victory Ndukwe as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. When it was revealed last month the Mary Poppins musical would float into the same venue from May 2022, however, speculation about Hamilton's future quickly kicked into gear. Obviously the Sydney theatre can't host two shows at once, after all. Hamilton is currently selling tickets for Sydney shows until Sunday, December 19, although exactly when the production will finish up in the New South Wales capital hasn't been advised. Still, come mid-March, Arrow, Zuel and company — including Shaka Cook as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, Marty Alix as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, Elandrah Eramiha as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, and Brent Hill as King George III — will all be exploring 18th-century American politics in song in Melbourne. Haven't become a Hamilton obsessive yet? Not quite sure why it has been the most-talked about theatre show of the past six years? The critically acclaimed hip hop musical, for which Miranda wrote the music, lyrics and the book, is about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, as well as inclusion and politics in current-day America. In addition to its swag of Tony Awards — 11 in fact, which includes Best Musical — it has nabbed a Grammy Award and even a Pulitzer Prize. Until now, Melburnians eager to see the show had to be content with trips north or watching the filmed version of its Broadway production, which started streaming via Disney+ in 2020 (and yes, it's as phenomenal as you've heard). This won't be Miranda's first musical to come to Melbourne, with his take on the classic 2000s film Bring It On: The Musical hitting the city in 2018. And, the news arrives just weeks out from the long-awaited — and lively, vibrant and charming — movie adaptation of Miranda's Washington Heights-set In the Heights reaching cinemas. Other big musicals, such as The Book of Mormon, have toured the country after their big local premiere seasons, so Hamilton's Melbourne stint was hardly unexpected. Here's hoping the $10 ticket lottery comes with it. Sydneysiders, if you haven't yet booked yourself in to see the musical, you'll want to remedy that while you can. And Brisbanites, start crossing your fingers that Hamilton plans a move up north after its Melbourne season. Hamilton's Melbourne season will kick off on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Head to the musical's website for further details, or to buy tickets from Monday, July 19, 2021 — with presales for Telstra Plus members available from 10am on Thursday, June 24. Images: Daniel Boud.
Melbourne Fringe Festival is set to return this month (November 12–29), and with it comes one helluva opening night party. But, this year, the party will take place in your lounge room. Club Fringe will broadcast into homes all over Australia from 9.30pm on Thursday, November 12. For this year's festivities, Fringe has joined forces with the folks behind Yirramboi Festival as part of NAIDOC Week. They've curated an all-First Nations lineup including some of Melbourne's best independent talent. The night will kick off with a Boonwurrung Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country. Then, rapper Deejai with vocalist Breanna Lee, Arrernte drag artist Stone Motherless Cold and electro-tribal pop duo The Merindas will all take to the virtual stage. DJ Soju Gang will keep the party vibes going until midnight. Don't forget to nab your tickets, which are choose what you pay (with a $10 suggested donation). Then prep your dance floor (aka living room), deck yourself out in glitter and get ready to party like its 2020. Top image: The Merindas
Arguably the biggest pop sensation to emerge in the last five years, Billie Eilish has just announced a run of Australian and New Zealand tour dates throughout September 2022. The tour marks the first time Eilish has graced the shores of either country since 2019. In the two years since her last tour, Eilish has released her latest chart-topping album Happier Than Ever, a documentary and visual book, taken out the Hottest 100 and swept the Grammys, taking home all four of the major categories at the 2020 ceremony. The announcement of this run on dates also comes days after the announcement that Billie Eilish is set to become the youngest-ever performer to headline the UKs Glastonbury Festival in 2022. The Happier Than Ever Tour will kick off at Auckland's Spark Arena on Thursday, September 8 before moving to Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday, September 13. It'll then move on to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and Perth's RAC Arena throughout the remainder of September. The tour follows previous tour announcements from international artists Tyler, the Creator, Gorillaz and Guns N' Roses, marking the expected return of international touring for the first time in more than two years. Tickets to the Happier Than Ever Tour start at $99 and are available as part of Telstra Plus and Vodafone pre-sales on Monday, October 11, plus Frontier and Live Nation pre-sales on Wednesday, October 13 before they go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 15. BILLIE EILISH — HAPPIER THAN EVER TOUR Thursday, September 8 – Spark Arena, Auckland Tuesday, September 13 – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, September 17 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Thursday, September 22 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Thursday, September 29 – RAC Arena, Perth You can find all the details on Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever Australia and New Zealand tour at the tour's website. Top Image: Crommelincklars
If savouring a cocktail from Cobbler's new autumn menu doesn't make you exclaim yippee ki-yay!, well, you're doing it wrong. Fans of '80s action movies — and lovers of possibly the best Christmas film ever made — will know exactly what we're talking about. West End might not boast its own Nakatomi Plaza, but all things Die Hard are taking over a certain boutique Browning Street bar for the next few months' worth of drinking fun. This isn't Cobbler's first stint of themed beverages, as anyone who knocked back a Top Gun-oriented tipple over summer will know, but it is their most explosive. Wearing a white singlet smeared with grime from crawling around in air ducts is optional. While you're pretending to be Bruce Willis circa 1988, you'll need a drink to match — and there's 25 gracing Cobbler's new lineup. Who can go past a John McClane (made with Talisker 10 smoky whisky, Delord Fine Armagnac, peppermint tea, rosemary syrup, lavender bitters and a lemon twist) or a Hans Gruber made with a mix of Monkey Shoulder whisky, crème de noyaux (an almond-flavoured cream liqueur), cinnamon and caraway, red gum honey and orange bitters? Plus, the latter doesn't just pay tribute to one of the greatest bad guys to grace the big screen, but to the late, great Alan Rickman, who actually made his film debut playing the German terrorist everyone loves to hate. Everything from the No Shit Lady! Does it Sound Like I'm Ordering a Pizza (of mandarin, Beefeater gin, quandong bitters, cinnamon and caraway, red gum honey and lemon juice) to the Ho Ho Ho, Now I Have a Machine Gun (Espolón tequila, yellow chartreuse, apple and tarragon syrup, pineapple juice, lime juice and fresh grapes) are also on the menu, meaning that you'd best turn your next Cobbler trip into a lengthy one because you're going to want to try them all. And yes, the Yippee Ki-yay Motherfucker (Appleton Estate VX rum, lemon juice, pineapple, rose and jasmine orgeat, and orange blossom water) features on the list too. Now that's going to be the most enjoyable drink you've ever ordered. Just don't destroy the building afterwards. Cobbler's Die Hard menu will run for the length of autumn. Find them at 7 Browning Street, West End, or check out their Facebook page for more information.
