Chocolates are often a last-minute gift option. You've forgotten a big occasion, your choices are limited and you know that the recipient of your present has a sweet tooth. Gelato Messina's Mother's Day chocolates don't fall into that category, however — and not just because you need to order them in advance. There's boxes of chocolates and then there's this annual box of chocolates, which puts the gelato chain's winning way with desserts into action without ice cream. In 2024, Mother's Day is happening on Sunday, May 12, in case it temporarily slipped your mind. And if you pick up this showstopper, you'll be vying for favourite-child status. An important note: back when Messina first started doing Mother's Day choccies, they came filled with gelato. That hasn't always been the case, though, and isn't this year. 2024's chance to win brownie points is a box of eight chocolate bars, each made in-house by the dessert brand's chocolatiers — and each sporting a brand-new flavour. Is your mum a salted caramel fan? Raspberry caramel? Passionfruit yuzu caramel? There's three bars covered. Other varieties include cannoli and hazelnut, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate brownie and cafe latte. And if your mother has always wondered what tea and biscuits would taste like in chocolate form, they can now found out. It's not just the filling that's different on each bar. So is the outer shell, ranging from 65-percent dark chocolate, light milk chocolate, raspberry chocolate and coffee white chocolate to passionfruit chocolate, strawberry chocolate, earl grey tea chocolate and milk chocolate with brownie crumbs. So, your mum will have quite the variety to feast on. And hey, if she doesn't like one of the flavours, maybe she'll share it with you. Each box costs $55 a pop, and will be available to order from 12pm AEST on Monday, April 29 for delivery, or for pick up at the brand's Marrickville store in Sydney. Gelato Messina's 2024 Mother's Day chocolate bars are available to order from 12pm AEST on Monday, April 29 for delivery, or for pick up at the brand's Marrickville store in Sydney.
Look, we could be mad. We could have been angry when LCD Soundsystem — the legendary band that called their final show at Madison Square Garden back in 2011 — turned up on the 2016 Coachella lineup. We could have been mildly annoyed when they announced they were reuniting last year. And we could have been pissed when they showed up on this year's Splendour in the Grass lineup and did shows in Sydney and Melbourne. But we're not. We can't be — we're just so goddamn happy the band's back together. And now, less than six months since LCD graced our shores, they've announced that they'll be back in 2018. The band will return to Australia in February for headline shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Call all your friends. Tickets will sell out so get your fingers ready for 3pm (2pm in Brissie) on November 27 if you're a Frontier member, or, for everyone else, 11am on November 30. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM 2018 TOUR DATES Monday, February 12 — HBF Stadium, Perth Thursday, February 15 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Friday, February 16 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Wednesday, February 21 — Riverstage, Brisbane. LCD Soundsystem will tour Australia in February 2018. You can buy tickets here. Image: Matt Biddulph via Wikimedia Commons.
When politicians start talking about public transport again, it's safe to say a state election is in the works. And, while the usual spiel is about the benefits of Myki (lol) and the inherent evilness of fare evaders, this morning's announcement is actually something to get excited about. Premier Denis Napthine today announced that if re-elected in November, his government will make trams in the CBD free of charge, and all zone 2 tickets will be capped at zone 1 prices. Better yet, Opposition leader Daniel Andrews backed the move, stating that if Labor takes office, the proposed changes will go ahead as planned. In conclusion, no matter who you vote for, this is actually happening. The changes are especially welcome news for commuters in the outer suburbs whose ticket prices will be dropping by $4.96 a day, equating to savings of around $1,200 per year. This will undoubtedly make a big difference to those struggling to keep up with Melbourne's rising cost of living — we are now ranked as the sixth most expensive city in the world. The news of free trams is even more explosive. No longer do you need to watch your back while hitching a ride from the State Library to Fed Square (seriously, I once got a $212 fine for this three-block trip); trams in both the CBD grid and Docklands will be unpoliced and free to ride from January 1. The free area will include everything between Flinders Street, La Trobe Street, and Spring Street with the added inclusion of Queen Victoria Markets. However, once you pass these zones you will have to touch on (and I'm sure the likeable folks of Public Transport Victoria will be waiting with open arms). Though the move will cost the state government upwards of $100 million, it's a win for a number of reasons. Firstly, it will ease congestion and speed up CBD travel with no one incessantly tapping their Mykis on and off, and the tourism industry will also flourish as visitors will no longer need to purchase non-refundable Myki tickets or forlornly wait for the slow and ineffective City Circle tram. However, concerns have been raised about the repercussions of such changes. Tony Morton, President of the Public Transport Users Association told The Age, ‘‘We absolutely believe that what this will do is increase fares overall." "When zone 3 tickets were abolished, any saving that there was from that was more than clawed back with increases to zone 1 and 2 fares,’’ he said. For the moment, we're remaining cautiously optimistic. Any changes that endorse and strengthen our public transport system are obviously a step in the right direction towards long-term sustainability. But at the same time, we've been burnt in the past. Via The Age. Image credit: Michael Aulia.
Forget the trashy mags conveniently placed just near supermarket checkouts, and forget whatever the real-life royals are up to, too. These days, if you're keen on regal intrigue, then you're hooked on Netflix drama The Crown. And, after two eventful seasons, you're definitely eagerly awaiting the show's third batch of episodes — following the same characters but with an all-new cast. Since 2016, The Crown has peered inside both Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street, unpacking the goings-on behind Britain's houses of power. Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the series has charted her wedding to Prince Philip, her coronation and the birth of her children (aka Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward). As well as delving into the monarch's marital ups and downs, The Crown has also explored the romantic life of her sister, Princess Margaret, plus the major political events throughout the late 40s, entire 50s and early 60s. During all this, viewers have become accustomed to seeing Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Margaret. In the third season, however, they've all been replaced to better reflect the passing of time. Fresh from winning an Oscar for The Favourite earlier this year, Olivia Colman steps into ol' Lizzie's shoes, while Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter do the same with Philip and Margaret. Also joining the show is Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother. Given the change of cast, and the fact that The Crown's last episodes hit Netflix at the end of 2017, the show's third season has been eagerly anticipated. While neither last month's first teaser nor the just-dropped new sneak peek provide much at all in the way of detail, they both offer a glimpse at Colman as the Queen — with the latest teaser making fun of Her Majesty's transition from young woman to "old bat", in the words of the royal herself. Eventually, a full trailer is bound to drop, giving fans a broader look at the show's new stars. And, hopefully, touching upon the third season's storyline, which'll chart the years between 1964–1977, including Harold Wilson's (played by The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and The Children Act's Jason Watkins) two stints as prime minister. If you're waiting for the Margaret Thatcher era, and the arrival of Princess Diana, they're expected to be covered in The Crown's fourth season. For now, check out the third season's latest teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_TE8yi58S8 The Crown's third season will hit Netflix on November 17. Image: Des Willie / Netflix.
In 2022, Melbourne's Axil Coffee became the envy of caffeine-slinging joints around the country, officially being recognised as the home of Australia's National Barista Champion. That's no minor feat, and the Victorian-based chain has now backed it up, earning the same gong in 2023. Fresh from receiving this year's accolade, with Jack Simpson joining 2022 winner Anthony Douglas, this coffee brand is now heading north. What does a Brisbanite do when the home of Australia's best barista for two years in a row steams into the River City for a five-day trip from Wednesday, May 24–Sunday, May 28? Prepare to get caffeinated, obviously. [caption id="attachment_869967" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anthony Douglas[/caption] Douglas was also named the 2022 World Barista Champion, and he'll be coming to Brisbane to make coffee and for a meet-and-greet session from 4–7pm on Thursday, May 25. Yes, there'll be coffee samples at that event, focusing on Axil's signature series. The place to head: InterSection Project, also known as Coffee Anthology, in the Brisbane CBD. Axil will take over the guest coffee bar from 7.30am–3.30pm on weekdays and 7.30am–2pm on weekends. Make a date from 4–7pm on Friday, May 26 and there'll also be a latte art smackdown to give all that coffee-sipping an extra buzz. [caption id="attachment_888452" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Butler[/caption] Top image: James Butler.
Do you guys ever think about all the new movies that didn't get as much love while everyone was seeing Barbie and the rest of 2023's huge box-office hits? If you haven't so far, the time to do so is now. This year's's slate of cinema releases is like the year's biggest blockbuster, serving up multiple variations for everyone. So, while The Super Mario Bros Movie, Oppenheimer, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, The Little Mermaid, Elemental and Fast X were among the typical successes (and 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish as well), the massive money earners are just a fraction the flicks that've graced the silver screen over the last 12 months. All of the aforementioned pictures made piles of cash from Australia audiences, and earned attention and chatter along the way. Elsewhere, stunning thrillers, warped mindbenders, thoughtful dramas, queer romances, propulsive action efforts, twisty delights and gorgeous animation also awaited — and they're worth catching up with ASAP. As we have since 2014 (see also: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022), we've picked a heap of must-see movies that you likely didn't see in 2023, because that's what the cinema takings tell us, but you should definitely add to your list. Thanks to our 15 selections, don't say that you don't have anything new to watch. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE Every story is built upon cause and effect. One thing happens, then another as a result, and so a narrative springs. Inspired by Andreas Malm's non-fiction book of the same name, How to Blow Up a Pipeline isn't just strung together by causality — it's firmly, actively and overtly about starting points, consequences and the connections between. Here's one source for this impassioned tale about determined and drastic environmental activism: the warming world. Here's an originator for that, too: fossil fuels, humanity's reliance upon them and the profits reaped from that status quo. Now, a few outcomes: pollution, catastrophic weather changes, terminal illnesses, stolen and seized land, corporate interests prioritised over ecological necessities, and a growing group that's driven to act because existence is at stake. Turning a text subtitled Learning to Fight in a World on Fire into a fictional feature, How to Blow Up a Pipeline joins all of the above, stressing links like it is looping string from pin to pin, and clue to clue, on a detective's corkboard. In his second feature after 2018's smart and effective camgirl horror Cam, writer/director Daniel Goldhaber isn't trying to be subtle about what dovetails in where. With co-screenwriters Jordan Sjol (a story editor on Cam) and Ariela Barer (also one of How to Blow Up a Pipeline's stars), he isn't attempting to rein in the film's agenda or complexity. This movie tells the tale that's right there in its name, as eight people from across America congregate in Texas' west with a plan — an octet of folks who mostly would've remained loosely connected, some strangers and others lovers and friends, if they weren't desperate to send a message that genuinely garners attention. Goldhaber's latest is explosive in its potency and thrills, and startling in its urgency, as it focuses on a decision of last resort, the preparation and the individual rationales before that. How to blow up hedging bets on-screen? That's also this tightly wound, instantly gripping, always rage-dripping picture. Read our full review. INFINITY POOL Making his latest body-horror spectacle an eat-the-rich sci-fi satire as well, Brandon Cronenberg couldn't have given Infinity Pool a better title. Teardowns of the wealthy and entitled now seem to flow on forever, glistening endlessly against the film and television horizon; however, the characters in this particularly savage addition to the genre might wish they were in The White Lotus or Succession instead. In those two hits, having more money than sense doesn't mean witnessing your own bloody execution but still living to tell the tale. It doesn't see anyone caught up in cloning at its most vicious and macabre, either. And, it doesn't involve dipping into a purgatory that sports the Antiviral and Possessor filmmaker's penchant for futuristic corporeal terrors, as clearly influenced by his father David Cronenberg (see: Crimes of the Future, Videodrome and The Fly), while also creating a surreal hellscape that'd do Twin Peaks great David Lynch, Climax's Gaspar Noe and The Neon Demon's Nicolas Winding Refn proud. Succession veteran Alexander Skarsgård plunges into Infinity Pool's torments playing another member of the one percent, this time solely by marriage. "Where are we?", author James Foster asks his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman, Dopesick) while surveying the gleaming surfaces, palatial villas and scenic beaches on the fictional island nation of Li Tolqa — a question that keeps silently pulsating throughout the movie, and also comes tinged with the reality that James once knew a life far more routine than this cashed-up extravagance. Cronenberg lets his query linger from the get-go, with help from returning Possessor cinematographer Karim Hussain. Within minutes, the feature visually inverts its stroll through its lavish setting, the camera circling and lurching. As rafters spin into view, then tumble into the pristine sky, no one in this film's frames is in Kansas anymore. Then, when fellow guest Gabi (Mia Goth, Pearl) gets James and Em into a tragic accident, which is followed by arrests, death sentences and a wild get-out-of-jail-free situation, no one is anywhere they want to be, either. Read our full review. BROKER No matter how Hirokazu Kore-eda's on-screen families come to be, if there's any actual blood between them, whether they're grifting in some way or where in the world they're located, the Japanese writer/director and Shoplifters Palme d'Or winner's work has become so beloved — so magnificent, too — due to his care and sincerity. A Kore-eda film is a film of immense empathy and, like Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, After the Storm and The Third Murder also in the prolific talent's past decade, Broker is no different. The setup here is one of the filmmaker's murkiest, with the feature's name referring to the baby trade. But showing compassion and humanity isn't up for debate in Kore-eda's approach. He judges the reality of modern-day life that leads his characters to their actions, but doesn't judge his central figures. In the process, he makes poignant melodramas that are also deep and thoughtful character studies, and that get to the heart of the globe's ills like the most cutting slices of social realism. It isn't just to make a buck that debt-ridden laundromat owner Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho, Parasite) and orphanage-raised Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won, Peninsula) take infants abandoned to the Busan Family Church's 'baby box' — a chute that's exactly what it sounds like, available to mothers who know they can't embrace that part for whatever reason — then find good families to sell them to. There's a cash component, of course, but they're convinced that their gambit is better than letting children languish in the state system. In Kore-eda's usual kindhearted manner, Broker sees them with sensitivity. Even if blue hues didn't wash through the film's frames, nothing is ever black and white in the director's movies. The same understanding and tenderness flows towards mothers like So-young (Lee Ji-eun, Hotel Del Luna, aka K-Pop star IU), whose decision to leave Woo-sung (debutant Park Ji-yong) isn't easily made but puts Broker on its course. Read our full review. REALITY Sydney Sweeney is ready for her closeup. Playwright-turned-filmmaker Tina Satter obliges. A household name of late due to her exceptional work in both Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sweeney has earned the camera's attention for over a decade; however, she's never been peered at with the unflinching intensity of Satter's debut feature Reality. For much of this short, sharp and stunning docudrama, the film's star lingers within the frame. Plenty of the movie's 83-minute running time devotes its focus to her face, staring intimately and scrutinising what it sees. Within Reality's stranger-than-fiction narrative, that imagery spies a US Air Force veteran and National Security Agency translator in her mid-twenties, on what she thought was an ordinary Saturday. It's June 3, 2017, with the picture's protagonist returning from buying groceries to find FBI agents awaiting at her rented Augusta, Georgia home, then accusing her of "the possible mishandling of classified information". Reality spots a woman facing grave charges, a suspect under interrogation and a whistleblower whose fate is already known to the world. It provides a thriller of a procedural with agents, questions, allegations and arrests; an informer saga that cuts to the heart of 21st-century American politics, and its specific chaos since 2016; and an impossible-to-shake tragedy about how authority savagely responds to being held to account. Bringing her stage production Is This a Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription to the screen after it wowed off-Broadway and then Broadway, Satter dedicates Reality's bulk to that one day and those anxious minutes, unfurling in close to real time — but, pivotally, it kicks off three weeks earlier with its namesake at work while Fox News plays around her office. Why would someone leak to the media a restricted NSA report about Russian interference in getting Donald Trump elected? Before it recreates the words genuinely spoken between its eponymous figure and law enforcement, Reality sees the answer as well. Read our full review. CORSAGE Britain's two Queen Elizabeths have enjoyed their fair share of film and TV depictions, aided by Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Margot Robbie, Helen Mirren, Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton and more — to name just a few — but they're not the only royals of that first name to grace the screen. While the spelling differs slightly and she's played as more of a Diana-style people's princess in her latest stint in cinemas, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (also Queen of Hungary) has received several celluloid and pixel resurrections of her own. Corsage ranks among the best of them, as famed as Austria's Sissi films from the 50s are and as recently as Netflix's The Empress hit streaming, in no small part due to two other outstanding women. One is Luxembourgish actor Vicky Krieps (Bergman Island), who is shrewd, wry and wily as the Bavarian-born wife to Emperor Franz Joseph I. The other is Austrian writer/director Marie Kreutzer (The Ground Beneath My Feet), whose handsomely staged and smartly anachronistic feature is no mere dutiful biopic. Corsage's lead casting is the dream it instantly seems on paper; if you're wondering why, see: Krieps' scene-stealing work opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 2017's Phantom Thread. Here, she's been earning deserved awards — the Best Performance prize in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard section among them — for a portrayal that never feels like she's stepping into someone else's shoes or jumping back to the past for a part. Krieps is, naturally. Also, given that Sissi lived between 1837–1898, viewers have no way of knowing how close this characterisation is. But Krieps' fierce, dynamic and layered performance goes far further than easy impersonation, or providing a period-appropriate rendering of the Empress based on how history dictates that women of the era behaved (or what flicks set then or focusing on regal women back then have served up before). Corsage is a portrait of a lady, after all, and not of a time. Read our full review. SCRAPPER Trust a movie that's all about connection and pluck to boast plenty itself. The second of cinema's 2023 father-daughter pictures out of Britain that's directed by a first-time feature filmmaker called Charlotte — the first: Charlotte Wells' Aftersun — Charlotte Regan's Scrapper couldn't be better cast or any more fearless about telling its tale. Starring as 12-year-old Georgie, a pre-teen striving to survive on her own with any help from adults or the authorities after her mum Vicky's (Olivia Brady, The Phantom of the Open) death from cancer, debutant Lola Campbell is an electrifying find. Fresh from playing a model in Triangle of Sadness, Harris Dickinson is now an absent rather than ideal dad, a part that he infuses with equal doses of soul, sorrow, charisma and cheek. And, recognising that she's hardly skipping through new narrative territory, writer/director Regan heaps on character and personality. This is a perky, bright and bubbly take on a kitchen-sink story. There's sadness in 2023's Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner, too, with Scrapper scoring its award in the fest's World Cinema Dramatic Competition. There's anger as well, especially about a society that has Georgie convinced that staying solo in the council flat she lived in with her mother — a space that she's now fastidious about keeping exactly as it was before heartbreak struck — is her top choice. But Regan sees colour amid the grey, plus possibilities alongside struggles. Her view is clear-eyed but never steely. Regan unblinkingly witnesses the realities of working-class existence, yet also spies joy and whimsy, and similarly isn't afraid of getting surreal. This is a flick with talking spiders — cue literal bubbles, of the speech variety — alongside scrapping to get by. Read our full review. SHAYDA Whether or not Noora Niasari was ever explicitly told to write what she knew, the Iranian Australian filmmaker has taken that advice to heart. Her mother listened to the same guidance first, even if it was never spoken to her, either. The latter penned a memoir that has gone unpublished, but helped form the basis of the powerful and affecting Shayda. This account of a mum and her daughter attempting to start anew in a women's shelter doesn't entirely stick to the facts that writer/director Niasari and her mother lived through. The Sundance-premiering, Melbourne International Film Festival-opening, Oscar-contending feature — it's Australia's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards — isn't afraid to fictionalise details in search of the best screen story. Still, the tale that's told of courage, resilience, rebuilding lives and finding a new community is deeply and patently personal. Perhaps even better, it's inescapably authentic. Niasari peers back at being barely of primary-school age and making a new home. Fleeing to a women's shelter is the only option that the film's eponymous figure (Zar Amir Ebrahimi, 2022's Cannes Best Actress-winner for Holy Spider) has to get away from the abusive Hossein (Osamah Sami, Savage River), whose controlling nature is matched by that of their patriarchal culture. So, Shayda leaves with six-year-old Mona (debutant Selina Zahednia). As she waits for her divorce proceedings to go through — a complicated task under Iranian law and customs — she seeks refuge at a secret site overseen by the caring Joyce (Leah Purcell, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). Even surrounded by kindness and filled with desperation for a better future, every iota of Shayda's decision is fraught and tense; Niasari starts the film with Mona at an airport being told what to do if she's ever there with her father, should he try to take her not only away from her mum but also back to Iran. Read our full review, and our interview with Noora Niasari. OF AN AGE You Won't Be Alone isn't just the name of Macedonian Australian writer/director Goran Stolevski's debut feature, which hit cinemas in 2022. It's also a phrase that applies now that his second film is here. Of an Age initially premiered in the same year as well, bowing in Melbourne International Film Festival's opening-night slot — and, while it tells of growing up queer in 90s Melbourne, falling in love for the first time, then sifting through the aftermath a decade later, it's a glorious companion piece to its predecessor. No one is chosen by a sorceress here. The place isn't Macedonia, the period isn't the 19th century and supernatural shapeshifting isn't part of the narrative. But even just a mere duo of movies into his helming career, Stolevski makes pictures that profoundly ruminate upon two of life's purest truths: that absolutely everything changes and, consequently, nothing completely lasts forever. 1999 is inching towards becoming Y2K when Of an Age begins, and 17-year-old Nikola aka Kol (Elias Anton, Australia Day) is only hours from taking to the floor at a Melbourne dance championship. That's how his day is meant to pan out, at least, and what he's preparing for when the film meets him practising his smooth ballroom moves in his suburban garage — conjuring up visions of John Travolta in a flick made famous two decades prior, in fact. Kol's ordinary morning fever breaks, however, thanks to friend and dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook, Savage River) and her bender of an evening. She's awoken on the beach in Altona with no idea where she is, scrounging up change for the payphone call to say she thinks she'll miss the recital unless Kol can pick her up. To attempt to make his big performance, he has to convince Ebony's older brother Adam (Thom Green, Eden) to play taxi — and he's still all aflutter with anxiety, and just the inertia of being so keyed up from endeavouring to sort things out, when he slides into the twentysomething's brown car and feels sparks fly instantly. Read our full review. THE ORIGIN OF EVIL Laure Calamy doesn't star in everything that's hitting screens big and small from France right now, but from Call My Agent! and Only the Animals to Full Time and The Origin of Evil, audiences can be forgiven for feeling otherwise. Calamy isn't new to acting, either, with a resume dating back to 2001; however, her in-demand status at present keeps showering viewers with stellar performances. Indeed, The Origin of Evil is a magnificent Calamy masterclass. She's playing a part while playing a part, and she makes both look effortless. The Antoinette in the Cévennes César Best Actress-winner is also a picture of unnerving determination and yearning, and resourcefulness and anxiety, too, as a seafood-factory worker usually tinning anchovies, then packing herself into a mix of Knives Out, Succession, The Talented Mr Ripley and Triangle of Sadness. Unleashing in-fighting upon a wealthy family residing on Côte d'Azur island Porquerolles, this instantly twisty and gripping thriller from Faultless and School's Out writer/director Sébastien Marnier (who collaborates on the screenplay with Amore mio scribe Fanny Burdino) takes a setting that'd do The White Lotus proud as well, then wreaks havoc. On the agenda in such lavish and scenic surroundings, which come filled with an unsettling menagerie of taxidermied animals: witnessing savage squabbling over who'll inherit a business empire, bathing in the kind of bitterness that only the bonds of blood among the affluent and entitled can bring, more than one person wishing that patriarch Serge Dumontet (Jacques Weber, The World of Yesterday) would shuffle off this mortal coil and, just as crucially, not everything being what it seems. Read our full review. FINGERNAILS In the world of Fingernails, 'Only You' isn't just a 1982 pop song that was made famous by Yazoo, is easy to get stuck in your head, and is now heard in this film in both French and English. It's also the philosophy that the first English-language feature by Apples filmmaker Christos Nikou has subscribed its characters to as it cooks up a fascinating sci-fi take on romance. In a setup somewhat reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes' claims to have revolutionised blood testing (see: The Dropout), Fingernails proposes an alternative present where love can be scientifically diagnosed. All that's needed: an extracted plate of keratin, aka the titular digit-protecting covering. At organisations such as The Love Institute, couples willingly have their nails pulled out — one apiece — then popped into what resembles a toaster oven to receive their all-important score. Only three results are possible, with 100 percent the ultimate in swooning, 50 percent meaning that only one of the pair is head over heels and the unwanted zero a harbinger of heartbreak. When Fingernails begins, it's been three years since teacher Anna (Jessie Buckley, Women Talking) and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear) underwent the exam, with the long-term duo earning the best possible outcome — a score that's coveted but rare. Around them, negative results have led to breakups and divorces as society's faith is placed not in hearts and souls, but in a number, a gimmick and some tech gadgetry (one of the sales pitches, though, is that finding out before getting hitched will stop failed marriages). As their friends go the retesting route — satirising the need for certainty in affairs of the heart pumps firmly through this movie's veins — Anna hasn't been able to convince Ryan to attend The Love Institute as a client. She's soon spending her days there, however, feeding her intrigue with the whole scenario as an employee. When she takes a job counselling other pairs towards hopeful ever-after happiness, she keeps the career shift from her own significant other. Quickly, she has something else she can't tell Ryan: a blossoming bond with her colleague Amir (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal). Read our full review. THE INSPECTION If war is hell, then military boot camp is purgatory. So told Full Metal Jacket, with Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece making that observation echo and pierce with the relentlessness of machine-gun fire. Now, The Inspection stresses the same point nearing four decades later, plunging into the story of a gay Black man enlisting, then navigating the nightmare that is basic training. This too is a clear-eyed step inside the United States Marine Corps, but drawn from first-time fictional feature filmmaker Elegance Bratton's own experiences. New Yorker Ellis French (Jeremy Pope, One Night in Miami) is the Pier Kids documentarian's on-screen alter ego — an out queer man who has spent a decade from his teens to his mid-20s homeless after being kicked out by his ashamed mother Inez (Gabrielle Union, Strange World), and pledges his post 9/11 freedom away for a place to fit in, even if that means descending into a world of institutional homophobia and racism. It would've been easy for Bratton to just sear and scorch in The Inspection; his film is set in 2005, "don't ask, don't tell" was still the US military forces' policy and discrimination against anyone who isn't a straight white man is horrendously brutal. Life being moulded into naval-infantry soldiers is savage anyway; "our job is not to make Marines, it's to make monsters," says Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ellis' commanding officer and chief state-sanctioned tormentor. And yet, crafting a film that's as haunting as it is because it's supremely personal, Bratton never shies away from Ellis' embrace of the Marines in his quest to work out how he can be himself. There's nothing simple about someone signing up for such heartbreaking anguish because that's the only option that they can imagine, but this stunning movie is anything but simple. Read our full review. SISU Lean, mean and a Nazi-killing machine: that's Sisu and its handy-with-a-hunting-knife (and pickaxe) protagonist alike. This stunningly choreographed Finnish action film's title doesn't have a literal equivalent in English, but writer/director Jalmari Helander's (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) latest effort means stoic, tenacious, resolute, brave and gritty all in that four-letter term; again, both the movie and the man at its centre fit the description. Former soldier Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila, also Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) has one aim. After he strikes gold and plenty of it in Lapland's far reaches, he's keen to cash in. For someone who has already lost everyone and everything to World War II, that requires transporting his haul; however, the year is 1944 and German troops still lurk even as the combat winds down. Accordingly, getting those gleaming nuggets from the wilderness to a bank means facing a greedy and unrelenting platoon led by Helldorf (Aksel Hennie, The Cloverfield Paradox), who can spy a payday and an exit strategy for himself. Before anything yellow shimmers, Nazi-filled tanks are sighted, a single shot is fired or a blow swung, Sisu explains its moniker as "a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination". Text on-screen also advises that "sisu manifests itself when all hope is lost." As a film, Sisu may as well be shorthand for John Wick meets Inglourious Basterds meets Django, the iconic 1966 spaghetti western that Quentin Tarantino riffed on with Django Unchained, too — plus all of that meets the work of legendary spaghetti western director Sergio Leone as well. The carnage is that balletic. The Nazi offings are that brutal, roguish and inventive. And valuing deeds over dialogue as a lone figure dispatches with nefarious forces against an unforgiving landscape, and no matter what they throw at him, is firmly the setup. Read our full review. COBWEB When Song Kang-ho hasn't been starring in Bong Joon-ho's films, he's been featuring Park Chan-wook's and Kim Jee-woon's, plus Lee Chang-dong's and Hong Sang-soo's as well. One of Korea's acting greats boasts a resume filled with the country's directing greats — so getting the Memories of Murder, The Host, Thirst, Snowpiercer and Parasite star, plus Joint Security Area, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Lady Vengeance and Secret Sunshine talent, to play a filmmaker for his The Good the Bad the Weird and The Age of Shadows filmmaker feels like perfect casting even before Cobweb starts spinning its reels. Song's career highlights are already many, complete with a Cannes Best Actor Award for working with Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda in Broker. Here, he's reliably and rakishly charming in a movie-making ode and on-set farce. For his own director Kim, Song plays a director Kim — but on-screen version Kim Ki-yeol is living in the 70s, and also in a rut. Once an assistant to a famed and acclaimed helmer who has passed away, now he's openly mocked by critics for his trashy fare in one of Cobweb's first scenes. He's made most of a masterpiece, however, or so he believes. The only thing that's required to ensure it's a complete classic is two more days to undertake re-shoots. His film is meant to be finished, but he's adamant that the cast and crew reteam (and his producer foot the bill) to ensure that the creative visions that keep haunting his dreams can become a feted triumph. Convincing everyone that he needs to isn't the only tricky feat, with challenges upon challenges unspooling the longer that the fictional Kim and his colleagues spend bustling. Read our full review. THE BLUE CAFTAN In The Blue Caftan, a tailor's hands say everything that needs conveying about how he holds himself in the world. That garment-maker is Halim (Saleh Bakri, My Zoe), and he plies he trade in the Moroccan city of Salé, in a humble store overseen by his no-nonsense wife Mina (Lubna Azabal, Rebel). Refusing to use machines, Halim is meticulous in his work. He's patient, careful and thorough, as one needs to be in the painstakingly detailed job of hand-embroidering women's traditional tunics. As a result of his precision and artistry, he isn't short on customers — and that rigour and commitment seeps from him like breath whether he's letting Mina run the show; training Youssef (first-timer Ayoub Missioui), the apprentice brought on to help meet the demand for his exquisite wares; or finding ways to deal with his feelings, including the pull he feels towards his new protege. For her sophomore feature after the also-tender and moving Adam, writer/director Maryam Touzani again makes a delicately layered and intricately woven film — a movie that digs deep into a subject considered taboo in Morocco, too, via an exceptionally well-observed triple character study. If her pictures say everything they need to about the filmmaker herself, then Touzani clearly values intimate and weighty connections, examining the needless pressures enforced by antiquated attitudes, the bonds that spring in such complex circumstances, and heartbreakingly poignant pictures about that list. She both appreciates and elicits sensitive performances, too, with Adam alum Azabal again superb under the helmer's gaze, and Bakri just as wonderful. It's no wonder that The Blue Caftan, with its resonant tale, rich cinematography and willingness to surprise while remaining emotionally raw as well, was chosen as Morocco's 2023 Best International Feature Oscar contender. MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON Every couple has in-jokes, a valuable currency in all relationships, but only Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp have turned a cute private gag into Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. The Parks and Recreation actor and the Fraud director are no longer together romantically, marrying and divorcing in the 13 years since they first gave the world the cutest talking shell anyone could've imagined; however, they've now reteamed professionally for an adorable film based on their 2010, 2011 and 2014 shorts. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On also gave rise to two best-selling children's picture books, unsurprisingly, following a familiar internet-stardom path from online sensation to print and now the big screen. Neither Slate and Fleischer-Camp's faded love nor their joint project's history are ignored by their footwear-sporting seashell's cinematic debut, either; in fact, acknowledging both, whether subtly or overtly, is one of the things that makes this sweet, endearing, happily silly, often hilarious and deeply insightful movie such an all-round gem. That inside jest? A voice put on by Slate, which became the one-inch-high anthropomorphic Marcel's charming vocals. In Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's three initial mockumentary clips, the tiny critter chats to an unseen filmmaker chronicling his life, with earnestness dripping from every word. ("My name is Marcel and I'm partially a shell, as you can see on my body, but I also have shoes and a face. So I like that about myself, and I like myself and I have a lot of other great qualities as well," he advises in his self-introduction.) The same approach, tone and voice sits at the heart of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's feature-length leap, of course, but so does a touching meditation upon loss, change and valuing what's truly important. Fleischer-Camp plays the movie's documentarian, mostly off-camera, who meets Marcel and his grandmother Connie (voiced by Isabella Rossellini, Cat Person) after moving into an Airbnb following a relationship breakup — and, yes, their work together becomes a viral phenomenon. Read our full review.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. LIGHTYEAR In the realm of franchise filmmaking, "to infinity and beyond" isn't just a catchphrase exclaimed by an animated plaything — it's how far and long Hollywood hopes every hit big-screen saga will extend. With that in mind, has a Pixar movie ever felt as inevitable as Lightyear? Given the main Toy Story plot wrapped up in 2019's Toy Story 4, and did so charmingly, keeping this series going by jumping backwards was always bound to happen. So it is that space ranger figurine Buzz Lightyear gets an origin story. That said, the trinket's history is covered immediately and quickly in this film's opening splash of text on-screen. Back in the OG Toy Story, Andy was excited to receive a new Buzz Lightyear action figure because — as this feature tells us — he'd just seen and loved a sci-fi movie featuring fictional character Buzz Lightyear. In this franchise's world, Lightyear is that picture. It's hard not to see Lightyear as a new cash cow — the Toy Story series' cash calf, perhaps. It's also difficult not to notice that the Disney-owned Pixar has made a movie that renders a famed character a piece of film-promoting merchandise, all while also releasing a new range of Lightyear-promoting merch so that IRL kids can have their own Buzz Lightyear toy again, too. In 2049, will audiences be watching a flick about someone who saw this as a child, nagged their parents for a Buzz and developed their own love of animation, space, franchises or all of the above? It wouldn't be surprising. Of course, there's form for making Buzz a movie tie-in toy; the overarching series' other main figure, pull-string cowboy Woody, stemmed from a fictional western TV show called Woody's Roundup. Maybe that's what Pixar will now make next. Or, perhaps it'll release a film or show based on one of Lightyear's new characters, feline robot companion SOX. Yes, you can now buy toy versions of it in reality as well, because of course you can. Buzz Lightyear and a cute cat that talks? The head of Disney merchandising must've seen potential piles of cash stacked to infinity and beyond purely at the thought of it, and director Angus MacLane (Finding Dory) along with him. Thankfully, as calculated as Lightyear's existence clearly is — and it's as blatantly engineered by bean counters as any movie can be — it's still likeable enough. It only slightly feels like a flick that might've actually come out around 1995, though, even if Apollo 13 sat second at the global box office that year (behind Toy Story, fittingly). And, after sending the wonderful Soul and Turning Red straight to streaming during the pandemic, plus Luca, it's also a standard pick for Pixar's return to the big screen. Buzz the live-action film hero — flesh and blood to in-franchise viewers like Andy, that is, but animated to us — also goes on an all-too-familiar journey in Lightyear. Voiced by Chris Evans (Knives Out) to distinguish the movie Buzz from toy Buzz (where he's voiced by Last Man Standing's Tim Allen), the Star Command space ranger is so convinced that he's the biggest hero there is, and him alone, that teamwork isn't anywhere near his strength. Then, as happens to the figurine version in Toy Story, that illusion gets a reality check. To survive being marooned on T'Kani Prime, a planet 4.2 million light-years from earth filled with attacking vines and giant flying insects, the egotistical and stubborn Buzz needs to learn to play nice with others. For someone who hates rookies, as well as using autopilot, realising he can only succeed with help takes time. Read our full review. MEN Since popping up over the last decade, the term 'elevated horror' has always been unnecessary. Used to describe The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch, Get Out, Hereditary, Us, Midsommar and more, it pointlessly claims that such unsettling flicks have risen above their genre. Each of these movies is excellent. They all boast weight and depth, trade in metaphors with smarts and savvy, and have style to go with their creeps and thrills. But thinking that's new in horror — that pairing unease with topical woes or societal fears is as well — is as misguided as dubbing Michael Myers a hero. With a name that makes its #MeToo-era point plain, Men has been badged 'elevated', too, yet it also does what horror has at its best and worst cases for decades. That the world can be a nightmare for women at the hands of men isn't a fresh observation, and it's long been a scary movie go-to. Still, Men stresses that fact in an inescapably blunt but also unforgettable manner. The film's setting is an English manor, where Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter) hopes for a solo stint of rest, relaxation and recuperation. Processing a tragedy, shattering memories of which haunt the movie as much as its protagonist, she's seeking an escape and a way to start anew. The initial hint that she won't find bliss comes swiftly and obviously, and with a sledgehammer's subtlety. Arriving at an idyllic-looking British countryside estate, Harper is greeted by an apple tree. She plucks one from the abundant branches, then takes a bite. Soon, she's told by her host Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear, Our Flag Means Death) that it's forbidden fruit. He also says he's joking — but in this garden, a woman will again shoulder a society's blame and burdens. As overt and blatant as this early exchange is, there's an intensely unnerving look and feel to Men from the outset. Returning to the big screen after excellent sci-fi TV series Devs, writer/director Alex Garland isn't a stranger to visually stunning, deeply disquieting films that ponder big ideas; see: the complex, eerie and sublime Ex Machina, plus the similarly intricate and intriguing Annihilation. Oscar Isaac doesn't turn up this time, let alone dance. Buckley and Kinnear do turn in mesmerising and magnificent powerhouse performances amid the perturbing mood and spectacular imagery. Gender expectations also get probed and challenged, as do genres. And, things get strange and insidious after Harper tries to lap up her bucolic surroundings. Those blood-red walls sported by Harper's atmospheric centuries-old home-away-from-home? That's another glaring warning. Also discomforting: the jump-scare glitch when she video chats with her best friend Riley (Gayle Rankin, GLOW), after being told by Geoffrey — who is polite but never direct, perfectly satirising both stiff-upper-lip Britishness and the fine line between being courteous and patronising — that reception isn't the best. And, when Harper ventures out of the house, she discovers scenic treasures alongside hardly hospitable locals. She's a woman plagued by troubles that don't begin as her own, and she's forced to devote everything she has to moving past them and surviving. That Harper is played with such instinctive and physical feeling with Buckley, who just keeps going from strength to strength thanks to Beast, Wild Rose, Chernobyl, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Fargo and her Oscar-nominated efforts in The Lost Daughter, is one of Men's biggest assets. Read our full review. THE KITCHEN BRIGADE When a chef sticks to a tried-and-tested recipe, it can be for two reasons: ease and excellence. Whipping up an already-proven dish means cooking up something that you already know works — something sublime, perhaps — and giving yourself the opportunity to better it. That process isn't solely the domain of culinary maestros, though, as French filmmaker Louis-Julien Petit makes plain in his latest feature The Kitchen Brigade. The writer/director behind 2018's Invisibles returns to what he knows and does well, and to a formula that keeps enticing audiences on the big screen, too. With the former, he whisks together another socially conscious mix of drama and comedy centring on faces and folks that are often overlooked. With the latter, he bakes a feel-good affair about finding yourself, seizing opportunities and making a difference through food. Returning from Invisibles as well, Audrey Lamy (Little Nicholas' Treasure) plays Cathy, a 40-year-old sous chef with big dreams and just as sizeable struggles. Instead of running her own restaurant, she's stuck in the shadow of TV-famous culinary celebrity Lyna Deletto (Chloé Astor, Delicious) — a boss hungry for not just fame but glory, including by dismissing Cathy's kitchen instincts or claiming her dishes as her own. Reaching boiling point early in the film, Cathy decides to finally go it alone, but cash makes that a problem. So, to make ends meet, she takes the only job she can find: overseeing the food in a shelter for migrants, where manager Lorenzo (François Cluzet, We'll End Up Together) and his assistant Sabine (Chantal Neuwirth, Patrick Melrose) have been understandably too busy with the day-to-day business of helping their residents to worry about putting on a fancy spread. From the moment that Cathy arrives at the hostel, thinking she's interviewing for a restaurant gig rather than auditioning to cook for young men happy with ravioli, The Kitchen Brigade sets up a simple culture-clash scenario — in the realm of cuisine, contrasting its protagonist's gourmet expectations with the shelter's reality. When she cottons on to what's in store, she's gruff, wary and unimpressed, and learning to open up while making bonds with the hostel's inhabitants, all of whom yearn for new lives as well, comes as expectedly as pairing a baguette with cheese. Following familiar steps and still hitting the spot is a cooking staple, however, and it works with Petit's feature. He doesn't reach the pinnacle of charming culinary movies, or of underdog stories, but the end result goes down smoothly and is never less than palatable. Unsurprisingly, The Kitchen Brigade is at its best when it's fleshing out its characters amid the recognisable narrative beats, with Petit scripting with producer Liza Benguigui-Duquesne and screenwriter Sophie Bensadoun based on Bensadoun's idea — and, when it's doing what the floral industry-set The Rose Maker did, which used a comparable setup to dive into the layers and prejudices engrained in French society. Like that thematically similar, also-sincere and perceptive movie, The Kitchen Brigade benefits from fine central performances, adding depth and texture that mightn't have bubbled to the fore otherwise. Lamy, the ever-reliable Cluzet, Fatoumata Kaba (Validé) as Cathy's self-starter best friend, first-timer Yannick Kalombo as aspiring chef GusGus and Mamadou Koita (Dernier maquis) as soccer hopeful Djibril: they all leave an imprint, seasoning the cinematic meal. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2 and June 9. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero and Benediction.
Some days you feel like putting together a vaguely cohesive outfit and getting dressed to leave the house; others, not so much. If you're more familiar with the latter, let us introduce you to Willa & Mae, the New Zealand label that's attempting to make it acceptable to wear your pyjamas in public. Well, your designer pyjamas, anyway. This winter, the sleepwear-turned-lifestyle label makes its foray into Australia with ultra comfortable, effortlessly elegant pieces that are designed to be worn out of the house. Having landed in Australia in February, Willa & Mae's winter 2017 collection is available to purchase from March 31, and fundamentally functions as your new excuse to wear PJs in public and not look like a grub. Creative director Jane Mow brings her background in menswear tailoring and styling to the brand, creating an androgynous line of highly elegant jammies. Navy, cherry and suiting stripes take shape in the old-world style of men's silk pyjamas, while long slip dresses, buttery camisoles and billowing robes recall the halcyon days of elegant women's loungewear. As piping, notched collars and cuffs evoke a certain masculinity, the luxurious silk satins maintain sensual femininity. The foundation of Willa & Mae lies within "taking opposing ideas and asking them to play together" – like wearing your sleepwear out of the house, and still looking great. The label is guided by the unexpected through materials and patterns used, and the way its styles not only suit the bedroom, but also a night out. There's a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde relationship happening; on the one hand you have the sharp, feisty trendsetter Willa, and, on the other, there's Mae, keeping things grounded as the elegant, subdued yin to Willa's yang. Willa & Mae's price point may sit a bit high for your pyjama budget — between $300 and $700 — but the dawn-to-dusk-to-dawn versatility, quality silks and promised longevity means that, arguably, you don't ever need to wear anything else. And if you need one last nudge to jump on this pyjamas-in-public bandwagon, everything is made locally and ethically. Tick, tick and tick. Willa & Mae's winter 2017 collection is available online from March 31. Shop the collection here.
Igloo season has hit southeast Queensland, with winter's arrival seeing plastic domes popping up at bars around the region. Some pitch their see-through spaces on a rooftop. Others welcome folks in by the river. On the Gold Coast, you can hang out in a beach-themed bar that's given itself a winter lodge makeover. Or, there's Bribie Island Hotel's version: garden pods. No one is pretending to be in icy climes at this northside pub, but it is only unleashing its newest addition for the frosty season. The garden pods are residing in the venue's fairy light-lit beer garden from June till the end of August, and they're exactly what they sound like. These domes come decked out in greenery and florals, furniture and cushions to look the part, and even feature a few plastic flamingos. There's six pods in total, each catering for up to eight guests for two-hour sessions. If you're keen, you'll need to book in a package, which starts at $60 per person and covers a share-style menu, plus a drink on arrival. You'll tuck into an antipasto platter filled with meats, cheeses, olives, arancini, chargrilled vegetables, dips and toasted sourdough — as well as grilled teriyaki beef skewers, buffalo chicken wings and barbecue pork ribs with roasted potatoes, parsnip, and salads as sides — with seafood available for an extra $35, and chocolate lava cake for $10. The pods give Brisbanites their latest excuse to hit up the waterside pub, which scored a makeover at the end of 2021. As part Australian Venue Co's current renovation spree across Queensland — see also: Riverland, The Wickham, Cleveland Sands Hotel, Salisbury Hotel, Koala Hotel and the Crown Hotel in Lutwyche, with Nundah's The Royal also getting the same treatment — it spent $2.2 million to give the venue a facelift. Courtesy of the revamp, Bribie Island Hotel is now home to a hefty outdoor space decked out with grass, white picnic tables and shady umbrellas, as well as a a new-look bistro that serves up pub classics. So, you can grab a beer, tuck into a chicken schnitzel, play lawn games and sit under a brolly — and, for a few months, now hang out in a leafy garden dome. Find Bribie Island Hotel at 29 Sylvan Beach Esplanade, Bellara, open daily from 10am–3.30am — with the hotel's garden pods popping up until the end of August. For further information, head to the hotel's website.
Even if you're not the biggest fan of frights and scares, Halloween still caters for everyone. Perhaps you love eating nauseating amounts of lollies, flexing your arts and crafts skills to fashion yourself a costume, or pulling that five-piece (mask included) Batman get-up out of storage and donning it to feel like the superhero you really are? Or, you could just like themed cocktails and an excuse to party. Trick or treating isn't as big here as it is in the US, but we'll be damned if we won't use the occasion as an excuse for a spooky time. And, thankfully, there are plenty of eerie events and horror-themed nights happening around town for you to dive into. Here's a list of some of the best things going on in and around Brisbane for Halloween this year, ranging from the not-so scary (night markets and a spooky-themed game of mini golf) to the truly unsettling (an old favourite: eerie movies) — and including the wild (partying on a yacht in costume) and wonderful (Halloween music gigs), too.
Get the jab, get a free beer, flight, holiday or pair of jeans: thanks to plenty of companies around Australia, that's been a reality over the past few months. Breweries, airlines, hotel chains, denim brands and more have been offering Aussies a little something extra for rolling up their sleeves, all as part of an effort to encourage getting-19 vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, one group of philanthropists and corporations is handing out a cool $1 million for having the jabs. The newly launched Million Dollar Vax promotion knows what it's about: giving away a big stack of cash to someone who has been vaxxed. And, it's open to folks who've just had one jab, too, as long as you've had it when you enter — and as long as you'll be fully vaccinated by Monday, December 13. If that's you — and you're over the age of 18 — you can enter whenever you like in October, all by filling out the online form on the contest's website. It runs through basic information such as your name, email address, date of birth, mobile phone number, suburb, state and postcode, and does require you to tick boxes to confirm that you meet the jab requirements. (If you have a medical exemption, you're not eligible to enter.) After you've filled out the form, you'll go in the running to win that $1 million prize, which'll be drawn on Friday, November 5. And, the competition is also giving out daily prizes, too. Over the month, 100 $1000 gift cards will be given away each and every day, from a total prize pool — including that top $1 million prize — of $4.1 million. You can only enter the overall contest once, however, and you're only eligible for the daily prizes on the day you enter. If you do win one of the $1000 gift cards, you'll be contacted via email within five business days of entering. You'll then get your gift card emailed to you once you verify your ID and that you've been vaxxed. All prizes are being handed out randomly, so you don't need to come up with a reason to win, enter an answer in 25 words or less or anything else along those lines. And if you're wondering who is behind the promotion, it's being run by "a group of generous philanthropists and corporations" called the Million Dollar Vax Alliance, who are aiming "to accelerate Australia's COVID-19 vaccination program" according to the contest's FAQs. "The faster we reach vaccination rates nationally, the sooner we all can safely resume our full range of community and business activity," the FAQs continue. For more information about the Million Dollar Vax promotion, or to enter, head to the competition website.
When it comes to all things gaming, Brisbane has been levelling up over the past few months. First came Netherworld, the city's first arcade game bar. Then Super Combo arrived with its Street Fighter-themed burgers. Come April 22, add 1UP Arcade's retro-style freeplay gaming to the mix. Setting up shop in a yet-to-be-disclosed Lytton Road, Morningside location, 1UP has more than just pumping coins into machines in mind. In fact, the 80-machine joint wants you to mash buttons on usual suspects such as Street Fighter and NBA Jam and rarer finds like Garou: Mark of the Wolves without needing to reach for your wallet. Here, patrons will pay a flat entry fee or opt for a membership, and then play to their heart's content. If you've been having Timezone lock-in withdrawals, you'd best start stretching your fingers now because you'll be in your element. "We want to attract players of all ages and skill levels, and that means removing all roadblocks to enjoyment," says owner and founder Stephen Holmes. "Usually you have to feed a machine dollar after dollar to get enough playtime to improve — but not at 1UP." Yes, gaming is firmly in the spotlight — and, in a departure from the current trend, drinking and eating at the same venue isn't. 1UP proudly stands alone as dedicated arcade, rather than falling within a bar or cafe. Staying true not only to a retro vibe but also old-school parts is also on the agenda, with Holmes focusing on authenticity among the close to 60 machines he's already confirmed. Prepare to stare at arcade-standard CRT monitors in original cabinets for hours on end, with anything needing a bit of love being rebuilt from original bits and pieces. Game on. Find 1UP Arcade in a yet-to-be-disclosed location on Lytton Road, Morningside from April 22. For more information, keep an eye on their website.
Between them, Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, JRR Tolkien, Bram Stoker, the Brontë sisters, Virginia Woolf and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are responsible for a wealth of literary treasures. So are Oscar Wilde, Harold Pinter, William Blake, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Lord Byron, TS Eliot, Thomas Hardy, James Joyce, DH Lawrence, John Keats, William Wordsworth and Rudyard Kipling, plus AA Milne, Beatrix Potter, Dylan Thomas, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro and Zadie Smith. HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast mightn't seem like the usual place to celebrate them all, but it is until the start of August 2025, all thanks to Writers Revealed: Treasures From the British Library and National Portrait Gallery, London. Announced earlier in the year, open since mid-April and running till Sunday, August 3, this exhibition is all about paying tribute to great authors and writers — beyond libraries, bookstores, and your own bookshelf or Kindle. Indeed, getting the chance to revel in the talents behind some of the finest works of literature ever committed to paper in a stunning showcase across a gallery's walls is rare. Writers Revealed is a world-first. What features at an exhibition devoted to wordsmiths? Eager word nerds can see author portraits, plus rare handwritten manuscripts and first editions. More than 100 literary artefacts and portraits span the likenesses of the writers responsible for Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, The Lord of the Rings, Dracula, Wuthering Heights, Sherlock Holmes and other masterpieces, as well as texts themselves, with five centuries of literature covered. As the exhibition's full name states, this is a collaboration between the British Library and the National Portrait Gallery, London. If you're wondering why the two institutions are pairing portraits with books, one of the showcase's aims to explore how literature and visual expression are linked. Also in the spotlight: the legacy of influential writers, plus digging into their creative processes. A draft of Dracula, what's thought to be the only Shakespeare portrait to be painted while he was alive, a picture of Austen by her sister, John Milton's publishing contract for Paradise Lost, letters from both Smith and Ishiguro: they're among the highlights that can be found across 1000 square metres in HOTA's Gallery 1. "We are thrilled to collaborate with the National Portrait Gallery on Writers Revealed, a truly unique exhibition that brings together some of the most exceptional objects from our collections. Visitors will experience rare first editions and exquisite manuscripts alongside celebrated portraits of the writers who created them," said Alexandra Ault, Lead Curator of Modern Archives and Manuscripts at the British Library, announcing the exhibition. "Featuring treasures that rarely leave our gallery in London, this major new exhibition will bring HOTA's visitors closer to some of the most-important figures in English literary history," added Catharine MacLeod, Senior Curator of 17th Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery. "Encountering these displays, visitors will discover what is revealed and what is hidden when life, writing and portraiture intersect." Writers Revealed: Treasures From the British Library and National Portrait Gallery, London displays at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast until Sunday, August 3, 2025. Head to the gallery's website for further details and tickets.
UPDATE: July 13, 2020: The Goldfinch is available to stream via Netflix, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. A best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A filmmaker fresh from directing another literary adaptation to three Oscar nominations. A cast of high-profile faces spanning Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver). Regardless of whether screenwriter Peter Straughan counts as a strength or a weakness — he scripted the excellent recent version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but was also responsible for the horrendous The Snowman — The Goldfinch definitely doesn't lack in pedigree. Alas, as based on Donna Tartt's 2013 book and directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn), the result is a curious film. It's easy to see how this neo-Dickensian coming-of-age tale about a traumatised teen, an explosion, a stolen painting and the chaos that follows could enthral on the page; however it's just as easy to remain distanced from it on the big screen. When viewers first meet Theo Decker (Elgort), he's a suave, drug-addicted twentysomething in Amsterdam. How he got there, why he's so stressed and strung out, and why he's muttering about an artwork called The Goldfinch are all soon relayed via flashbacks. At the age of 13, Theo (Oakes Fegley, Pete's Dragon) visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his mother, survives a bombing that claims her life, and leaves with a ring he's asked to return to an antiques dealer (Wright) — as well as the famed 1654 piece by Carel Fabritius that gives the movie its name. When he's happily bunking down with the wealthy family of one of his private school classmates, and hoping that their matriarch (Nicole Kidman) will adopt him, Theo hides the stolen painting. As he's struggling through a strained Las Vegas reunion with his compulsive gambler dad (Luke Wilson) and bartender girlfriend (Sarah Paulson), the portrait haunts him. And, after he's all grown up, back in New York and trading in antiques himself, the picture remains out of sight but never out of Theo's mind. While The Goldfinch takes its moniker from the beloved masterpiece and tasks its protagonist with fixating on it, the priceless artwork means more here as a symbol than as an object. A knowledge of art history will help audience members, but the film does eventually explain the painting's fascinating background, its parallels with Theo's journey, and why it represents the enduring nature of beauty in shaping both individual and collective memories. That said, on a narrative level, the piece is hardly crucial — especially given the hectic wave of unlikely events that keep befalling Theo both as an adolescent and as an adult. Indeed, as their lead character befriends a rebellious Ukrainian (Wolfhard), obsesses over a flame-haired fellow survivor (Ashley Cummings), reignites old acquaintances and gets immersed in shady dealings on opposite sides of the world, Crowley and Straughan can't be accused of skimping on plot. Story-wise, there's rarely an empty moment. What the feature lacks, however, is the space to truly value anything of importance — and space to appreciate why its namesake is so emotionally and thematically pivotal. Much of The Goldfinch's troubles stem from its on-screen structure, which, ditching the novel's linear timeline, flits back and forth between the younger and older Theo. While it's an expressive choice, designed to convey the adrift and uncertain inner state plaguing its central figure, it largely plays as needlessly convoluted. As a result, the movie feels simultaneously laborious, rushed and distracted across its 2.5-hour running time — like it's packing as much as possible onto its large canvas in a purposeful, painstaking way, then devoting its time to watching paint dry rather than soaking in the details. In the film's visuals and performances, there's still something to relish. It helps immensely that The Goldfinch has enlisted one of the best cinematographers in the business, with Roger Deakins as talented at making his peach and gold-tinted frames resemble great art as he was at navigating a neon-hued futuristic world (and winning an Academy Award, too) in Blade Runner 2049. Fine-tuned portrayals by Kidman, Wright and Fegley also assist, although Elgort comes across as opaque rather than conflicted, Wolfhard is blighted by his cartoonish accent, and Wilson and Paulson seem like they've stepped in from another movie entirely. What ultimately lingers, though, is an unfortunate comparison. It's an obvious one, as happens whenever a movie calls attention to a far superior work, and it doesn't serve Crowley's film well. It never escapes attention that Fabritius' painting depicts a creature capable of flying high, but firmly stuck in place — a feat that, despite seemingly boasting all the right elements, The Goldfinch mirrors in all the wrong ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_nRqgk1HgM
Contemplating a renovation? Before you head to IKEA or the nearest op shop, stop right here. Why settle for standard seating, expected entranceways and simple staircases when you could be installing sandpits under work desks and doors that double as ping pong tables, slides and skate ramps? Interior design is one thing, but home hacking is quite another. Here are ten ways to turn an ordinary house into a carnival ground. Forms in Nature Light Sculpture Turn your room into a scene from Nightmare Before Christmas at the flick of a switch. Ernst Haeckel’s drawings are the inspiration behind this sculpture, created by Danish designers Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz. A complex, unruly root system surrounds a bright light. "The shadows engulf the room and transforms the walls into unruly shadows of branches, bushes and gnarled trees," the designers explain. "Mirrorings are thrown out upon the walls and ceilings and provide weak Rorschach-like hints of faces, life and flow of consciousness. Dimming the lights transforms the installation and one senses a weak fire burning deep in the center of the forest." Image: Hilden and Diaz Surfing with the sand between my toes Why settle for working from home when you could, simultaneously, be working from the beach? This installation takes the freelancer's freedom to a whole new level. Created by artist Justin Kemp, who's based in Massachusetts (about thirty or so miles from the coast), 'Surfing with the sand between my toes' aims to blur the lines between work and play. "The sand is relaxing, but for me it's more a symbol of my permanent vacation," he explains. "It's the design of a lifestyle where 'work' becomes so satisfying that vacation and retirement become undesirable. It's a permanent state of chill." Image: Justin Kemp The Ping Pong Door Here's a way to create more space, get your daily exercise and maintain a healthy competitiveness with your roommates, especially if you're living in a teeny-tiny apartment: a door that turns into a ping pong table. It's the brainchild of Berlin-based designer Tobias Fraenzel. "Design can and should be fun," he says. "A product that generates positive emotions in people, that brings them together and gets used again and again, that is a good product!" Image: Marcel Koehler Bedroom-to-Pool Waterslide Where Professor Digory Kirke's wardrobe led to Narnia, the cupboard in this proposed country mansion reveals a water slide connected to a pool. Yet to be realised, the plans are the creation of Neil Collins Architects, who specialise in one-off homes. The slide would be part of a £2 million, three-bedroom, underground dwelling entered via a TARDIS-style elevator. Image: Neil Collins Bookshelf-Staircase-Slide Why waste time walking up and down the stairs when you could be sliding? This multifunctional staircase has something for everyone. Architecture firm Moon Hoon came up with it when commissioned to design the Panorama House, a spacious home for a six-piece Korean family. It's one amongst many staircase-slides that are injecting fun into the daily routine. Image: Namgoong Sun The Cloud Sofa If you've never recovered from Neverending Story, here, at long last, is the antidote. Spend a little part of every day floating on your own private cloud. A shiny silver oval on the floor is what makes the Cloud Sofa as magical as Falkor. Its mysterious magnetic force can keep both you and your softest-ever sofa hovering all night long. We have D.K. & Wei Design to thank. Image: D.K. Wei The Skateboard House Welcome to Bart Simpson's dream home. There's not a single surface — inside or outside — that can't be skated on. It's the vision of ex-world champion, pro-skater and CEO of Sole Technology Inc. Pierre Andre Senizergues. He approached architect Francois Perrin and designer-skateboarder Gil Lebon Delapoint to make it happen. La Gaite Lyrique Museum in Paris exhibited a wooden prototype in 2011. Real-life construction is underway in Malibu, California. Image: Pierre Andre Senizergues Pirate Ship Bedroom Do you have a belief, deep-down, that Walt Disney should've cast you, instead of Johnny Depp, in Pirates of the Caribbean? You could see a psychiatrist. But it might well be cheaper to install a pirate ship in your bedroom. Designed by Steve Kuhl, this suspended schooner is entered via rope bridge and exited via secret slide. For miscreants, there's a one-person jail cell. Image: Steve Kuhl Moss Bathroom Mat The ingenious thing about this is that, as long as you shower frequently-ish, you don't need to water it. A latex frame holds together 70 x 6cm pieces of foam, planted with three types of moss: ball, island and forest. Not only do they form a complex microcosmic forest, they also feel super-soft underfoot. It's the creation of Swiss designer Nguyen La Chanh. "The idea was to find a new way of having your plants inside," she explains. "Not only plants in pots quietly standing in the corner of a living room, but alive plants, evolving in the house." Image: Nguyen La Chanh DIY Grass Couch All you have to do is find a piece of furniture, pack the frame with soil, plant some seeds and let them grow. Of course, a regular mowing and trimming routine is part of the deal. Back in 2006, these popped up all over San Francisco as part of the Let's Green this City initiative.
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures will do that, and so will plenty of people staying home because they aren't well — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Perhaps you've been under the weather. Given the hefty amount of titles now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are ten that you can watch right now at home. BARBIE No one plays with a Barbie too hard when the Mattel product is fresh out of the box. As that new doll smell lingers, and the toy's synthetic limbs gleam and locks glisten, so does a child's sense of wonder. The more that the world-famous mass-produced figurine is trotted through DreamHouses, slipped into convertibles and decked out in different outfits, though — then given non-standard makeovers — the more that playing with the plastic fashion model becomes fantastical. Like globally beloved item, like live-action movie bearing its name. Barbie, the film, starts with glowing aesthetic perfection. It's almost instantly a pink-hued paradise for the eyes, and it's also a cleverly funny flick from its 2001: A Space Odyssey-riffing outset. The longer that it continues, however, the harder and wilder that Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig goes, as does her Babylon and Amsterdam star lead-slash-producer Margot Robbie as Barbie. In Barbie's Barbie Land, life is utopian. Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie and her fellow dolls (including The Gray Man's Ryan Gosling as Stereotypical Ken) genuinely believe that their rosy beachside suburban excellence is infectious, too. And, they're certain that this female-championing realm — and the Barbies being female champions of all skills, talents and appearances — has changed the real world inhabited by humans. But there's a Weird Barbie living in a misshapen abode. While she isn't Barbie's villain, not for a second, her nonconformist look and attitude says everything about Barbie at its most delightful. Sporting cropped hair, a scribbled-on face and legs akimbo, she's brought to life by Saturday Night Live great Kate McKinnon having a blast, and explained as the outcome of a kid somewhere playing too eagerly. Meet Gerwig's spirit animal; when she lets Weird Barbie's vibe rain down like a shower of glitter, covering everything and everyone in sight both in Barbie Land and in reality, the always-intelligent, amusing and dazzling Barbie is at its brightest and most brilliant. Barbie is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. TALK TO ME An embalmed hand can't click its fingers, not even when it's the spirit-conducing appendage at the heart of Talk to Me. This is an absolute finger snap of a horror film, however, and a fist pump of a debut by Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou. As RackaRacka, the Adelaide-born pair have racked up six-million-plus subscribers on YouTube via viral comedy, horror and action combos. As feature filmmakers, they're just as energetic, eager and assured, not to mention intense about giving their all. Talk to Me opens with a party that's soon blighted by both a stabbing and a suicide. It segues swiftly into a Sia sing-along, then the violent loss of one half of the Aussie coat of arms. A breakout hit at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it sparked a distribution bidding war won by indie favourite A24, it's constantly clicking, snapping and ensuring that viewers are paying attention — with terror-inducing imagery, a savvy sense of humour, both nerve and the keenness to unnerve, and a helluva scary-movie premise that's exceptionally well-executed. The picture's outstretched mitt is the Philippous' Ouija board. That withered and scribbled-on paw is also a wildly unconventional way to get high. In a screenplay penned by Danny with fellow first-timer Bill Hinzman, but based on Bluey and Content executive producer Daley Pearson's short-film concept — yes, that Bluey — shaking hands with the distinctive meat hook is a party trick and dare as well. When the living are palm to palm with this dead duke, in flows a conjuring. A candle is lit, "talk to me" must be uttered, then "I let you in". Once heads are kicking back and the voices start, no one should grasp on for more than 90 seconds, as Hayley (Zoe Terakes, Nine Perfect Strangers) and Joss (Chris Alosio, Millie Lies Low) explain. But, as she navigates the anniversary of her mother's death, Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door) is up for going as far as she can. Here, being consumed by sinister spirits, not consuming booze, is an escape. That, and filming whatever twisted chaos happens when you connect with the otherworldly. It isn't all fun and frights and games, though; when her best friend Jade's (Alexandra Jensen, Joe vs Carole) 14-year-old brother Riley (Joe Bird, First Day) takes part, traumatic consequences spring. Talk to Me is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Danny Philippou. THE NEW BOY Warwick Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis: name a better Australian quintet. The director of Samson & Delilah and Sweet Country, the two-time Oscar-winner and recent Tár tour de force, the local screen mainstay, and the Bad Seeds bandmates and seasoned film composers all combine not for the ultimate Aussie dinner party, but for The New Boy. None are debuting in their jobs. All are exceptional. They're each made better, however, by the luminous and entrancing Aswan Reid. As well as playing the titular part, the 11-year-old first-time actor lives it among such a wealth of acclaimed and experienced talent — and he's such a find in such excellent company, while saying little in words but everything in every other way, that Thornton's third fictional feature owes him as much of a debt as its applauded and awarded household names. There's a spark to Reid from the moment that he's first spied grappling with outback law enforcement under blazing rays as Cave and Ellis' (This Much I Know to Be True) latest rousing score plays. His sun-bleached hair couldn't be more fitting, or symbolic, but it's the confident way in which he holds himself as New Boy, plus the determined look on his face, that sears. Wily and wiry, the feature's eponymous figure is toppled by a boomerang, then bagged up and transported to the remote Catholic orphanage doted on by Sister Eileen (Blanchett, Nightmare Alley) in the 1940s. The cop doing the escorting notes that the kid is a bolter, but the nun is just as fast in her kindness. She sees what Thornton wants his audience to see: a boy that beams with his presence and through his sense of self, even though he's been snatched up, taken from his Country and forced into a Christian institution against his will. Sister Eileen is as drawn to him as the movie, but — and not just due to the red wine she likes sipping and the subterfuge she's keeping up about the resident father's absence — she isn't as certain about what to do. The New Boy is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Warwick Thornton. RED WHITE & BRASS Watch Red, White & Brass and you'll never see the pre-game or half-time entertainment at a big sporting match the same way again. Of course, if Rihanna, or Beyoncé with Destiny's Child, or a heap of hip hop and rap legends are taking to the stage at the Super Bowl, you won't question it — but if there's a community band on the turf, you might start wondering when they first picked up their instruments, why and if it was only four weeks ago to make it to this very gig. Are they just out there because they were that desperate to see their team play? And, because they missed out on expensive and instantly sold-out tickets? Were they so eager, in fact, that they bluffed their way into a gig by claiming to already be a musical group, then had to speedily do anything and everything to learn how to get melodic, and obviously not embarrass themselves, in a passion-fuelled whirlwind of pretence and practice? A band solely forming to score access to a rugby game sounds like pure screenwriting confection. Often enough, though, when tales like that make it to the silver screen, it's because they're so wild that they can only be true. Such is the case with Red, White & Brass' premise, as it notes at the outset, with co-writer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau scripting the story with first-time feature director Damon Fepulea'i from his very own experiences. Back in 2011, New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup, which was a source of particular excitement to Aotearoa's Tongan population, and especially to avid aficionados at a Wellington church. The kind of fans that were showing their devotion by decking out their homes in the Tongan flag top to bottom, hitching the red-and-white cloth to every free space on their cars and carrying around the symbol on their phone cases, they were determined to see Tonga play France in their own home city, and willing to whatever it takes to do so — wholesomely, in the type of underdog story about fervour, ingenuity, self-belief and luck that engagingly makes for an easy and warm-hearted cinema crowd-pleaser. Red, White & Brass is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with John-Paul Foliaki and Damon Fepulea'i. CARMEN Breaking down a classic tale best known as an opera, rebuilding it as a lovers-on-the-run drama set across the US–Mexico border and making every moment burst with emotion, Benjamin Millepied's Carmen is a movie that moves. While its director is a feature debutant, his background as a dancer and choreographer — he did both on Black Swan, the latter on Vox Lux as well, then designed the latest Dune films' sandwalk — perhaps means that the former New York City Ballet principal and Paris Opera Ballet Director of Dance was fated to helm rhythmic, fluid and rousing cinema. His loose take on Georges Bizet's singing-driven show and Prosper Mérimée's novella before it, plus Alexander Pushkin's poem The Gypsies that the first is thought to be based on, is evocative and sensual. It's sumptuous and a swirl of feelings, too, as aided in no small part by its penchant for dance. And, it pirouettes with swoon-inducing strength with help from its stunningly cast leads: Scream queen and In the Heights star Melissa Barrera, plus Normal People breakout and Aftersun Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal. When Mescal earned the world's attention in streaming's initial Sally Rooney adaptation, he had viewers dreaming of fleeing somewhere — Ireland or anywhere — with him. Carmen's namesake (Barrera) absconds first, then has PTSD-afflicted Marine Aidan (Mescal) join her attempt to escape to Los Angeles. Carmen runs after her mother Zilah (flamenco dancer Marina Tamayo) greets the cartel with thunderous footwork, but can't stave off their violence. Aidan enters the story once Carmen is smuggled stateside, where he's a reluctant volunteer border guard in Texas alongside the trigger-happy Mike (Benedict Hardie, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson). As the picture's central pair soon hurtle towards California, to Zilah's lifelong friend Masilda's (Rossy de Palma, Parallel Mothers) bar, they try to fly to whatever safety and security they can find. That may be fleeting, however, and might also be in each other's arms. Carmen is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Benjamin Millepied. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE Every story is built upon cause and effect. One thing happens, then another as a result, and so a narrative springs. Inspired by Andreas Malm's non-fiction book of the same name, How to Blow Up a Pipeline isn't just strung together by causality — it's firmly, actively and overtly about starting points, consequences and the connections between. Here's one source for this impassioned tale about determined and drastic environmental activism: the warming world. Here's an originator for that, too: fossil fuels, humanity's reliance upon them and the profits reaped from that status quo. Now, a few outcomes: pollution, catastrophic weather changes, terminal illnesses, stolen and seized land, corporate interests prioritised over ecological necessities, and a growing group that's driven to act because existence is at stake. Turning a text subtitled Learning to Fight in a World on Fire into a fictional feature, How to Blow Up a Pipeline joins all of the above, stressing links like it is looping string from pin to pin, and clue to clue, on a detective's corkboard. In his second feature after 2018's smart and effective camgirl horror Cam, writer/director Daniel Goldhaber isn't trying to be subtle about what dovetails in where. With co-screenwriters Jordan Sjol (a story editor on Cam) and Ariela Barer (also one of How to Blow Up a Pipeline's stars), he isn't attempting to rein in the film's agenda or complexity. This movie tells the tale that's right there in its name, as eight people from across America congregate in Texas' west with a plan — an octet of folks who mostly would've remained loosely connected, some strangers and others lovers and friends, if they weren't desperate to send a message that genuinely garners attention. Goldhaber's latest is explosive in its potency and thrills, and startling in its urgency, as it focuses on a decision of last resort, the preparation and the individual rationales before that. How to blow up hedging bets on-screen? That's also this tightly wound, instantly gripping, always rage-dripping picture. How to Blow Up a Pipeline is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SISU Lean, mean and a Nazi-killing machine: that's Sisu and its handy-with-a-hunting-knife (and pickaxe) protagonist alike. This stunningly choreographed Finnish action film's title doesn't have a literal equivalent in English, but writer/director Jalmari Helander's (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) latest effort means stoic, tenacious, resolute, brave and gritty all in that four-letter term; again, both the movie and the man at its centre fit the description. Former soldier Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila, also Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) has one aim. After he strikes gold and plenty of it in Lapland's far reaches, he's keen to cash in. For someone who has already lost everyone and everything to World War II, that requires transporting his haul; however, the year is 1944 and German troops still lurk even as the combat winds down. Accordingly, getting those gleaming nuggets from the wilderness to a bank means facing a greedy and unrelenting platoon led by Helldorf (Aksel Hennie, The Cloverfield Paradox), who can spy a payday and an exit strategy for himself. Before anything yellow shimmers, Nazi-filled tanks are sighted, a single shot is fired or a blow swung, Sisu explains its moniker as "a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination". Text on-screen also advises that "sisu manifests itself when all hope is lost." As a film, Sisu may as well be shorthand for John Wick meets Inglourious Basterds meets Django, the iconic 1966 spaghetti western that Quentin Tarantino riffed on with Django Unchained, too — plus all of that meets the work of legendary spaghetti western director Sergio Leone as well. The carnage is that balletic. The Nazi offings are that brutal, roguish and inventive. And valuing deeds over dialogue as a lone figure dispatches with nefarious forces against an unforgiving landscape, and no matter what they throw at him, is firmly the setup. Sisu is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY Old hat, new whip. No, that isn't Dr Henry Walton 'Indiana' Jones' shopping list, but a description of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. While the fifth film about the eponymous archaeologist is as familiar as Indy films come, it's kept somewhat snapping by the returning Harrison Ford's on-screen partnership with Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge. When this 15-years-later sequel to 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull begins — swinging into cinemas after 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, too — Indy's trademark fedora and strip of leather have already enjoyed ample action. So has the George Lucas-created franchise's basic storyline. If you've seen one Indy outing in the past 42 years, you've seen the underlying mechanics of every other Indy outing. And yet, watching Ford flashing his crooked smile again, plus his bantering with Waller-Bridge, is almost enough to keep this new instalment from Logan and Ford v Ferrari filmmaker James Mangold whirring. Across the quintet of Indy flicks — a number contractually locked in at the outset, even if it took almost half a century to notch them all up — a trinket always needs recovering. Whether it's a relic, stone, cup, carving or, as here, a device by Ancient Greek mathematician, philosopher and inventor Archimedes that might facilitate time travel, nefarious forces (typically Nazis) always want said item as well. Also, only antics that've influenced the likes of Tomb Raider, National Treasure and Jungle Cruise can ensure that whatever whatsit is at the heart of whichever picture stays out of the wrong hands. The object in question falls into those mitts at some point, of course. Indy goes globetrotting and cave diving to save it, and skeletons and creepy-crawlies tend to get in his way. Reliably, he has female company. Frequently, there's a young offsider tagging along. A constant: the whole escapade bounding to the tune of John Williams' rousing theme, which is now acoustically synonymous with adventure. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE BOOGEYMAN Teenagers are savage in The Boogeyman, specifically to Yellowjackets standout Sophie Thatcher, but none of them literally take a bite. Grief helps usher a stalking dark force to a distraught family's door; however, that malevolent presence obviously doesn't share The Babadook's moniker. What can and can't be seen haunts this dimly lit film from Host and Dashcam director Rob Savage, and yet this isn't Bird Box, which co-star Vivien Lyra Blair also appeared in. And a distressed man visits a psychiatrist to talk about his own losses, especially the otherworldly monster who he claims preyed upon his children, just as in Stephen King's 1973 short story also called The Boogeyman — but while this The Boogeyman is based on that The Boogeyman, which then made it into the author's 1978 Night Shift collection that gave rise to a packed closet full of fellow movie adaptations including Children of the Corn, Graveyard Shift and The Lawnmower Man, this flick uses the horror maestro's words as a mere beginning. On the page and the screen alike, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian, Boston Strangler) seeks therapist Will Harper's (Chris Messina, Air) assistance, reclining on his couch to relay a tragic tale. As the new patient talks, he isn't just shaken and shellshocked — he's a shadow of a person. He's perturbed by what loiters where light doesn't reach, in fact, and by what he's certain has been lurking in his own home. Here, he couldn't be more adamant that "the thing that comes for your kids when you're not paying attention" did come for his. And, the film Lester has chosen his audience carefully, because Will's wife recently died in a car accident, leaving his daughters Sadie (Thatcher) and Sawyer (Blair) still struggling to cope. On the day of this fateful session, the two girls have just returned to school for the first time, only for Sadie to sneak back when her so-called friends cruelly can't manage any sympathy. The Boogeyman is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MEG 2: THE TRENCH Jaws, but bigger. Jurassic Park but sharks. Like a prehistoric underwater predator scooping up a heap of beachgoers in one hefty mouthful, describing what The Meg and its sequel Meg 2: The Trench are each aiming to be is easy. Ridiculous big-screen fun that sets Jason Statham (Fast X) against multiple megalodons, his scowl as shiny as their razor-sharp teeth: they're the type of waters that this creature-feature franchise also wants to paddle in. Since debuting in cinemas in 2018, all things The Meg have always had a seriousness problem, however. They're at their best when they're also at their silliest, but they're rarely as entertainingly ludicrous as they're desperate to be. This five-years-later follow-up might task Statham with shooting harpoons while riding a jet ski at a tourist-trap holiday destination called Fun Island — and also busting out the line "see ya later, chum", which lands with such a sense of self-satisfaction that it feels like the entire reason that the movie even exists — but such gleeful preposterousness is about as common as a herbivore with a meg's massive chompers. Again based on one of author Steve Alten's books — he's penned seven so far, so more flicks are likely — Meg 2: The Trench doesn't just want to ape the Jurassic series. It does exactly that overtly and unsubtly from the outset, but this film is also happy to brazenly treat multiple movies from a few decades back as fuel for its choppy antics. When the feature starts, it's 65 million years ago, dinosaurs demonstrate the cretaceous period's food chain, then a megalodon shows who's boss from the water. Obviously, life will find a way to bring some of this sequence's non-meg critters into the present day. Next comes a dive in The Abyss' slipstream, before embracing being a Jaws clone again — even shouting out to Jaws 2 in dialogue — but with a Piranha vibe. Before it's all over, Meg 2: The Trench also flails in Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus' direction, just with a visibly larger budget. Meg 2: The Trench is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August, too. You can also peruse our best new films, new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies of 2023 so far
Back in the '80s, Bruce Springsteen was onto something — and so was Courtney Cox. As immortalised in one memorable music video, the boss and the Friends star know the joys of dancing in the dark. So does No Lights No Lycra, Brisbane's weekly evening dedicated to getting your groove on without glaring brightness, staring revellers or shiny outfits. For $6 in pocket change, it's an open, accessible, friendly and non-judging space to make shapes and make your worries go away. Go along once, and we're betting you'll end up with a regular Tuesday night fixture in your diary.
Eating your way along South Bank's Little Stanley Street precinct, whether on the roadway itself or on the parallel Grey Street, has long been an around-the-world affair, as Alemré Hospitality Group is more than aware. The Brisbane company is behind Olé Restaurant, Mucho Mexicano and Vici Italian, and will soon add Calida, a new Argentinian steakhouse, to its portfolio. From Wednesday, June 19, 2024, the outfit's sixth restaurant — alongside a second Mucho Mexicano in Hawthorne, plus Downtown Istanbul in the same suburb — will open its doors. Seating 180, Calida naturally has plenty of meat on its menu. Think: empanadas to start with; dishes such bistec tartar, marinated lamb rump skewers, pressed beef short ribs, chorizo pork sausages and slow-cooked whole lamb shoulder; and an array of different cuts of steak from the grill, all served with chimichurri sauce and Australian red gum smoked salt. Even the bread comes with a beef jus. If it's sizzling steak that tempts your tastebuds, the options under Alemré Executive Group Chef Adam Starr's guidance all use S.Kidman beef — whether you're eager for a 220-gram eye fillet, 300-gram sirloin or 400-gram wagyu rump. And if you're keen to sample several choices without having to make too many decisions, you have two ways to go about it: a $120 mixed-grill platter for two or a $63 banquet with a minimum of two diners, with the latter also covering a dulce de leche sandwich cookie for dessert. Those keen for seafood instead can pick between span oysters with vinegar and chives, grilled octopus with potato salad, salmon ceviche and grilled barramundi. There's also a number of cheese-heavy dishes for vegetarians, including ricotta and mozzarella empanadas, smoked baked cheese and roasted portobello mushrooms with manchego cheese. And for sweets beyond the dulce de leche sandwich cookie, Calida offers dulce de leche lava cake with vanilla ice cream; guava and passionfruit mousse with flourless white-chocolate sponge; and the traditional Argentinian torta rogel made from layers of crisp pastry and vanilla meringue, plus, yes, dulce de leche. Whatever satisfies your stomach, you can wash it down with wine from both Argentina and Europe, Quilmes beer and Latin-inspired cocktails such as the Fernet con coca — aka Fernet-Branca and Coke. If you order a Margarita de Roca, one of the restaurant's signature sips, you'll be enjoying tequila, dragonfruit, and jalapeño. With the Mermalada, bourbon and marmalade combine. And for something that catches the eye as well, the ¡Viva la Argentina! layers gin, blue curaçao and citrus flavours. Going for a warm vibe to match its food, Calida's design aesthetic favours raw brick and stonework, moody lighting and Argentinian textiles — and, if you're sitting in the booths, look out for the ficus. The fitout will backdrop not just everyday meals, but also events focused on the country in the eatery's spotlight, Latin celebrations more generally, and beef and wine dinners. In other words, you'll have a heap of reasons to head by more than once. Find Calida at 1/164 Grey Street, South Brisbane from Wednesday, June 19 — open 11.30am–9pm Sunday–Thursday and 11.30am–10pm Friday–Saturday. Head to the venue's website for further details.
A small, rotating cast of volunteer musicians come together as The String Orchestra of Brooklyn (SOB) to produce site-specific musical experiments and collaborations with other New York area musicians. According to executive director and founder Eli Spindel, the strength of SOB lies in the orchestra's versatility. "We have the flexibility to take risks and follow our musical curiosity wherever it might lead," he said. Recently, SOB's "musical curiosity" led to a collaboration with ISSUE Project Room on the March 17 production of String Theories 2012. Held in St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn, String Theories featured the works of four commissioned composers: Anthony Coleman, Eric Wubbels, Spencer Yeh, and MV Carbon. The goal of the project was to create performances on a larger-than-realistic scale, playing on the physicality of the orchestra members and adopting new musical techniques. "It will definitely get a bit rowdy," Spindel said pre-performance. Upcoming events include the 2012 Parks Concert Series, where SOB, in collaboration with The Fort Greene Park Conservatory, has joined the outdoor concert lineup. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UU6VdE35Htg
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: The Lost Daughter released in select Australian cinemas on Thursday, December 16, and will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 31. Watching Olivia Colman play a complicated woman is like staring at the ocean: it's never the same twice, even just for a second; it couldn't be more unpredictable, no matter how comfortable it appears; and all that surface texture bobs, floats, swells, gleams and glides atop leagues of unseen complexity. That's always been true of the British actor's absolute best performances, which could fill any body of water with their power and resonance. It's there in her acidic work in The Favourite, which won her an Oscar, and also in The Crown's more reserved turn as a different English monarch. It flowed through the devastating Tyrannosaur, which perhaps first truly showed the world exactly what Colman could do — and has marked her Academy Award-nominated supporting part in The Father, plus TV standouts Peep Show, Broadchurch, The Night Manager and Fleabag. It's fitting, then, that The Lost Daughter tasks Colman with glaring at the sea, and doing so both intently and often. A necessity of the narrative, as penned on the page by My Brilliant Friend's Elena Ferrante and adapted for the screen by actor-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, it's a touch that washes through the movie with extra force due to its star. Colman plays comparative literature professor Leda, who fills much of her time peering at the ocean as she summers on a Greek island — and also people-watching thanks to the loud, entitled Queens family that keep invading her chosen patch of sand. While both gazing at the waves and taking in the onshore domestic dramas, Leda sees her own ebbs, flows, thorns and flaws reflected back. Vacationing alone, Leda isn't on a getaway as much as she's escaping — not actively, but because that's her default mode. She's never willing to stray far from her work, shuffling through papers as she sunbathes and flirtatious young resort manager Will (Paul Mescal, Normal People) moves her lounger to keep her in the shade; however, as flashbacks show, the urge to flee all markers of apparent normalcy has long gushed in her veins. Leda tells anyone who asks that she has two daughters (Bianca is 25 and Martha is 23, she frequently offers), but they're heard via phone calls rather than seen as adults. She's prickly when mum-to-be Callie (Dagmara Domińczyk, Succession), of those noisy interlopers, asks if her extended group can take over Leda's beach umbrella. But in Nina (Dakota Johnson, The Nowhere Inn), the raven-haired mother of frequently screaming toddler Elena (debutant Athena Martin Anderson), she spies more of herself than she's been willing to confront for decades. The Lost Daughter's title references an incident one sunny day when Elena disappears as Callie, Nina and company — the latter's shady husband Toni (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, The Invisible Man) as well — idle by the water's edge. The Americans react with distress, but Leda calmly strides forth amid the chaos, all while battling memories of being a young mum (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things) searching for her own absent child. Indeed, loss and escape are serpentine concepts here, winding through Leda's past, her affinity for the clearly unhappy Nina and the second wave of mayhem that erupts when Elena's beloved doll also goes missing. The concept of trouble in paradise proves just as layered, infecting idylls scenic and, in pondering the supposed bliss that we're all told motherhood brings, societally enforced. The idea that bringing life into the world isn't the existence-defining triumph of femininity it's sugar-coated as doesn't simply sit at the heart of Ferrante's novel and Gyllenhaal's debut stint behind the lens — from the instant that Colman is seen collapsing on the pebble-strewn shoreline in the picture's opening, it laps over The Lost Daughter's every moment. Leda is a woman haunted by everything having kids has brought, as well as guilt-stricken by all that's followed, and this bold and affecting movie confronts that rocky truth. It's the filmic antithesis to keeping calm and carrying on, or relishing the rewards while disregarding the sacrifices, whether Leda is trying to retain a sense of self in the feature's journeys backwards, grappling with the gnawing consequences of her choices and the parallels in Nina's exasperation, or obsessing over dolls, those symbols of maternity routinely given to girls at birth. For any director, this is audacious and intricate terrain, but Gyllenhaal is as exceptional and daring a filmmaker as she is a performer. As her own impressive acting career demonstrates, complete with knotty and slippery turns in Secretary, Sherrybaby, The Kindergarten Teacher and The Deuce, she could've played Leda and just as phenomenal a film would've likely resulted. Her decision to enlist Colman doesn't only spring from humility, though, but from spying what we all notice whenever the star graces any screen. One of Colman's extraordinary skills is her knack for ensuring that her characters could swim in any direction and, whatever swings and lurches they take, it always feels like the most natural development there is. She's a master not just of complicated women, but of conveying the innate and relentless state of being complicated. Daughters get lost, mothers struggle, prickly exchanges pepper the picturesque setting — Leda isn't afraid to voice her displeasure to Callie and her relatives, or to teens ruining a trip to the local cinema, and she's positively awkward with Lyle (Ed Harris, Westworld), the caretaker of her holiday apartment — but so much of The Lost Daughter's tension rushes from Colman's performance. From Buckley's, too, with the movie's two Ledas echoing each other — the woman she once was and the one she becomes — with precision and synergy that's too shrewd and naturalistic to resemble mere mimicry. It's also telling that Gyllenhaal has cinematographer Hélène Louvart (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) lens the film like a volatile memory, probing closeups, lingering details and slight but inescapable jitteriness all included, while the jazzy score by Dickon Hinchliffe (The Third Day) skews towards the melodic. Everything about Leda's experiences has been stressful rather than peaceful, but the prevailing view of being a mum keeps trying to tell the world otherwise — and both the character and the film refuse to accept those false platitudes. The Lost Daughter releases in select Brisbane cinemas on Thursday, December 16, and will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 31.
In his groundbreaking 1900 study, The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud wrote, 'The virtuous man contents himself with dreaming that which the wicked man does in actual life.' According to the rather unyielding Austrian psychiatrist, we can only come to a complete understanding of an individual via the unconscious, as revealed through a study of dreams. Freud would have had a field day with the 'Sleep Talk Recorder' app. Launched in 2011 by Mad in Sweden, it has the capacity to record what we say when we are fast asleep, deep inside the realm of our inner psychological recesses and unguarded by inhibitions. The prospect of having it planted in your room on the sly isn't too appealing. However, thousands of individuals, all too happy to have their midnight ramblings go public, have uploaded their recordings to the Mad in Sweden site. With many expressing their elation that the app has 'changed their lives', a crew from the company jetted to the US to find out more. They met a lady who'd discovered she was an inveterate sleepwalker, and a man who'd revealed a talent for singing in Yiddish. A documentary, featuring these and a wealth of other stories, is in the making. The Sleep Talk Recorder, which has seen more than one-and-a-half-million downloads, is available online for $0.99. [Via Lost at E Minor]
Some film festivals take audiences to corners of the globe they won't visit in the multiplex, shine a spotlight on different cinematic voices, and showcase the wealth of talent working beyond the English-speaking realm. That's not the British Film Festival's remit. Here, you'll find recognisable names and faces aplenty as the best new movies Old Blighty has to offer embark on a tour of the antipodes. Taking place between late October and early November, this year's lineup includes Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in opening night film Breathe, which marks the directorial debut of The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, as well as Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the eagerly anticipated How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The former tells a true tale of a couple striving to overcome a death sentence from polio, while the latter is a queer sci-fi rock-punk comedy based on a Neil Gaiman short story and directed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell. Yep, this program might speak the same language as Australians, but it's serving up a variety of stories. If you're going to put one flick to put on your must-see list, make it The Death of Stalin. It's the latest from The Thick of It and Veep creator Armando Iannucci, and features everyone from Steve Buscemi to Jeffrey Tambor to Michael Palin. Other highlights include Fanning again in Mary Shelley, a biopic about the writer behind Frankenstein that's helmed by Wadjda director Haifaa Al-Mansour, as well as England is Mine, with Dunkirk's Jack Lowden playing none other than Morrissey. Elsewhere, Saoirse Ronan stars in On Chesil Beach, her latest Ian McEwan adaptation after coming to fame in Atonement, while true story 6 Days recreates the 1980 storming of the Iranian embassy in London with Mark Strong, Jamie Bell and Abbie Cornish. BFF also boasts docos about Manolo Blahnik and Eric Clapton, a biopic about AA Milne and the genesis of Winnie the Pooh, and one of the last films to feature the late John Hurt in That Good Night. Looking back as well as forward, a selection of Agatha Christie adaptations round out the lineup. Timed to coincide with the new version of Murder on the Orient Express, the program includes the 1974 take on the same tale, plus three other classics. The 2017 British Film Festival will screen at Sydney's Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona from October 24 to November 15, Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay and The Astor Theatre from October 26 to November 15, and Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace Centro from October 25 to November 15. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Picnics aren't the only way to enjoy a bite in Brisbane's green spaces. Roma Street Parklands boasts The Garden Room, where you can tuck into a cafe spread in the heart of the leafy inner-city spot. Soon, Northshore Hamilton will be home to Riva Kitchen & Events, an all-day eatery from the same team. Opening in mid-April — then hosting an official opening weekend across Saturday, May 4–Monday, May 6 — this new dining venue will get its patrons having breakfast, lunch and more riverside. So, as you start your morning with tiramisu overnight oats or opt for Fraser Island spanner crab linguini later in the day, you'll be eating on the waterfront in the River City's inner north (making the most of the fact that this is the River City, clearly). While the full menu is yet to be revealed, other options that'll be tempting tastebuds include house-cured salmon with a potato cake, soft-boiled egg and dill crème fraiche for brekkie — plus sweetcorn and zucchini fritters that come served with eggplant relish and labneh at lunchtime. Catering for coffee dates, long lunches and weekend brunches, too, the culinary spread's focus is modern Australian dishes, but taking cues from the Mediterranean. Local and seasonal ingredients will also be in the spotlight. The crew behind the restaurant have also designed Riva Kitchen & Events to become Brisbane's next go-to to celebrate occasions, as the eatery's name makes plain. Whether it's for an intimate dinner or a party, or a wedding or corporate event, the site will double as a venue for shindigs — with its openair features and backdrop set to be drawcards. Plenty of change is coming to this side of Brisbane, including Rise Bakery, Rosé Gelateria, Birds Nest Yakitori and Fosh all joining the neighbouring Portside Wharf, which is in the middle of a $20-million revamp. Next up: gastropub Portside Social. Northshore Hamilton is also set to undergo an expansion. That project will see the precinct gain an extra 1.2 kilometres, and is focused around hosting the Brisbane Athlete Village for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, then giving residents something to enjoy afterwards. Riva Kitchen & Events is set to open at 285 MacArthur Avenue, Hamilton, in mid-April 2024, and host an official opening weekend across Saturday, May 4–Monday, May 6. Head to the venue's website for further details.
Even after 112 years, creating a musical comedy about a disaster that claimed more than 2200 lives could feel tone deaf. So it's important to note that Titanique is not about a historic tragedy. Not really. This raucous and rib-tickling show began its life as an in-joke between three Broadway luminaries — performers Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli and director Tye Blue — who wanted to pose the question: what if the true hero of James Cameron's Titanic was, in fact, Canada's greatest icon, Céline Dion? The result is 90 minutes of pure joy, underpinned by the belting power ballads of Québec's most famous daughter and a shade of outrageous humour bluer than the Heart of the Ocean. Much like its humble off-Broadway origins, the Australian premiere of Titanique has been staged in one of Sydney's smaller theatres, The Grand Electric in Redfern. While packing a larger auditorium would have been an easy task for such a feel-good show, producers Michael Cassel and Eva Price's decision to place this production in such an intimate space is a master stroke. In these close quarters, where the performers are within touching distance, there are even more opportunities to bulldoze the fourth wall and amp up the camp extremes of the show's bawdy zingers. But Titanique doesn't just deliver laughs. While the bizarre plot — a fever dream retelling of Cameron's cinematic epic from the perspective of Céline Dion, via the songs of Céline Dion — offers comedy of the silliest kind, the singing prowess on display is no joke. Marney McQueen delivers a forensically detailed impression of Dion, backed up with astonishing vocals all but indistinguishable from the real thing. Indeed, the entire cast wow with their voices, which only acts to make the narrative absurdities even more hilarious — it's a truly unique experience to hear McQueen, Abigail Dixon as the "unsinkable" Molly Brown and Georgina Hopson as Rose, flawlessly nailing the chorus of 'Tell Him' while suggestively rubbing an eggplant. Much like The Book of Mormon (which is returning to Sydney next year), Titanique taps a rare yet potent duality: the guilty pleasure of gutter humour and the soaring thrill of a virtuosic performance. Through this double-dose of serotonin, peppered with crude one-liners, pop culture references (with some fresh Australian content added for local benefit) and a generous drenching of fabulosity, this is a show that will leave your heart full and your sides split. Images: Daniel Boud
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from August's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW HEARTSTOPPER Whether they attend Truham Grammar School or the neighbouring Higgs Girls School, most of Heartstopper's teenagers have much to say, often via text. But perhaps the most apt line of the entire Netflix series so far is uttered by Isaac Henderson (first-timer Tobie Donovan), the quiet bibliophile among the show's main friendship group. "I read all these books where people fall in love and I still have absolutely no idea," Isaac advises in the web-to-page-to-screen hit's second season. As a webcomic, a graphic novel and also a TV series that proved an instant smash when it debuted in 2022, Alice Oseman's creation couldn't better embody this reflection. Heartstopper is Isaac's yearning and confusion turned into art, even as the series remains sweet and joyous in every episode. Isaac gets his own storyline in season two, exploring what that lament means to him as he unpacks his own identity, and it's among the show's weighty narrative threads. But everyone in Heartstopper, from central couple Charlie Spring (fellow debutant Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe) to their maybe-more-than-friends pals Tao Xu (newcomer William Gao) and Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), plus classmates Tara Jones (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell), live his telling statement in their own ways. Tales about getting swept away by first love adore conveying the rush, buzz and head-over-heels effervescence evoked by the pivotal experience. Awkwardness often factors in, but rarely the reality that no one ever truly knows what they're doing when it comes to romance. A chronicle of coming of age and also coming out, Heartstopper makes the truth that every teen is just doing their best and following their heart one of the show's core guiding concepts. And mostly, usually with each other's help as they traverse the full onslaught of adolescent emotions, this supremely likeable, relatable crew of high schoolers knows that they don't, can't and won't ever have all the answers. Brought to the screen by Oseman as the series' creator and writer, plus director Euros Lyn (Dream Horse) behind the lens — together, they've respectively penned and helmed all 16 episodes, eight in season one and that amount again in season two — Heartstopper spent its debut offering watching Charlie and Nick gravitate into each other's orbits. When the pair were sat next to each other in form class at the beginning of a new term, a friendship and then more swelled. Season two finds them officially and happily boyfriends, and with Nick's mother Sarah (Olivia Colman, Secret Invasion) supportive about Nick's bisexuality. Telling the rest of the world when he chooses to is part of his latest journey, always with the protective Charlie by his side. Heartstopper streams via Netflix. Read our full review. TELEMARKETERS No one likes it when their phone rings from an unknown number, whether "no caller ID" or digits that you don't recognise flash up on your mobile's screen. Telemarketers isn't going to change that response. It won't dampen the collective ire that the world holds towards the pushy people on the other end of the line, either. HBO's thrilling three-part docuseries doesn't just reinforce what viewers already feel about the nuisance industry that thinks it can interrupt your day and life with a spiel that no one wants, and impact your bank balance in the process. In addition, it spins a true tale that demonstrates why a deep-seated dislike of telemarketing is so well-founded, and also why cold-calling operations can be so insidious. This true-crime story about the New Jersey-based Civic Development Group surpasses even the most call centre-despising audience member's low expectations of the field — and it's gripping, can't-look-away, has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed stuff. In fact, it's also an account of a tenacious duo revealing a billion-dollar fraud, and bringing this stunning whistleblower documentary to the masses. "Every other telemarketer who drives you crazy in the whole world is because of CDG," advises one of the series' interviewees. That might seem like a big claim, but co-directors Sam Lipman-Stern (Live From the Streets) and Adam Bhala Lough (The New Radical) step through its truth. The former knows the outfit's approach from experience, working there for seven years from the age of 14 after dropping out of high school, while the latter is the filmmaker cousin he wasn't aware of. Lipman-Stern is Telemarketers' on-screen guiding hand, too, but his ex-colleague Patrick J Pespas is its heart and soul. As seen early, Pespas is called a "telemarketing legend". Although he's happy snorting heroin on-camera in 2000s-era footage, he's switched on to CDG's shonkiness; more than that, he's determined to expose it even if it takes two decades. Everywhere that Lipman-Stern and Pespas look from there, this tale gets worse. It's no wonder that Uncut Gems and Good Time filmmakers Benny and Josh Safdie are among Telemarketers' executive producers, plus Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green. Telemarketers streams via Binge. Read our full review. JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL The man knows how to rock a hat: Timothy Olyphant (Full Circle), that is. He knows how to play a determined lawman with a piercing stare and an unassailable sense of honour, too, and television has been all the better for it for nearing two decades. Pop culture's revival culture has benefited as well — first with HBO's 2004–06 western masterpiece Deadwood returning as 2019's Deadwood: The Movie, and now with 2010–15's US Marshal drama Justified making a comeback as miniseries Justified: City Primeval. Olyphant was perfect in both the first time around, and proves the same the second. Indeed, Deadwood: The Movie's only problem was that it was just a made-for-TV film, not a another season; Justified: City Primeval's sole issue is that it spans only eight episodes, and that a next date with the Stetson-wearing Raylan Givens hasn't yet been locked in. This continuation of Justified's initial six seasons arrives eight years after the show ended for viewers, but also finds Raylan with a 15-year-old daughter. And it's with Willa (Vivian Olyphant, Timothy Olyphant's real-life offspring) that he's hitting the road when a couple of criminals reroute their plans. Now based in Miami, Florida rather than Justified's Harlan, Kentucky, Raylan is meant to be taking Willa to camp, only to be forced to detour to Detroit, Michigan to testify. It isn't a brief stop, after the Deputy US Marshal makes the wrong impression on Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David, Nope), then is personally requested to investigate an assassination attempt against the same jurist — teaming up with local detectives who are adamant about Detroit's particular ways, including Maureen Downey (Marin Ireland, The Boogeyman), Norbert Beryl (Norbert Leo Butz, The Girl From Plainville) and Wendell Robinson (Victor Williams, The Righteous Gemstones). You can take Raylan out of rural America and into the Motor City, as Justified: City Primeval does, but even with silver hair atop his calm glare he's still Raylan. So, he'll always stride around like a lone gunslinger who has seen it all, will confront anything, and is perennially valiant and resolute — and silently exasperated about humanity's worst impulses, too — as Justified: City Primeval welcomes. New location, passing years, the responsibilities of fatherhood, more and more lowlife crooks (including Boyd Holbrook, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny): they haven't changed this character, and audiences wouldn't have wanted that to happen. Justified: City Primeval streams via Disney+. Read our full review. KILLING IT Craig Robinson slays snakes. If Killing It was initially pitched with those four words and those four words alone, it still would've been easy to greenlight. When the latest comedy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and executive producer Luke Del Tredici first arrived in 2022, it leaned in, too, with terminating serpents the whole point of the contest at the centre of the comedy's debut season. The place: Florida, home to the python-teeming Everglades. The year: 2016, in the lead up to the US election. The reason for vanquishing vipers: a $20,000 payday, which Craig — also the name of Robinson's character — needed to enact his vision of becoming a saw palmetto farmer. Killing It served up far more than just Robinson, a B99 guest and The Office star, polishing off reptiles, however, and not simply because Claudia O'Doherty (Our Flag Means Death) joined in as the hammer-swinging Jillian. As a satire of the type of society that has people resorting to seeking a better future by offing animals competitively, and a nation that celebrates the American dream as the pinnacle of existence without recognising how unachievable that notion is, this series has always sunk its fangs in. Getting Killing It's characters bludgeoning wildlife was a savvy signifier of a horribly broken system in season one. In season two, slaughtering serpents is old news, but venomous foes definitely aren't. They're the uncaring bureaucracy, the shameless corporations, the shaking-down gangs, the car thieves, the cruel insurance bodies, the nation's entire health scheme, the manipulative bosses, the rude customers and the cash-splashing rich. They're absolutely everyone with a solely in-it-for-themselves perspective, which is almost everyone. When Killing It's latest eight-episode go-around kicks off, its central pair have followed through on the saw palmetto plan — albeit at a cost, with Craig's low-level criminal brother Isaiah (Rell Battle, Superior Donuts) now on the lam and posing as a doctor in Phoenix. Their farm is up and running, and perennial-optimist Jillian isn't is the only one who's hopeful. The two business partners even have a buyer for their berries — and, while their margins are thin, they're getting by. Alas, whether they're dealing with a possible giant snail problem, being blackmailed into taking on new colleagues or becoming the subject of a hostile takeover, Craig and Jillian swiftly realise that snakes still lurk everywhere. Killing It streams via Stan. Read our full review. IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA No one should start watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's 16th season with its eighth and last episode (last for this season, that is; the already record-breaking TV comedy, which became the longest-running live-action American sitcom ever with its 15th season, has been renewed for a 17th and 18th go-around). Still, the final instalment from this current batch, called 'Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day', is one the show's best-ever chapters. As a character study of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's most arrogant and abrasive member of its main quintet, aka Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton, Blackberry) — and yes, given his company, that's some feat — it's phenomenal in stepping through how his twisted mind works. A whopping 170 episodes in, it's also a prime example of the series' constant eagerness to push and stretch itself. Season 16 also features It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia instalments that are so classic that they could've aired years ago, not that the program ever repeats itself, but this run also keeps challenging how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia tells its tale, unpacks Dennis and company, and satirises Pennsylvania's worst Irish bar owners. Howerton remains mesmerising as one of the show's Reynolds twins throughout season 16; however, so does Kaitlin Olson (Hacks) as his sister Dee. This far in, Charlie Day (Bupkis), Rob McElhenney (Mythic Quest) and Danny DeVito (Haunted Mansion) could all play Charlie Kelly, Mac and Frank Reynolds in their sleep, too — but there's no coasting here, only going deeper into what makes the Paddy's Pub crew who they are. Their responses to any given outlandish situation, aka It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's bread and butter, might seem predictable on the surface. Even what proves true, though, nothing is ever straightforward. Amid the scheming, plotting, conning, fighting, revenge plans and more, this bunch constantly unpack and parody America at its most problematic, and western attitudes overall as well. They're as sharp and ridiculous and hilarious now as they were in 2005. In their sights this time: inflation, gun violence, reality TV, chess, celebrity endorsements (complete with a spectacular couple of guest stars), child-friendly food and amusement joints, bowling and, of course, mental health. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia streams via Disney+. VESPER Some films make their audience feel like they could reach out and touch their on-screen worlds, and French-Lithuanian-Belgian movie Vesper is one such picture. Here, that sensation springs from a key element: first-rate world-building efforts on writer/director duo Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper's (ABCs of Death 2) parts. This isn't a sci-fi blockbuster with a massive budget and seemingly thousands upon thousands of companies working on special effects. Rather, Vesper is far more modest in scale, as was its big-screen run, including film-festival berths and no general release Down Under. But without megabucks behind it, Vesper spins a dystopian tale that seems tangible — that, as you watch, feels like you could walk straight into, too — as it focuses on its titular teenager (Raffiella Chapman, His Dark Materials). Her quest: surviving after an ecological crisis while looking after her bedridden father Darius (Richard Brake, Barbarian). In this vision of what might come, the planet's plants and animals have become the victims of viruses that ravaged the globe, leaving insects and bacteria as humanity's main diet. Buožytė and Samper, scripting with Brian Clark (Compulsion), work in English with Vesper. That said, on their latest sci-fi feature after Vanishing Waves, they also frequently work in the space between what's uttered aloud. The narrative sticks with Vesper as she keeps attempting to scrounge up food and electricity, usually with Darius' consciousness floating in a drone by her side — a machine that looks like an old-school TV, but with a face drawn on. The film also charts its namesake's determination to avoid her nefarious uncle Jonas (Eddie Marsan, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), who trades in the blood of children to obtain seeds, which are used as currency and highly protected by towering bases called citadels. And, as it muses on what it truly means to endure and persist, and why, doing so amid grey-toned imagery, a fierce lead performance, meticulous attention to visual detail and expressive silences, it observes what occurs when Vesper finds Camellia (Rosy McEwen, The Alienist) after a crash, then has her perception of an already-tough life challenged. Vesper streams via Paramount+ and Prime Video. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Corpses and killings don't normally herald joy on-screen, even in pop culture's current murder-mystery comedy wave, but Only Murders in the Building isn't just another amusing whodunnit. There's a particular warmth to this series. In each of its three seasons to-date, the New York-set show has unleashed amateur gumshoes upon a shock death, with its key trio sifting through clues and podcasting the details. Along the way, it has also kept telling a winning story about second chances and finding the folks who understand you. Only Murders in the Building's ten-episode third season relays that tale again, expanding its portraits of artist Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die), theatre director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and veteran actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) — and of their friendship. Once more, it embraces the power of chemistry, both within its narrative and for audiences. That isn't new; when the show debuted in 2021, it felt like the murder-mystery comedy genre's version of a cosy embrace because its three leads were so perfectly cast and their odd-throuple characters so full of sparks. While Mabel, Oliver and Charles wouldn't be a trio if it wasn't for a building evacuation, a murder and a love of true-crime podcasts, their connection isn't merely fuelled by chatting about the murders in their building, with crossing each other's paths changing their respective lives. There's a death in season three's initial episode — it first occurred in season two's dying moments, to be precise — and, of course, ample sleuthing and talking about it follows. The victim: Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), a silver-screen star best-known for playing a zoologist who fights crime by turning into a snake in the blockbuster CoBro franchise. (Yes, if those movies weren't just Only Murders in the Building's Ant-Man gag, existed IRL and starred Rudd, they'd be a hit.) But Only Murders in the Building's latest run also opens with Mabel, Oliver and Charles in places that they wouldn't be if they were solo. Largely, that applies emotionally: Mabel is more grounded and open, and now thinking about the future more than the past; Oliver has faced his career fears, resurrecting his showbiz bug with a new show; and Charles is less misanthropic and more willing to take new chances. They're also frequently in a different location physically thanks to Oliver's comeback production Death Rattle (which is where Meryl Streep fits in). No, the series isn't now called Only Murders in the Building and on Broadway. Only Murders in the Building streams via Star on Disney+. Read our full review. THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART In The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, blooms are rarely out of sight and petals never evade attention. Adapted from Holly Ringland's 2018 novel, the seven-part Australian miniseries is set on a farm that cultivates native flora. It dubs the women who tend to them, an ensemble from various backgrounds largely seeking refuge from abusive pasts, "flowers" as well. Whether stem by stem or in bunches, its characters use florets as their own secret language. And yet, as much as bouquets linger, getting all things floral on the mind, star Sigourney Weaver burns rather than blossoms. Fire is another of the show's strong recurring motifs, so it's still fitting that its biggest name is as all-consuming as a blaze. She needs to be that scorching: this is a story about endeavouring to survive while weathering woes that ignite everything in their path. Weaver also draws upon almost five decades of thriving before the camera, often playing steely, smart and sometimes-raging women. Her on-screen career began sparking with Alien, the film that made her an instant icon. Since then, everyone has heard her performances scream — and, in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, she's again dazzling. Flowers frequently surround Weaver's June Hart far and wide. With a carefully selected cutting, the shotgun-toting matriarch of Thornfield Flower Farm can say all she needs to. That's what the eponymous Alice (Ayla Browne, Nine Perfect Strangers) quickly learns about her grandmother when she arrives at the property following a tragedy, becoming one of the farm's flowers after losing her pregnant mother Agnes (Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Hotel Mumbai) and violent father Clem (Charlie Vickers, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power). The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a tale about traumas, secrets and lies that lurk as deeply as the earth — about the choices and cycles that take root in such fraught soil, too. When nine-year-old Alice relocates fresh from hospital, the determined June, her doting partner Twig (Leah Purcell, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and their adopted daughter Candy Blue (Frankie Adams, The Expanse) aim to shower the girl with sunlight to blaze away her horrors. You can't just bury problems, however, then hope that something vivid and colourful will grow over the top. Dedicating its first half to Alice's childhood and its second to 14 years later, when she's in her early twenties (Alycia Debnam-Carey, Fear the Walking Dead), The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart understands this immutable fact in its core. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. RESERVATION DOGS There's only one thing wrong with the third season of Reservation Dogs: this batch of episodes is the show's last. There's a skill in knowing when something's time has come, but this teen-centric comedy about restless Indigenous North American adolescents is so rich in stories, perspectives and minutiae — and so resonant as well — that it feels like more and more could (and should) just keep following. Ending Reservation Dogs when this ten-episode run wraps up is also an example of the show taking its own message to heart, however. As co-created, executive produced and written by Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) — the former its guiding force — Reservation Dogs knows that little lasts. It hangs out with its characters as they learn about life's transience at every moment, whether they're chasing their dreams of leaving the reservation that they've always called home or they're grappling with loss. So, of course the series is moving on. In the process, its farewell season is proving even more moving and thoughtful than ever, even after its debut year delivered one of the best new TV shows of 2021 and its second spin served up one of the best returning shows of 2022. The last time that viewers saw the Rez Dogs — the OG quartet of Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Beans), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese (Lane Factor, The Fabelmans), plus Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds), the somewhat-reluctant newcomer to the group — they had finally made the trip to California that they'd been working towards their entire lives. Season three picks up with the group still far away from home, and still journeying even when they do return. Elora considers both her past and her future. Bear goes wandering on his own, including through several revelatory encounters. Harjo still isn't afraid to veer away from his leads along the way, whether sliding into history to explore myths, traditions or horrors inflicted upon Indigenous children. Reservation Dogs finds a story, be it big or small, for everyone within its frames. Bear, Elora, Willie Jack and Cheese especially will be deeply missed, but Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis and Factor shouldn't ever be far from screens after this exceptional breakthrough. Reservation Dogs streams via Binge. PHYSICAL Rose Byrne made her acting debut in the 90s, with Echo Point, Wildside, the OG Heartbreak High and Two Hands among her earliest credits. Physical sends the Australian star a decade further back, and the results have kept proving insightful and astute across three seasons. Created by Annie Weisman after the writer and producer previously pondered domesticity in Desperate Housewives and Suburgatory, the series bends and stretches with Byrne (Insidious: The Red Door) as Sheila Rubin, a San Diego housewife when the first episode dropped in 2021 — and an aerobics star not long afterwards. Slipping into a leotard, then getting the blood pumping, isn't just exercise for Physical's protagonist. The late, great Olivia Newton-John mightn't have sung "let's work through our troubles while working up a sweat" (unsurprisingly; it isn't catchy), but that's the thrust here. Among those struggles: Sheila's opinion of herself, including of her body; her relationship with food as a result; the self-critical voice in her head; and her marriage to Danny (Rory Scovel, Babylon) and its impact on her self-esteem. Physical takes the darkly comedic approach to Sheila's ups and downs, including the self-loathing, the lack of fulfilment, the catharsis that aerobics brings and the professional path that it sets her on. In the show's ten-episode third and final season — three being the magic number, just like with Reservation Dogs — its central figure is doing well but wants more, including national exposure and fame. Sheila has also learned to be kinder to herself, at least as herself. When Hollywood actor Kelly Kilmartin (Zooey Deschanel, Dreamin' Wild) encroaches into her territory, she's the new scolding tone in Sheila's brain. Physical has always boasted a stellar cast that can flip between laughs and drama as swiftly as the show does, which is often, and Deschanel is no exception as a newcomer in this swansong run. That said, Byrne's comic chops keep proving a dream (see also: this year's Platonic), while Dierdre Friel (Second Act) is a constant scene-stealer as Sheila's friend and business partner Greta. Physical packs an emotional punch, too, as it embraces Sheila's imperfect journey and her imperfections in general. Physical streams via Apple TV+. AHSOKA In this or any other galaxy, whether here, near or far, far away and a long time ago, Star Wars streaming shows can't all be Andor. In cinemas, the franchise's movies can't all be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, either. So, in both formats, they aren't always the weightiest and most grounded instalments that the series has ever delivered, all while demonstrating about as much interest in nostalgia as Jar Jar Binks has in not being annoying. The latest TV effort in the George Lucas-started space-opera saga, Ahsoka doesn't want to follow exactly in the last new Star Wars small-screen entry's footsteps, however, even if it's another sidestep tale about battling evil that champions folks who are rarely at the fore. Instead, it has intertwined aims: serving up a female-led chapter and drawing upon the franchise's animated realm. So, as it tells of eponymous ex-Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson, Clerks III), it links to streaming's three seasons of The Mandalorian and 2021–22's The Book of Boba Fett, and also springs from animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the TV series it spawned, plus fellow animated shows Star Wars Rebels and Tales of the Jedi. Ahsoka's inter-franchise Star Wars links are strong, then, but it isn't just for fans who've watched every frame that the saga has ever sent hurtling across screens. Cue diving deeper beyond the obvious Star Wars fodder while still engaging more-casual franchise viewers. Cue another tale of mentors and students, too, with Ahsoka once a pupil to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, Obi-Wan Kenobi) before he went to the dark side. Then, she passed on knowledge herself to rebellious, flame-haired Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Guns Akimbo). Thanks to the man who became Darth Vader, Ahsoka is wary about the Jedi order and cautious in general. Via her prior time with Sabine, she knows the difficulties of being a guide to a headstrong protégée. While the series gives its central figure nefarious foes to battle, it also has her grappling with her past traumas, mistakes and regrets. She's guarded there, too; when rebel crew member and now-New Republic general Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)) suggests that the way forward might involve enlisting Sabine's help, Ahsoka is uncertain. But only the youngest of the main trio can unlock a pivotal orb that holds a map that could lead to exiled Imperial officer Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, The Kingdom) and Ahsoka's fellow one-time padawan Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi, The Inspection). Ahsoka streams via Disney+. Read our full review. A STONE-COLD CLASSIC FILM TO WATCH (OR REWATCH) IMMEDIATELY OLDBOY Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods) remaking your movie is a massive compliment, but Park Chan-wook's magnificent Oldboy didn't ever need that tick of approval. The former's US-set and English-language version of the latter's stone-cold Korean classic is great as its own film — albeit maligned when it released ten years ago, so much so that it skipped a cinema date Down Under as a result — but the latter's original is a work of brutal, powerful and astonishing art for the ages. That's Park's wheelhouse, of course. When it arrived in 2003, his Oldboy was the middle chapter in the acclaimed auteur's Vengeance Trilogy, after all, following 2002's Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and preceded by 2005's Lady Vengeance. Joint Security Area, Thirst, Stoker, The Handmaiden, TV's The Little Drummer Girl, 2022's very-best film Decision to Leave: Park's resume is filled with remarkable efforts; however, that he'll always be synonymous with Oldboy, as well as its hammer and live octopus, isn't because nothing else on his filmography beats it. Every Park movie is its own gem in its own way — again, Decision to Leave was the finest film of 2022 — but this one is 100-percent designed to hit hard. The story: it's 1988, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik, Big Bet) gets drunk and misses his daughter's fourth birthday, then needs a pal to collect him from the police station. But the sloshed businessman doesn't make it home. Instead, he's forced to spend 15 long years in a hotel room that he can't leave, all while being imprisoned by kidnappers that are committed to keeping him alive, too. Of course a quest for revenge springs from there. Adapted loosely from a Japanese manga of the same name, Oldboy's narrative throws up surprise after surprise before, during and after its protagonist's captivity, though. Every element of the plot makes a statement. Every decision that Park makes as a filmmaker does, too. This is a raw, dark exploration at human nature, as helmed with incisiveness, anchored by a stunner of a lead performance and featuring a corridor-set action scene to end all action scenes — and it's always worth watching, be it on a screen big or small, for the first time or as a revisit. Right now, a date with Oldboy also means celebrating its 20th anniversary. Oldboy streams via Shudder and AMC+. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June and July this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream shows from this year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023's first six months, top 15 returning shows over the same period and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies from January–June 2023, too.
Next time you pick up a club, order a drink and hit the mini-golf greens at Fortitude Valley's Holey Moley, you'll be able to swing your way around E.T., Stranger Things, Uno and Operation-themed holes — or, if you'd prefer, you can grab a microphone. The popular Warner Street spot occasionally gives its two nine-hole courses a revamp, with the multi-level venue unveiling its latest creations after refurbishing half of them. As well as making over a considerable part of its existing site, Holey Moley has also made two crucial new additions: two 60s and 70s-style karaoke rooms. If you're fond of belting out a tune, you can jump between pretending you're in Happy Gilmore and living out your A Star Is Born dreams by heading into the two onsite singing suites, which can accommodate up to ten people. For those keen to keep tap, tap, tapping away inside the converted old church, the rebadged holes also span zombies, mazes and magic, and come with names such as 'The Loop Hole', 'Par for the Corpse', 'Mazed and Confused' and 'Draw Fore'. While in renovation mode, Holey Moley has also shaken up its menu. Drinks-wise, newcomer On the Green goes heavy on the Red Bull and features a golf ball on top, while fellow fresh addition The Pink Tee blends gin, tequila, spiced rum and cointreau. There's the Duck, Duck Joose, too, which comes served in a bathtub complete with rubber ducks, plus mocktails dubbed the Ginger Ninja and Coco Loco. And, if you need to something to eat, beef nachos, cheese-laden garlic pizza (in both regular and vegan varieties) and a selection of bread and dips now rank among the edible options. Find Holey Moley at 25 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley, open Monday–Thursday 12–11pm, Friday 12pm–12am, Saturday 10am–12pm and Sunday 10am–11pm.
From family classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to hard-hitting documentaries in the league of Camp 14 – Total Control Zone to black comedies such as Invasion, this year's Audi Festival of German Film promises the bravest, brashest and most bizarre in German film. There'll be panel discussions, Q&As, special cultural programs and parties. The selection for opening night, Georg Maas' Two Lives, makes it clear the festival is seeking the cutting edge, new generation of German filmmaking. It's a 2012 post-Berlin wall spy thriller about the exercise of state control over individual identities. Another highlight is This Ain't California, a Cannes winner that explores the development of skateboard culture in East Germany during the 1970s and 1980s. With over 20,000 people expected to attend, representing a 37 percent growth in popularity over the past six years, this year's festival is set to be the biggest on record. The festival is on in May around the country: Sydney: April 30 to May 14, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Verona Melbourne: May 1-15, Palace Cinema Como and Kino Cinemas Brisbane: May 3-9, Palace Centro Thanks to the Audi Festival of German Film, we have 15 double passes, valid for any screening throughout the festival, to give away in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. To be in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us with your name and postal address at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8noDewE16iM
As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, travel is in no one's immediate plans — and the airline industry is responding accordingly. In Australia, that means a huge drop in the number of available flights, both overseas and within Australia, with Virgin Australian announcing that it's grounding aircraft and slashing services for the foreseeable future. According to the ABC, Virgin Australia will suspend all international services and will cut domestic flights by 50 percent from March 30–June 14. The equivalent to 53 aircraft will be grounded. In a statement to the ASX published on the ABC, the company said: "The Virgin Australia Group has today announced a temporary suspension of international services and further cuts to domestic capacity in response to expanded government travel restrictions and increased impacts from COVID-19 on travel demand. As a leading airline group, Virgin Australia will work closely with Government to prioritise bringing Australians home and returning visitors back to their point of origin safely, while maintaining its important role in supporting connectivity and the nation's economy." This decision follows Qantas and Jetstar's move to cut international flights by around 90 percent, and domestic flight by approximately 60 percent, which was announced by the the 100-year-old Aussie airline yesterday. Both moves come in response to Australia's current containment and quarantine measures, including the requirement that all international arrivals into the country must self-isolate for 14 days — and, unsurprisingly, the steeply dropping demand for air travel both internationally and domestically. Worldwide, the scenario is the same. Air New Zealand is reducing its capacity by 85 percent overall, and its trips across the Tasman to Australia by 80 percent. Airlines in America, Britain, Europe, Asia and, well, basically everywhere are taking similar measures — as is to be expected as countries everywhere begin to close their borders. For more information about Virgin Australia's reductions, visit its website. For further details about Qantas and Jetstar's plans, visit the company's website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Sometimes, common sense finds a way. After an interim report demonstrated that Queensland's new liquor laws have had little effect on alcohol-related violence, the State Government has decided not to forge ahead with the second part of their lockouts plan. Folks, say goodbye to concept of 1am curfews. The earlier cutoff was scheduled to apply on February 1, stopping patrons from re-entering pubs and bars a full two hours before current restrictions. Understandably, the idea that forcing people out onto the streets much earlier than they would like was going to stamp out booze-fuelled anti-social behaviour has been fiercely contested. Just as unsurprisingly, heated debate has also raged regarding the impact the curfews would have on Brisbane's nightlife scene. Instead of lockouts, venues in the state's 15 entertainment precincts will have to trial ID scanners to record and store the details of all patrons entering their premises from July 1, 2017. In order to trade past midnight and serve drinks until 3am, nightclubs and other watering holes in the designated area will have to comply — and capture the IDs of every customer, regardless of the time of evening they stop by. Changes will also be made to one-off permits that allow establishments to keep filling up beverages past the cutoff time. The number will be reduced from 12 to 6, with no more than one per month allowed to be issued — and, even then, only for special events. Don't go thinking that you can stretch out your late-night fun as long as you want just yet, though. The existing rules, which came into effect in July 2016, remain in force. That means that last drinks will be served at 2am at venues outside of the approved precincts, and shots will be banned after midnight, no matter what you're consuming. And, if you're knocking back a few beverages at home, grabbing your supplies before 10pm is still a necessity because any new bottle-os won't be able to trade any later. Via ABC News. Image: The Flying Cock.
If you're anything like us, you have an endless list of places you want to visit and things you want to do when you're there: have a whiskey in the Park Hyatt Tokyo, float along Venice's canals, get into Berghain in Berlin, eat fresh seafood on the beach in Sri Lanka (just to name a few). But, sometimes, your bank balance won't allow it. We understand, and we've teamed up with Intrepid Travel so you can tick one off your list — for free. The long-time purveyor of taking you off the beaten track, putting you outside of your comfort zone and providing A-plus travel stories, Intrepid Travel is giving you a chance to win an (almost) all-expenses-paid trip to Sri Lanka. As well as return airfares for two, you and your chosen loved one will also get to join a 15-day extensive tour of the country. Get ready to tell some cracking travel yarns in the future. The Circle Sri Lanka trip will take you from Negombo, in the east and will travel clockwise all the way round to the island nation's capital, Colombo. Throughout the two weeks, you'll have the chance to explore ruins, climb Sigiriya Lion Rock, learn to cook traditional Sri Lankan fare, explore bustling bazaars and trek through tea plantations. And all accommodation, ten brekkies (and some lunches and dinners) are included, as well as more activities than you can count on your two hands. The island is full of vibrant culture, incredible food, ancient citadels and idyllic beaches on all sides. Regardless of whether you're the lucky winner, it should be high up on your travel bucket list anyway. To enter, see details below. [competition]669353[/competition] Top image: Sigiriya Lion Rock
For one night only, Alternative Symphony is coming to Brisbane to play Daft Punk's greatest hits — with an orchestral spin. It's bringing together a full orchestra, assisted by DJs, drums, live vocalists and MCs. As with all electro events, expect immersive visuals and an elaborate light show. Due to their unique sound, as well as their visual style — combining ornate helmets and gloves to create robot personas — Daft Punk have become one of the most influential modern electronica acts. In addition to their exceptional TRON: Legacy score, the French duo has released four studio albums. The most recent, Random Access Memories, not only featured guest appearances from Pharrell Williams, Niles Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder, but also won Album of the Year at the Grammys. After performing the Daft Punk Orchestral Rendition show in the UK this year, Alternative Symphony will bring An Orchestral Rendition of Daft Punk: Greatest Hits to The Valley Drive In on Saturday, January 11, 2020. Tickets are on sale now — and this'll be a unique dance/classical cross-over night out.
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Picture yourself face to face with David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust 1972 bodysuits, Kansai Yamamoto’s trouser suits for the '73 Aladdin Sane tour, the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the '97 Earthling album cover, props from Jim Henson's Labyrinth. We know, you're sweet to start freaking out. Opening next July, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) will play host to the acclaimed David Bowie is exhibition, celebrating the kickass career of the man himself. Created by London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), the exhibition is a Bowiephile's dream — an unprecedented collection of over 50 stage costumes alongside tour sets (including the designs for the '74 Diamond Dogs tour), handwritten set lists and lyric sheets, Bowie's own sketches, rare live and interview videos, musical scores and diary entries, photographs and album artwork. Basically, if you're a Bowie fan, this is next level squealworthy material. "The mystery of David Bowie as an enigma is so lovingly explored in this incredible immersive exhibition you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside the mind of this astonishing cultural and pop icon," says ACMI Director & CEO, Tony Sweeney. "Bowie is a figure whose social and creative influence and significance far exceeds his status as a pre-eminent rock performer and in David Bowie is, his incredible career is showcased in glorious detail." Presented exclusively in Australasia by ACMI as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, the exhibition explores Bowie's influences and legacy in a lengthy narrative layout (tracing Ziggy Stardust through Berlin and Thin White Duke phases), delving into his career as a musician, of course, but also reminding fans of his top notch cult film career, stints as a writer and his lifelong ability as a stage performer. V&A curators and brains behind the whole Bowie show, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, handpicked over 300 objects and films for the exhibition — a research process we're pretty damn jealous of. "The exhibition looks in-depth at how Bowie’s music and radical individualism has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, film and contemporary popular culture over an incredible 50-year career and demonstrates how Bowie has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression," they said. The exhibition comes to Australia under a furious amount of buzz — its world premiere this March in London became V&A's fastest selling exhibition ever, recording record numbers of over 311,000 visitors. As the exclusive venue for David Bowie is, ACMI have crafted a specially-curated program of talks, screenings, live performances and special events to pair with the Major Tom-a-thon. David Bowie is will open at ACMI on 16 July 2015 as part of the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Tickets go on sale to the general public in November 2014. To register for exclusive pre-sale ticket opportunities, visit acmi.net.au/bowie.
Aunty Donna have been busy over the past few years. Since 2020, they've brought both Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun and Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe to the small screen. They've played corpses in Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, and also dropped a $30 bottle of wine that's literally called $30 Bottle of Wine, too. The Australian comedy troupe embarked upon a world tour in 2023 as well, selling 90,000-plus tickets. If you're keen to see Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane live, your next chance in Brisbane happens in 2025. Aunty Donna are hitting the stage again — and in the River City, Fortitude Music Hall is their destination, playing nightly between Monday, August 25–Saturday, August 30. This time, audiences will enjoy the Drem experience, with Aunty Donna unveiling their brand-new live sketch show. Will everything be a drum again? Will morning brown get a tribute? How much room should you leave for Christmas pud? If you're instantly thinking about these questions, you're clearly already a fan. In the trailer for the tour, Bonanno, Kelly and Ruane are promising big things in their comedic usual way. "In 2025, Aunty Donna will be touring the greatest live comedy show ever seen by human beings," the trailer advises. "You have asked 'is it funny?'," it continues. "Leading experts in the field have made it perfectly clear that it is the best comedy show ever made."
Whether you're celebrating Galentine's Day, Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day this February, we're betting that a holiday to look forward to would make the occasion even better. So is Virgin Australia, and it only has sunny, summery spots in mind. The focus of its latest flight sale: trips to Queensland. Destinations from the Gold Coast up to Cairns are covered, and dates with plenty of sun, surf and sand between autumn and spring, too. Starting on Wednesday, February 14, this is a one-week-only sale — so you've got until 11.59pm AEST on Tuesday, February 20 to get booking, unless sold out earlier. More than 300,000 fares on offer. While the sale is focused on one part of the country, you still have options in terms of departure points and destinations. Within Queensland, you can leave or arrive in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Hamilton Island, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Mt Isa and Proserpine. And, around the rest of the country, flights to and from Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney are available. One-way fares begin at $69 — which'll get you from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast and vice versa, and also from Brisbane to Cairns and Brisbane to Proserpine (to hit The Whitsundays) or the reverse. Other sale flights include Sydney–Gold Coast from $79, Brisbane–Hamilton Island from $86, Melbourne–Cairns from $115 and Adelaide–Gold Coast from $119. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the travel periods depend on the leg — but the general range is from Wednesday, March 6–Thursday, September 12. The sale has the backing of the Australian and Queensland governments' Tourism Recovery Package, to help the Sunshine State's tourism industry after ex-tropical cyclone Jasper. Only select fares cover seat choice and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in 2021 that it now splits its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. Virgin's Queensland summer sale runs from Wednesday, February 14–11.59pm AEST on Tuesday, February 20 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
It's a question that film festivals face each and every year: how do you kick off? For the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2025, the answer comes courtesy of an award-winner with Australian ties that'll enjoy its Aussie premiere in the Victorian capital. The movie opening the fest on Thursday, August 7: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You starring Rose Byrne (Physical). The dramedy initially debuted at Sundance to significant acclaim, then made its way to the Berlin International Film Festival — and saw Byrne take home that fest's Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. Scoring the opening-night slot at MIFF is no small feat, either, with attendees set to watch its lead portraying Linda, a psychologist struggling with balancing her clients, an ill child and an abyss on her building's roof. [caption id="attachment_1011660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Robertson[/caption] Fellow Aussie Danielle Macdonald (The Last Anniversary) co-stars, as does Conan O'Brien (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Christian Slater (Dexter: Original Sin) and A$AP Rocky (Highest 2 Lowest). Also among the cast: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You's writer/director Mary Bronstein (Yeast). "I am beyond thrilled to be bringing If I Had Legs I'd Kick You to MIFF. That would have been enough, but I am further honoured and gobsmacked to have been selected to open the festival," said the filmmaker. "My film is built around an unprecedented performance by one of the most-talented actors that has ever come out of Australia: Rose Byrne. It is all the more meaningful for me to be able to personally share Rose's soul-shattering work, along with the stunningly raw co-starring performance of fellow Australian Danielle MacDonald, with such celebration and reverence in their home country." "This New Yorker has never been to the other side of the globe before and I can't think of a better way to first experience beautiful Melbourne than through such deep appreciation for not just my film, but cinema in general, as MIFF is known around the world for." [caption id="attachment_1011661" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Robertson[/caption] Added MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar, "I'm so thrilled the electrifying If I Had Legs I'd Kick You opens this year's MIFF with some of the most intensely accomplished filmmaking you'll see this year. Urgent, funny, and audacious, we couldn't be prouder that Bronstein's singular vision will set the start to MIFF's 18-day immensity of cinema-going, as we welcome Melbourne audiences back once more to our 300-plus film adventure through the world's imagination." Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 in 2025, and began announcing this year's lineup back in June, ahead of the full program dropping on Thursday, July 10. Other highlights so far include Parasite composer Jung Jae-il coming to Australia to conduct the movie's score live in an Aussie exclusive, Jafar Panahi's Cannes Palme d'Or-winning It Was Just an Accident, almost-100-year-old masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc with a new score by Julia Holter performed live, an Australian time-loop comedy involving tequila, a Baker Boy- and Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine)-narrated tribute to David Gulpilil, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind filmmaker Michel Gondry's latest and the world-premiere of natural disaster-focused virtual-reality documentary When the World Came Flooding In. The 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details, including the full program from Thursday, July 10, visit the MIFF website.
UPDATE: APRIL 14, 2020 — This SoCal-style spot is doing daily meal packs with build-your-own tacos and sides for takeaway and delivery. To check out the latest menus and order, check out Baja Brisbane's Instagram. Mexican cuisine, Southern Californian vibes, Japanese influences and Queensland fresh produce — that's what's on offer at Baja Brisbane. A newcomer to Fortitude Valley's growing FV precinct on the corner of Brunswick and Alfred Streets, it's the latest venture from Milk Box Tuckshop's Daniel Quinn. And while tacos, guacamole, mezcal and tequila all feature on the menu, this isn't the kind of restaurant that's filled with sombreros. Instead, Baja Brisbane serves up its SoCal-style Mexican dishes in a laidback, minimalistic space — think neutral tones, hints of pink and green, terracotta tables and a window cactus garden. Overseen by Quinn's partner Sarah Vize, the fit-out is designed to not only to exude a relaxing vibe, but to direct everyone's focus onto the food and drink lineup. Arriving in Brisbane via Berlin after a stint working in Oaxaca, head chef Valerie Frei whipped up her menu when she was still in Mexico, opting for a simple, fresh and authentic spread. As well as tacos with a choice of grilled flank steak, mushrooms and mozzarella, slow-cooked pork neck or beer-battered kingfish (between $12–23), highlights include the Mexican fruit stand ($9), which combines watermelon, melon, cucumber and carrot with a mint and a citrus chilli vinaigrette, plus the twice-cooked octopus tentacles, which comes with citrus, chilli oil and a squid ink-infused burnt jalapeño soy sauce ($22). Or, you can tuck into the spiced chocolate mousse with house-made passionfruit yoghurt, passionfruit curd and burnt brownie pieces ($12) for dessert. Beverage-wise, the wine list spans more than 35 white, red, sparkling and rosé tipples, while both pale ale and lager are available on tap. That said, cocktails are definitely the main attraction. Opt for a Snarky Mexican Kiss (with tequila, cointreau, lemon, sugar, watermelon and a sichimi salt rim, for $18), an Epic Devil Mezcal and Tonic (with mezcal, zucca, peach, cold brew coffee with bitters and tonic, for $17) or the supremely boozy Day of the Dead (with two tequilas, one mezcal, pineapple, grenadine and lime, for $20). If you're driving, the Baja mocktail ($14) blends citrus, orange blossom water, fresh orange juice and lemonade.
Throw those GoPros, bubble bottles and novelty gumboots in your rucksack, Splendour in the Grass is returning to North Byron Parklands for another year of festival merriment. After a fake lineup posted was 'leaked' prior to the official triple j announcement to catfish all us suckers eagerly awaiting the list of acts that will be appearing, the details for Splendour 2016 are finally here. In what is the best news we've heard this year, The Strokes (The Strokes!!!) will be Splendouring for their only Australian show. It also seems the predictions for The Cure were incredibly, amazingly correct — meaning that we'll be seeing both The Strokes and The Cure this July. It's almost too much to handle. Joining them is one heck of a lineup that includes The Avalanches — who haven't played a gig (that wasn't a DJ set) in over ten years. Fingers crossed the show coincides with new music. Iceland's Sigur Rós and Irish artist James Vincent McMorrow will also being doing one-off Australian shows at the festival, Courtney Barnett will make her first appearance at Byron, while James Blake and At the Drive-In will return, as will locals Flume and Sticky Fingers. Anyway, we know what you're here for. We'll cut to the chase. SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2016 LINEUP The Strokes (only Aus show) The Cure Flume The Avalanches (only Aus show) James Blake At The Drive-In Violent Soho Hermitude Band of Horses Sigur Ros (only Aus show) Santigold Matt Corby Sticky Fingers Boy & Bear Courtney Barnett Jake Bugg The 1975 Leon Bridges Duke Dumont (DJ set) James Vincent McMorrow (only Aus show) The Kills The Preatures What So Not Years And Years Gang Of Youths Illy Peter, Bjorn & John Golden Features Crystal Fighters Ball Park Music Tegan & Sara DMA'S Jack Garratt Hayden James City Calm Down Snakehips Mark Lanegan Michael Kiwanuka Jagwar Ma King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard The Jungle Giants The Internet Motez Marlon Williams Lido Emma Louise Kim Churchill Nothing But Thieves Lapsley Kacy Hill Slumberjack Robert Forster (10 Years On) Beach Slang Urthboy Little May Boo Seeka Ganz Spring King Melbourne Ska Orchestra Fat White Family Total Giovanni Methyl Ethel Slum Sociable L D R U In Loving Memory of Szymon Blossoms High Tension Roland Tings Sampa The Great The Wild Feathers Harts Ngaiire montaigne Tired Lion Green Buzzard Jess Kent Gold Class Lucy Cliche Opiuo Mall grab Dom Dolla Paces Just A Gent Dro Carey Running Touch Wafia World Champion Suzi Zhen Remi Nicole Millar Dreller Feki Kllo Banoffee Plus... Moonbase Comander The Meeting Tree Twinsy Purple Sneaker Djs Human Movement Panete Swick Amateur Dance Ribongia Splendour will return to North Byron Parklands on Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July. Onsite camping will once again be available from Wednesday, July 20. Image: Bianca Holderness.
With a title that speaks of next generations, The Son is a film about second efforts, including off-screen. For writer/director Florian Zeller, it marks the French novelist and playwright's sophomore stint behind the camera, and notches the list of movies he's helmed based on his own stage works up to two as well. After dual Oscar-winner The Father, which earned Zeller and co-scribe Christopher Hampton the Best Adapted Screenplay award and Anthony Hopkins the much-deserved Best Actor prize, it's also his second feature with a family member in its title. And, it's his second largely confined to interior settings, focusing on mental illness, exploring complicated father-child relationships within that intimate domestic space and driven by intense dialogue spouted by a committed cast. Hopkins pops up once more in another psychodrama, too, as a dad again. Within its frames, The Son follows New York lawyer Peter Miller (Hugh Jackman, Reminiscence) as he's happily starting over with his second wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman) and their newborn Theo, his second son. Here's the thing about second chances, though: sometimes your first shots can't simply be forgotten, no matter how eager you are to move on. Peter confronts this truth when his ex-spouse Kate (Laura Dern, Jurassic World Dominion) unexpectedly knocks at his door one day, distraught about learning that their 17-year-old Nicholas (Zen McGrath, Red Dog: True Blue) has been ditching school long-term. The teen hasn't been a contented presence around her home since his dad left, either, with depression setting in after such a big upheaval to his status quo. So, Peter and Kate agree to a parental rekindling, with Peter giving being an active dad to Nicholas — having him come to live with him, Beth and Theo, in fact — a second go. Can lightning strike twice, for Zeller and for Peter? Once again co-writing with Hampton (who nabbed his first Oscar for adapting 1988's Dangerous Liaisons, and another nomination for his work on Atonement), The Son's creative force wants that to be a complicated question — and it is. In his layered narrative, Zeller keeps playing up doubles and playing with duality, including the varying ways that Peter treats his two boys, the push and pull of work and home as a new career opportunity arises, Nicholas' mood and attitude with two differing maternal figures, and the impact of Peter's own fraught relationship with his hard-nosed father (Hopkins, Armageddon Time). The latter is a dynamic that Peter doesn't have fond feelings about and is desperate not to reprise, but we all know what they say about history repeating. Accordingly, for The Son's increasingly exasperated patriarch, lightning striking twice is a double-edged sword. In all of the above, from the moment that it begins with Peter, Beth and Theo at home, then talks about Nicholas, his troubles and mental state before introducing him, The Son is firmly aligned with Peter. Consequently, it's also stressed by a big struggle: truly comprehending Nicholas. The Father, whose shadow the often-clinical The Son will always be under — yes, the connection between Zeller's first two movies mimics the connection between the characters in his second flick — was the masterpiece it was by bringing its namesake's mindset to the screen. Zeller surrounded Hopkins' brilliant performance with immersive cinematography that plunged his audience into the confusion, disruption and distress of experiencing dementia. With The Son, teen anxiety, truancy and the scarred arms that indicate suicidal ideation are things to talk about, brood over and saddle with Chekhovian logic rather than attempt to deeply understand. Set to a solemn score by Hans Zimmer (Prehistoric Planet), Zeller's latest film is filled with pain, hurt and devastation, clearly, but also distance from the person who's meant to be so pivotal that the picture is literally named after him. That said, the movie's moniker is revealing — because it's barely interested in fleshing out Nicholas as a person beyond being a son that Peter has to deal with due to the bonds of blood and the weight of regret. One of the feature's big emotional arcs charts Peter's growing realisation that being a parent is about genuinely seeing and accepting your child for who they are, and working to help them be the best version of themselves that they want to be instead of who you envision. It culminates in a stunning payoff sequence, but if only The Son paid more attention more often to who Nicholas is beyond his cutting anger, physical cuts, and Peter, Beth and Kate's reactions to him. If only The Son also spent more time showing rather than telling — indeed, with its talk-heavy screenplay always betraying the story's stage origins, it devotes almost all of its efforts to telling. Again, even with cinematographer Ben Smithard lensing both here and for The Father, his current work for Zeller peers on rather than dives in. It's a testament to Jackman and McGrath's performances that The Son is as engaging as it is, however, and as dripping with raw emotion. Both Australian talents, one famous for decades at home and abroad, the other an impressive up-and-comer to watch, their duel of words, heartache, expectations and internalised dismay is finely tuned and gripping. Alongside Jackman's one-scene face-off with Hopkins, their still-stagey but compelling one-on-ones are the film's showpieces. On the stage, The Father and The Son are the two parts of a thematic trilogy, completed by Zeller's The Mother — which, in its off-Broadway run in 2019, starred incomparable French icon Isabelle Huppert (an Oscar-nominee herself for 2016's Elle). Whether it too will make it to the movies is yet to be seen, but the two mums of The Son are sadly pushed aside. The always-great Dern and Kirby make the most they can of thin parts, though always deserving better, the two actors conveying a mother's and a stepmother's fears, anguish and hopes, respectively. They also share one of the film's key tussles: appreciating and unpacking its characters, Peter, Beth and Kate alike, and Nicholas especially, as more than their familial labels.
Another streaming service is about to boost your viewing options, focusing on Australian movies and television while letting you watch for free. We might live in peak online-viewing times, with no shortage of platforms vying for eyeballs, but Brollie is launching with a couple of clear points of difference. Firstly, there's the lack of price tag. Secondly, there's the homegrown love. When Brollie arrives on Thursday, November 23, it will hail from independent Australian and New Zealand distributor Umbrella Entertainment — hence the name — and draw upon the company's catalogue. Open debut, that'll mean 300-plus titles ready to view. While the Aussie contingent is a big drawcard, there'll also be overseas releases among the range. So, get ready to watch local-made gems such as The Babadook and Two Hands; classics like Walkabout and Storm Boy that feature the late, great David Gulpilil; the Kylie Minogue-starring Cut; Hugh Jackman (The Son) in Erskineville Kings; and the Nicole Kidman (Special Ops: Lioness)-led BMX Bandits. Documentaries such as Servant or Slave and Ablaze will also be available. Or, get excited about Joaquin Phoenix (Beau Is Afraid)-led masterpiece You Were Never Really Here, the live-action OG Super Mario Bros, and mind-bender Vivarium with Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) and Imogen Poots (Outer Range) among the international titles. You'll be watching along via Apple TV, Google TV, Android TV, Chromecast with Google TV and on your browser. Because Brollie is free, however, the caveat is that you'll also be watching ads. To help viewers sort through the Brollie collection, the service's team will highlight its best-of picks twice monthly, and also hero Aussie horror via an Australian Nightmares collection. "We know these iconic films and TV shows can find new and old audiences instead of gathering dust on the shelf. Brollie is about helping Aussies to access this world-class storytelling easily and, most importantly, for free so everyone can enjoy our epic screen legacy," said Ari Harrison, General Manager and Head of Sales & Acquisitions, announcing Brollie's arrival. Brollie will launch on Thursday, November 23 — head to the streaming platform's website to subscribe and for further details.
We all know as we get older, we gain experience, and begin to be more perceptive – particularly when it comes to what we like and dislike, what makes our skin crawl, and what makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. The fight or flight instinct is now well known to us and is one we use almost every day – will we stay and fight it, or will we cower away? For the next few weeks, the Transparency Collective will look into this response and create installations and performances that deal with the ways in which humans collide, avoid and attack each other. They will be staged in the art laboratory that is Critical Boundary. There’ll be open events that challenge this notion of fight or flight, which allow for change and growth in the planned performances, as they interact with the public. Throughout the residency, there will be a plethora of opportunities for you to engage with the work, and foster your knowledge about this interesting idea. There’ll be interactions and discussions, as well as open dialogue with the curators. This installation is as organic as they come, and is inviting all of those who struggle with their instincts to open their minds.
For three months, Salt Meats Cheese is bringing its Italian fare to the other side of the inner-city — and, for the first month, it'll have Gelato Messina for company. From Tuesday, July 3, the two new-ish arrivals to Brisbane are teaming up for a pop-up at West End's West Village. Yes, that means you'll be feasting on epic pizza and dessert combinations. SMC's laneway stint will run until the end of September, serving up breakfast and lunch every day of the week, plus dinner from Wednesday to Sunday — so, if you're keen on truffle pizza, cheese wheel pasta and Nutella mud cake, this is where you'll want to head. It'll also be brewing up espresso and lattes every morning, as well as setting up a boutique container bar curated by Sydney mixologists Archie Rose. Unsurprisingly, espresso martinis will be on the menu. As for Messina, come 5pm Fridays and midday on the weekend, the ice cream fiends will be whipping up mini gelato cakes and decadent hot chocolates. The latter just might get your tastebuds salivating; called a Bombe Choc Alaska, it comes complete with dulce de leche gelato toasted marshmallows.
Not only pouring copious amounts of beer, but also making yeasty, boozy tipples, breweries are the kind of place where liquid usually flows freely. That's all well and good when it's in a pint, but it's obviously devastating when its from floodwaters — as a number of Brisbane joints have experienced in the past few weeks. Milton Common, Newstead Brewing Co, Range, Parched, Brewtide and Fonzie Abbott all sadly know this story, as does Granddad Jack's Distillery — because flooding doesn't care what kind of alcohol you prefer. So, to help raise money for the folks affected, Woolloongabba's Easy Times Brewing Company is putting on karma kegs and hosting a day-long fundraiser. It's your latest excuse to drink beer for a great cause, it's called The Great Brown LemonAID and it's happening from 11.30am on Saturday, March 12. Ten taps will be dedicated to the event, and there'll be kegs from each flooded brewery. Whatever you choose to drink, the funds will be pooled and split evenly, however. You can also nab limited-edition growlers designed by Thirsty Merchants, or one of ten numbered Golden Growlers — and there'll be an auction both online and live on the day, with prizes including Brisbane Lions VIP tickets, a stay in Maleny and winning your height in Stone & Wood beer. [caption id="attachment_833283" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brewtide[/caption] Top image: Darren Ward.
Do you want to kick off 2014 with a bang? Do you like your music loud? Do you like to party? If you answered yes to any/all of these then I think I have an event that might interest you. The Fox Hotel is backing up from their New Year's Eve celebration for a beach-themed shindig to ring in the New Year. If your head isn’t too sore from celebrating the end of 2013, then what better way to embrace 2014 than to party some more with some of Brisbane’s best bands. Don’t worry about the heat, as this beach party will be enough to keep you cool. Inflatable pools, Weis Bar cocktails, beer esky’s, fish and chips, live sets from Dune Rats, Go Violets and The Good Sports as well as heaps of disc jockeys – what more could you want or need? Entry is free, make sure you get in early though because this could be the party of the year - and the year just started!
When Valley Hops Brewing was first announced a few months back, we noted that it combined two of Brisbane's favourite current hospitality trends. When this city loves something, it really loves it — and, now that rooftop bars seem to soar over street corner and craft breweries have popped up all around town, it's clear that Brisbanites adore sipping their beverages with a sky-high view and getting our beers straight from the source. Fortitude Valley's new rooftop brewery, Valley Hops sits atop Cloudland — and yes, it was only a matter of time until a venue like this graced Brisbane's skyline. Now open, the leafy brewpub looks like a garden in the sky, towers over Ann Street below and makes its own beers in a two-vessel 15BBL brewing setup. It's also designed to be the Valley's new lofty neighbourhood hangout, complete with brews named after people, places and moments in the the suburb's history. Here, you'll drink those beers that nod to the location — as Valley Hops' name makes plain, that's a big influence — while peering out over the inner-city spot. So, get ready to knock back a light-bodied lager called Diehards, which references the local rugby league team, as well as Exhibitionist tropical ale, Fiesta Mango and Passionfruit sour, Herbalist IPA, Interloper Hazy IPA and 21 Pubs pale ale. Those beers benefit from Josh Warren's (ex-Green Beacon) touch, too, with Valley Hops' Head Brewer adding another local venue to his list. "The Valley's awesome and I'm excited to see people from the community coming up to the rooftop. It feels great to be open, to see people trying new varietals and enjoying the beers," says Warren. "I can't wait to try some new recipes out and see what people like." This might be a brewery, but those yeasty beverages are clearly only part of the attraction. The decor does plenty of heavy lifting, thanks to its blend of metalwork, stone, brick and plants. Vines creep over the metal arbour; wooden picnic-style, booth and high bar seating is peppered around the place; and there's also a large fire pit with built-in benches — not that that'll need much of a workout for a few months. Launching just in time for sunlight summer sessions, Valley Hops also features a bespoke multi-coloured glass leadlight sat behind the entire length of the bar itself — because, from the decor to the view, there's plenty here that catches the eye. Patrons can get up to the brewery via lift, and pair all those beers with woodfired pizzas, skewers from the charcoal grill and cheeseboards, as well as salt and vinegar chicken wings, chicken and spiced cabbage spring rolls and pineapple fritter. The culinary focus is on bite-sized options, with the entire menu designed to be eaten without cutlery. Valley Hops Brewing is now open on Cloudland's rooftop at 641 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley — operating from 4pm–12am Monday–Tuesday, 11am–12am Wednesday and 11am–late Thursday–Sunday.
Native ingredients take centre stage at Ochre, a Cairns institution that has been impressing diners with its creative cuisine for almost 30 years. It's a feast for the eyes, too, as its waterfront location on the Harbour Lights boardwalk offers picturesque views of the adjacent inlet and lush mountains beyond, serving as a reminder of the region's rich and abundant food sources. Take it all in as you tuck into signature dishes like salt and native pepper leaf prawn and crocodile with Vietnamese pickle and lemon aspen sambal; char-grilled kangaroo sirloin with sweet potato fritter, bok choy and a quandong and chilli sauce; and wattleseed pavlova with davidson plum sorbet and macadamia biscotti. The dedication to local is also showcased via the drinks offering, which includes an exclusively Australian wine list with over 30 available by the glass, as well as an impressive selection of Australian spirits.
It was the follow-up that had to happen. The sequel we crossed everything for. After gaining viral status and worldwide applause for her 2013 book Shake, photographer Carli Davidson is back with a brand new series to follow her comical, high-speed images of dogs mid-shakedown. Yep, you guessed it. This time, it's cats. Shake Cats is the brand new book from Davidson, who actually took the photos of cats shaking themselves dry back in 2011, at the same time as taking the Shake dog photos. "I had originally thought I would do cats and dogs in the same book, but looking back I think it was best to give each animal its own book so their unique features could be highlighted," says Davidson. Shooting with Nikon D4s at a very rapid frame rate, this animal-loving photographer shot close to 100 cats for the series, including her own cat Yushi and hectic cat celeb Lil' Bub. Almost all of the cat models are local Portlandians, or from rescue shelters. In addition to the shake shoot, Davidson would get a pretty headshot of the kitty for the rescue shelter to post on their website — and most of these cats were adopted almost immediately as a result. "Taking a good photo of an animal in a shelter can go a long way to help that cat or dog find a home. So much of rescue is done online; people pick out a pet before they even get to the shelter. They fall in love online with an expression, so capturing that personality in a photo is really important." So how exactly did Davidson get those money shots? How do you make a cat shake itself clean (we're pretty sure you're asking yourself this question daily)? Simple, you pamper them like crazy. "Getting the cats to shake was actually more of a grooming process than a waiting game. We basically treated the shoot like a mini grooming session with lots of treats and cat cuddles... Ear cleanings are what generally caused the shake to happen, I just had to be ready." Apparently the cats weren't too hard to wrangle either — apparently they couldn't get enough of the warm studio lights. Cuuuute. It goes without saying that Davidson's tapped into social media's favourite thing, cats and dogs. But this animal-lover sees more in internet kitties than a grumpy face. "Cats are popular because they are awesome, independent thinkers and humans love to worship them. We have been worshipping them as spiritual icons for 10,000 years," she says. "The rise of the cat back into worship status on the Internet seems natural if you look at their historic significance... Cats combat internet negativity with their sheer visual presence." Shake Cats is out now via Harper Design, available to purchase from Booktopia. All images courtesy Carli Davidson with permission.
With music festivals popping up in every corner of the country with frequency, especially in these post-COVID-restrictions times, an event has to be mighty special to warrant travelling intrastate or interstate. Riverboats Music Festival is one such event, and the reason is right there in its name. A mainstay of Victoria's Echuca-Moama region that'll celebrate its 11th instalment in 2023, it usually hosts its fest on the banks of the Murray River — and includes intimate sideshows on the PS Pevensey paddlesteamer. Due to 2022's flooding of the event's usual home at Aquatic Reserve, the 2023 fest is actually moving to Echuca's Victoria Park Reserve when it returns from Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19. But the music on a riverboat part still remains, as ticketed separately. So, you can head to the region for three days of tunes as part of the broader event, spend your time on the river, or mix and match both. Heading the on-land lineup: Marlon Williams, Spiderbait, CW Stoneking & His Primitive Horn Orchestra and The Whitlams, plus The Rolling Stones Revue featuring Adalita, Phil Jamieson and Tex Perkins. That's a whole heap of big-name talent from across Australia and New Zealand right there, and it's just the beginning of the 2023 bill. Also on the roster, and playing the paddlesteamer as well, are Alice Skye, Felix Riebl, Andy Golledge, WILSN, Bones & Jones and Watty Thompson. If you go for the boat option, you'll hear their sets while cruising down the river, in the kind of fest experience you truly don't get at every event. "Echuca-Moama has gone through an incredibly challenging period over the last few weeks, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the recent floods," said Festival Director Dave Frazer, announcing the lineup. "Riverboats has been part of the Echuca-Moama community for over tehn years now, and whilst we're sad to be leaving Aquatic Reserve next year, we can't wait to put on a spectacular show at Victoria Park in a few months time," he continued. If you're keen, the last festival sold out in just six days, so nabbing tickets ASAP is recommended. RIVERBOATS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023 LINEUP: Marlon Williams Spiderbait CW Stoneking & His Primitive Horn Orchestra The Rolling Stones Revue featuring Adalita Phil Jamieson and Tex Perkins The Whitlams Felix Riebl Alice Skye Tami Neilson Thornbird Katy Steele Andy Golledge Band WILSN Bones & Jones Watty Thompson Bud Rokesky MC Brian Nankervis The 2023 Riverboats Music Festival will take place from Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19 at Echuca's Victoria Park Reserve, with tickets on sale now.
If it wasn't for composer and theatre impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, the world of musicals would've looked mighty different over the past half-century. His songs and compositions echo through everything from the Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar to Evita and Cats. (Yes, he's one of the folks who helped the word "jellicle" become lodged in everyone's brains for nearly four decades now.) In short, Lloyd Webber boasts quite the resume — and, while his musicals aren't treading any boards in the present circumstances, they are coming to a brand new YouTube channel called The Shows Must Go On. Starting from April 4, it'll release a different high-profile production each week, with the chosen show playing for 48 hours from 5am AEST each Saturday. And, unlike tickets to Broadway or the West End, these streams are free. It all starts with the 2000 adaptation of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat starring Donny Osmond, Maria Friedman, Richard Attenborough and Joan Collins. The following week, over the weekend of Easter, the 2012 version of Jesus Christ Superstar will be available to watch — complete with Aussie comedian Tim Minchin as Judas and Spice Girl Mel C as Mary Magdalene. And, from April 18, The Phantom of the Opera will hit the stream, courtesy of the 25th anniversary staging of the famous musical. On the channel's penultimate weekend, By Jeeves will be available to watch from Saturday, May 9 till Sunday, May 10. Closing out the shows is Andrew Lloyd Webber's one and only Cats — let's hope this one is less of a catastrophe than last year's nightmarish film adaptation. Starring Elaine Paige and Sir John Mills and an eighty-piece orchestra, Cats will be available to stream from 4am AEST, Saturday, May 16 till Sunday, May 17. Plus, if you're eager to peek behind the scenes, you'll be able to take a gander at backstage footage and clips of famous performances as well. [caption id="attachment_766768" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A scene from Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice @ O2 Arena, London. (Opening 20-09-12) ©Tristram Kenton.[/caption] The Shows Must Go On will release a different production each week for six weeks, with future shows yet to be announced. Top images: Cats; By Jeeves; Jesus Christ Superstar, Tristram Kenton; and The Phantom of the Opera. Updated May 11.
LOU HELLIWELL AND ALEX DE BONIS know that they're awesome. They know, because they found "you're awesome" written on a brown paper bag they got from the aptly-titled Awesome Foundation. It was for their new Oxford Street Design Store which — like the Paper Mill before it — is taking one of the City of Sydney's empty spaces and turning it into a den of art, design and cool, printed stuff. Out back, they're planning for talks, a convention, workspace and even a little education. To get a closer look, Concrete Playground sat down to chat with Alex and Lou, and checked out a typical day in their new shopfront. One of the first nights Lou Haliwell tried to close up the new Design Store, she found herself locked in. The big, heavy roller door out front popped off its runners and fell down loose onto the floor, too heavy for her to lift back up again. There's no back door. I'm stuck. she thought, I have to sleep here. Working it open a little, using a chair, she got outside and began contemplating how on earth she was going to finish locking up. Just then, a young tradie walked by. He demanded, exasperated: "What've you done now?" Lou was bewildered. But, with his help, she got the door lifted back onto its runners. He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and wandered away into the night. She never saw him again, but thanks to him she was able to go home. The weirdest thing in this story is not that he turned up out of nowhere to help out. It's how normal these unsolicited offers of aid have become since Lou and Alex started up the Store. Everybody comes in wanting to do something. And meeting this pair of professional designers in person, it's easy to understand why. Their excitement and enthusiasm about the Store is palpable. You hear them talk about the designers who've turned up to sell things here, or the events they have planned for the venue space out back. You start wanting to help out yourself. Normally the door goes up at midday. Customers wander in, a designer might wander out the back to sketch in the venue space, which is full of desks this time of day (a chair is rented out at $3 an hour, including WiFi). Lou or Alex settle behind the counter. Today it's Alex. Both of them came from the quieter end of town. Alex from Campbelltown and Lou from Leeds, near Manchester, in the UK. They met while they both worked as designers in a well-respected Sydney studio. They found themselves complaining to each other that women's design work here didn't get the respect it deserved. So they decided to do something about it. Starting the blog Tough Titties, they highlighted Australian women's work in art and design. Only last year, they were nervously hosting the blog's first exhibition. Now they have a store. The Store had a similarly casual start. Originally a Secret Garden proposal that got turned down, they read about submissions for the City of Sydney's empty spaces on Oxford Street and decided to send in a submission along the same lines. The City of Sydney loved the idea. It's a first for both. Neither had done blogs before, nor an exhibition, nor retail. This, Alex reckons, is a recurring motif. "Most of the things we've done are a first-time thing." You'd never know that from the quality of their range. T-shirts, posters, jewellery, zines and even local ice-cream fill the showroom. The shop sells things for up to $20, funding its essentially non-profit operation with a 25% commission. The two halves of the shop are divided by a sturdy, see-through cardboard partition. Next to it, a louvred chalkboard along the Store's side wall will soon fill up with the week's upcoming events. At the time of writing, the program was still on the verge of starting. However, there's already talk of getting together a skating film night, Jess Scully from Vivid Ideas is planning to organise fortnightly how-to talks and a Sydney chapter Melbourne's 'un-conference conference', Trampoline, is imminent in April. The idea is to bring the disparate elements of Sydney's art and design communities together, without getting cliquey. Alex puts it more succinctly: "We're like a dating service." While there's already a rush to do and sell things at the Store, getting the practical side of the Store together was a bit harder. The City of Sydney offers a peppercorn rent, a kettle and a little publicity. Their fridge comes from Freecycle, the furniture mostly via Reverse Garbage. Since the Store's not residential, there's no regular garbage pickup. By chance, Alex's boyfriend owns a ute, and takes it to a sympathetic family member's business' commercial allowance. It's not clear how they'd afford it, otherwise. The only grant money they've had was the Awesome Foundation's $1000. All the rest so far is out of their own pockets. It's a precarious existence. By three, a volunteer settles behind the counter. She's Lucinda, a visual communications student. Just then, a guy walks in with arms full of colourful and interesting-looking comics. He wants to sell them here. Alex checks out the comics. The guy turns out to be Leigh Rigozzi, part of Paper Mill poster-workshoppers, the (currently printerless) Rizzeria collective. What does he find most appealing about this kind of store? "That they would actually take my stuff." This afternoon is quiet. Saturdays are the busiest, says Lucinda. Around six, Alex brings down the roller door and gets to work on the day's admin. When she was little, Alex says, she always redrew, in place, the characters and words in her books. Grown up, she wondered: "How can I can I actually make money doing this?" It's a question Alex and Lou both answered with careers in design. Here, they're making it easier for the coming generation to do the same thing.
