"What's for lunch?" It's an all-important question, and one that gets asked almost every day. If you find yourself anywhere near the heart of the CBD come lunchtime with no food in sight, the question has an easy answer: any one of the special lunch deals available at Heritage Lanes. Starting at $15, these lunch deals run until Friday, March 28, so your palate can be satisfied all month long. Whether you're after a quick bite or have the time to spare for a long, leisurely lunch, the many options at Heritage Lanes will cater to whatever whatever culinary needs the day may bring. Not only are the deals excellent value, Heritage Lanes' beautiful outdoor spaces also offer a reprieve from the austere setting of an indoor office. If you're after a midday feast that invites a slower pace of eating, head to Gather for the lunchtime steak special. A premium cut of wagyu can quickly blow out the budget, but Gather are doing a wagyu steak special for $35 that includes a side, your choice of sauce and a house drink too. Only steaks with a marbling score of 6–7+ will be served, meaning you're guaranteed a top-shelf cut every time. If you're after something that's more grab and go and less knife and fork, pick up a Bourdain-inspired mortadella roll that comes with chips and a drink for $15. Meat sandwiched inside bread is a classic combination for a reason — it hits all the macros and is oh-so-satisfying. Should steak or mortadella not quite hit the spot, there's always the option of a roast pork roll or a chicken schnitzel and coleslaw roll from Croatian-Greek fusion spot Frankie's Food Hall. For $15, both combos also include chips and a can of soft drink. At Vietality, the theme continues with traditional pork or chicken banh mis, which are also only $15 and include a spring roll and a beverage of your choice. The special sits alongside a wider menu of fast, fresh and flavourful Vietnamese lunch options. Finally, when it's almost the end of the day and you're ready for a glass of wine, why not go all out and order a cheese board to accompany an after-work tipple? Coming in at $40, Mumbleberry is doing a cheese and wine for two special, which includes a custom selected range of cheese and either Range Life pinot gris or nero. Cheers to happy hour and lunch hour at the same time. Long after lunch is over, if you find yourself hanging around after hours, The Merchant Exchange is Heritage Lanes' all-day venue to head to for after-work drinks and bites. The lunch deals might be over for the day, but a prestige selection of whiskeys are on offer long into the evening. For more information on Heritage Lanes, its venues and its specials, visit the website.
Move over Sunshine Castle, aka Bli Bli Castle: while the family-favourite tourist spot was likely your number-one place to visit in the Sunshine Coast town when you were a kid, the Bli Bli Hotel is here to take that mantle among adults. Opening its doors in late October 2023, the three-level pub not only gives the area a fresh venue to sip drinks, but also features a rooftop terrace with a retractable ceiling. Patrons can get both an indoor and outdoor experience on Bli Bli Hotel's highest level, then, given that the roof can be open or closed. The terrace takes its cues from the Mediterranean, as does the bistro it's attached to. The two spaces also feature decor that gleans inspiration from the Australian bush and North America's Sonoran Desert — so, thanks to designer Diana Challinor, think: an utter lack of stainless steel and chrome, with natural textures, terracotta and sage blue hues, hand-blown glass chandeliers and Aussie bush wallpaper instead — plus a central pink blossom tree that reaches four metres in height. The overall look screams cruisy, relaxed Sunshine Coast vibes, which is Maeva Hospitality's aim. Previously known as Sunshine Coast Hotels, Maeva Hospitality is launching its new name with Bli Bli Hotel, while adding the venue to a slate that covers Parklands Tavern, Brightwater Hotel, Baringa Tavern and The Lakehouse Sunshine Coast. Also behind the spot: the Deery family, which owns both the Story Bridge Hotel and the Woodford Hotel. While the terrace is a clear drawcard, the hotel also features a sports bar, plus a gaming lounge and bar downstairs. The sports bar has its own food menu filled with pub grub-style options, including burgers, rib-eye toasties, nachos, chicken schnitzels and parmigianas, plus sweet potato fries — for starters. Highlighting Australian flavours and local ingredients, and cooking up dishes on a live-fire grill, the bistro and terrace boasts picks such as wood-roasted prawns, smoked ricotta, four kinds of steak, pizzas, smoked lamb shoulder and wok-fried chow fun egg noodles, plus wood-grilled stone fruit for dessert. And for drinks, take a pick from a wine selection that spans ten-plus varieties, many with multiple tipples, as well as a cocktail list with espresso martinis, old fashioneds, margaritas, mojitos and non-boozy sips. Images: Lumea.
When it first launched in New South Wales back 2022, Slim's Quality Burger combined two trends in one: Australia's undying love of burgers and the current affection for all things nostalgic. Started by a trio with knowledge of the burg business, with Michael Tripp, Nik Rollison and David Hales all boasting past ties to the Noosa-born Betty's Burgers and Concrete Co, this chain adores kicking it old school. Think: 50s- and 60s-inspired decor, a throwback vibe like it's operating in America seven decades back, plus classic meat-and-bread combos paired with ice cream sundaes. While Queensland isn't short on places to enjoy burgers, this Aussie brand was always planning on going national — and now it's Brisbane's turn. Head to Kippa-Ring and you'll find the chain's Sunshine State debut, its first drive-in and drive-thru diner, and its first to offer a breakfast menu. Adding a meals-on-wheels component is the latest step in Slim's ode to Americana, as already splashed through its vintage-leaning aesthetic, with features banquettes in cherry read, neon signage, chequerboard flooring and classic light fixtures. On Elizabeth Avenue, customers will find nose-in parking surrounding the eateries — and views into the open kitchen from your vehicle, too. You can also order from behind the wheel via QR code. Hanging out in the carpark afterwards like this is Grease? That's up to you. This chain is all about a lean menu of options made with simple but quality ingredients. Burger-wise, customers can choose between original, cheeseburger, a double and a triple, plus 'the works' burgs, all made with angus beef — and variations of the above with bacon. There's also four different chicken varieties, including with crispy fried or grilled chook, and a veggie option using a plant-based patty. Sides focus on fries either with sea salt, loaded with cheese and grilled onion, or also featuring maple-smoked bacon. As for those sundaes, they come in hot fudge, salted caramel and strawberry flavours. And to wash it all down, there are spiders — because plonking a scoop of ice cream in some soft drink never gets old — plus post-mix soda from the fountain, and chocolate, vanilla and strawberry thickshakes. For those keen on an early-morning Slim's fix, the breakfast offering spans bacon and sausage burgs, steak and egg burgs, fried chicken burgs, works burgs, veggie egg and cheese burgs, hash browns, chia pudding with strawberries and nut-free granola, a full coffee lineup, freshly squeezed orange juice and more.
Brisbane has a new golf hub: South Bank, with Hey Caddy and X-Golf opening on Grey Street. One gets you putting around a mini-golf course, the other will test your swing via a golf simulator. They're both indoors, sharing the same space — and however you like your golf fix, there's also a bar. This is Hey Caddy's second location in Brisbane, after the brand opened its doors in North Lakes in 2022. The putt-putt spot is an offshoot of X-Golf, so they're no strangers to each other. This is also Hey Caddy's third venue in Queensland and tenth nationally — and for X-Golf, its third in the city after North Lakes and Enoggera, eighth in the Sunshine State and 26th in the country. Patrons can now tap, tap, tap their way around 12 holes, then give their swing a try at five simulators. Hitting up the bar, hanging out in the games area, grabbing a bite from the in-house kitchen and watching screens showing sports: that's all offered by the site, too, in what's been badged an "indoor golf-entertainment hybrid". The aim is to cater to all levels of golfing interest, whether you're only interested in having fun with your short game, you'd like to take lessons from PGA-certified coaches or X-Golf's X-League competition — which feeds into venue, state and national championships — gets you excited. Other than playing mini golf, you can hone or show off your skills on virtual greens, of course. While gone are the days when Brisbanites had to head to the Gold Coast to partake in a round of mini golf, Hey Caddy's angle is its themed holes — including nodding to Spain's running of the bulls, busy New York streetscapes, tropical holidays in Bora Bora and the like. When the North Lakes venue opened, it did so with Coachella, Area 51 in Nevada, Miami,, Egypt, Melbourne and Mars all getting a nod. Hey Caddy also themes its cocktails to its courses, which you can enjoy in the al fresco dining area. The hybrid venue features party rooms as well, if that's your ideal way to gather the gang to commemorate an occasion. Find Hey Caddy and X-Golf at 275 Grey Street, South Brisbane — open from 10am–10pm Monday–Thursday, 10am–11pm Friday–Saturday and 10am–7pm Sunday. Head to the Hey Caddy and X-Golf websites for further details. Images: Jacki Gibson.
Mr Laneous gives new meaning to the term 'energetic.' When the West End native and his Family Yah crew come together, musical havoc ensues. Placing the group's punchy melodic chants, reggie rythms, sneaky electro sounds and free form jazz into one category is not an easy fete. Pseudo-indie-hip-hop is one popular interpretation. Music-that-makes-you-skip-and-giggle-with-glee is another. Despite tripping the light fantastic at Big Day Out, Woodford and Sunset Sounds over the summer festival season, the band shows no signs of slowing down. In order to celebrate the release of their new EP Scissors the Family Yah will be packing up their genre-bending groove train and touring the east coast. No rest for the wicked indeed. The 10 piece band will cap off the tour in their hometown of Brisbane, where patrons will bare witness to a chaotic show of new danceable tracks along with old crowd (and triple j) favorites including 'It Only Takes,' 'Bubblegum' and 'Searing Life.' There to add to the ruckus will be MC Tuka, one forth of the Sydney DJ crew Thundamentals and the man behind the 2010 Reggae album 'Will Rap For Tuka.'
Travelling for work isn't always the perk you imagine. When it comes to hitting the road for your day job, you're most likely cooped up inside the four walls of a budget hotel rather than exploring the sights. However, Big4 Holiday Parks has a new competition, The Big Aussie Review, where the winner scores a travel gig that many of us have spent years dreaming about. With applications now open, you've got the chance to become BIG4's official Travel Reviewer, tasked with spending 365 days travelling across Australia. The assignment? Uncover and review the small-town favourites, roadside stops and unexpected moments that turn a good trip into a great one. With one lucky duo — partner or best mate — or family awarded the job, you'll crisscross the country in a Ford Ranger and Crusader caravan, stopping at Big4 Holiday Parks along the way. Travelling from the Top End to Tassie, the brief is simple: capture and produce top-notch video, social and editorial content that inspires Australians to rediscover their own backyard. "Australians don't need a passport to have an incredible holiday," says Big4 Holiday Parks CEO Sean Jenner. "We're a nation that loves a review, and The Big Aussie Review is about shining the spotlight onto the magical stuff and celebrating what makes travel in Australia so special." Oh, that car and caravan we mentioned? Once this year-long adventure is over, they're yours to keep. Plus, your 12-month trip includes petrol costs, weekly food allowances, thousands of dollars' worth of travel equipment, and a car load of content creation gear, including a new iPhone 17 Pro and Starlink satellite internet, so you can keep the world informed about your adventures. Fancy yourself as the next Michael Palin or Jan Morris? The selection criteria are straightforward. All Big4 asks is that you love to travel, can't stop creating content and have a keen eye for spotting the magic in the everyday. To apply, visit the website and upload a 60-second video of yourself reviewing anything that you love, no matter how silly. Applications for Big4 Holiday Parks' The Big Aussie Review are now open. Head to the website for more information.
So, you've found that special forever someone – someone who deals with your drama, puts up with your quirks and shares your passion for all the important stuff, like, say, fried chicken. Well clearly, there's just one thing left to do, and that's to seal the deal at your very own official KFC wedding. Yep – the international fried chicken brand has cooked up yet another idea we never knew we needed and has launched its own wedding service, exclusive to Australia. For real. Fried chook obsessives across the country now have the opportunity to get hitched in finger lickin' matrimony, with KFC already taking applications for its unique service. All couples, regardless of gender, sexual preference or religion, are invited to apply, by summing up their need for a KFC wedding in 200 words. There's no time to waste, though – only six lucky Aussie duos will get a call-up, with the weddings taking place from October 2019 to May 2020. So what's involved in the ultimate KFC nuptials, you ask? Well, you can bank on a KFC-themed wedding celebrant (we assume Colonel Sanders), a KFC photo booth for those all-important happy snaps, music, decorations and customised KFC buckets. And of course, the lucky newlyweds will get to dive into some freshly cooked KFC chicken hot from the KFC food truck. We can only hope the bride will be throwing buckets instead of bouquets and there'll be plenty of wet wipes to go around. It was this time last year that KFC launched a cheeky meditation website featuring the soothing sounds of chicken frying. If you're keen to kick off married life with some secret herbs and spices, you can apply for your own KFC wedding here.
There are plenty of ways to spend the first day of the new year, including nursing the remnants of the previous night's celebrations and getting a head start on all your resolutions. When 2021 farewells us all forever and 2022 kicks into gear, US cable network HBO and Australian streaming platform Binge have another option to keep you occupied: watching the new Harry Potter reunion special. The show was announced earlier in November, and will reteam Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson — because it wouldn't be worth going ahead if they weren't involved. The reason? To celebrate 20 years of the beloved pop culture franchise on the big screen. The special's name, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, says it all. Yes, HBO is doing with all things wizarding what it did with the cast of Friends earlier this year, in great news for everyone that's been chanting "accio more Harry Potter" for the past decade since the eight-film series wrapped up. Like the Friends special, this one won't feature anyone in-character — but, if you're a Potter devotee, spending more time with the movies' stars still promises to be magical. Also taking part is filmmaker Chris Columbus, who directed the franchise's first two movies. Plus, a huge list of other actors from across the series are also involved, including Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman and Tom Felton, plus James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Ian Hart. You'll spot some missing names — Maggie Smith and Robert Pattinson, for instance, to name just two — but clearly there'll be a whole lot of HP cast members reminiscing about their time in the wizarding world. Whether you're a muggle, a wannabe witch, or someone who spent far too much of their childhood reading the books and watching the flicks, you'll want to mark 7.01pm AEDT / 6.01pm AEST on Saturday, January 1 in your diary — as that's when the special will hit Binge. In the interim, you can check out the teaser trailer for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special below — or stream all eight HP flicks on the Aussie streaming service: HBO's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special will be available to stream in Australia via Binge from 7.01pm AEDT / 6.01pm AEST on Saturday, January 1, 2022.
Sometimes, Disney adapts its movies and brands — names like Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar — into theme-park attractions. Sometimes, it makes streaming shows about the rides at its amusement parks as well. And, as happened with Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise and Tomorrowland, sometimes the Mouse House loves the highlights at its parks so much that it spins them out into their own films. Disney already took the latter path with The Haunted Mansion back in 2003; however, the massive entertainment company also adores revisiting its past hits (see: the upcoming live-action versions of Peter Pan & Wendy and The Little Mermaid, plus a whole lot more in recent years). So, it's ticking two boxes with Haunted Mansion, a second flick based on the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom Park and Tokyo Disneyland must-see. Obviously, the overall concept is right there in the name, but the new film's just-dropped trailer provides more story details. This time around, single mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson, Clerks III) and her son (Chase W Dillon, The Harder They Fall) bring in folks who call themselves 'spiritual experts' when they discover that they're not the abode's only residents Cue a cast that also features LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta), Tiffany Haddish (The Afterparty), Owen Wilson (Loki), Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Dan Levy (Schitt's Creek), plus 2023 Oscar-nominee Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween Ends). Plenty of the above names are keen to make some cash offering their services — and some of the movie's stars, such as Jared Leto (Morbius) as The Hatbox Ghost, get spooky. The end result will creep into cinemas in July, with Dear White People and Bad Hair filmmaker Justin Simien directing. And yes, if you want to watch the Eddie Murphy (You People)-starring original movie in the interim, you'll find it — and 2021 special Muppets Haunted Mansion — on Disney+ right now. Check out the Haunted Mansion trailer below: Haunted Mansion releases in cinemas Down Under on July 27.
It's meant to be a relaxing getaway go-to — gathering the gang, hightailing it to an impressive spot, getting into party mode and ignoring all your troubles, that is. But what happens if there's a hurricane, then a power outage, then a series of murders? As new Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad) and Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen)-starring horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies shows, you can instantly forget that all bliss. That's the setup behind this slasher satire, which sees a group of twentysomething friends — and one of the gang's 40-year-old boyfriend — celebrating a big storm. They've got the company, drugs, glow sticks and massive mansion for the occasion, and the party game that gives the movie its title, too. Here's how Bodies Bodies Bodies, the game, is meant to work: everyone picks a piece of paper, one of which marks the person who has it as the murderer. The lights then go out, the victim gets tapped on the shoulder, and everyone starts guessing who's behind it. It's supposed to be fun — but it depends on who the crew's finger is pointing at. Making this on-screen stint of Bodies Bodies Bodies more chaotic is those actual bodies, bodies, bodies, and plenty of blood. As the just-dropped new trailer shows, no one handles the situation well — with the cast also including Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova, Shiva Baby's Rachel Sennott, Generation's Chase Sui Wonders and Industry's Myha'la Herrold. And, playing that two-decades older interloper is Pushing Daisies and Halt and Catch Fire favourite Lee Pace. Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Instinct) directs, and the result looks brutal, wild and hilarious all at once. Something that makes everyone's efforts to survive a murderer a struggle: bickering among themselves, digging up old baggage and not being able to get past their simmering resentments. If you're keen to sleuth (and laugh) along with it, the film will hit Australian cinemas on September 15. And yes, Bodies Bodies Bodies joins a hefty list of recent movies and TV shows that don't find getaways all that enjoyable, including The Resort, Sundown, Old, Palm Springs, The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers. None of the above are also slasher flicks, though. Check out the latest Bodies Bodies Bodies trailer below: Bodies Bodies Bodies opens in Australian cinemas on September 15. Images: Erik Chakeen / Gwen Capistran.
Water. It covers a whopping 71% of Earth and makes up roughly 60% of the human body. After three days, we'd perish without it. It's the universal, life-giving resource that our globe depends on. But as we speak, it's drying up. It's being overused, and due to poor sanitation and pollution, too many people around the world are without access to clean water. This precious resource is under serious threat. The UN estimates that two-thirds of the globe will face serious water shortages by 2025. However, in Australia it's all too easy for us to take water for granted. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia CEO Dermont O'Gorman explains, "Australians understand water challenges due to the droughts and floods that affect our cities and rural communities alike, but might be missing how these challenges are interconnected to these very pressing geo-political issues as well." Photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz has witnessed the people and places already being seriously impacted. Camera in-hand, the 31-year-old documented the crisis across four continents to produce his latest exhibition, Water Stories: The Global Water Crisis in Images. Part of a larger project with the HSBC Water Programme, and in partnership with WWF, Earthwatch and WaterAid, the exhibition aims to approach the world water crisis via images of the people, landscapes and nature affected. "Water Stories shows how people in other countries deal with similar water challenges as us, but also with issues we are lucky enough not to have to face, like access to safe drinking water and sanitation," says O'Gorman. For the exhibition's Australian premiere, we spoke with Mustafah Abdulaziz to learn about five of the images whose stories have left a lasting impression on him. Here, we take you through the powerful scenes captured by Abdulaziz and the meaning behind these global snapshots. BENUE RIVER, NIGERIA. (2015) Sometimes, the significance of a photograph takes time to be revealed. As such, it requires moments of stillness to be fully understood. Captured back in 2015 on Nigeria's Benue River, a man strides across a shallow stream. Abdulaziz sees this shot as the culmination of his project, a simple image encompassing "the painful beauty of lacking". Nigeria's landscape speaks to feelings of absence. The terrain, a vague blur bleeding into the horizon. Consequently the lone figure in the image "is us, pushing through time and our environment, perhaps to get somewhere better or to escape from something worse," says Abdulaziz. Its a complex and provocative shot. Two forces meet, revealing "man and nature... together in this scene, beautiful and contrasting in scale between each other, but nevertheless entwined." CLAUDIO, PARAGUAY RIVER, MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL. (2015) Getting to the guts of a problem means getting your hands dirty. Sometimes, literally. During this shoot in Brazil's Mato Grosso along the Paraguay River, Abdulaziz studied the community of families living alongside this heavily polluted waterway. And for this image, the photographer had to follow the locals right into the depths of the dirty waters. The boy in question here is Claudio, one of the many village kids that swim and play in the murky canal, where initial pollution took place mere metres downstream — a testament to the proximity of the global water crisis to various communities. Portraits like this offer a window into the living, breathing humans implicated by this mess. Most of all, this photograph looks back at us, "staring up at the viewer, our faces and fate half in the water, surrounded by the reality we've manifested: a surface of dull, oily water we cannot escape from," explains Abdulaziz. CHILDREN JOURNEY TO COLLECT WATER, SINDH, PAKISTAN. (2013) It's hard to picture something you've never experienced. For us, running water, the ability to wash daily, drinking from the tap or from chic, minimalistic glass bottles, are all things we can so easily take for granted. For children in Sindh, Pakistan, however, water is the reason they miss school. Instead, they're forced to trek through the desert to find fresh water. These hours lashed by wind and heat are a daily ritual, one which struck Abdulaziz on a deeply personal level. Recalling William Golding's dystopian tale Lord of the Flies, this practice of water collection presented a humbling display of necessity and endurance. These children, like Golding's group of British schoolboys, are forced to fight for survival. Abdulaziz explains, "their personality, dreams and desires are irrelevant in the face of their greater need for water. This is the power that water holds over many." A FISH FARMER CUTS GRASS TO FEED CARP, HUBEI PROVINCE, CHINA. (2015) Undoubtedly one of the world's most vibrant countries, China, its spirit and its rich history are not so easy to capture. Bursting with over 1.3 billion residents, its a place difficult to keep still. However, Abdulaziz managed to do just that, and the result is a photograph that reads almost as an inconsequential moment — an arm covering the face of an anonymous man in an undisclosed location, hardly worth our attention. Such ambiguity is deliberate, Abdulaziz reveals. "I wished to photograph it all as though it was a silent film, where scenes of intensity or drama were muted." And the effect proves to jar and engage the observer. Void of clarity or explanation, the bewildered spectator is forced to decipher meaning and significance for themselves. Abdulaziz sees the image as "a moment between moments, meaningless in itself, but a reminder of something beautiful within the complexity of larger things." This stillness captured is nondescript, an everyday moment in time, but it also reminds how the water crisis is just that, an everyday status for many. DRIED RIVER BED, KANPUR, INDIA. (2014) Humans exist at the heart of the global water crisis. The factors at play vary, but one thing that remains constant is how we'll all be the ones to bear the consequences. The concern for life is fundamentally in question. During Abdulaziz's 2014 trip to Kanpur, this image was taken near the heavily polluted Ganges River, India's largest river and the world's fifth most polluted. What resulted proves to be an exercise in documentation and creative expression, delivered in equal measure. Abdulaziz explains, "there's something post-apocalyptic about the scene, where huge man-made structures rise up from a barren landscape and man himself, small in comparison, clusters together to repair a broken net." An image such as this leaves a mark. It inspired a new tact for Abdulaziz's photography, hoping to capture "a unifying perspective on the intertwining story of water and mankind." Notably for us, it demands conversation and, most of all, a drive towards change. Mustafah Abdulaziz's exhibition Water Stories: The Global Water Crisis in Images showed at Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden from Tuesday, August 15 to Tuesday, September 5. Now, the exhibition moves to Brisbane, opening on Friday, September 15. See Water Stories until Tuesday, September 26 on the South Bank Lower Boardwalk below the Clem Jones Promenade. The exhibition will be illuminated at night.
Kitty Green doesn't just direct films that demand attention; she makes movies where paying the utmost notice to small moments and details couldn't be more pivotal. With her 2013 debut Ukraine Is Not a Brothel, she deployed her documentarian's eye to explore protest group Femen with revealing and probing intimacy. With 2017's bold and unforgettable Casting JonBenet, Green honed in on the minutiae that can swirl around a crime — especially when true crime has become its own genre, sparking non-stop theories even decades later — all while structuring her picture around holding auditions for a film about the infamous case that shares the feature's name. The Melbourne-born filmmaker moved into fiction with 2019's The Assistant, and now stays there with The Royal Hotel. The shift has still seen Green unpacking reality. The Assistant is a #MeToo movie set in a film production company's office where sexual harassment at its head honcho's hands has become distressingly normalised. The Royal Hotel sprang to life after Green watched Australian documentary Hotel Coolgardie, about two Finnish women encountering the worst of Australia's drinking culture while working in Western Australia's Denver City Hotel, with the director then inspired to dramatise the situation. Diving into insidious everyday horrors in topical thrillers: that's Green's fictional niche right now, even with both The Assistant and The Royal Hotel born from facts. Getting three-time Ozark Emmy-winner Julia Garner playing women confronted with problematic gender dynamics and power imbalances in ominous spaces is also her current terrain — as is peering as closely and intently as Green can. "People keep asking about how my background in documentary helps, and I'm not sure it does really," Green tells Concrete Playground about taking her cues from Hotel Coolgardie this time around, and how her time making docos factors in. "I mean, I think maybe it affects what I watch and my references, and what sort of inspires me." "I really like the close stuff. I like movies that are about these tiny moments. That's something you can't really do in documentaries, because have to stay wide because you don't know what will happen. But with a fiction film, you can really hone in on a facial expression or gesture or a glance — these kinds of little moments that can make you know that a woman in that space feels very uncomfortable, but often get missed by the environment at large. So I was able to amplify those moments with a fiction film." The Assistant spends a day in the life of Garner's Jane, lingering claustrophobically in her New York workplace as the junior staffer navigates the impact of her boss' actions, as well as the hostilities engrained in the industry for women in general. The Royal Hotel finds its terrors in an outback pub where backpackers man the bar, with Garner's Hanna and Jessica Henwick's (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) Liv the latest arrivals at the titular mining-town watering hole. In both, unsettling men surround young women doing a job, with The Royal Hotel's male cast reading like a who's who of Australian talent. In her first Aussie-made feature, Green enlists Hugo Weaving (Love Me) as the pub proprietor, with Toby Wallace (Babyteeth), James Frecheville (The Dry) and Daniel Henshall (Mystery Road: Origin) among the regulars. "It's been good to have it back home," Green explains of the film, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, also played Toronto and London, then opened the first-ever SXSW Sydney Screen Festival and the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival. "Honestly, we screened it in the US, in Canada, in Spain and in the UK, and I feel like while they seem to really enjoy it and it seemed to play really well, I think it there's an element, a lot of kind of nuances, that they miss. There's a lot of Australian humour that they don't really pick up on over there." With The Royal Hotel now showing in Aussie cinemas — and The Assistant a must-see since it first arrived a few years back — we spoke to Green about taking inspiration not only from Hotel Coolgardie, how her two fictional features pair well together and the importance of casting, as well as adopting a female perspective on Australia's drinking culture, working Kylie Minogue's 'The Locomotion' onto the soundtrack and the hope to do a third film with Garner. ON BEING INSPIRED TO MAKE THE ROYAL HOTEL AFTER WATCHING HOTEL COOLGARDIE "I was just immediately struck by Hotel Coolgardie, and just the dynamics at play in it. And I had seen Australian drinking culture on film before, but I haven't seen it through the eyes of two young women, foreign women, who didn't understand the rules of it and were trying to make sense of it. So that to me was really interesting and great territory for a film to take place. It became the jumping off point for our screenplay. I worked with co-writer Oscar Redding (Van Diemen's Land), who lives in regional Australia. The two of us threw around a lot of the dialogue and figured it out that way. But mostly it's based on our own experiences of being in pubs and seeing things happen, and stories our friends told us. You basically soak a bunch of things up, it sits in your brain, and then you figure out what you want to use, and what's fun and what works, and what adds to the tension. It's definitely never one thing. It's all come from a few different places, I think." ON THE ROYAL HOTEL'S PARALLELS WITH THE ASSISTANT "You always want a challenge with the next project you take on, but I also liked the idea that I could work with Julia again. It was something I knew could work in a similar way — that is, a character trying to make sense of her environment. But with The Royal Hotel, everything is up. Everything is wilder and weirder and stranger — a lot more noise and craziness. So it was a fun challenge to take on." ON RETEAMING WITH JULIA GARNER FOR THE SECOND FILM IN A ROW "We worked really well together on The Assistant. And often we don't get the biggest budgets in the world, so we have to work quite quickly. So there's a shorthand that we have, we have this ability to communicate — you don't have to discuss things at length. We get each other, in a way, so that really works. So I was hoping to work with her again, and this project, when I saw Hotel Coolgardie, I was like 'ohh this could be a role for Julia which is interesting to me' — putting her in that environment was interesting to me. So yeah, it just fit. I dragged her out here, and she did it, which was great. She was excited about the project. I think landing here, we drove them [Garner and Henwick] straight out to the middle of nowhere, and I think they were a bit freaked out for a moment there. We kind of had to live the movie a little bit. We put them up in pubs nearby our shooting location, so they really had the full experience — which, I think they had a great time, but it took them a second just feel comfortable in the place and figure out who the people were. Yeah, it took a minute, but they really, honestly, they had such a good time, the two of them. They were so happy." [caption id="attachment_927983" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Royal Hotel[/caption] ON CASTING THE ROYAL HOTEL'S MEN "The set was a pretty warm and loving place. When you call cut, it feels very safe. That was something we intentionally tried to create, which was making sure we cast the right men, essentially, to play those roles — who understood the sensitivity of the material. I think we got the right people and it was able to feel good for everyone. We wanted them all to feel a little different. We wanted them all to have their own energy. They all bring something something different. And they're all wonderful and warm and kind lovely people, which was great, too. We knew we needed someone cheeky and young to play Mattie, and Toby Wallace was available and a sweetheart, and understood what we're trying to do. Then James [Frecheville], I'd loved in Animal Kingdom, so it was exciting to get to work with him. And Dan [Henshall] was in Snowtown and was absolutely terrifying, so I knew that he could deliver in terms of Dolly. We have fun with that because I think Australians come to it with that understanding. Americans don't, but they still find him really intense. He's not like that in real life, though. Somehow we convinced them all to say yes, and put ourselves together a lovely group." ON SEEING AUSTRALIA DIFFERENTLY BY EXPLORING THE OUTBACK AND COUNTRY'S DRINKING CULTURE THROUGH THE EYES OF WOMEN "That became the agenda, I guess, in a way, but it wasn't a political thing. It was more just this is a story I want to tell, and this is something I have experienced in ways, and it felt real and it felt honest. It was about getting the right collaborators who understand what you're doing. I know that when we were pitching it around, people wanted more violence, they wanted Wolf Creek, but we weren't going to give them that. You have to just find the right partners that understand the project, and the mission statement, and once you've got the right collaborators, it should fall into place, really, from there." ON AVOIDING TURNING HANNA AND LIV'S EXPERIENCES INTO WOLF CREEK "We were looking at the type of behaviour that's the entry point for sexual violence — like how do we prevent it from ever getting to that point? And so the film is about trying to figure out when you can speak up for yourself, when you can say no before the behaviour crosses the line — just when it's dancing on the line. So the aim of it is to prevent that sort of behaviour from ever happening. If we can be a little more responsive a little earlier, then maybe we can create safer spaces for everyone. Essentially, this is the conversation that we want to have." ON PUTTING THE ROYAL HOTEL'S AUDIENCE IN HANNA'S SHOES "That's what they do really have to. They do that with The Assistant, too. I think a lot of these, it's about the behaviour that gets missed in big spaces like that where there's a lot going on. It can be someone creepy, but other people wouldn't really notice it — but Hanna's character would. So it's giving audiences a glimpse of what it's like to be that person behind the bar who's a little worried and feeling a little uncomfortable and not sure how to express it." [caption id="attachment_927984" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Royal Hotel[/caption] ON A QUINTESSENTIAL AUSSIE PUB AS A SETTING, BACKDROPPED BY THE AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPE "When you're coming to a project, it's about what's the right environment for some drama and some tension, and I think an Aussie pub is a great one. Not only is it for the interior of this pub, and the claustrophobia of it and all these men — there's 60 miners in that pub and two young women serving them, just that kind of dynamic is interesting to me — but also the exteriors, and this idea that they're in the middle of nowhere in the remote setting adding to that tension, and the isolation making it feel a little terrifying. It just was a really great starting point for a story. The isolation really adds to the tension. It's nice to keep a lot of the action in the bar, and to feel that claustrophobia of being kind of trapped in there. But also the idea, that even though they're not claustrophobic outside, it's somehow just as terrifying but for very different reasons. The contrast of the two spaces was really interesting to play around with. I haven't made an Australian film since film school, so it was nice, if I'm going to make an Australian film, to take advantage of the uniqueness of the landscape and play around with that." ON GETTING KYLIE MINOGUE'S 'THE LOCOMOTION' ON THE SOUNDTRACK "It was about going 'if you're going to teach some foreigners about Australia, where do you begin?'. And so Kylie Minogue, swimming in a water hole, seeing a kangaroo — ticking a few of those boxes." ON POTENTIALLY MAKING A THIRD FILM WITH GARNER TO ROUND OUT A THEMATIC TRILOGY "We would love to do a third one. We've just got to figure out what that should look like and how to get that done, and how to make sure it's a little different. If we're going do it again, we need to play around with it. I mean, hopefully we get to get a chance to do it. It'd be great to work with Julia again." ON WHAT GETS GREEN EXCITED ABOUT A PROJECT "It has to feel like something — often it's something like a gut instinct, and it's something that I feel in my bones, like a story that needs to be told. And often it's because I haven't seen it elsewhere, or it's something that I want say. With The Assistant, we were looking at the larger picture — the news was focusing on Harvey Weinstein and we were saying that we want to look at something wider, like at the systemic problem, sexism in the industry, and how that creates an unsafe workspace and contributes to all of that sexual violence. So then with The Royal Hotel, it was looking at, I guess, just looking at my own discomfort in some of those spaces and how we can voice our concerns a little more, and kind of ripping that apart. Generally, it's just something that gets me interested in something [where] I feel like 'oh, I want to say something here'. That's the starting point, and then there's a lot of people involved. It takes a village to get a movie to the screen, so it changes as it goes, but often I go in with the kernel of an idea that I think is interesting." The Royal Hotel opened in Australian cinemas in November 23. Read our review. Images: Neon / Transmission / See-Saw Films.
Fresh off hosting a floating Lacoste tennis court during the Australian Open, Afloat has pivoted from baseline rallies to pit lanes, transforming its Yarra River footprint into the public headquarters for Audi's Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix. Yes, the same floating bar that's served spritzes and Amalfi-core summers is now, temporarily, a motorsport hub. And in case you were wondering how one installs a fleet of race cars onto a floating venue in the middle of the CBD — they were craned in over the Yarra. From Thursday, March 5 to Sunday, March 8, Afloat will become the on-water home of the Audi Revolut F1 Team, complete with a Floating Showroom featuring the team's R26 show car and Audi's 'Crocodile'-liveried R8 LMP — the latter famously winning the 2000 'Race of a Thousand Years' in Adelaide. Expect serious hardware, suspended (briefly) above Birrarung before landing on deck. The activation also includes live Grand Prix screenings across both levels, driving simulators, an interactive "Mission Control" wall, and even a 180-degree spatial film experience via Apple Vision Pro. Outside of the tech and tyres, the usual Afloat energy remains intact, with sunset DJ sets soundtracking the race-week chaos and a themed food and drink lineup leaning into the "refuelling" concept. Walk-ins can access the team experiences, while table bookings remain available for those who'd prefer their motorsport with a side of all-day dining and a guaranteed seat. Audi Revolut F1 Team at Afloat runs March 5–8, 11am–1am daily. For a closer look at what might be Melbourne's most high-octane riverside moment yet, head to Afloat's website. Images: supplied
Knowing that you have a day off work is the kind of news that can make you want to dance. The Triffid agree, which is why their event for Ekka holiday eve is designed to make you move, groove and show off your fancy footsteps. At Dance to Guitars, you'll do just that, with the sounds provided by three of Brisbane's best indie rock DJs. Let Black Amex, El Norto and DJ Fluent JB share their record collections for your partying pleasure as you lose yourself in — and shake your stuff to — an eclectic collection of toe-tapping soul, funk, classic rock, beats, hip-hop, pop and indie tracks.
It's the first Cirque du Soleil show that uses a central stage, placing its action in the middle of the arena, meaning that patrons face each other while they watch. It focuses, fittingly for a circus troupe, on a clown. Corteo is the production in question, and is also already proving a hit in Australia ahead of its 2025 season's arrival — with an extra 25 performances freshly locked in due to demand. When a clown ponders its final farewell, what does it see? This show has the answer. When Corteo initially made its way to the stage in Montreal in 2005, it won over audiences by setting its acrobatic feats within a funeral procession imagined by a jester — a carnival-like parade that muses on humanity's strengths and vulnerabilities — in a space between heaven and earth. Two decades later, it's one of the troupe's most-beloved performances. Cirque du Soleil announced earlier in 2025 that it would celebrating that Corteo milestone Down Under this year — and now that a five-city tour of Australia has just gotten bigger. The production's stints at Perth Arena, Melbourne's John Cain Arena, Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney and Brisbane Entertainment Centre have all been extended by a week, albeit with shows focused around the weekend. Accordingly, Perth will now enjoy Corteo from Friday, August 8–Sunday, August 17; Melbourne between Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 31; Sydney from Thursday, September 4–Sunday, September 14; and Brisbane across Thursday, September 18–Sunday, September 28. Adelaide's dates at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre from Thursday, October 2–Sunday, October 5 remain unchanged. Over its 20 years of life so far Corteo has proven a smash, with over 12-million audience members in 30 countries on four continents seeing it so far. As its clown protagonist conjures up the festive parade that ushers him from this world, attendees witness a poetic yet playful performance — one where the acrobatics are unique, too, and where angels watch over. The show hits Australia after LUZIA was the last Cirque du Soleil production that bounded this way, kicking off in 2024 — and notching up another first, as the Montreal-based company company's debut touring show to feature rain in its acrobatic and artistic scenes. Before that, 2023 saw Cirque du Soleil bring CRYSTAL, its first-ever ice production on ice, Down Under. Cirque du Soleil's Corteo — Australia and New Zealand Tour 2025 Friday, August 8–Sunday, August 17 — Perth Arena, Perth Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 31 — John Cain Arena, Melbourne Thursday, September 4–Sunday, September 14 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Thursday, September 18–Sunday, September 28 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Thursday, October 2–Sunday, October 5 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Cirque du Soleil's Corteo tours Australia from August 2025. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the show's website. Images: Maja Prgomet, Johan Persson and Aldo Arguello.
Putt putt fans of Brisbane — so, everyone in Brisbane — it's time to do the monster mash while you're tap, tap, tapping your way around a mini golf course. This city of ours is home to more than a few places to unleash your short game, but only one of them keeps busting out seasonal theming and giving you a reason to celebrate special occasions with a putter in your hand. At Christmas, the Victoria Park Putt Putt Course gives itself a festive revamp. Mini golf is more fun with reindeer, obviously. At Easter, a candy-themed course pops up — and over Valentine's Day, the venue went big on love. Next, from Friday, September 16–Monday, October 31, Victoria Park is getting into the Halloween spirit. The venue's greens will be getting a spooky makeover and, no, missing a hole in one won't be the most terrifying thing about your next stint on the course. Creepy clowns, zombies, witches, spiders, toxic waste barrels, bones, pumpkins — they're among the frightening things that'll be improving or scaring your short game. If a haunted house was to meet up with a mini golf course, this is what it'd look like. If you went along to last year's Halloween putt putt, you're in for an extra bonus — this year's will have a whole set of new and different decorations, so you won't just be hitting a ball around the same setup. Bookings are essential, with the course open from 6am–10pm Sunday–Thursday and 6am–11pm Friday–Saturday. Fancy a few holes before work? Want to add some fun to your lunch break? Need something to look forward to come quitting time? They're all options. Just remember that it's a family-friendly affair, so you'll likely have plenty of company — and tickets cost $23 per adult. Also, making a visit between Friday, October 28–Monday, October 31 is particularly recommended. That's when Victoria Park is hosting a Wicked Weekend, complete with Altos Tequila slushie margaritas or a non-alcoholic versions, plus added augmented-reality scares.
Recently gone legit, Lost Race Records is a newly established Brisbane label promoting some of the city’s finest anti-pop music. This Saturday, L0st Race is bringing some of Brisbane and Sydney’s best bands together for one big party to celebrate releases from Cobwebbs, Nite Fields, Secret Birds and Dreamtime. Cobwebbs’ All Around sees them move into the darker, more experimental side of hook laden rock 'n' roll with psychedelic guitars, steam-train drums and wash-out vocals. The Nite Fields (Pictured) 7 inch features chiming guitars behind industrial beats, pop-punk vocals and driving bass-lines. Secret Birds’ debut LP shows off their progression from being a wah-weilding jam band into tight synth masters. Dreamtime will also be launching their new album, with heavier riffs and denser melodies. Also on the bill are acts Four Door, Day Ravies, Blank Realm, Greg Boring and more.
When Michael Crichton put pen to paper and conjured up a modern-day dinosaur-filled amusement park, he couldn't have known exactly what he'd done. The author easily imagined the story making its way to the big screen, because the Jurassic Park novel started out as a screenplay. He could've also perceived that a whole film franchise could follow, and that folks would be quoting the movies for decades. And yet, we're guessing that he didn't predict the latest development: a recreation of Jurassic World, the fourth movie in the series, out of Lego. Australians will soon be able to wander through and peer at more than 50 dinosaurs, props and scenes from the 2015 movie that have all been recreated with the popular plastic bricks. They'll be on display at Jurassic World by Brickman, an exhibition that'll hit the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Thursday, April 1–Monday, May 31, then tour the rest of the country. Exactly which other cities Jurassic World by Brickman will head to, and when, hasn't been revealed as yet — but there is plenty for Melburnians and Aussies elsewhere to look forward to. More than six million Lego blocks have been used in the exhibition, to create the four-metre-tall park gates, the lab where the dinosaurs are genetically engineered, those instantly recognisable jeeps, a petting zoo, a heap of creatures and more. Lego dinosaurs are obviously the main attraction, and this event is going big. There'll be a life-sized brachiosaurus that weighs more than two tonnes, a huge tyrannosaurus rex, two life-sized velociraptors (Blue and Delta), and everything from a stegosaurus to a triceratops, too. You'll see some in a baby dinosaur enclosure, encounter some on the loose, and learn how to track them over the exhibition's recreation of Isla Nublar (while using your imagination a whole heap, obviously). If it all sounds rather sizeable, Jurassic World by Brickman will be the largest Lego experience in Australia. And if getting a closer look at Jurassic World sounds a little familiar, you might remember the non-Lego exhibition that hit Melbourne back in 2016. Lego aficionados will also be able to get building while they're there, with 2.5 million bricks to play with. Obviously, this'll be a family-friendly affair, so expect to have plenty of small dinosaur fans for socially distanced company. Jurassic World by Brickman makes its world premiere in Melbourne and, after hitting up the rest of Australia, will also tour globally. And if you're wondering when you'll next see a Jurassic World flick on the big screen, Jurassic World: Dominion — the followup to 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — is due to release in June 2022. Jurassic World by Brickman will display at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Thursday, April 1–Monday, May 31, before touring the rest of the country — with other stops around Australia yet to be announced. Tickets for the Melbourne run go on sale at 10am AEDT on Thursday, March 11.
Eurovision might be known for synth, synth and more synth, but Australia isn't one to bust out the usual Europop tunes. When you're a country outside of Europe that competes in the huge song contest, you want to make a splash for something other than geography. 2023 saw Perth synth-metal band Voyager bust out a pop-metal tune, for instance. In 2024, Electric Fields are representing the nation with 'One Milkali (One Blood)', which features the language Yankunytjatjara from the Anangu peoples. Yes, May is here, which means that Eurovision is here. And, so are the latest batch of earworms that'll get a spin on the Eurovision Song Contest stage in Malmö, Sweden — the host for this year after Loreen's 2023 win for 'Tattoo'. This is Christmas for pop songs belted out competitively in a glitzy ceremony filled with eye-catching outfits. The 68th Eurovision Song Contest will kick off at 5am AEST on Wednesday, May 8, which is when Electric Fields will take to the stage in the hope of making it through to the grand final on Sunday, May 12 (which is again at 5am AEST). For newcomers, Eurovision started back in 1956 as a competition between a mere seven nations. Now, almos seven decades later, it's a glitter-strewn and spandex-fuelled global musical phenomenon. Thirty-seven countries not only in Europe but from elsewhere will compete in 2024 — hello Australia — and viewers tune in en masse to watch, sing along and add new pop tunes to their queues. Australians keen to tune in will be directing their eyeballs to SBS, with the broadcaster's usual annual celebration of all things Europop returning for another round. 2024 marks 41 years of the network showing Eurovision, in fact. When Electric Fields play their track, they'll be up against performers from 14 other countries — including Silia Kapsis, who was born and raised in Sydney, has Greek and Cypriot heritage, and is representing Cyprus with the song 'Liar'. Other competitors across both the contest actor and singer Olly Alexander (It's a Sin) for the UK; Austria's Kaleen, who has been Eurovision's stage director before and now gets her shot behind the microphone; Aiko, the first Czech artist to feature on Times Square's screens; and 5MIINUST x Puuluup, teaming up pop and zombie-folk for Estonia. There's also the 90s-style Finnish sounds of Windows95man; Germany's ISAAK, who started as a street musician; Hera Björk, who represented Iceland in 2010; and Belgian singer and actor Mustii — and the list goes on. If Electric Fields makes their way through to the grand final — with only 21 acts making the cut, and France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Sweden automatically guaranteed spots — you'll also want to get up early on Sunday, May 12. Or, even if they don't, that's when this year's winner will be anointed. Of course, for those who can't tear themselves out of bed before it's light and can somehow manage to avoid the internet and social media, both semis and the grand final will also screen in primetime on the same dates. Electric Fields, aka vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboardist Michael Ross, are making history in their use of Yankunytjatjara, which will be heard at Eurovision for the first time. The pair are performing with guest vocalists Brendan Maclean, Alyson Joyce and Simi Vuata, and are accompanied by Fred Leone on the yidaki. When you're watching their performance, as well as the rest of the event, SBS' usual local hosts Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey will once again be leading the Australian coverage. This year, Courtney Act joins in from behind the scenes at Eurovision. If you can't decide whether to beat the sun or wait and host a party at sensible hour, it's worth remembering that Australians can indeed vote for Eurovision, but only until around 15 minutes after the last song is performed in each live semi-final broadcast and about 25 minutes after the last track ends in the grand final. Voting is open to everyone in all finals — whether you're from a country participating in that final or not — and the artists who get through from the two semi finals to the grand final will be solely chosen by the audience at home. Still remaining the same: the rule that says Australians can't actually vote for Electric Fields, because no one can vote for the country they represent. Eurovision 2024 Broadcasts: LIVE BROADCASTS: Semi final one: 5am AEST on Wednesday, May 8 on SBS and SBS on Demand — featuring Electric Fields Semi final two: 5am AEST on Friday, May 10 on SBS and SBS on Demand Grand final: 5am AEST on Sunday, May 12 on SBS and SBS on Demand STREAMING REPLAYS: Semi final one: from 8.30am AEST on Wednesday, May 8 on SBS on Demand — featuring Electric Fields Semi final two: from 8.30am AEST on Friday, May 10 on SBS on Demand Grand final: from 10.30am AEST on Sunday, May 12 on SBS on Demand TV ACCESS ALL AREAS BROADCASTS: Semi final one: 7.30pm AEST on Friday, May 10 on SBS — featuring Electric Fields Semi final two: 7.30pm AEST on Saturday, May 11 on SBS Grand final: 7.30pm AEST on Sunday, May 12 on SBS SBS' Eurovision 2024 coverage runs from Wednesday, May 8–Sunday, May 12. For more information, head to the broadcaster's website — and for more information about Eurovision, head to the event's website. Images: Alma Bengtsson / Sara Louise Bennett.
At the beginning of 2020, Netflix announced news that no fan of The Crown wanted to hear: that, when the royal drama's fifth season hits the streaming service, the show will come to an end. While the revelation didn't mean that the popular series would be finishing up anytime soon — the series' third season only released via Netflix last November — it did cut short creator Peter Morgan's original six-season plan. It also meant that The Crown's storyline probably wouldn't venture too far into the 21st century. Six months is a long time in the entertainment world, though (and it seems even longer during a pandemic, as we all know). Having a change of heart, Netflix has now announced that The Crown will carry on for a sixth season after all. When it airs — after season four and five hit the streaming platform, obviously, so likely still a couple of years away — it really will mark the end of the series. https://twitter.com/NetflixUK/status/1281225790991020032 In a Netflix tweet, Morgan explained the change of plans, noting that "as we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons". That means that viewers will watch one more season with Oscar-winner Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, before seeing Downton Abbey, Maleficent and Paddington star Imelda Staunton — an Oscar nominee for Vera Drake, and known for playing the Harry Potter franchise's Dolores Umbridge — don the titular headwear for seasons five and six. Of course, Colman herself took over from season one and two star Claire Foy. With the fourth season in the works at the moment and set to take place during Margaret Thatcher's time as Britain's prime minister — and feature Princess Diana, who'll be played by Pennyworth's Emma Corrin — the fifth and sixth seasons are then expected to follow the Queen as the 2000s arrive. And, while Netflix hasn't unveiled the entire roster of actors that'll be joining Staunton in the show's final two batches of episodes, it has revealed that Princess Margaret will be played by Staunton's Maleficent co-star and Phantom Thread Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville. She'll take over the role from Helena Bonham Carter (in seasons three and four) and Vanessa Kirby (in seasons one and two). In case you haven't watched The Crown's third season yet, check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXYfgpqb8A The Crown's fourth season is expected to hit Netflix towards the end of 2020 — we'll update you with exact details when a specific release date is announced. Via Variety. Image: Des Willie / Netflix
When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one has just arrived in Australia. This is the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous piece arriving in Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series. Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean. [caption id="attachment_927829" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] The nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that Bourgeois is best known for is currently on display on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of NSW, towering over the historic South Building. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider". If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? is running at the gallery from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024, boasting 120 different works — the most comprehensive exhibition of Bourgeois's work ever to grace a gallery in the Asia Pacific. [caption id="attachment_927824" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation of Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] "Bold artists inspire art museums towards new approaches," said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand. "I am proud that Bourgeois' art has inspired an exhibition that is itself exploratory and fully exploits the dramatic potential of our expanded art museum to reveal the ceaseless exploration of life's extremes that characterised her work." "This ambitious exhibition is like none other presented at the Art Gallery, and we are very proud to bring this unique experience to Sydney this summer." The Bourgeois exhibition is on display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors will see her Arch of Hysteria work down in the gallery's underground Tank, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between. [caption id="attachment_927827" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker. Alongside the display of art, there will be a free film series curated by the AGNSW's Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd. A heap of Louise Bourgeois' favourite flicks will be screened at the gallery's cinema, including 1958's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1971's Harold and Maude, David Lynch's Eraserhead, John Waters' Pink Flamingos and The Wizard of Oz. [caption id="attachment_927832" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, courtesy of Roadshow PPL[/caption] [caption id="attachment_927830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] [caption id="attachment_927831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] [caption id="attachment_927826" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? runs from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney. Head to the gallery's website for more information and to purchase tickets. Top image: installation of Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.
Both Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement will be present when Flight of the Conchords make a long-awaited, eagerly anticipated return to television — as part of a one-off live special filmed during the duo's recent sold-out tour. Announced earlier in 2018, Flight of the Conchords: Live at the London Apollo has now been given a US airdate, with the special screening on HBO in America on Saturday, October 6. As the name really does makes plain, it was recorded in the UK, where Flight of Conchords took their show on the road in March and then returned in late June and early July, following a forced break after McKenzie broke his hand. Yes, it'll be business time, Bowie will be in space and no one will have hurt feelings. Fans can expect to hear the classic tracks that everyone has had stuck in their heads since the folk parody pair's TV series aired between 2007 and 2009, of course, as well as a few new songs. It's also a case of Conchords almost coming full circle, with nabbing a spot on HBO's One Night Stand in the mid-00s one of their big breaks. Just when and where the new special will appear on TVs outside of the US has yet to be revealed, but in the interim, check out the date announcement video featuring McKenzie and Clement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLZQfnFyelTBOQ15kmHSgEbdjzLMWzZpL7&v=xz_-9PlcouE
There's nothing overtly amusing about Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in Phantom Thread. As '50s-era London dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock, he's tenacious in his attitude but delicate in his approach, inhabiting the demanding, obsessive and fastidious figure to absolute perfection. And yet, there's a joke behind his character that says much about this meticulous, mesmerising melodrama. In trying to find a name for the protagonist in their second big screen collaboration, Day-Lewis and There Will Be Blood writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson were simply trying to make each other chuckle. Mission: accomplished. Similarly, Phantom Thread isn't a film that drips with laugh-out-loud humour, but the comic origins of Woodcock's moniker — and their contrast with the movie's tense and refined air — really couldn't be more appropriate. Far removed from his last wander through the ups and downs of romance in Punch-Drunk Love, here Anderson plunges into the depths of a dark, difficult and devious love story. That said, given the story concerns a volatile couple who turn power plays and tussles for control into an intense form of foreplay, it's only fitting that he imbues proceedings with a sly, mischievous streak. When Woodcock first encounters Alma (Vicky Krieps) in a countryside restaurant, it seems a simple case of sophisticated man meets shy young woman; of opposites attracting in familiar circumstances. While he usually only has room in his life for his work, his no-nonsense sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) and his dead but never forgotten mother, Woodcock is drawn to the clumsy waitress, as she is to him. But it soon becomes clear that his designs on their relationship aren't the same as hers. Though he's fond of having a live-in muse, dress model and sometime lover, despite appearances she's not the type to meekly bend to his moody whims. With Cyril ever-present, the House of Woodcock soon starts to unravel — something that'd never happen to one of the high-end frocks his ceaselessly fusses over, obviously. Every textile metaphor you can think of applies to Phantom Thread. It's a film that's carefully woven from the fabric of human urges, teeming with hidden layers and positively bursting at the seams with emotional detail. It's also one made by the finest possible craftspeople, with Anderson and his three stars fashioning the cinematic equivalent of haute couture. In a role he says will be his last, three-time Oscar-winner Day-Lewis shows just why that's such utterly devastating news for audiences and the acting profession alike. Matching him immaculately are Krieps and Manville. Think of the former as the intricate beading that attracts the eye on an already breathtaking gown, and the latter as the painstaking stitching attentively holding everything together. As for Anderson, the filmmaker behind Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Master sews another unique patch into his filmography. Making a movie about a perfectionist dressmaker, he's as exacting as Reynolds — and possesses the same eye for exquisite beauty in a film he shot on 35mm himself. Marvel at the way he infuses the household's breakfast routine with palpable tension over something as routine as buttering toast, and try to tear your gaze away from his stunningly framed images and the exceptional frocks within them. Even the ornate wallpaper manages to captivate. Anderson again finds his musical match in Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, who provides the equally effective, darkly seductive score. Sensuous, evocative and completely entrancing, if the end result was a garment, you wouldn't want to take it off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCYB28iknIM
If you've got the itch for a bit of outdoor adventure, you're in for a treat. Last year, we reached out to you, dear readers, to share your favourite camping spots, and after a year of exploring, we were due for some fresh ideas. So, in partnership with The Bottle-O, we've pulled together a whole new list of standout camping spots that were submitted by Concrete Playground readers. Whether you're into beachfront bliss, rainforest retreats, or bushland beauty, there's something for everyone. Grab your mates, pack up the car, stock up on good-value booze from The Bottle-O and get set for your next adventure in the great outdoors. [caption id="attachment_943842" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Millstream Chichester National Park, Canva[/caption] Miliyanha Campground, Millstream Chichester National Park, WA Our first suggestion takes us to the wild west, where the red dirt meets clear blue skies. Miliyanha Campground in Millstream Chichester National Park is an absolute gem. Reader Bruce reckons it's the ideal spot for some 'twitching' aka bird-watching. "Miliyanha is a perfect spot for a bit of twitching. There are lots of raptors, rainbow bee-eaters, blue-winged kookaburras, and the local hills kangaroos, and if you're lucky, you might spot a quoll!" It's a fairly remote campsite so don't check in without swinging by The Bottle-O first. Because what's a camping trip without a well-stocked cooler and some primo local vino? Closest The Bottle-O: Karratha [caption id="attachment_943841" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Freycinet Beach Landscape, Chris Putnam[/caption] Friendly Beaches, Freycinet National Park, TAS Let's head south to the Apple Isle where the beaches are as pristine as they come. Freycinet National Park boasts not one, not two, but several top-notch camping spots. From Friendly Beaches (Isaacs Point) and Richardsons Beach to Honeymoon Bay and Ranger Creek, you're well and truly spoilt for choice. Reader Sarah swears by the beachfront camping experience: "Nothing beats falling asleep to the soothing sound of waves crashing against the shore at Friendly Beaches. It's my go-to campground all year round." Swing by The Bottle-O on your way to grab a bottle of Tasmanian-made whisky for a special seaside nightcap. Closest The Bottle-O: St Helens [caption id="attachment_943836" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cape Tribulation, Emil Rasmussen[/caption] Noah Beach, Cape Tribulation QLD Head north to the tropics where the world's oldest rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef. The Daintree Rainforest is the largest in Australia and is home to flora and fauna you can't find anywhere else on earth. Tucked beneath the canopy of Daintree National Park, it provides the ultimate escape from the rat race of city life. Our reader Gavan recommends Noah Beach camping area in Cape Tribulations as the best spot for a digital detox: "Just you, the wildlife, and the sounds of the rainforest". How good. For all your beverage-in-paradise needs, The Bottle-O has you covered so stop into the Mossman store before you head into the Daintree National Park. Closest The Bottle-O: Mossman [caption id="attachment_943840" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jervis-Bay, Cyril Cayssalie[/caption] Honeymoon Bay, Jervis Bay, NSW In New South Wales, about three hours south of Sydney, we find ourselves in stunning Jervis Bay. With crystal-clear waters and famous white sands, it's a cracking location for swimming, snorkelling or just lazing about in the sun. The choice is yours, and they're all good. Our Instagram follower Kylie is a sucker for Honeymoon Bay campground: "All of the beaches around Jervis Bay are fab, but Honeymoon is my favourite. Cheap, cheerful and ideal for snorkelling." You'll need to bring everything with you (and take it all when you go to keep this spot so awesome), and that includes all your drinking water and cooking supplies. Hit up The Bottle-O to fill your esky with ice and all your go-to drinks for evenings around the campfire as the sun sets across the beach. Closest The Bottle-O: Oak Flats [caption id="attachment_943839" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Grampians, Halls Gal Drive, David Burke[/caption] Smith's Mill Campground, The Grampians, VIC Last but not least, we head to the heart of Victoria's Grampians National Park. Smith's Mill Campground near Halls Gap is the perfect base for exploring everything that this amazing Aussie destination offers — just be mindful of the local emus. Our reader Mike places this campground above all others: "Smith's Mill is right around the corner from Mackenzie Falls, an ideal spot for a splash on a hot day after trekking up Pinnacle Walk for the epic views. There's a bush shower at the campground if you miss out." Again, make sure your esky is fully loaded by making a pit stop at The Bottle-O for all your beverage needs as this is a remote spot. Closest The Bottle-O: Sebastopol Wherever the road leads you on your weekend adventuring, find your nearest The Bottle-O and stock up on some standout bevs. Ready to start planning? Head to the website. Top image: Canva
If were a kid in Australia over the past four decades, your birthday probably wasn't complete without a butter cake mix, vienna cream icing and some lollies. Thanks to The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book, that combination has long been the stuff of youthful dreams — and yes, you probably begged for it to be served in various creative shapes and configurations at all of your childhood birthday parties. We all know the book in question. Even when we were months and months away from next blowing out our candles, we all pored over pictures of its cakes for hours and hours, studiously planning which one we wanted next. And, we all should have a copy of that beloved tome on our shelves now; however, you'd best save some room for its new companion. Get ready to bake your way through the Allen's Party Cake Book, a collaboration between the sweet brand The Australian Women's Weekly that reimagines a heap of the cakes we've all grown up loving with Allen's lollies. To answer your number one question, yes, the famed train cake is included. There are 38 cakes in total, obviously all featuring plenty of Allen's lollies — think: snakes, freckles, bananas, strawberries and cream, raspberries and more — in a big way. That's reason enough to bake a cake, naturally. If you're currently in lockdown, consider it an excuse to treat yo'self to something tasty. And if you need another reason, the book has been released to celebrate Allen's 130th birthday, so you can get mixing and baking to commemorate the occasion. To nab a copy of the Allen's Party Cake Book, you'll need to head to Coles, where they're available for a limited time while stocks last. Because you'll need lollies for all of the recipes, you'll get a copy of the recipe book for free when you buy three Allen's or Bakers Choice products in one transaction. The Allen's Party Cake Book is available from Coles supermarkets while stocks last.
Gold Coast. It's all about the glitz and the glam, the rock and the roll, the bikies and the meter maids, the sun and the surf. Underneath the media hype is a fast-growing city, and the sleepy holiday town of the 1950s isn't riding its now-trashy party vibe any longer. In the city's coming-of-age it's developed a taste for the finer things: whisky on the rocks, organic sourdough bread and rich mahogany. We've compiled a guide to the best of each suburb plus where to have a good time. It's time to reclaim your weekends and take a mini-break to the GC. Surfers Paradise: know where to look There are a two reasons why Surfers Paradise has been somewhat abandoned by locals: (1) It's mostly ugly; (2) Tourists are annoying. But the truth is that tourists frequent the obvious spots on the main drag, and the hidden gems in Paradise are a well-kept secret by locals. For a killer night out, and if you don't like non-stop hip hop, try elsewhere for some indie-music fun, Swingin' Safari for a laidback retro vibe or Black Coffee Lyrics for their craft beers and excellent cocktails. QT Gold Coast: stay in paradise Coming from out of town, the place to stay is QT Hotel. QT have taken the staleness of a hotel, thrown the retro and interior designer stick at it and created a fun oasis that you'll never want to leave – and the good news is that you don't really have to. QT boast Stingray, an uber-trendy bar packed with the coast's beautiful and classy 20 to 30-somethings until curfew; Bazaar, the buffet your dreams are made of; SpaQ, the luxe day spa that leaves others in the dust; and of course, the hotel pool, with its own inbuilt bar. You can even view Justin Bieber's 'art' while here. Broadbeach: for the good times Broadbeach has been treading on Surfers' toes while now, and it's worth embracing the suburb's scene whole-heartedly. To make a Brisbane comparison, cross South Bank with Fortitude Valley and you have modern-day Broadie – the mecca for all things restaurants, bars and nightclubs. For a cheap eat, head to Cha Cha Japanese – there is a good reason this place is always packed; for tapas and a drink with friends – Social is the obvious meeting place; and for a seafood feast or Italian extravaganza try Broadbeach classics Bugzies and Marios, respectively. Nightlife: our top picks A hit venue needs the golden trifecta and Stingray Lounge in Surfers Paradise meets the criteria. Packed to the brim with locals on weekends, this place is all class oozing good vibes, a suave, well-dressed crowd, and regular beverage prices. We'll drink to that. Meanwhile Broadbeach is buzzing with its own nightlife club scene – the Oriental-inspired East, non-stop dancing at Platinum and a classic club vibe at Love. Ladies, often heading to Lil Sister Bar first will gain you free entry to Platinum. Nobby Beach: on your bike Between Broadbeach and Nobby the land is pretty flat, and with the beach on the doorstep expect to see throngs of pastel-coloured beach cruisers sweep by. Down near the water next to the surf club is BSKT cafe. They serve up all sorts and cater to those only eating coyo, bee pollen and kale. Along the GC Highway is the main Nobby's strip and here you'll find tapas bars, boutique stores, The Smoothie Shack (yeah, that one the bikies love - live a little) and the famed Hellenika greek restaurant. Miami: find the arts scene Rabbit + Cocoon is the story of an industrial warehouse turned arts precinct. Two girls with a vision have created an arts space filled with studios, exhibitions, live music, a cafe, markets and its own radio station. Best of all, Miami Marketta is a monthly fiesta held on the second Friday of each month stacked with art, design, music and food stalls. Also tucked away in Miami is Paddock Bakery, the coasts newest place to be seen. Pop by early to score a semi-sourdough doughnut a.k.a heaven rolled in sugar. Devour slowly with a coffee, repeat. Hinterland: head out the back The coast isn't just all about the beach. Besides the theme parks, out the back of the Gold Coast is adventure waiting to be had. Take a trek through the rainforest to the Purling Brook Falls, visit the beauty of Natural Arch and stop by 'Best of All Lookout' (name don't lie) at Springbrook National Park. Do the tree top walk at O'Reilly's and climb up above the canopy, and visit an alpaca farm at Lamington National Park. Burleigh Heads: the new heart The rejuvenation of Burleigh Heads started with a few trendy coffee shops, then a few trendy boutiques and now a hive of trendy bars – and with it came extra facial hair, fixies, #superfoods, tapas and craft beer. When you're done swimming at the beach pop by the fruit shop on James St for one of those juices topped with fruit everyone has before wandering the stacks of boutiques. Grab lunch at The Pocket, wash it down with beer at Ze Pickle, Bin 12 or Justin Lane and continue on here after dark. Dinner calls for something more substantial than hops and yeast, head to The Fish House for seafood like no other. Shopping: retail therapy Brisbane and the Gold Coast have a bit in common — in each James Street is known as a great place to shop. While the Burleigh Heads version mightn't have the designers that Fortitude Valley boasts, its simple mix of fashion, swimwear, homewares and gourmet food with a beach vibe is the perfect mix for a day out. Also in Burleigh (and now Paradise Point), The Village Markets have become somewhat of a staple on the calendar. The markets are known for their quality hand-made goods, vintage clothing and up-and-coming designers. For men, Alfred's Apartment in Mermaid Beach is a must-stop. Both a retail store, barber and outdoor diner, Alfred's knows what's cool – them. Currumbin/Palm Beach: life's a beach Palm Beach and Currumbin have managed to sustain that small-town vibe the other beachside suburbs lack. Fifth Ave, Palm Beach, is home to Pablo Pablo, My Giddy Aunt and Genki Cafe, with Lost second-hand furniture across the highway. Not far away, The Office bar and eatery and Little St Kilda Cafe have a devout following. In Currumbin, enjoy breakfast from the top floor of The Beach Shack, or grab a beer at Vikings Surf Club for panoramic beach views. Climbing Elephant Rock for your own Titanic moment is also a must. But if adventure is more your call, The Boat Shed will hire you kayaks or more to cruise up and down Currumbin Creek.
When a celeb chef owns a suburban cafe, it's usually assumed that it will be their name on the website and the menu, but it would be super-rare to actually see them. Not so at Billykart Kitchen in Annerley, where Ben O'Donoghue is on deck in the open kitchen and running service like the seasoned pro he is. It's a refreshing sight to see your brekky being dished up by one of Australia's beloved television kitchen captains. Snuggled away in the leafy 'burbs, Billykart brings the foodie trend to an area otherwise devoid of chic culinary delights and a carefully curated caffeine injection. The fit is impressive with a soft, pastel green paint job, casually mismatched tables and varied paraphernalia harking back to the old-fashioned local store origins of the building. Flowers and fresh produce are dotted around the shop, reassuring you that your meal is a close to the farm as humanly possible. The menu has a little something for everyone. Breakfast is everything from the classics such as (perfectly) poached eggs and succulent double smoked bacon ($6 for eggs, $4.50 for sides), to fusion Aussie-Asian eggs with prawns, chilli and more bacon ($18.50). Lunch is an even more varied affair, boasting pulled pork shoulder ($17), antipasto plates ($16.50) and even sushi ($18.50). And on Friday nights, they open up to a constantly changing, themed menu, opening the minds of diners to new ways of thinking about food. The coffee is pretty darn good, for a busy cafe. They've taken a great path by choosing a beautiful La Marzocco machine and Campos coffee, and the baristas pump out the wake-up juice with attention paid to quantity, quality and consistency. It's no Bean, but it's impressive for a packed out 80-seater. It's good to see that Billykart are also hell-bent on employing the younger generation, as well as the hospitality veterans in the area. There are a few school-aged youngsters knocking about in the kitchen, as well as uni students dashing about on the floor. The next wave of restaurateurs has to come from somewhere, and training up under a guy like O'Donoghue is a pretty great place to start. All in all, Billykart Kitchen lives up to the celebrity chef's reputation. The vibe is chilled, the waitstaff are competent and friendly, and the food is spot on. It's a bit of a trek from the inner-city (give Annerley 10 years and it will be inner-city too), but who couldn't use a breakfast-based trip to the 'burbs every now and then?
There's never a bad time of day to visit Blockhouse Nundah. Just don't expect the cute cottage on Ryans Road to provide the same experience morning, noon and night. While breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served up every day of the week, the new venture from Angel and Oliver Markart and Jerome Dalton — the former best known as the owners of Redcliffe's Workshop Cafe, and the latter the man behind Dalton Hospitality — changes not only its menu but its vibe over the course of its opening hours. That's quite the ambitious offering for a suburban eatery, but as the glistening decor of wooden floors, a black-tiled bar and leather-padded timber stools attests, Blockhouse is certainly aiming high. First up is brunch-style "Toast & Oats", as best enjoyed in the sunny courtyard. As far as their early-in-the-day choices go, a baguette topped with a ham hock and green pea puree has to be one of the most unusual, but we're sure it tastes as delicious as it sounds. Then, when it gets dark, head inside for fine dining and a well-stocked drinks list. That means duck crackling share plates, blackened beef brisket for two to four, and Eton mess for dessert, among other tasty dishes, plus a choice of 25 types of champagne — or their signature Killer Bee espresso martini cocktail.
As with most DC universe superhero stories, Wonder Woman isn't aiming for lofty heights. Which is probably a good thing, because it hits right in the middle. We saw the superheroine appear briefly in Batman vs. Superman, where she was far and away the best part of the film. Now, in her origin movie, we get to see where she came from. Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, or Princess Diana of Themyscira (Gal Gadot), is raised on the secret island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons. When American soldier Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) washes up on their island, Diana defies her mother Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) by freeing him, before setting out to help humanity escape from, what she infers must be, the wicked influence of Ares the God of War (the Amazons are supposedly tasked with protecting humanity from Ares, although they seem to mostly just chill on their island). Diana and Steve sail to London in a dinghy, and travel to the front of World War I to find the wellspring of evil and end the war. Rollicking adventures soon ensue. As a narrative, Wonder Woman leaves plenty to be desired; a standard hero's quest but without elegance or depth. Words like 'love' and 'innocent lives' and 'protect humanity' are thrown around until they lose all meaning – although apparently, German soldiers do not count as humanity since the film sees them slaughtered in droves. The horrific trench warfare of WW1 is once again co-opted as gritty texture in an otherwise textureless film. Director Patty Jenkins manages to tick all the boxes of the worn out genre: fast-paced fight scenes, goodies versus baddies, a smattering of humour and a dramatic final showdown. If you're into caped crusaders, Wonder Woman is still probably worth your time. It's also good to see a superhero film with a strong female cohort – Gadot in front of camera, Jenkins behind, an island full of Amazonian warriors, and Elena Anaya playing the wicked Doctor Poison. And yet it's still basically impossible to call Wonder Woman a feminist film. For all the buzz about female empowerment, the movie falls prey to the same tired, sexist tropes that define all male-dominated movie franchises. We're talking blatant objectification, lack of agency, and outdated stereotypes. Diana is superhuman, with a whip that compels truthfulness and magic wrist guards that deflect bullets. She speaks over a hundred languages and has literally been raised from birth on an island surrounded by fierce fighting women. And yet everywhere she goes, she's greeted with comments about how smokin' hot she is. Can you imagine anyone doing that to Batman? Steve Trevor helps her off a boat and steers her through the streets of London with a possessive hand on her arm. He bosses her around. The men in her ragtag gang see her destroy a church and flip over a tank, but they don't quite believe she knows what she's talking about when it comes to strategy. They simply refuse to let her infiltrate the gala seething with German high command. At the end of the day, the woman is saddled with the same old shit – just as a protagonist and not a one-dimensional narrative device. At the end of the day, if you're just looking for another superhero flick, Wonder Woman should suit you just fine. But if you were hoping to see something revolutionary in terms of the representation of women, prepare to be bitterly disappointed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q8fG0TtVAY
So many places to visit, only so much cash in the bank. When Australia starts to reopen its borders both domestically and internationally, that's the situation we'll all face. So, if you're looking to save some money on airfares once you can start heading off on holidays again, that's understandable. Enter Bonza, the new Aussie low-cost airline that's set to launch early next year. An exact date hasn't been revealed as yet, but sometime in 2022, you'll have another choice when it comes to flying across this country of ours. The new independent carrier will focus on local flights with low fares — and on opening up routes to more of regional Australia. "Bonza's mission is to encourage more travel by providing more choices and ultra-low fares, particularly into leisure destinations where travel is now often limited to connections via major cities," said Bonza founder and CEO Tim Jordan, who comes to the airline with 25-plus years experience in low-cost carriers such as Virgin Blue, Cebu Pacific in The Philippines and central Asia's FlyArystan. While the airline's list of destinations hasn't yet been announced yet either, the aim is to service "regional communities by providing new routes and greater travel opportunities," Jordan continued. The airline will base its headquarters in a yet-to-be -revealed part of regional Australia, too. Wherever it ends up heading, Bonza will fly Boeing 737-8 aircraft. Fare prices and inclusions — such as baggage, meals and snacks, and selecting your own seat — haven't been mentioned as yet, with the airline still working through the regulatory process. When it launches, the carrier will take to the skies with the backing of US private investment firm 777 Partners, which also has a hand in Canada's Flair Airlines and the Southeast Asian-based Value Alliance. And yes, this now means that your 2022 Aussie holidays just got a whole lot cheaper — and that, alongside Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia, you'll have more airline options. Bonza is set to start flying sometime in 2022. For more information, head to the airline's website.
The latest venture from the folks behind West End's Morning After, Yolk is bringing a heap of tasty dishes to the other side of the river. Expect a menu that plays with the egg theme — and chicken, naturally — plus plenty of coffee, too. The cafe only has six egg-based items on its all-day menu, and you can count on them to deliver the good every day of the week. Coffee is by Five Senses and there's a small section of juices on the menu, too.
We've all seen it rotating lazily, shining brightly and reflecting in the slow-flowing Brisbane River. Yes, we are talking about the Wheel of Brisbane, and if you've always thought that you should take a ride at some point in your lifetime, then we reckon there's no time like the now. Even if the giant Ferris wheel hasn't crossed your mind, we still think you should go for a ride because sometimes playing tourist in your own city can be pretty darn fun. This almost 60-metre tall wheel gives you a pretty spectacular view over the city and beyond, and let's face it, it would make for a pretty delightful date night. After your ride, treat your date (and yourself, of course) to the creative and highly delicious ice cream flavours at the newly-opened (and nearby) Gelato Messina. Image: Anwyn Howarth.
One king. Six wives. Centuries of folks being fascinated with the regal story. Throw in pop songs as well, and that's the smash-hit SIX the Musical formula, as Australian audiences discovered in 2021, 2022 and 2023 — and can again in Brisbane from Thursday, January 2, 2025 at QPAC Playhouse. If you've ever needed proof that some stories never get old, the ongoing obsession with Britain's royal history provides plenty. In IRL, it's relentless. On screens and stages, a slice of regal intrigue is regularly awaiting our viewing, too, interpreting and remixing the past in the process. The Crown might've taken ample artistic license with reality, but it's got nothing on the empowering pop-scored twist on the 16th century that's been wowing audiences in SIX the Musical. This theatre sensation gleans a few cues from well-known history, adds toe-tapping tunes and makes stage magic. If you think that you know the stories of Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, then you probably do — even those with little interest in Britain's past kings and queens are likely aware that Henry VIII had six wives — but SIX the Musical's version isn't about telling the same old tale. First premiering back at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, then jumping to London's West End — and winning Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Costume Design, plus a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album, along the way — SIX the Musical gleans inspiration from one of the most famous sextets there's ever been. It also finds its own angle despite how popular the Tudor monarch's love life has been in pop culture. So, move over 00s TV series The Tudors and 2008 movie The Other Boleyn Girl — and this one takes the pop part rather seriously. SIX the Musical is presented as a pop concert, in fact, with the Catherines, Annes and Jane all taking to the microphone to tell their stories. Each woman's aim: to stake their claim as the wife who suffered the most at the king's hands, and to become the group's lead singer as a result. Images: James D Morgan, Getty Images.
Some days, you just need to roll out of bed, grab your picnic basket, head to a sunny patch of grass and listen to Disney songs while looking out over the river. The two days when you can do just that? Saturday, March 4–Sunday, March 5 at South Bank's Riverside Green, with the inner-city precinct hosting two Riverside Melodies sessions. Here, you won't just hear tunes from Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and other Mouse House favourites. You'll be able to sing along as well. And, these daytime events will also survey other movie and Broadway hits, such as Grease, Hairspray, The Sound of Music. From 10am–1pm on both dates, the waterside will be alive with the sound of beloved music, all at a family-friendly affair that'll also include pop-up food and drink vendors doing a brunch menu. Entry is free, and this is just one of two music events happening in the same spot on these two days alongside Sunset Opera each evening.
What do you have more cash for when you're only spending 50 cents per journey on your commute to and from work, and to get to wherever else you might need via Queensland's Translink public transport? Sunshine State residents are set to find out permanently. The current cost-of-living relief measure that's been discounting fares to a shiny dodecagonal coin since early August 2024 will now continue — on an ongoing basis, not just for the six months that was initially announced in May. Slashing the price of public transport was always going to prove a hit. In its first month, the 50-cent fare trial saw more than 15-million trips taken across southeast Queensland alone, increasing patronage by 2.4 percent on pre-COVID-19 levels. So, not only has the current Labor Queensland Government committed to keeping the reduced price, but so has the state's opposition party. Accordingly, no matter who wins the Sunshine State's next election on Saturday, October 26, 2024, cheap public transport is here to stay. [caption id="attachment_857365" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] When the initiative came into effect on Monday, August 5, 2024, it was revealed that it'd run until February — but The Sunday Mail reported that the Queensland Government would reassess the move in early 2025 if Labour was re-elected. No one is now waiting until the ballot, however, given how popular the discounted fares have been. First Queensland Premier Steven Miles announced that the 50-cent prices would become permanent, then Opposition Leader David Crisafulli revealed that the cheap fare would be kept if there's a change of government. [caption id="attachment_796727" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] The price-slashing move is both a cost-of-living relief measure and an effort to reduce traffic congestion, and it impacts a hefty range of travel options. Translink, which falls within Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads, runs trains, buses, ferries and trams in southeast Queensland, for starters. So for Brisbanites, whether you ride the rails as part of your daily commute, hit the road or hop on a CityCat, you're now scoring a hefty discount, getting there and home for just $1 a day. This is a statewide measure. Translink also runs buses in Bowen, Bundaberg, Cairns, the Fraser Coast, Gladstone and Gympie — and in Innisfail, Kilcoy, Mackay, Rockhampton, Yeppoon, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Toowoomba, Townsville, Warwick and The Whitsundays. The 50-cent price applies to everyone, including concession cardholders, but is only available on Translink services. As such, privately operated transport services aren't doing the cheap fares. [caption id="attachment_703636" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Philip-Mallis via Flickr[/caption] [caption id="attachment_754201" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] [caption id="attachment_630654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Thomas via Flickr[/caption] [caption id="attachment_749921" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] John via Flickr[/caption] All fares across Translink's Queensland public transport services currently cost 50 cents. To find out more about Translink's services, head to the company's website. Top image: John Robert McPherson via Wikimedia Commons.
Honestly? I've never considered a cruise holiday before. So when an opportunity came up to see New Zealand by boat I jumped at the opportunity, but given that my only reference for travelling on water was a round trip on a Sydney ferry, I truly didn't know what to expect. In the end, it turned out to be the voyage of a lifetime — being greeted by bottlenose dolphins as we coasted by Milford Sound's soaring cliffs at sunrise, sipping Aperol Spritz while gazing at ocean sunsets from the ocean, and eating our weight's worth of meals on the ship's many restaurants. Here's an account of how the trip went down here. FIRST IMPRESSIONS When me and my partner boarded the ship, we made a beeline straight to our new home-away-from-home: a surprisingly spacious room with a luxurious king size bed, cosy living space, fully stocked mini bar and private verandah which served as home base for many room service breakfasts and sunset drinks. After settling in, we were ready to explore the labyrinth of amenities. If you're anything like me (a complete cruise novice), you probably hazard a guess that a cruise ship is akin to a large resort with a pool, some snazzy restaurants and a few shops. What you might not realise — and what I quickly discovered on board the Celebrity Eclipse (the vessel I traveled on, one of many from the Celebrity Cruises fleet) — is that the inside of a cruise ship is more comparable to a mini floating city. It had everything from a giant broadway theatre, spacious grass lawn, basketball court, and more pools, spas, restaurants, bars and shops than you could count on your fingers and toes. CRUISE CUISINE When it came to its dining options, the Eclipse really blew my expectations out of the water (pardon the pun). From immersive 3D concept dining at the Le Petit Chef, to ocean-fresh sashimi and caramelised gingerbread with wasabi gelato at Sushi on 5, to the fully stacked and ever-changing buffet that you'd anticipate on a cruise. The Le Petit Chef 3D projection dining experience was a strange highlight — watching a tiny 3D-animated chef prepare tomato tartine in front of you while you are 100km away from land was a surreal experience to say the least. Another culinary highlight was Murano, a restaurant where chefs masterfully prepared traditional recipes like lobster bisque in front of your very eyes. This is clearly a difficult thing to express in words and kind of just needs to be experienced. The all-inclusive dining options were also well worth writing home about. Between the crowd-pleasing menu at the chic Moonlight Sonata with well-executed retro classics like prawn cocktail, creme brulee and New York cheesecake, to the clean eating options at Blu, which boasted biodynamic wines and dishes like Beyond burgers, black truffle gnocchi and tuna tataki with spicy mango scallions. [caption id="attachment_900893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Room service breakfast on the balcony of a Celebrity Cruise cabin[/caption] And when it came to drinks, you couldn't find a more picturesque place to sink back a beverage. From the breezy Sunset Bar with sweeping ocean views, to the cosmopolitan Martini Bar with top-notch bartenders, or the premium concoctions at Blu with names like Nightfall Elixir and Garden Breeze and tasting notes of fresh crushed strawberry, maple and Veuve Clicquot. (We had the classic drinks package which entitled us to unlimited drinks in the 'classic' category, which included everything from beers to bubblies). ENTERTAINMENT AT SEA (AND LAND) If you've ever wondered what one does on a 12 day cruise besides eating and drinking, I was surprised to discover it's a whole lot more than you might expect. Cruise guests are encouraged to download an app that surfaces a menu of entertainment and experiences for each day of the journey. The seemingly endless list of activities included everything from Broadway shows with acrobatics to rival Cirque Du Soleil, to an endless supply of luxury treatments and massages at the spa and salon. If you want to get your daily steps in, the Eclipse features a substantial running track, a premium gym and fitness centre and plenty of workout options from barre to boxing. Which brings me to my next point, which everything that happens onboard it's surprisingly easy to forget that you actually get to visit the incredible travel destination that is New Zealand. We had a whole host of New Zealand cities on our cruising agenda - from the staggeringly beautiful Milford Sound, to the cultural hub of Wellington - and each city we saw came with a curated list of Celebrity's shore excursions. Our most memorable excursion saw us hopping on board a WWI-era train through New Zealand's wine country, beginning in Picton and travelling through Marlborough's lush hills and valleys where 85% of New Zealand's wines are made. We enjoyed complimentary wine tasting, lunch and views that could only be described as cinematic. This was definitely one for the proverbial picture books, or Instagram Story highlights. [caption id="attachment_900843" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The view from on board the train during the shore excursion in Picton[/caption] WOULD I CONSIDER FUTURE CRUISES? Overall, going on a cruise was one of the most unique and memorable holidays I can recall. While being away from land was something I'd never experienced, the whole encounter made being away from home feel very homely indeed from the ultra lush rooms to the endless entertainment, and some of the kindest hospitality and staff I've encountered on any type of holiday. If you want to be the main character on your next trip, satisfy your wanderlust without having to pack and unpack your bags, and eat and drink to your heart's content a cruise holiday is an option I would definitely consider again. If you're curious about doing some cruise-based exploring of the Southern Hemisphere yourself, Celebrity Cruises has announced the arrival of one of its most luxurious ships yet: the Celebrity Edge which will debut Down Under in late 2023 or early 2024, allowing you to traverse the coastlines of Australia, New Zealand and the tropical South Pacific including Bali. Set to rival the world's most luxurious land-based resorts, the 2023/24 intake promises to reimagine cruise travel with some of the world's most indulgent on board amenities. Concrete Playground travelled as a guest of Celebrity Cruises. Main image: The view from Celebrity Eclipse near Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand
Dishing up desserts across Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland the Australian Capital Territory, Gelato Messina obviously specialises in frosty sweet treats. But, because the chain has amassed quite the following, it also has a range of merchandise. Earlier this year, for instance, you could nab one of its gelato-scented candles (and presumably give yourself a constant craving for a few scoops). Now, you can also grab yourself an item of clothing decked out with a picture of its towering ice cream cones. Messina's new 2020 merch line is now available to purchase, spanning black and grey hoodies, grey and navy sweatshirts, and t-shirts in white, navy, rust (aka a red-orange colour) and black. Each has an image of gelato on the front or back — with those pics varying between different styles of clothing and different colours. After releasing a selection of flavours inspired by fashion brands back in October, all to celebrate Incu's 18th birthday, Messina has teamed back up with the retailer on its new threads. It's also showcasing the work of artist Ella Grace, who specialises in detailed watercolour paintings and illustrations — as you'll see from the images of gelato on Messina's merch. Yep, expect it to make you mighty hungry. For those keen on wearing gelato-adorned items while eating gelato, you'll pay $45 for a t-shirt, $65 for a sweatshirt and $75 for a hoodie. All garments are unisex, and made from 100-percent cotton — and they ship Australia-wide. For tiny dessert fiends, Messina's online store also has onesies for babies — because you're never too young to love ice cream. And, you can grab Messina caps with its logo and socks with its wallpaper print as well. For more information about Gelato Messina's merchandise — and to make a purchase — head to its website.
Greenlighting Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell as its leads must've been among Hollywood's easiest decisions. One of the rom-com's stars has been everywhere from Euphoria and The White Lotus to Reality of late, plus Sharp Objects and The Handmaid's Tale before that, and has a stint in the superhero realm on Madame Web to come. The other is fresh off feeling the need for speed in Top Gun: Maverick, including getting sweaty and shirtless in the beach scene. They both drip charisma. If this was the 80s, 90s or 00s, they each would have an entire segment of their filmographies dedicated to breezy romantic comedies like this Sydney-shot film, and probably more than a few together. From here, they might achieve that feat yet — because if there's much ado about anything in Anyone But You, it's about how well its two main talents shine as a pair. Regardless of that gleaming casting, director and co-writer Will Gluck crafts his first adult-oriented flick in 12 years — since Friends with Benefits, with Annie and the two Peter Rabbit movies since — as if it's still two, three or four decades back. The gimmick-fuelled plot, the scenic setting, the swinging between stock-standard and OTT supporting characters: they're all formulaically present and accounted for in Anyone But You. Also eagerly splashed in is the picture's biggest twist, courtesy of its filmmaker and co-scribe Ilana Wolpert (a feature first-timer sporting writing and story-editing credits on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on her resume). With Easy A, Gluck took inspiration from The Scarlet Letter, giving it a modern-day remake. Now, complete with some character names to match (there's no Dogberry, though, but there is a dog), ample matchmaking gossip and lines from the play clumsily dotted around the sets for viewers to see, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing scores the overt riffs. Always apparent as well: the fact that, even as it follows in the Bard of Avon's footsteps, Anyone But You's story constantly comes second to Sweeney and Powell's smouldering chemistry. Plus, most of its obvious jokes only land because the twosome sell them, and the whole movie. Takes on Shakespeare's 16th-century-penned, 17th-century-published rom-com have graced the big screen before. In the past 30 years, see: 1993's with Emma Thompson (What's Love Got to Do with It?) and Kenneth Branagh (A Haunting in Venice) as Beatrice and Benedick, and Branagh directing, and also 2012's with Buffyverse alums Amy Acker (The Watchful Eye) and Alexis Denisof (How I Met Your Father) for Joss Whedon (their guiding hand on Buffy and Angel). But this one is as merry as the day is long about being a playground for Sweeney and Powell first and foremost. Law student Bea (Sweeney) and finance bro Ben (Powell) meet-cute over a restroom key in a busy cafe. She's desperate to use the facilities, the staff won't let her unless she buys something, the line is morning-rush long and he claims that she's his wife to help. So begins a dreamy day of flirting, walking, talking, cooking grilled-cheese sandwiches and connecting over deep secrets like Gluck is fashioning a sped-up version of the Before trilogy, too. That heavenly first date ends badly the next morning, however. More pain is in store when Bea's sister Halle (Hadley Robinson, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) starts dating Ben's best friend Pete's (GaTa, Dave) sister Claudia (Alexandra Shipp, Barbie) months later. When an engagement is next, cue Bea and Ben's feud going international at the destination wedding in Australia, then getting a shakeup when the quarrelling duo pretend that they're together. There's kindness in this faux truce, alongside trickery and self-interest. Bea and Ben are trying stop their squabbling ruining the nuptials, yes, but they're attempting to get her parents to back off from campaigning for a reunion with her ex-fiancé Jonathan (Darren Barnet, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) at the same time — and to make his own past love Margaret (model-turned-acting debutant Charlee Fraser), Claudia and Pete's Australian cousin, jealous. Anyone But You's protagonists are also well-aware that the rest of the wedding party is conspiring to push them into love, subscribing to the whole "fighting means you like them" theory, and quickly tired of overhearing conversations that they're meant to about each other. Romantic-comedy logic dictates what happens next, of course, as packaged with slapstick gags, literal bathroom humour, sing-alongs, farce everywhere, as much flaunted bare flesh as an Aussie beach, and far more horniness than has been typically seen in 2010s and 2020s cinema. Every expected narrative beat is struck, then. Almost every genre cliche is hit as well. Nodding to other rom-com wedding flicks — My Best Friend's Wedding co-stars Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths play Bea's mum and dad, and the latter is also a Muriel's Wedding alum — is also heartily on the menu. So are fish-out-of-water Americans-in-Australia jokes, and being cheesily Aussie via koalas, endless shots of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House to make both Tourism Australia and Destination NSW proud, and Bryan Brown (Faraway Downs) and Joe Davidson (Neighbours) playing the stereotypical parts. The vision of Sydney that the film inhabits is not only overseas tourist bait, but a one-percenter paradise, as evidenced by the sprawling seaside home of Pete and Claudia's parents (Brown and Star Trek: Picard's Michelle Hurd) that becomes the movie's on-screen base. And yet, as Anyone But You needs and knows with gleeful self-awareness that it's going to get, Sweeney and Powell ace their performances and rapport, and couldn't be more watchable in the process. While no one has a particularly difficult job — least of all cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann (True Spirit), with the film's two stars and a sunny, picturesque locale to lens — it's their lively back and forth and game-for-anything commitment that keeps the picture afloat. For months, this was the feature that sparked headline-grabbing off-screen rumours about life imitating art. Now, it's an audition piece for a second silver-screen team up. Back in the 80s, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn did it (in Swing Shift and Overboard). The 90s had Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (Joe vs the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail), plus Julia Roberts and Richard Gere (Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride), while it was Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey's (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Fool's Gold) turn in the 00s. After Anyone But You, audiences won't want anyone but Sweeney and Powell to be next.
"Those books were around at the time and they were just incredibly funny. And they had scenes in them. It just seemed like the kind of thing that could get done," explains Andrew Dominik. "It seemed to express a particular aspect of the Australian character that everyone recognised. The books were just really funny, and it was that kind of larrikin — I mean, Chopper always had the perfect line for any occasion, and he'd make you laugh." A stack of tomes penned by Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read about his underworld life, criminal activities and incarceration. A director embarking upon his first feature. From there, an Australian classic sprung. Of course Chopper took its own path. Indeed, there's far more to the film than just bringing the eponymous figure to the screen; however, it began with filmmaker Dominik (Bono: Stories of Surrender) taking inspiration from Read's own words, then being pointed towards more detail for a deeper interrogation by the very same. "When I started working on it, I think the first draft very much just took the books verbatim — I took them as though they were real, and there was something about it, it just felt a bit thin. So I started to do a bit of research into his life," the writer/director tells Concrete Playground. "I basically went through, he had his arrest docket in the back of one of the books, so we just rang up every cop that arrested him." "There were these two cops that he accused of corruption and, as a result of that, they'd done an inquiry into these two policemen. And because of that, they had to account for Mark's life for every day for a six-month period that he was out of jail. And it was extraordinary. One of them still had the hand-up brief and it was like 4000 pages. Sitting through and reading that, a very different picture of a person emerged," Dominik advises. "So all of the stuff from the books at that point just became the fireworks, if you like — his style of presentation, how he handled dialogue, basically. But the behaviour that's in the film largely comes from that, trying to make sense of this person who would shoot someone and drive them to the hospital. Like, what's going on there?" "And that's when it got really interesting. And at that point, I don't know, you just sort of muddled through it. I had to teach myself how to write when I was writing Chopper, because I'd never really written anything before. It took a while." [caption id="attachment_1019038" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alessandro Levati/Getty Images[/caption] There's no sign of Dominik merely getting by in the finished film. Evident in every frame of the Eric Bana (Untamed)-starring crime dramedy — its guiding force considers it a comedy — is proof that this is one of Australian cinema's very best movies. Chopper kickstarted Dominik's feature career as a result, transformed Bana's from its Full Frontal and The Castle beginnings, and set the standard for every plunge into the Aussie underbelly that's followed. Twenty-five years on, it's still as much of a must-see as it was when it initially reached cinemas. The balancing act that the now-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly, One More Time with Feeling, This Much I Know to Be True and Blonde filmmaker had to manage — one the one hand, boasting a wealth of material from Read himself to draw upon; on the other, also knowing how much of a grain of salt to take Chopper's own words with — is one of the reasons that it is the movie it is. How do you approach attempting to unpack someone as a character when they are, very famously and prolifically, spinning their own story about themselves as a character? And when they're really performing that character themselves? While we all tell, unfurl and consume narratives to make sense of the world, how do you dig into that when someone relays tales in such a dedicated, almost larger-than-life way, as Read did? Wrestling with these questions was also Dominik's task. Casting a lead actor that Read himself suggested, the impact of meeting Chopper's central figure on both the feature and Bana's performance, embracing the comic side, exploring human nature via a film about someone who was such a bundle of contradictions: these are all baked into Chopper's story, too, on its route to becoming an Australian classic. With the film back in Australian theatres since Thursday, August 21, 2025 to mark its 25th anniversary, we also chatted with Dominik about the above, whether there was ever anyone else in mind to play Read, digging into well-known figures across the filmmaker's career since — see: Jesse James and Robert Ford, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Bono, Mindhunter's serial killers — and what you learn when you make a feature like Chopper, plus more. On Balancing Read's Fondness for Storytelling — Including About Himself — with Reality and an Outside Perspective "Well, he's presented as somebody who has a passing relationship to truth anyway, that's a fantasist, in the film. I think most of the incidents in the film have some sort of counterpart in real life. There might be different people in them, but as far as the behaviour, it's all pretty —it doesn't come from nowhere. It's not made up in the sense that you might think. Even stuff like the dialogue between him and Jimmy Loughnan [Simon Lyndon, Troppo] in the courtroom is straight out of the court transcripts. And the stabbing is straight out of all of the statements that were taken at the time. So a lot of stuff is pretty accurate." [caption id="attachment_857753" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scanned by Oscans Imaging in July 2021 on authority of Michele Bennett[/caption] On How Crucial Meeting with Read, After He Initially Declined, Was to the Film "It was amazing. It was kind of like I'd been dealing with something that was completely theoretical. I'd seen videotape of him. I'd exchanged letters with him. But to actually see the man himself and get a sense of him, and to get a sense of his emotional forcefield, if you like, it changed everything. It became a flesh and blood thing. And that first time I met him, I think I got more out of that conversation, Michelle and I went to Risdon Prison, and I just got more out of that than — it was extraordinary. That was where it really came to life, I think." On Whether It Was Always the Intention for Chopper to Have a Sense of Humour "I think of Chopper as a comedy. It's just that sort of thing of a human being a release valve is closer to the knuckle in Chopper, maybe. But he is, he's hilarious. I had a videotape of him from when Eric and I went and met him in Tasmania just before we started shooting, and it was about four hours long. And I remember I would put it in for people. They'd say 'what was it like?'. I'd say 'I'll show you'. And I'd just put it in for them, thinking 'okay, they're going to watch a few minutes of it' — and people would just sit there riveted for four hours watching the guy. He was such a great storyteller and so fucking hilarious. The stuff he would say. So it's just who he was. He can't help it. But even when you read police reports and stuff, the cops would be writing about how it was difficult to keep a straight face, 'he was hilarious as usual', that kind of thing." On Whether Dominik Had Anyone Else in Mind to Play Read, Apart From Chopper's Own Suggestion of Eric Bana "Not really. We must have seen over 300 people for the part. And there were a lot of actors who came in that were great and they could do a good performance and all that sort of stuff, but they weren't Mark. You needed somebody who could do the sort of anthropological aspects of character, too. And it was Mark who suggested him. I don't know what it was. He must have been watching Full Frontal or something, and thought 'maybe that guy could do me?'. And it just seemed like a ridiculous idea, like suggesting casting Martin Short or something. But Eric came in. We got him to come in: 'fuck it, we'll give it a go'. And the film, you could see it now. You could see it with him. He was very still. And Eric understood that he needed to create this person. It wasn't about doing a scene well, which is what all the other actors come in and want to do — a good job acting. Eric was creating a person that we could see, that we knew. By this stage, Mark was a public figure. There were various notorious interviews and stuff that he'd done." On Whether It Felt Like a Risk Casting Bana at the Time "I remember telling people that I was casting Eric Bana in the movie and they'd just look at you and feel embarrassed for you little bit. That, I guess, conjured up a picture of what the film was going to be based on what he'd done. But I'm always surprised with the actors I end up with. I didn't think I'd make a movie with Eric Bana and Vince Colosimo [The Family Next Door]. Vince, I just knew from like Street Hero. But he walked in the door and started talking, and it was just obvious. So I try not to be too — if anything, it just taught me to forget your expectations, just to take each person as you find them." On If There's Something That Draws Dominik to Digging Into Well-Known Figures "Well, I think so. I like people who are extreme, that seem to express something about human nature. But it's hard to say. I think that the real lure of a film is its emotional underpinning. The thing with Chopper was that he did stuff and felt bad about it. He seemed to be stuck in this kind of weird cycle of explosion and remorse, like he was trying to work some internal problem out. And I think the real attraction to it was just to show somebody being violent and then all of a sudden being conciliatory — and the conciliatory part is more alarming than the violence. I remember the first time seeing Chopper with an audience, and when he tries to give Keithy George [David Field, Spit] a cigarette after he stabbed him, you could really feel the bottom drop out of the room. The audience just didn't know where they were. And that's how I felt when I read about it. And that to me was just fascinating. And it's not intellectual ‚ it's a kind of a feeling. So with everything that I've done, there's always been some kind of — it gives me a feeling that I wanted to see if I can make manifest when you watch the film." On Getting Across the Film's Juxtaposition of Emotions — and Read's Contradictions "You shoot it until you believe it. He goes through such a wide range of emotions in that sequence [the Keithy George scene]. He's furious, and then he's upset with himself, and then he's looking for some kind of absolution or forgiveness from Keithy. And then he's just cracking jokes. Then he's completely callous about it, and just puts the whole thing away. It was just fascinating to watch it, to watch somebody in that state. But there's beats. You understand 'it's got to be like this and it's got to turn into that, and it's got to turn into this' — and it's all got to happen in a way that surprises you. So you shoot it and you come up with different ways of — when you're dealing with an actor, you come up with different jobs for them to try with each take until you get the one that works. But that was the whole process of making Chopper, it was that: how to bring it to life." [caption id="attachment_963203" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Aubor[/caption] On What Dominik Learned From Making Chopper "I think you always want to be dealing with something that you don't know what you're doing, you don't know how you're doing it. Once you start playing to your strengths, then all of the energy goes out of the thing. So it's not like I have a set process about how to approach something. I'm always looking to stretch, if you like, or to be dealing with something that I don't know how to do it. It seems to me that when I do something that scares me or I'm not sure how I'm going to pull it off, that something much more interesting happens than when I'm doing something where I feel like I know what I'm doing. So I used to have various methodologies about how to approach shooting something or how to approach a performance or how I think should be. It was a very interesting thing when I started doing the documentaries, with Nick. It was the first time I went to work and I had no idea what I was going to do, because it's documentary — you turn up and you've got to make something happen. And I started to really follow my instincts, because there was no choice. I had to do something. So I just did whatever seemed right at the time. And what I discovered was that those instincts actually added up to something. Even if you couldn't see where it was going at the time, if you just kept following them to their logical conclusion, they would take you somewhere. And that really changed my approach to filmmaking. I used to be somebody who would do take after take after take, and the camerawork was very controlled, and there was a definite plan as to how the thing was going to be put together. And now I prefer to work faster, and I'm less interested in doing it well. I just want to do it. And there's a certain energy that comes from that that I really like, where I feel like the thing is more its own thing, and it's less an extension of me. It sort of gives back more — the process gives to me more than me just giving to the process." Chopper reopened in Australian cinemas for its 25th anniversary on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
From the family who once owned West End’s beloved Trang, comes Mrs Luu’s. Open only a month Mrs Luu’s is fast becoming a Milton institution with a line of customers flowing out of its French doors most weekday lunchtimes. (Tip: to avoid lines go before 12pm or after 1pm) Mrs Luu’s sits between a dance studio, and a Crossfit gym, fittingly the food will be easy on that summer belly. Frequented by the dress shirts, and high heels of Milton’s many office buildings this is authentic Vietnamese food is presented in a way that perfectly fits the working day. Mrs Luu’s bright pink sign, matches both the smiles on the faces of the staff, and the satisfied grins of the suits on the deck. Gratefully, Mrs Luu’s menu has been simplified for the Aussie lingo. No more staring blankly at a list of 60 dishes that you have no idea how to pronounce. Take a bite out of your Banh Mi, a French baguette filled with Vietnamese salad, Mrs Luu’s homemade pate and mayo, and your choice of filling (I opted for the sweet glazed chicken fillet). The crazy combination of flavors will get those tastebuds excited in a way that Subway never has. The best $7 I’ve spent in a long time. Other options are Goi Con ($6) spring rolls for the health and taste conscious, the Bun ($10.50) which funnily is enough is a vermicelli salad, the Com ($10.50) with pickled veggies, rice, your choice of marinated meat and Mrs Luu’s special Nuoc Nam dressing. Mr Luu is a very lucky man.
Forget taking the hobbits to Isengard. In March 2023, Airbnb wants to take you to Hobbiton instead. In news that's better than second breakfast, more precious than a certain glimmering piece of jewellery, and worth journeying there and back again for, you can live your best Lord of the Rings-loving life on the New Zealand sets where the original LOTR film trilogy and The Hobbit movies were shot — and slumber like one of Middle-earth's shortest residents on the very property as well. You shall pass — and enjoy the enchanting place's first-ever overnight stays — but only if you're lucky enough to score an Airbnb booking. 2022 marks a decade since the first of The Hobbit flicks, An Unexpected Journey, hit cinemas, if you're wondering why the accommodation-sharing platform is now offering the one vacation to rule them all. Actually, there are three different two-night stays available, all in 2023: from March 2–4, March 9–11, and March 16–18. To nab one, you'll have to try to make a booking at 8am AEDT / 7am AEST / 10am NZDT on Wednesday, December 14 via the Airbnb website. And, you'll need to pay the hobbit-sized fee of AU$10 per night, to further pay tribute to The Hobbit films' tenth anniversary. This once-in-a-lifetime stay will take you and up to three friends to the set, which includes both Hobbiton and The Shire, that helped make such entrancing movie magic in Peter Jackson's flicks. That means you'll be trekking to New Zealand's Waikato region, and to a 2500-acre working farm owned by Russell Alexander. Seeing why the iconic director and his crew realised it had to be their on-screen backdrop instantly comes with the territory. While walking in Bilbo Baggins' footsteps, you'll score a private tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set's 44 hobbit holes, The Millhouse and The Green Dragon Inn, as well as a range of other sites inspired by JRR Tolkien's books. Get ready to spend a heap of time in those locations, too, courtesy of your own personal hobbit hole, a writing nook at The Millhouse, and an evening banquet at The Green Dragon Inn complete with beef and ale stew, whole roast chickens, freshly baked breads and plenty of ale. And yes, second breakfast and elevenses will be served each day. "For more than two decades, we've welcomed millions of passionate fans to Hobbiton Movie Set, but never before has anyone had the opportunity to spend a night in Middle-earth," said Alexander said, announcing the stay. "I am delighted to share the beauty of my family's farm and pleased to be hosting this iconic location on Airbnb for fans from around the world." One big caveat: while the stay itself will only cost you AU$10 per night, you will be responsible for your transport to and from Auckland, flights and all. From there, a round-trip drive to the set is included, covering the two-hour journey between the airport and Hobbiton. Also, whether you're a hobbit, elf, wizard or Sauron — ideally not the latter — you'll need to have a verified Airbnb profile, a history of positive reviews and be aged over 18. Hobbiton joins Airbnb's growing list of movie and TV-inspired getaways, including the Bluey house, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop and the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage just in 2022 alone. For more information about the Hobbiton listing on Airbnb, or to apply to book at 8am AEDT / 7am AEST / 10am NZDT on Wednesday, December 14, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Larnie Nicolson.
With the cooler weather upon us there is no better time to stock up on new pieces for your wardrobe. Instead of heading to the closest Westfield, why not make those pieces something fabulous and completely one-off? Ric's Bar has the perfect solution as they have gathered together some of Brisbane's coolest guys and girls who will be selling their sweet vintage and pre-loved clothing this Saturday. You'll be able to find clothes, shoes, bags, trinkets, art and loads more goodies starting at $2. There will also be spectacular must-have high end vintage pieces on offer for lucky customers. The bar will be open from 10am so you can explore the markets, drink in hand - heaven. We all know it's not a good idea to shop (or drink) on an empty stomach, so why not have breakfast at Fatboy's cafe next door. Take it easy on your wallet before exploring the markets with their much-loved $4 breakfast.
Here's something for Lady Whistledown to write about: for a week right now, running until Tuesday, April 23, 2024, one Australian town has been given a makeover that'll get visitors to the New South Wales Southern Highlands thinking that they've stepped into Bridgerton. Bowral is your current destination for regency-themed fun, with the country locale's homes and boutiques embracing the transformation (and its manicured gardens helping make the spot an ideal destination for the celebration). The reason for turning Bowral into Bridgerton is the upcoming arrival of the Netflix hit's third season, which is on its way in two parts. The first four episodes arrive on Thursday, May 16, then the next four on Thursday, June 13. The streaming platform's Bridgerton in Bowral festivities also include eight free screenings of the first episode of the new batch across Monday, April 22–Tuesday, April 23 at Empire Cinemas. Expect tickets, which are available online, to go quickly. A limited number of walk-in spots will also be available on each day. First announced at the beginning of April, then kicking off on Tuesday, April 16, the temporary Bowral takeover doesn't just span watching the show early if you're lucky enough to score a seat, and also seeing what this patch of regional Australia looks like when it's harking back to the regency era. A range of places around town have received the Bridgerton treatment, with local businesses joining in on the fun. The idea is to make you feel like you're getting the full ton experience. If you want to dress up to fit the part, that's obviously up to you. Some highlights for your promenade include taking in the florals at The Press Shop, then popping behind the cafe's blue door for some tea; spying the carriage outside boutique spirits supplier SoHi; and hitting up Coach House Collective, which already boasts ivy-covered doors, to peruse furniture and other treasures. Vintage lovers will want to walk through the wrought iron gates at Dirty Janes, where fashion that that takes its cues from regency times awaits. And at outdoor arcade Green Lane, you'll see topiary and other greenery — plus art if you have lunch in the library at Harry's. Romance novels are in the spotlight at Books Ever After, as accompanied by classical string music performed live on the Saturday. Bespoke Letterpress is hosting a letter-writing society, Bowral's Sweets and Treats has regency confectionery — think: violet and rose creams, as well as lemonade fizz balls — on offer, and Gumnut Patisserie is also nodding to the period in a sweet treat. Plus, you can also enjoy a picnic under the floral rotunda at Corbett Gardens, or take a drive to the pink-hued estate that is Retford Park. The latter is opening from 10am–4pm daily for the occasion (with a $15 entry fee) to let visitors explore its hedge mazes, water features and sculptures; mosey around its gardens; and play croquet and skittles on its front lawn. A garden party at Milton Park will close out the week, but tickets to that have already been snapped up. If you're going to treat yourself to a getaway this month and you love Bridgerton, you clearly need to make it this Bridgerton-loving getaway. And if you're a Bridgerton obsessive who lives in Bowral, prepare for plenty of company. Of course Netflix is bringing the series into real life to celebrate season three. This is the streaming service that set up public toilets based on Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris back in February, after all. In the past, all in Sydney, it has also opened a Stranger Things rift on Bondi Beach, unleashed the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll by Sydney Harbour and a had pop-up Heartbreak High uniform shop slinging threads in Newtown, too. [caption id="attachment_950838" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bridgerton S3 - Bowral Town Takeover, AustraliaApril 16th 2024[/caption] The town of Bowral's Bridgerton-themed makeover runs until Tuesday, April 23. For seats to screenings of the first episode of the show's' third season across Monday, April 22–Tuesday, April 23 at Empire Cinemas, head to the ticketing website. Bridgerton season three will stream via Netflix in two parts, with four episodes on Thursday, May 16, 2024 and four on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Images: Liam Daniel/Netflix.
When you book an Airbnb, a set of rules normally greets you when it comes time to check in. We know one that'll be on list at the platform's latest stay: don't say "Beetlejuice" three times. Just to be safe, you mightn't even want to say it twice in a row, even if the spot that you'll be visiting is all about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Adding to its Icons category, aka the pop culture-themed abodes that you wouldn't be able to step inside without Airbnb making them a reality, the service now has the Beetlejuice and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice house on its books. The latter movie hit cinemas in September and is available to watch at home on digital now, ready to inspire a whole new round of Halloween costumes — and get you primed for a vacation like the ghost with the most this November. The Deetz residence has been at the heart of both of Tim Burton's (Dumbo) Beetlejuice flicks, starting back in 1988 when Michael Keaton (The Flash) first began sporting black-and-white suits on-screen. In the initial movie, Barbara and Adam Maitland (GLOW's Geena Davis and Dr Death's Alec Baldwin) met an untimely end, found themselves haunting their own abode with a Handbook for the Recently Deceased in their ghostly hands, weren't thrilled about the new family who moved in and called upon a certain bio-exorcist for assistance. Those new occupants: the Deetz crew, of course, including Schitt's Creek's great Catherine O'Hara (Argylle) as matriarch Delia and Winona Ryder (Stranger Things) as her daughter Lydia, plus Jenna Ortega (Miller's Girl) as the latter's daughter Astrid in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. If you've seen one or both films, you'll recognise the home, complete with the black mourning veil it sported in the second picture after the death of the Deetz family patriarch. You'll also spot plenty of familiar bits and pieces inside, including artwork and the portal to the afterlife. Delia is listed as the listing's host. "Now that my work is posthumously appreciating in value and recognition, it's only fair that artistic souls be invited to my magnificent home," the character said in a statement. "So, come admire my life's work and Create with a Capital C in the first-ever art class from beyond the grave. Just watch out for that pesky trickster in the attic!" Until 5.59pm AEST on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, ten bookings are on offer for visits between Saturday, November 16–Wednesday, November 27, 2024; however, there is a difference with this Icons spot compared to the others. This time, you'll only be there for three hours, nor overnight. There is still a stay involved, though, just at an Airbnb listing in Princeton, New Jersey at no additional cost. Upon arrival at the Beetlejuice house, you and up to five friends will get to wander around checking out Delia's work, plus the Maitlands' model of Winter River — the town that the Beetlejuice movies are set in, even though you'll be physically heading to Hillsborough Township, New Jersey — in the attic. Although saying a certain name isn't recommended, naturally everyone is going to utter it, which is how you get to the afterlife. Yes, the glowing green light, the waiting room and the disorienting hallway are all there. Then an art class is on the agenda, before you head to where you're bunking down for the evening — all if you nab one of the bookings. As always, your travel there and home (including to and from the US from Down Under) is at your own expense. It was back in May that Airbnb announced that it was doing things a little differently in 2024 with these once-in-a-lifetime listings. The platform is no stranger to giving travellers dream vacation options — see: Shrek's swamp, Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub, the Moulin Rouge! windmill and Hobbiton, to name just a few — which it previously announced at random, with no advance warning. Now, it has created the Airbnb Icons category, grouping them all together but also still unveiling surprises along the way, like this one. In the past, Airbnb has also featured the Bluey house, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop, the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera and a Christina Aguilera-hosted two-night Las Vegas stay. Its Airbnb Icons category has also made sleeping at the Purple Rain mansion, the Up house, Inside Out 2's headquarters, the X-Mansion from X-Men '97 and the Ferrari Museum a reality, as well as stays hosted by Doja Cat, Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor and Kevin Hart. For more information about the Beetlejuice house on Airbnb, or to book it until 5.59pm AEST on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, for visits between Saturday, November 16–Wednesday, November 27, 2024, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Emily Shur, Damien Maloney and Randy Slavin. 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.
Founded in 2013 by distiller Philip Moore and coffee enthusiast Tom Baker, Mr Black has become a go-to for Australians looking to create bar-quality espresso martinis at home. Now, the distiller and coffee roaster is making things even easier by launching a new range of espresso martinis in ready-to-drink cans. These canned cocktails have been three years in the making, with Mr Black trialing 156 different recipes, two production methods and three canning technologies to create their newest product. Each can contains arabica coffee, Australian distilled vodka and Mr Black coffee liqueur, and is charged with nitrogen in order to give you the frothy head of a real espresso martini. All you need to do is shake, pour and maybe add a couple of coffee beans to the top if you're really trying to enjoy the full espresso martini experience. Canned and bottled cocktails have become an increasingly common trend in the past couple years, with many local bars also getting on board during Australia's lockdowns. Mr Black joins the likes of Kahlua, Lexington Hill and Curatif in offering canned espresso martinis, distinguishing itself with the fan-favourite taste of the brand's coffee liquor. The on-the-go cocktails have been launched just in time for warmer weather and the rolling back of restrictions in many states, allowing espresso martini fans the opportunity to bring the caffeinated cocktail with them on a picnic, to a dinner party or away on a trip without needing to pack several bottles of spirits. You can find Mr Black's canned espresso martinis online, as well as in Liquorland, First Choice, Vintage Cellars and independent liquor stores. The cans come in a four pack of 200-millilitre cans which will set you back $34.99; however, if you purchase via the Mr Black website, you can can nab ten percent off your order by using the discount code MRB10 at checkout. For more information about Mr Black's espresso martini cans, and to nab ten percent off your order by using the discount code MRB10 at checkout, head to the Mr Black website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Open up your eager eyes, Brisbanites: The Brightside is throwing the party it's always been destined to throw. Indeed, it's a little surprising that the Fortitude Valley venue is only just hosting their first Mr. Brightside Ball now. Thankfully, we've all been doing just fine in the meantime. Of course, the Warner Street hangout is now stranger to big blowouts — or excuses to get dressed up and dance to your favourite tunes — and this shindig promises all of the above. Put on your best ball or cocktail threads, head to old Brighty once the clock strikes 10pm on November 24, and prepare for a celebration of The Killers and their indie brethren. Destiny is calling you to the kind of night out that's certain to feature more than a few sing-alongs — and no sick lullabies to swim through. Extra points if you manage to recreate the band's look from the 'Mr. Brightside' video. And by extra points, we mean bragging rights, of course.
Disney is back in the fairy princess business, and by god it wants you to know it. Except, it doesn’t want young boys to know it, which is why this film is called Frozen instead of The Snow Queen. When Disney finally bought Pixar in 2006, the deal essentially saw Pixar's creative team taking control of Disney’s animated output. Given the strong quality control Pixar has over its products, this was no bad thing. But not all of the experiments worked. Determined to resurrect Disney's tradition of hand-drawn animation, they made The Princess and the Frog in 2009, a tremendously underrated film which moved the classic tale to 1920s New Orleans. The film’s undeserved financial failing made Disney gunshy, and their takeaway was this: stick to computer animation, and no more princesses in the titles. In fairness, this shift didn’t kneecap the quality of the films. 2009’s Rapunzel film Tangled is an outstanding work, with rich characters, beautiful animation and incredibly catchy songs. Tangled really worked, which is why it appears to be the template Disney has used for its newest animated feature, Frozen. Based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen — a story Disney has been trying to adapt since the 1940s — the film follows Anna and her sister Elsa, two princesses who are left alone when their parents die at sea. The relationship between the two is difficult: Elsa has magical powers, which due to an unsatisfactorily explained plot contrivance, have been wiped from Anna’s memory. To keep Anna safe, Else keeps her at arm’s length as they grow up. But on the evening of Elsa’s coronation, she accidentally creates a permanent winter in the kingdom and retreats to a remote ice palace of her own making. It’s up to Anna to save her sister and her kingdom. The parallels with Tangled are striking. Both changed the name of their original story to a more marketable, generic title. Both feature a similar working-class man developing a love-hate relationship with a princess. Both have a crazy, anthropomorphised horse/moose for company. Both even feature a princess whose power is represented by a streak of colour through the hair. The comparisons, though superficial, reveal an attempt at a modern formula. And although Frozen is enjoyable enough, the characters aren’t quite as engaging as they ought to be, the songs not quite memorable enough. The animation, however, is superb. On a technical level, it’s a marvel. Frozen represent the middle of the bell curve in terms of animated features. It’s a far cry from the insufferable toy-selling, pop-culture spewing, catchphrase-ridden films churned out during at the beginning every school holiday period, but nor does it hit the heights of Disney’s best output. It is admirable, enjoyable, but ultimately unmemorable.
If pink drinks are your favourite beverages to sip — and basking in stunning river views is your favourite way to spend an afternoon, too — then a waterside date filled with tipples by Brisbane's ol' brown snake should definitely be in your future. That's all on the agenda at Customs House, which is celebrating the warmer weather by turning its terrace into a Whispering Angel and Moet & Chandon-pouring pop-up rosé garden. It's the Queen Street venue's latest seasonal makeover, and it comes complete with domes boasting greenery and flowers aplenty (with pops of pink, of course) for you and your mates to hang out in — while peering at the river and knocking back a range of beverages. The drinks list heroes the rosé — sparkling, flat and in creative concoctions — but it isn't the only thing on the menu. You can also enjoy white and red wine, beer and peach seltzers. And those cocktails? One pairs sparkling rosé with elderflower liqueur, lemon, rhubarb bitters and strawberry; another goes with tequila, cointreau, elderflower liqueur again, blood orange, lime and orange bitters; and a third features vodka, lemon, blackberry and basil. Open throughout spring from Friday, September 6, 2024, with the bar operating from Thursday–Sunday, the pop-up is also serving up a selection of bites to line your stomach. Customs House's beloved Moreton Bay bug croissant is back, as it is every time these gardens return. Or, there's oysters, caviar with blinis, wagyu tartare, mac 'n' cheese croquettes, duck liver parfait and sweet potato empanadas — and, to match all the rosé, a heap of cheeses. The garden is also putting on high tea on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, catering to two–six people for $100 a head for 90-minute seatings in the domes.
They're entertaining to watch, and fun to play along with from the comfort of your own couch. But music quiz TV shows like Spicks and Specks and Never Mind the Buzzcocks always leave even their biggest fans wanting more. Who hasn't wished that they could show off their own music trivia knowledge in the same kind of setting? (And not just down at the local pub with your mates.) That's where Not On Your Rider comes in. A music trivia game show, it's hosted by The Creases' Aimon Clark, and features Velociraptor's Jeremy Neale and The Grates' Patience Hodgson as team captains — and it happens live in Brisbane. Also, while the two on-stage teams are always filled with musos, comedians, drag queens and other guests, anyone can buy a ticket, sit at a table and play along with them. Thats how the event plays out every month, but the December outing will be a bit different — because Not On Your Rider is getting festive. This time, Megan Washington, The Jungle Giants' Sam Hales and Australian Idol's Ian 'Dicko' Dickson will be joining in the fun. And, because Christmas is a big occasion, it's all going down on Saturday, December 18 at Fortitude Music Hall. If you're a NOYR newcomer, the quiz itself is accompanied by chats about the music industry, as well as other mini games involving attendees. Plus, resident one-man house band Simi Lacroix will be taking care of the tunes, with help an all-star band who'll be busting out quirky covers. Because it's the season of giving, you'll also score a karaoke afterparty — and the chance to get photos with NOYR's very own version of a shopping centre Santa, with stand-up comedian Aaron Gocs doing the honours. Images: Bianca Holderness.
