No one likes the middle seat on a plane. Does anyone book flights, select where to sit and genuinely (and willingly) pick being stuck between two other people, with no window to look out and no easy access to the aisle, if there's another option? No, no they don't. Until now, that is, because Virgin Australia has just started throwing some love towards folks who do indeed take everyone's least-favourite spot — via a new Middle Seat Lottery. Running since Monday, October 24, and showering people sitting in the middle with prizes until Sunday, April 23, 2023, the Middle Seat Lottery is as self-explanatory as it sounds. Plonk yourself down in the abhorred seat — with a ticket, of course — and you could score goodies for your trouble. The freebies change each week, but there's more than $230,000 in prizes on offer across the six-month competition — only if you either select the middle seat or you're assigned it. Those prizes include Caribbean cruises with Virgin Voyages, complete with flights to and from the USA; a helicopter pub crawl in Darwin, again with flights there and back included; and a Cairns adventure package, which covers flights, accommodation, bungy jumping, river rafting and other activities There's also flights and tickets to your AFL team's away games in 2023 — and, still on Aussie rules, an AFL Grand Final package, covering a lunch, tickets to the game, being on the boundary line before the match, merch and an after party. One prize will be given out each week, with 26 prizes in total across the competition's duration. And if your week doesn't coincide with a holiday giveaway, platinum Velocity Frequent Flyer status with one million points is also on the freebies list. An hour or so in a seat you wouldn't normally pick for the chance to win holidays, heaps of footy or frequent flyer points to book more holidays? Worth it, probably. To go in the running to win any of the above, you do need to be a Velocity Frequent Flyer member over the age of 18. And, you'll have to fly somewhere within Australia, on a Virgin Australia-operated domestic flight, during the competition period — in a middle seat, obviously. Also, to enter, you then need to use the Virgin Australia app within 48 hours of your flight's scheduled departure time, tapping on the Middle Seat Lottery tile, finding your flight and entering your details. From there, winners will be drawn each week and contacted if they're successful. Virgin Australia's Middle Seat Lottery runs from Monday, October 24, 2022–Sunday, April 23, 2023. For more information, head to the Virgin website. Images: Carly Ravenhall. 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.
Forget scones, jam and cream, as delicious a combination as that is — at The Lab's Easter high teas throughout April, it's ditching the classic setup. Instead, you'll tuck into seasonal treats to celebrate one of the sweetest times of year, with the spread available every Saturday and Sunday from 1pm throughout the month. On the menu: ribbon sandwiches, petite quiches and frittatas, colourful macarons, earl grey and orange tartlettes, chocolate and caramel hats, and more. Your sweet tooth won't go hungry here. Also a big feature: bottomless sparking wine, although it's up to you if you add that to all the cakes and chocolates. So, you can make Eggstravagant Easter High Tea a non-boozy affair for $50, which includes non-stop La Maison Du Thé French hand-crafted tea. Or, you can go for the Chandon package for $70, which comes with endless Domaine Chandon brut rosé, sparkling pinot shiraz and sparkling Chandon brut across two hours. Whichever you opt for, just take note of the public holidays. Although this high tea is still on then, there's a surcharge (taking the price to $57.50 sans alcohol and $80.50 with the hard stuff).
If the first half of the year felt like a blur, consider this your sign to pause for a moment of celebration. This winter, Brisbane's Cloudland is partnering with G.H. Mumm to bring back the simple joy of celebrating — no milestones required. Together with G.H. Mumm, Cloudland Garden, Palais and Valley Hops Rooftop spaces will offer a series of indulgent, exclusive dining experiences. [caption id="attachment_1014878" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bubbles & Oysters at Cloudland[/caption] Bubbles & Oysters There's no better way to ring in the weekend than with champagne and oysters. From 4–6pm every Friday, Cloudland Garden and Palais are serving up a bottle of Mumm Prestige (your choice of brut or rosé) paired with six natural oysters and classic mignonette for just $49. To dial things up, swap the classic for XO oysters — served with black garlic, chilli and lemon — for just $5 extra. Book here [caption id="attachment_1014882" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cloudland Garden Bottomless Lunch[/caption] Garden Bottomless Lunches There's lunch, and then there's Cloudland Garden's Bottomless Lunch — a two-hour daytime celebration that kicks off with a DJ set and ends in dancing. Held every Saturday from 11.30am and Sunday from 1.30pm, this $99 per person long lunch serves up premium shared plates and unlimited pours of Mumm Prestige and the bar's signature garden highball cocktails. Book here [caption id="attachment_1014880" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dinner parties at Cloudland[/caption] Dinner Parties For midweek birthdays, overdue catch-ups or just an excuse to feel fancy, Cloudland's new dinner party menu is the move. Available for groups of six or more, this set-menu experience includes seasonal dishes like flash-fried squid, antipasto share boards and sticky braised beef cheek paired with two hours of bottomless drinks — including cocktails — in one of the venue's lush dining rooms. It's $115 per person, and the vibe is all about dressing up and celebrating like it's a big moment (even if it's not). Book here [caption id="attachment_1014881" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Events at Cloudland[/caption] Custom events If you're planning something bigger, Cloudland has a suite of semi-private and private spaces to suit every occasion — from the glam surroundings of Cloudland Palais to the Cloudland Garden and the Valley Hops Rooftop brewery and bar. Pair your booking with one of the curated packages (or build your own), add Mumm Prestige by the bottle, and you've got the kind of night your group chat will be talking about for weeks. Start planning yours today on the website. Explore the Palais, Cloudland Garden and Valley Hops Rooftop spaces With delicious menus, flowing champagne, and a calendar full of ways to gather and raise a glass, Cloudland and G.H. Mumm are making winter feel like a season worth celebrating. See full details and book your spot at the Cloudland website.
Turning 18 is a significant milestone, regardless of whether it's a human or a festival that's celebrating their birthday. In fact, the Brisbane Queer Film Festival is the city's longest-running local festival that is still currently screening, which is no small feat. To mark the coming-of-age occasion, they've broken away from the Brisbane Powerhouse to go out on their own, compiled a great selection of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and gender-diverse films, and will unleash a wealth of queer-focused movie treats upon New Farm Cinemas from March 10 to 19. That just leaves you with the task of watching — and we recommend adding these five must-sees to your agenda. AWOL Looking for love and trying to get your life on track in a small town setting might sound like a familiar film premise. In fact, you've probably seen plenty of movies that tell that tale. So come for the recognisable storyline, and stay for the strong performances and evocative sense of place with the intimate and perceptive AWOL — including yet another excellent turn by Mistress America and Mozart in the Jungle's Lola Kirke. See sessions here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXA0b2NNATI RARA We should all remember Australia's own Gayby Baby as a moving documentary about the lives of children growing up with same-sex parents. Alas, thanks to the ridiculous reaction to the film in some quarters, we're forced to recall the needless controversy as well. In Chilean effort Rara, both the loving home life and the uncertain response by outsiders come together in a tender drama inspired by a true story. Focusing on 13-year-old Sara, first-time writer/director Pepa San Martín paints a portrait of not just coming of age and everything that goes with it, but of coming to terms with societal pressures and prejudices. See sessions here. THE LIVES OF THÉRÈSE Many people can be called interesting, however, very few even come close to Thérèse Clerc. During her 88 years of life, the French feminist activist saw and fought for it all: reproductive rights, sexual equality and gay rights, for starters — and, finally, terminal illness. Sébastien Lifshitz combines her final moments with everything that came before in his documentary The Lives of Thérèse, to insightful effect. No wonder it earned a standing ovation at last year's Cannes Film Festival, where it also won the fest's coveted Queer Palm. See sessions here. https://vimeo.com/148541526 THE NEST Keen to get your small screen fix on a much, much bigger canvas? Eager to check out intriguing and involving television from around the world? If so, you'd best flock to The Nest, and then settle in for a session of television goodness. The four-episode Brazilian miniseries starts with a soldier's quest to find an estranged sibling, then plunges viewers into a queer community that becomes a new family, taking both its characters and its viewers on an engaging journey of discovery in the process. See sessions here. https://vimeo.com/92774362 OUT RUN At a time when political figures around the world continue to demonstrate their small-minded thinking, documentary Out Run couldn't provide more vital viewing. At its centre sits Bemz Benedito, who not only leads the world's only LGBT political party, but dreams of being the first transgender woman in the Philippine Congress. The film follows her historic effort — made all the more difficult in a predominantly Catholic nation — and boasts a tagline that sums up its attitude perfectly: "Make politics fierce". See sessions here. If you're after more BQFF highlights, we're also excited about Tomcat and Women Who Kill, which first screened at the 2017 Mardi Gras Film Festival. Brisbane Queer Film Festival 2017 runs from March 10 to 19 at New Farm Cinemas. For more information, visit their website.
One of Australia's all-time great comedies, an Oscar-winner for Best Costume Design and a film that's made the leap from the screen to the stage as well, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert turns 30 in 2024. But that isn't the only reason to celebrate the movie right now. The Guy Pearce (The Clearing)-, Hugo Weaving (The Royal Hotel)- and Terence Stamp (Last Night in Soho)-starring flick is receiving a follow-up, with writer/director Stephan Elliott announcing a sequel. The filmmaker with Welcome to Woop Woop, A Few Best Men and Swinging Safari similarly on his resume has confirmed that a second Priscilla, Queen of the Desert picture is on the way — with Pearce, Weaving and Stamp all returning. They'll reprise their roles as Adam aka Felicia Jollygoodfellow, Tick aka Mitzi Del Bra and Bernadette Bassenger, respectively, with starting shooting in Australia this year the plan. Elliott, who is writing and directing again, revealed the news to Deadline. "I'm not repeating myself, we'll start the new film in Australia, but by god, we're going on one helluva journey," he advised the publication. "The original cast is on board, I've got a script that everybody likes, we're still working out deals... It's happening," he continued. Alongside stepping back into the lives of the three drag queens who drove a bus across the outback in the 1994 movie, the as-yet-unnamed sequel will introduce new characters. Elliott flagged that Weaving's Tick had a seven-year-old son in the OG film; "he's grown up now," he said. Soundtrack-wise, after the initial flick featured ABBA, Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' and Alicia Bridges' 'I Love the Nightlife', viewers can expect "old disco classics, but we'll be moving into contemporary as well," Elliott also noted. There's no word yet of a release date, or other cast members — or where in Australia the film will take place, after the first movie journeyed from Sydney to Alice Springs via Broken Hill and Coober Pedy. But it's certainly a big time for Aussie cinema greats with links to Broken Hill scoring new instalments right now, given that the Mad Max franchise is about to drop Furiosa. There's obviously no sneak peek at the sequel to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert yet, but check out the trailer for the original movie below: There's no release date yet for sequel to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert — we'll update you when more details are announced. Via Deadline.
Australians really love prawns — and Ballina Prawn Festival knows it. They've dedicated an entire day in honour of everyone's favourite crustacean, and that day is November 11. Set in Ballina's Missingham Park on the banks of the Richmond River, the day will be marked by parades, music, rides and all the prawns you can eat. The festival stalls will be sizzling prawns of all sizes while events happen in every direction, including a prawn shelling competition and a signature dish competition. There will also be a boat parade celebrating the prawn industry, fireworks, amusement rides, live music and sand castle building. Yeah, it'll be the truest form of an Aussie-as day.
UPDATE, September 27, 2021: The Big Bounce has changed its Brisbane dates to January 2022, and will now take place from January 14–16. This article has been updated to reflect that change. No longer confined to children's birthday parties, bouncy castles, inflatable obstacle sources and blow-up labyrinths have become hot property for adults (and their inner kids, of course). And the next blow-up event to return to Brisbane is big. Really big. Dubbed 'The Big Bounce Australia', it's an inflatable theme park made up of the world's biggest bouncy castle — as certified by the Guinness World Records — plus a 300-metre long obstacle course, a three-part space-themed wonderland and a sports slam arena. You're going to need a lot of red cordial to bounce your way through all of this. Set to take over the Eagles Sport Complex in Mansfield between Friday, January 14–Sunday, January 16, The Big Bounce is open to both littl'uns and big'uns, but there are a heap of adults-only sessions — so you don't have to worry about dodging toddlers on your way through. Tickets for adults will set you back $59, which gives you a whole three hours in the park. Yes, you'll need it. Inside, you'll encounter the aforementioned bouncy castle — aptly named The World's Biggest Bounce House — covering a whopping 1500 square metres and, in some spots, reaching ten metres off the ground. In this house, you'll encounter a heap of slides, ball pits, climbing towers, basketball hoops and (if you can believe it) a stage with DJs, confetti cannons and beach balls. Then, there's The Giant, with 50 inflatable obstacles, including giant red balls and a monster slide. Before you hit the next, three-part section of the extremely OTT theme park, you may need to pause, down some red frogs and maybe even have a nap. Or not, as you do only have three hours to explore it all. Either way, at Airspace, aliens, spaceships and moon craters collide with a five-lane slide, some more ball pits and an 18-metre-tall maze. After that, you'll certainly need a nap. And, new for 2022, there's also the Sport Slam, which is rather self-explanatory — and will be a must of you're keen to add a competitive spin to all that bouncing. [caption id="attachment_825374" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sarasota Experience[/caption]
There were some pretty happy snow bunnies across Victoria and NSW this weekend, as many of the states' ski fields scored record-breaking snow falls, just two weeks after the official start of this year's ski season. The powder bucketed down across the weekend, with Sunday morning seeing Victoria's Mt Buller reporting its fifth deepest snow at this point in the season for the past 40 years. Fellow Victorian ski resort Mt Hotham this morning reported an extra 16cm of snow, beefing up its base to 80cm — the biggest its seen for the second week of the ski season in decades. The mountain has had 95cm of snow altogether this season, with 90cm of that falling in the last seven days. Further north, NSW's Perisher scored another 10cm of fresh snow overnight, bringing the total from the weekend's snow storms there to 82cm. And Thredbo is also covered in a hefty blanket of white, with 20cm of fresh snow in the past 24 hours, pulling its season total to 85cm. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1007411165943730177 According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria's alpine areas have only seen the start of it, with a further 25cm to 50cm expected to drop over the next three days. Meanwhile, conditions in NSW are set to clear right up, as the storm there reaches its end before the middle of the week. Top image: Thredbo
Starring Sydney Sweeney as a virginal American nun in Italy whose new life as a bride of Christ finds her in the family way, Immaculate is the kind of movie that horror fans pray for. In the realm of religious-themed frightfests, which is as packed as Catholic mass at Easter or Christmas, the nunsploitation flick is as unholy as cinema gets. It's eerie and unsettling from the outset, when a fellow sister (Simona Tabasco, giving the film not one but two The White Lotus alumni) tries to escape the My Lady of Sorrows convent, only to be chased by cloaked figures, then buried alive. It ripples with unease from the moment that Sweeney's Cecilia arrives from the US to leering comments. From there, Immaculate spans everything from controlling priests and envious nuns through to winding catacombs, secret laboratories and a crucifixion nail (yes, from that crucifixion). Then there's the unforgettable ending. Immaculate is the type of film that Michael Mohan prays for, too. Chatting with Concrete Playground about directing one of the horror movies of 2024 — and being asked to by Euphoria's Sweeney, who he previously helmed on TV series Everything Sucks! and erotic thriller The Voyeurs — he calls the feature's final two minutes the highlight of his career. "It's such a visceral experience, and the way that people sort of slowly catch on to what's happening in the audience is just so fun to discover," he advises. "Really, the last two minutes are my favourite part of the movie. My favourite thing I've ever directed is the last two minutes of this movie, and it's just something to behold." For Mohan, all hail the reaction that Immaculate is garnering as well, starting with the response when it premiered at SXSW 2024 (the US version, not the Australian fest) in March. "It's made it so that I can't watch the movie with any other crowds, because it was like a drug," he jokes. "To a filmmaker, the experience of watching the movie at SXSW was like the cinematic equivalent of heroin — just because people were screaming, people were yelling, people were making fun of each other for screaming, people were standing up and cheering. It is everything a filmmaker could ever want out of an audience reaction. It was amazing." Immaculate almost didn't happen, however. The tale behind the flick making it to the screen takes almost as wild a ride as the picture itself. It was a decade back, before she was in everything-everywhere-all-at-once mode — this is her third movie since December 2023 to reach cinemas, slotting in alongside Anyone But You and Madame Web — that Sweeney initially auditioned for the picture. Now, she's a producer on it, handpicking both the script as her ideal horror effort, plus Mohan to guide it. A text asking "interested in directing a horror film?" is how she started bringing the filmmaker onboard. Barely 18 months later, Immaculate has moviegoers worshipping. Mohan's path to here doesn't just involve getting Sweeney in front of his lens, then turning her into a helluva scream queen. Short films — both writing and directing them — began gracing his resume in 2003. 2010 coming-of-age comedy One Too Many Mornings marked his first feature, followed by Alison Brie (Apples Never Fall)- and Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction)-led rom-com Save the Date. After that came the 90s-set Everything Sucks!, which he co-created, but it only lasted one season. If it wasn't for that show, though, he mightn't have crossed paths with Sweeney. Call it divine intervention? Notably, Mohan wasn't new to the picture's Catholicism, growing up in it ("I grew up super Catholic, so it was in my bones. I was the leader of the youth group. I'm since a lapsed Catholic," he tells us.) With Immaculate now in Australian and New Zealand cinemas, we chatted with Mohan about that first text message about the movie, working with Sweeney as a producer as well as a star, his initial vision for the film, taking inspiration from 70s horror and the feature's take on religion. Also part of our conversation: Sweeney's versatility, how to get the perfect movie scream — of which she contributes plenty — and the picture's unshakeable imagery, plus more. On Receiving a Text from Sydney Sweeney Asking "Interested in Directing a Horror Film?" "I was just scared because I needed to love the script. I want to make as many movies with her as I can, but I also need to feel like I can bring myself to it and that I'll elevate it. So thankfully when I read the script, I realised there's so much potential here, there are twists and turns that I did not see coming. When I pitched my ideas for where I wanted to take the story to Sydney, she was thankfully very receptive. Even though we didn't have a whole lot of time to massage the script, we just went for it. She sent me the script in August of 2022, and I was then on the ground in Rome basically three months later prepping the movie." On Working with Sydney Sweeney Not Just as an Actor, But as One of Immaculate's Producers "It's interesting. At the start, I took an approach like I was a director for hire, to some degree; however, my stipulation in doing the film is that I wanted her to buy into what my vision of the film was. So I put together a lookbook, like as if I wasn't her friend. And I was like 'here, this is what I would do if I didn't know you. This is what I would do if I were trying to win this job'. And the imagery that I sent her and the things that she responded to were exactly in line with how she saw the movie, too. So going into it, we were both on the same page. At the same time, she's the producer, I'm the director, so we had a push and pull in terms of in terms of what we were doing creatively. Anytime I came to her with a new idea, her first response was always like 'but is it scary? Because it needs to be scary'. Luckily our dynamic is such in that my approach to anything in terms of creative is that if you have the same end goal in mind, there's no right or wrong in the journey going there — there's only who feels the most passionate about something. So if you get into a creative disagreement, if it's something that really matters, I can say to her 'this matters to me more than it matters to you' and she can go 'okay' and let go. For instance, there was a scene I cut out of the movie. She was like 'I really want you to put that scene back in'. And I was like 'I really don't think it needs it'. She was like 'no, this is important. This is important to me'. I'm able to look at her and go 'this is more important to her than it is to me, I'm putting it back in the movie' — and that's how you have such a great give and take in terms of collaboration, where it doesn't feel like there's too many cooks in the kitchen." On Mohan's Initial Vision for Immaculate "The initial vision was just to make something that would hopefully traumatise people. We wanted to really go hard. But we wanted to do it smartly. When the film starts, it kind of feels like a traditional horror movie. Yeah, there are all of these horrific images, there are these great jump-scares and it's bumping along, but then it starts to get a little bit more disturbing. Then it starts to get a little bit more disturbing, until at the end of the movie you're seeing something that is actually a lot more similar to French extremist horror than The Conjuring. And so to be able to craft that arc for the audience, where they feel more and more in peril as they're watching the film, was part of the design." On the Importance of Sydney Sweeney's Versatility in Taking Audiences on the Film's Journey "I love when a movie takes a character from point A to point Z. So, to start her off as this sort of meek and quiet, mild-mannered nun, into what becomes like this insane feral creature covered in blood, screaming at the top of her lungs — that's just dramatics. That's just creating a wider arc. And it's very easy for me to conceive of such a wide arc when I know that the person playing it will be able to knock it out of the park. Sydney's ability to go to completely unhinged places is her superpower as an actor. It is incredible to see because I don't know how she does it. And so for me as a director, just my job is to make sure she stays out of her head, and to gently nudge her this way or that way to shape the performance and find the deeper levels. But it's a like driving a Rolls-Royce when you're directing her — she takes direction perfectly. And we just have this history. It's just really easy for the two of us to work together." On Making a Movie That Feels Like a Blend of Both 70s-Era Horror and Contemporary Horror "That's just what I watch. If you look at my Letterboxd, it's a balance of absolute trash and The Criterion Collection — and I think this film is perfectly in the middle. I just love the horror films of the early 70s. I think that there's something a little bit more fearless about them. If you look at The Exorcist — I mean, everybody has talked about The Exorcist until the end of time, because that scene where she has the crucifix and she's stabbing herself and she's bloody, it is so disturbing. Yet that is a mainstream film. That was a studio movie. And it's almost more scary, the fact that it's really well-photographed, than seeing the grimy independent version of that. So to me, it's bringing that level of elegance, coupled with the lurid — that's just where my voice happens to live." On Immaculate's Unholy Imagery "Similar to Sydney, my cinematographer [Elisha Christian, The Night House] and I have worked together forever. He was my roommate senior year of college. And so something that we're always trying to do is bring a sense of beauty to everything we do, whether it's a horror or whether it's an erotic thriller, or some of the earlier comedies that we were working on. I'm just a huge fan of his work. I love what Elisha has done. Here, it goes back to what I was talking about with The Exorcist — when you take something that is absolutely horrific and you film it with a formalism and a beauty, that's a type of cinema that I feel like is lacking. And so for us to be able to do that, it's really just our natural voice is how we shot this film. All of our inspiration poured into it in a way, and this is how it turned out. Also, the name of the movie is Immaculate, and so we wanted to have it immaculate — and so it could also just be as simple as that." On How to Get the Perfect Horror-Movie Scream "Every actor is different. I can tell you that for Simona, at the beginning of the film, Simona Tabasco, there's a scream that she has to let out — and she brought me aside and she was like 'I'm scared of screaming'. So I was like 'okay, come with me'. We went out into the middle of the field and I was like 'I'm just going to scream with you'. And so I just started screaming, and then she started screaming. And then I started screaming back at her, and then she started screaming back at me, and you lose your inhibitions with it. I think that's the most important part, just making sure that the actors aren't self-censoring themselves. Because when you scream, it's an unnatural thing, especially if you're not actually in pain. So it's just all about letting go, and allowing allowing them to let go. Then in the case of Sydney, she's got a set of pipes and she uses them." On Finding Inspiration in the Production's Italian Location — and in Giallo "With religion, I was trying to bring that sense of majesty to it and that sense of power, because this is a movie that doesn't have a whole lot of backstory for the characters. I wanted to keep it to a tight 88 minutes, and I needed the audience to understand from her perspective why she was so swept up in this world. So we were able to do that visually by finding these locations that were absolutely majestic. At the same time, I'm in Italy making a horror film. The responsible thing to do is to at least honour the elders that came before me. So I did watch a ton of giallo films, not to bite off the aesthetic in the way that like Edgar Wright did in Last Night in Soho, but more to have a little bit of a deeper understanding of some of the more-nuanced aspects of the genre. So, for instance, there's this great film What Have You Done to to Solange?. What I love about that film is how they visually capture the patriarchal dynamics between the men and the women. So there's a scene in ours that's an interrogation scene where Sydney's at one end of the table, and she's framed with the flames behind her, almost like she's coming from hell. Then the men are on the other side of the table, and they're all standing, looking down on her. And you see that throughout the course of the film, this playing with heights. The same with in the ceremony at the beginning, she is kneeling in front of the men who are towering above her. And then at the end of the movie, obviously those paradigms are completely shifted, when she gets the upper hand and she is the one who's the powerful one in the frame. So some of that comes from those giallos that are a little bit more naturalistic. Additionally, there's this great film called The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, and I listened to the score of that film non-stop. I loved it. It helped put me in the vibe of that type of cinema, and I loved it so much that I actually used a cue from that in a key montage about half an hour into the film as well." On Why the Combination of Religion and Horror Keeps Appealing to Audiences "I think especially in Catholicism, it's so dark. Part of the ceremony of a mass is eating the body of Jesus, and it's not a representation — it's the literal body, it's transforming when you pop it in your mouth. It's wild that that's what we believe. It's wild that we take a sip of wine and believe it to be his blood. So Catholicism is metal, and so it lends itself to horror just very, very naturally." Immaculate released in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, March 21. Read our review. Images: Fabia Lavino, courtesy of NEON.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. ELVIS Making a biopic about the king of rock 'n' roll, trust Baz Luhrmann to take his subject's words to heart: a little less conversation, a little more action. The Australian filmmaker's Elvis, his first feature since 2013's The Great Gatsby, isn't short on chatter. It's even narrated by Tom Hanks (Finch) as Colonel Tom Parker, the carnival barker who thrust Presley to fame (and, as Luhrmann likes to say, the man who was never a Colonel, never a Tom and never a Parker). But this chronology of an icon's life is at its best when it's showing rather than telling. That's when it sparkles brighter than a rhinestone on all-white attire, and gleams with more shine than all the lights in Las Vegas. That's when Elvis is electrifying, due to its treasure trove of recreated concert scenes — where Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) slides into Presley's blue suede shoes and lifetime's supply of jumpsuits like he's the man himself. Butler is that hypnotic as Presley. Elvis is his biggest role to-date after starting out on Hannah Montana, sliding through other TV shows including Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, and also featuring in Yoga Hosers and The Dead Don't Die — and he's exceptional. Thanks to his blistering on-stage performance, shaken hips and all, the movie's gig sequences feel like Elvis hasn't ever left the building. Close your eyes and you'll think you were listening to the real thing. (In some cases, you are: the film's songs span Butler's vocals, Presley's and sometimes a mix of both). And yet it's how the concert footage looks, feels, lives, breathes, and places viewers in those excited and seduced crowds that's Elvis' true gem. It's meant to make movie-goers understand what it was like to be there, and why Presley became such a sensation. Aided by dazzling cinematography, editing and just all-round visual choreography, these parts of the picture — of which there's many, understandably — leave audiences as all shook up as a 1950s teenager or 1970s Vegas visitor. Around such glorious centrepieces, Luhrmann constructs exactly the kind of Elvis extravaganza he was bound to. His film is big. It's bold. It's OTT. It's sprawling at two-and-a-half hours in length. It shimmers and swirls. It boasts flawless costume and production design by Catherine Martin, as his work does. It shows again that Luhrmann typically matches his now-instantly recognisable extroverted flair with his chosen subject (Australia aside). Balancing the writer/director's own style with the legend he's surveying can't have been easy, though, and it doesn't completely play out as slickly as Presley's greased-back pompadour. Elvis is never anything but engrossing, and it's a sight to behold. The one key element that doesn't gel as convincingly: using the scheming Parker as a narrator (unreliable, obviously) and framing device. It helps the movie unpack the smiling-but-cunning manager's outré role in Presley's life, but it's often just forceful, although so was Parker's presence in the star's career. In a script by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell (The Get Down), Craig Pearce (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby) and Jeremy Doner (TV's The Killing), the requisite details are covered. That includes the singer's birth in Tupelo, Mississippi, and extends through to his late-career Vegas residency — with plenty in the middle. His discovery by Parker, the impact upon his parents (Rake co-stars Helen Thomson and Richard Roxburgh), his relationship with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge, The Staircase), Graceland, America's puritanical reaction to his gyrating pelvis, the issues of race baked into the response to him as an artist: they're all featured. Thematically, those last two points thrum throughout the entire movie. Elvis questions why any hint of sex was such a shock, and why it was so easy for a white man who drew his songs, style and dance moves from Black culture, via his upbringing, to be dubbed a scandal. Read our full review. NUDE TUESDAY In Nude Tuesday, you can take the unhappy couple out of their daily routine — and slip them out of their clothes in the process — but escaping to a mountainside commune, ditching the dacks, palling around with a goat and gleaning relationship advice from the author a book called The Toothy Vulva just can't solve all woes. What that list of absurd plot points and experiences can do is fill out a film that's gleefully silly, often side-splittingly funny, and also just as perceptive as it is playful. The basic premise behind this New Zealand sex comedy borrows from plenty of fellow movies and TV shows about stuck-in-a-rut folks seeking bliss and renewal, plus solutions to bland marriages, with a gorgeous change of scenery. But helping make Nude Tuesday such a winner is every offbeat choice that's used to tell that tale. Getting naked is only part of it, given that not a lick of any recognisable language is spoken throughout the entire feature — although plenty of words and sounds are audibly uttered. Nude Tuesday understands one key point, as everyone watching it will: that relationships are all about communication. The film is also well aware that so much about life is, too — and storytelling. Here, though, expressing emotions, connections and narrative details all boils down to gibberish and bodies. This amusing movie from writer/director Armağan Ballantyne (The Strength of Water) and writer/star Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers) does indeed strip down its performers in its last third, living up to its name, but it saddles them with conveying almost everything about their characters via body language before that. Each piece of dialogue spoken echoes in unintelligible nonsense, using completely made-up and wholly improvised terms. Even covers of 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Islands in the Stream' do as well. And while subtitled in English by British comedian Julia Davis (Camping), that text was penned after shooting, in one of the film's other purposefully farcical twists. The result is patently ridiculous, and marvellously so — and hilariously. It's such a clever touch, making a movie about marital disharmony and the communication breakdown baked within that's so reliant upon reading tone and posture, as couples on the prowl for the tiniest of micro-aggressions frequently hone in on. Initially, the feature needs a few scenes to settle into its unfamiliar vernacular, which takes cues from The Muppets' Swedish Chef in its cadence. Via an opening map, which situates the story on the fictional pacific island of Zǿbftąņ, Nude Tuesday's language also resembles an IKEA catalogue. But once Ballantyne, van Beek and the latter's co-stars find their groove — with a literally bloody attempt to make adult nappies sexy, a supermarket tantrum involving tossed cans and a tense anniversary dinner — everything, including the movie's chosen tongue, clicks into place. Van Beek and Australian The Tourist actor Damon Herriman play Nude Tuesday's central pair, Laura and Bruno. In the first but not last example of just how compellingly they use their physicality, the talented lead twosome paints a picture of relatable malaise from their introductory moments together. Laura and Bruno are bogged down in a dull cycle that revolves around working at jobs neither loves — she spruiks those mature-age diapers, he sells bathroom fixtures — then trudging home exhausted and exasperated to deal with their kids, and later crumbling into bed knowing they're going to repeat it all the next day. Sex doesn't factor in, and neither is content with that, but resolving their troubles themselves is out of reach. Then, they're gifted a getaway to ẄØnÐĘULÄ to assist. But this woodland getaway, run by charismatic and lustful sex guru Bjorg Rassmussen (Jemaine Clement, I Used to Go Here), wants its new guests to expose all in multiple ways. Read our full review. LOST ILLUSIONS Stop us when Lost Illusions no longer sounds familiar. You won't; it won't, either. Stop us when its 19th century-set and -penned narrative no longer feels so relevant to life today that you can easily spot parts of it all around you. Again, that won't happen. When the handsome and involving French drama begins, its protagonist knows what he wants to do with his days, and also who he loves. Quickly, however, he learns that taking a big leap doesn't always pan out if you don't hail from wealth. He makes another jump anyway, out of necessity. He gives a new line of work a try, finds new friends and gets immersed in a different world. Alas, appearances just keep meaning everything in his job, and in society in general. Indeed, rare is the person who doesn't get swept up, who dares to swim against the flow, or who realises they might be sinking rather than floating. The person weathering all of the above is Lucien Chardon (Benjamin Voisin, Summer of 85), who'd prefer to be known as Lucien de Rubempré — his mother's aristocratic maiden name. It's 1821, and he's a poet and printer's assistant in the province of Angoulême when the film begins. He's also having an affair with married socialite Louise de Bargeton (Cécile de France, The French Dispatch), following her to Paris, but their bliss is soon shattered. That's why he gives journalism a try after meeting the equally ambitious Etienne Lousteau (Vincent Lacoste, Irma Vep), then taking up the offer of a tabloid gig after failing to get his poetry published. Lucien climbs up the ranks quickly, both in the scathing newspaper business — where literary criticism is literally cash for comment — and in the right Parisian circles. But even when he doesn't realise it, his new life weighs him down heavily. Lost Illusions spins a giddy tale, but not a happy one. It can't do the latter; exactly why is right there in the title. As a film, it unfurls as a ravishing and intoxicating drama that's deeply funny, moving and astute — one that's clearly the product of very particular set of skills. No, Liam Neeson's recent on-screen resume doesn't factor into it, not for a second. Instead, it takes an immensely special talent to spin a story like this, where every moment is so perceptive and each piece of minutiae echoes so resoundingly. The prowess behind this seven-time César Award-winner belongs to three people: acclaimed novelist Honoré de Balzac, who wrote the three-part Illusions perdues almost 200 years ago; filmmaker Xavier Giannoli (Marguerite), who so entrancingly adapts and directs; and Jacques Fieschi (Lovers), who co-scripts with the latter. There's more to Lucien's story — pages upon pages more, where his tale began; 149 minutes in total, as his ups and downs now play out on the screen. When Louise decides that he doesn't fit in, with help from the scheming Marquise d'Espard (Jeanne Balibar, Memoria), spite rains his way. When Etienne introduces him to the realities of the media at the era, and with relish, he's brought into a dizzying whirlwind of corruption, arrogance, fame, power, money and influence. When Lucien starts buying into everything he's sold about the whys and hows of his new profession, and the spoils that come with it, Lost Illusions couldn't be more of a cautionary tale. Everything has a price: the glowing words he gleefully types, the nasty takedowns of other people's rivals and the entire act of spending his days doing such bidding for the highest fee. Read our full review. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU What's yellow, round, inescapably silly and also just flat-out inescapable? Since 2010, when the first Despicable Me film reached screens, Minions have been the answer. The golden-hued, nonsense-babbling critters were designed as the ultimate sidekicks. They've remained henchman to malevolent figures in all five of their movie outings so far, and in the 15 shorts that've also kept telling their tale. But, as much as super-villain Gru (Steve Carrell, Space Force) would disagree — he'd be immensely insulted at the idea, in fact — Minions have long been the true drawcards. Children haven't been spotted carrying around and obsessing over Gru toys in the same number. The saga's key evil-doer doesn't have people spouting the same gibberish, either. And his likeness hasn't become as ubiquitous as Santa, although Minions aren't considered a gift by everyone. At their best, these lemon-coloured creatures are today's equivalent of slapstick silent film stars. At their worst, they're calculatingly cute vehicles for selling merchandise and movie tickets. In Minions: The Rise of Gru, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Otto and company (all voiced by Pierre Coffin, also the director of the three Despicable Me features so far, as well as the first Minions) fall somewhere in the middle. Their Minion mayhem is the most entertaining and well-developed part of the flick, but it's also pushed to the side. There's a reason that this isn't just called Minions 2 — and another that it hasn't been badged Despicable Me: The Rise of Gru. The Minion name gets wallets opening and young audiences excited, the Rise of Gru reflects the main focus of the story, and anyone who's older than ten can see the strings being pulled at the corporate level. Gru's offsiders are present and cause plenty of chaos, but whether he gets to live out his nefarious boyhood dreams is director Kyle Balda (Despicable Me 3), co-helmers Brad Ableson (Legends of Chamberlain Heights) and Jonathan del Val (The Secret Life of Pets 2), and screenwriter Matthew Fogel's (The Lego Movie 2) chief concern. His ultimate wish: to become one of the Vicious 6, the big supervillain team of 1976, when Gru is 11. That sinister crew happens to have an opening after some infighting and double-crossing among Belle Bottom (Taraji P Henson, Empire), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Haters), Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless, My Life Is Murder), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren, Aquaman), Stronghold (Danny Trejo, The Legend of La Llarona) and Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method). Accordingly, when Gru receives an invite to audition, he's as thrilled as a criminal mastermind-in-training can be. The Minions are hired as Gru's assistants and, after his tryout for the big leagues ends in him stealing the Vicious 6's prized possession, quickly spark the usual Minion antics. Of course they lose the pivotal object. Of course the Vicious 6 come looking for it. Of course the Minions do everything from learning kung fu (from Master Chow, voiced by Everything Everywhere All At Once's Michelle Yeoh) to virtually destroying San Francisco. There's more calculation than inspiration behind their havoc, however; rather than Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton-esque heights, their slapstick hijinks feel as structured and obvious as the film's nods to a wealth of genres (martial arts, spy, road trip, blaxploitation and more) and its hefty list of blatant era-appropriate needle drops ('Funkytown', 'Fly Like an Eagle', 'Born to Be Alive' and the like). It also plays like colour and movement around Gru, rather than the central attraction viewers want it to be. Also, something can't be surreal if it's so thoroughly expected, as the bulk of Minions: The Rise of Gru is. It isn't clever enough to be gloriously ridiculous, either. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2, June 9 and June 16. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear and Men.
Victoria has fully reopened to the entire country, and Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia have all announced when they'll relax their border rules, too. Now, it's Western Australia's turn. Today, Friday, November 5, WA Premier Mark McGowan revealed that the state will start welcoming back travellers sometime early in 2022, once it hits the 90-percent double-vaccinated mark. That means that there's no exact reopening date right now, but McGowan said he expects it to occur sometime in late January or early February. Once WA hits the 80-percent double-dose threshold, the Premier will announce exactly when folks from other states will be able to head west again at that 90-percent mark. And, people travelling from overseas destinations, too — because the reopening will apply to both WA's domestic and international borders. There'll be different rules in place depending on where you're entering from, and other health measures such as wearing face masks in high-risk settings and requiring proof of vaccination at large events and nightclubs will also be put into effect statewide. Today we can announce Western Australia's Safe Transition Plan to ease our controlled border. It sets out an approach which will allow us to safely ease our border controls with other States and resume international travel - while limiting the impact of COVID when it reaches WA. pic.twitter.com/z8mSPlppsf — Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) November 5, 2021 Now planning a trip to WA from elsewhere in Australia? You'll need to be double-vaccinated to enter, and also to get a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of departing. At first, there'll be tests upon arrival as well, but they will eventually be phased out. For those making the journey from an international location, there'll be no quarantine for double-vaxxed arrivals — and the same testing requirements will be in place for both domestic and overseas travellers. If you haven't had two jabs, you'll still need to go into hotel quarantine for 14 days. "The decision to target a 90-percent vaccination rate is based on extensive modelling which shows us the rates of community infections, hospitalisations and deaths are far lower if we make this change at 90-percent, when compared with an 80-percent target," said the Premier. And, while that 90-percent threshold will apply statewide, "if there are regional areas with low vaccination rates, then pending the health advice at the time, restrictions on travel within WA to protect these specific regions may need to be introduced," McGowan continued. [caption id="attachment_770353" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] The just-announced plan will see WA reopen while having no COVID-19 in the state's community, too. "This plan sets out how WA will transition in a safe manner and provides a soft landing, with minimal impact on WA's unique way of life," said the Premier. "Transitioning with zero COVID in the community has never been done before and that's why our transition is unique and will require us to all work together." Western Australia has had a hard border and strict quarantine requirements in place for much of the pandemic, meaning that people who don't normally reside in WA have only been able to visit the state if they're classified as an exempt traveller, apply for a G2G Pass and, if approved, then self-isolate for 14 days. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Western Australia, and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in July, but KFC wants you to celebrate the festive season midyear not once but twice. First, it's dropping a heap of deals for the next month. Then, it's sending three groups to the Colonel's Lodge in August, where getting into the yuletide spirit with plenty of chicken while holidaying for two nights in the Blue Mountains is on the menu. The fast-food chain has previously slipped into the Christmas in July mood with ugly sweaters for humans and pets alike, which are back for another year alongside seasonal socks, hoodies, bucket hats and more. If you have some of those in your wardrobe or you buy them now, you know what to wear if you score one of the trips to the brand's latest pop-up. Whatever you don, the three winners will be heading to a wood-panelled mansion filled with red-and-white theming aplenty, a whole lot of KFC merchandise and also Christmas wares, with up to three mates. While you're there, you'll enjoy full KFC catering up to $2000 per day. Not in New South Wales but love the Colonel's finest? The prize also spans economy flights from your nearest capital city to Sydney. For people already in NSW, you might receive transport from your home to the Blue Mountains, but that's up to KFC's discretion. Three draws are taking place, each for those who hit up the KFC app to spend $30 or more on the chain's Christmas in July deals, which run from Monday, July 1–Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The first period covers purchases from Monday, July 1–Sunday, July 14, and will be drawn on Monday, July 15 for a stay between Thursday, August 1–Saturday, August 3. The second period covers eating KFC between Monday, July 15–Sunday, July 21, for a draw on Monday, July 22 and a stay between Saturday, August 3–Monday, August 5. And the third will reward those getting some finger-lickin'-good chicken between Monday, July 22–Wednesday, July 31, as then drawn on Thursday, August 1 for a stay from Monday, August 5–Wednesday, August 7. The deals that'll help you become eligible for winning a Colonel's Lodge getaway include half-price zingers on Monday, July 1, then the likes of nine pieces of original recipe for $9.95, $1 regular chips and $10 tenders. A different special will land each day. KFC fans will know that this kind of pop-up isn't a surprise for a brand that's also done 11-course fine-dining degustations, Peking Duk-led festivals, a nightclub, weddings, cocktails, a crispery that double-breaded and fried everything, and a soothing playlist of chicken frying and gravy simmering — which is genuinely relaxing — in the past. KFC's Christmas July deals run from Monday, July 1–Wednesday, July 31, 2024, with spending $30 or more via the KFC app getting you an entry to stay at the Colonel's Lodge. Winners will need to take their trips in August. Head to the brand's website for more details.
UPDATE: May 24, 2020: Child's Play is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Black Mirror, meet 80s cinema's favourite flame-haired, knife-wielding plaything. That's Child's Play circa 2019 straight out of its gleaming box. Chucky has never gone away, with the last flick in the initial seven-film franchise hitting home entertainment just two years ago. An eight-part series called Chucky is headed to TV screens next year, too, from the original movie's Don Mancini. But updating the carnage-inflicting toy for today's incessantly-online, internet-of-things environment was always going to happen, jettisoning the notion of a doll possessed by a serial killer for something considerably more high-tech. It's a premise rich with possibilities — dissecting humanity's growing subservience to technology, our fear of artificial intelligence, the reality that all-powerful companies may not have customers' best interests at heart, and showing how increasingly aggressive times can create a dangerous and deadly loop of vicious behaviour. Sadly, although the new Child's Play doesn't shy away from its many timely ideas, it doesn't do anything more than push them through a horror assembly line. A standard slasher flick made from well-worn parts remains just that, even when it has been given a famous name, plenty of topical talking points and a slick visual makeover. In fact, the fact that this do-over tries so hard to pair its murderous robotic figurine with timely observations, while also happily sticking to a bland, broad, surprise-free playbook, is its most grating trait. Perhaps it's simply peddling another piece of social commentary: that movie studios, like toy corporations, can release whatever generic fare they like as long as they make it appear shiny enough, and consumers just have to stomach the resulting havoc and dreck. Whether you're buying the latest gadget or heading to the cinema, that's the cost of making a purchase today. Single mother Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza) doesn't actually hand over any hard-earned cash for a walking, talking Buddi doll (which speaks with the voice of Mark Hamill). Instead, the department store employee convinces her boss to let her take one of the returned, malfunctioning toys home as a gift for her hearing-impaired son Andy's (Gabriel Bateman) birthday. Almost a teenager, the boy is hardly overjoyed about his present. Still, he's lonely and in a new city, the computerised plaything clearly adores him like it is programmed to, and it also helps him befriend a couple of neighbourhood kids (Ty Consiglio and Beatrice Kitsos). That said, that something is astray is clear from the moment that Andy's plastic buddy decides its own name is Chucky. As the movie's opening scene shows, a disgruntled sweatshop worker has removed the figurine's appropriate language and anti-violence filters in an act of employee-level corporate vengeance. So while Chucky might seem like little more than an eccentric and clingy android BFF to Andy, the smart doll is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their friendship alive — including slaughter anyone who gets in the way. If first-time feature director Lars Klevberg and debut screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith are trying to pre-empt criticism by having their mechanical villain love something so much that it turns into a toxic fan, slaying everything in its path irrationally and indiscriminately, that's one of their big swings and misses. It's better reading into their other big theme, and one that Chucky demonstrates again and again in trying to resolve Andy's woes with a knife: being careful what you wish for. For material so rife with potential, Child's Play remains content to make the easiest and most apparent statements in routine and uninspired ways. It's also happy to follow cookie-cutter characters, throw in the expected deaths and just generally follow the operating manual. And while there's undeniable pleasure in hearing Parks and Recreation alumni Plaza say the name 'Andy' repeatedly, she headlines an entirely wasted cast. Playing a cop whose mother lives in the same building as Karen and Andy, Atlanta's Brian Tyree Henry falls into the same category. So do Hamill's creepy but never overly menacing vocals. When Chucky keeps killing over and over again with a single-minded focus, Child's Play begins to resemble another tech-heavy, needlessly rebooted, never-say-die franchise: the Terminator. It's not that these sagas don't know when to end; rather, they keep kicking on without justifying why. The same can be said for recent instalments in other long-running series, such as X-Men and Men in Black. But, simultaneously glossy and formulaic where its predecessors were gleefully makeshift and off-kilter, Child's Play couldn't try harder to stress that it's a new beginning. It is, and yet starting over again isn't always a good thing. Credit where credit is due, however. Who dies, and when, never comes as a shock, but this horror flick does value a great bit of gore. While the bloodshed takes time to splatter across the screen, when it comes, it's memorable. If only Klevberg and Smith had expended the same energy and inventiveness on the rest of the film as they do on Chucky's growing pile of bodies. Their one other playful attempt arrives via the movie's blackly comic tone, endeavouring to ape The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and even using clips of the 80s slasher sequel to teach the picture's homicidal robot how to stab, slice and snatch people's faces off. If you're thinking the obvious, though, you're right — whether it's reimagining its source material, adhering to topical and filmmaking trends, or nodding to other genre fare, Child's Play follows poorly in everyone's footsteps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeHNLikDiVw
When spring arrives in Brisbane, the River City turns violet, as well as gorgeous. There's nothing like wandering beneath the jacaranda trees around town when they're in full bloom, and we all have the camera roll filled with vibrant snaps to prove it. Frolicking outdoors is one way to celebrate the floral explosion. Until Saturday, November 16, 2024, so is hitting up the Regatta Hotel each Saturday for a blossoming boozy brunch. From 11am–1pm weekly, the Toowong pub is serving up a meal, a beverage package, live tunes and even sing-alongs, all in its bloom-adorned courtyard. So, you'll still be outside — but sitting down, eating and drinking, and soaking in a piano-fuelled soundtrack. You'll pay $79 per person to get brunching, which includes two hours of food and drinks. On the menu: a three-course spread that starts with tempura zucchini flowers and saltbush chevre, then offers a pick of pizzas (including mushroom and truffle oil, plus jamon and roquette) or a salad, and finishes with mini pancake stacks and fudge. The singing is as much of a drawcard as what you'll be downing, with lyrics displayed on the venue's big screens karaoke-style while everyone croons along as a crowd.
UPDATE, May 22, 2021: Possessor is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. From the moment he decided to become a filmmaker, Brandon Cronenberg wasn't likely to direct romantic comedies. He could've, or period dramas, action flicks or anything else that took his fancy. He still can. However, his surname is already synonymous with not only the most unnerving genre there is, but with body horror specifically. For decades, that status was his father's doing. Including Shivers, Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly, David Cronenberg is the field's undisputed cinematic master. Accordingly, Brandon's decision to craft not one but two features in the same mould isn't the least bit surprising — but just how extraordinary 2012's Antiviral and now Possessor are wasn't ever guaranteed. If either Cronenberg wants to make a movie about passing down the penchant for visceral thrills and the ability to smartly serve up savage explorations of corporeal terrors via genes (based on their own experiences, naturally), that's something that plenty of people would watch. Brandon's current foray into body horror deploys a completely different idea, of course, although someone isn't completely responsible for their own choices here either. In Possessor, technology permits assassins to hijack the bodies of people close to their targets, letting them assume not just their identities but their physical presence to fulfil their murderous missions. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, The Grudge) is one such killer, and she is so exacting and accomplished at her job that her no-nonsense boss and handler Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annihilation) keeps trying to push her further. Such work comes with consequences, though, with Tasya slowly estranging herself from her husband (Rossif Sutherland, Catastrophe) and young son (Gage Graham-Arbuthnot, Becky). During the luridly shot undertaking that opens the movie and the assignment that the often neon-hued flick spends the bulk of its time on, Tasya also begins to realise that separating herself from the folks she's temporarily inhabiting is becoming difficult. In the first job, Tasya's consciousness takes over a woman called Holly (Gabrielle Graham, On the Basis of Sex) to gun down a high-flying lawyer at a swanky hotel party. Every mission should end with extraction via suicide — the possessed person's, as forced by the possessor, who then returns to their own bag of bones, flesh and blood — but Tasya can't pull the trigger on her host body. When she's later sent into Colin (Christopher Abbott, Vox Lux), the fiancé of the daughter (Tuppence Middleton, Mank) of a ruthless business mogul (Sean Bean, Snowpiercer), she similarly struggles to retain control. As depicted in gory detail, being able to stick a probe into your head and mind-hop into someone else's may be pure science fiction, but the younger Cronenberg intentionally apes The Matrix when he shows how the tech behind his premise operates. Our present analogues to Possessor's body-jumping concept exist in the online world, virtual reality, avatars, catfishing, trolling and even just anonymous commenting while you're tapping at your keyboard or phone, and this film makes it ferociously clear that it all has a significant cost. Cronenberg isn't just taking cues from his dad — whose 1999 film eXistenZ, also starring Jason Leigh, toyed in somewhat similar territory — or from a beloved sci-fi franchise. As many works that reflect upon humanity's true nature via dystopian futures tend to, the writer/director adds an entry to both the body horror and science fiction canons that seems like it might've appeared in a feverish dream after a life spent consuming those exact types of tales. But Possessor also always feels like a unique creation, and never a film puppeteered by its influences in the same way that Tasya pulls the strings of her marks. Cronenberg's feature boasts far too much of its own chilliness, daring and determination, as well as the filmmaker's fondness for particularly gruesome imagery, to merely be the sum of its various sources of inspiration. Possessor also has its own wellspring of nihilism pumping through its veins, not only tackling big notions in a bold and ultra-violent way, but proving deeply, gut-wrenchingly, existentially dark. It's a bleak line of thinking, positing that nothing means anything in a world where anyone can be someone else without knowing, corporate interests always take precedence over individual needs, and invading the privacy of people's homes, hardware and heads is a common and lucrative business model. It's also a wave that Possessor rides. But the film needs two people to hang these ponderings from, finding them in the sensational Riseborough and the also exceptional Abbott. With hair almost as pale as her skin, there's a ghostly look to Riseborough and a similar feel to her performance, instantly illustrating how all of Tasya's time spent secreting away in other people's guises is eroding her sense of self. Abbott, playing a man whose body has been snatched but whose mental energy refuses to quietly subside, is a ball of continued conflict and also near the best he's ever been on-screen — on par with 2015's James White and this year's Black Bear, in fact. In Cronenberg's aforementioned directorial debut Antiviral, he imagined a future where our consumption-driven urges and obsession with celebrity have evolved to a disturbing point. Not only do people willingly get infected by the same viruses that afflict their favourite stars, using the latter's very own cells, but a literal meat market exists that cultivates edible proteins from the same source. That's the kind of mind that would not only conjure up Possessor's equally disturbing world, but also ground it in so many accurate observations about modern life that sometimes it's difficult to know if it's the imagery or the ideas that's causing a deep-seated reaction. The answer is both, but Cronenberg definitely inherited his father's knack for creating a nightmarish, grisly and piercing yet sleek and haunting spectacle — and for making brilliant and brutal movies that cannot be forgotten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqCTIdF7rs&feature=youtu.be
Usually when we see a teenage romance at the heart of a film we're watching a film made for teens. Goodbye First Love is no such film. The young lovers Camille and Sullivan do not kiss under the speckled light of a disco ball at prom. Mia Hansen-Love's third film weaves neatly into her emerging lineage of intimate, slow-burn portraits of fractured relationships. Concrete Playground spoke to the very talented young filmmaker ahead of her film's Australian release. Many adults would say there is no such thing as real love between teenagers. Even if they remember the heartache they felt as a teenager, with time they come to laugh at it. For Camille there's no laughing when she looks back. One of my motivations for making this film was a fight I had with my mother when I was a teenager. She would not believe the depth of my love for my boyfriend, the hold it would have on me for the rest of my life. In a way this film is a revenge piece! No, no that's not really true. I made this film for myself. It was a cathartic process. It's interesting you say that because in an interview about your last film (Father of My Children, 2009) when asked about the autobiographical dimension of the film, you said that you made the film to understand why you came to be a filmmaker. Tell me, why did you make Goodbye First Love now? All the themes I have worked with across my previous films can be linked back to the love I felt as a teenager. And so, to continue making autobiographical films without dealing with this part of my life would have been a lie. Honestly, I could only move on, only grow as a filmmaker, if I told this part of my life. In french we have an expression mensonge par omission I guess that would translate to 'Something that you don't tell is a kind of lie'. When Camille and Sullivan see a movie together, Sullivan says, "Really, you liked it? I don't understand you. Come on, it was so French! The actors are annoying. It was talky, complacent. It was awful." What is your relationship with French cinema and how do you see your films settling into this category? I guess I am very French! But that is not something I feel ashamed of. It's so French to not like French films. I think Australians love to hate their films even more! Oh, really? Well, that scene was written not so much to criticise French films but to criticise those who criticise [laughs]. French cinephiles can be so narcissistic. Yes, I had fun writing that scene. But, of course, what it's actually meant to express is that two people might not understand each other but they can still love each other. That sounds very intensive. Directors often refer to their films as their babies. Do you think of your films as your babies? [laughs] My films were my babies until I actually did have a baby — then you realise these things have nothing in common! Like children, do you dare compare them against one another? Oh I really don't like it when people ask me to compare. So, yes, in that way films and children are similar ... I give all that I am to my films. And so the film becomes a part of who I am. At this stage into the process I am in so deep I have no perspective and I don't know if what I'm making is any good. For this reason I have so much empathy for everything I make. I guess that could be confused with defensiveness. But it's not because I am so proud of what I have done but because I know them so well. I spend two years of my life with each film thinking only of them and when the process is over, only then do I realise that the film is something outside of me. That sounds more like a love affair than a mother-child relationship. Yes, exactly. And I really do have such a hard time when the process is over. For maybe one week I am very happy, very satisfied, but then the two or three months between the finish of the editing on one film and the beginning of scripting on the next, well, that is a very painful period. I think George Lucas was paraphrasing Da Vinci when he said, "a film is never finished it is only abandoned." Ah, yes! I know this quote and it's so true. Truffaut said something like "life for me is making films", and since my first film I would say the same goes for me. If I could not make films, I could not go on. Making films is like building a house. With each film I feel I am stacking another stone and at the end there is a space where I fell well, I feel safe. Actually, that's one of the reasons Camille becomes an architect — she wants to take control of the spaces and ways in which she lives. Speaking of the domestic, your films to date seem to be concerned with intimate character portraits set within domestic relationships. Have you deliberately established yourself within this territory or do you plan, at some point, to work beyond these borders? Hmm. Well, my next film is about the electro music scene and a DJ's place in it. Okay, so it isn't domestic but it's centred around the details rather than the big, dramatic moments. Read our review of Goodbye First Love here.
Each and every year, Sydney Film Festival spends its June run doing exactly what it loves, and letting the Harbour City's movie buffs enjoy the same thing. But even the Harbour City's major annual celebration of cinema only turns 70 once, which means putting together a massive 200-plus-movie program to mark the occasion — starting with these 12 just-announced flicks. SFF's full lineup will arrive in May, ready to treat film fans of Sydney — and Australia — to Festival Director Nashen Moodley's latest selections from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18. If the first round of titles is anything to go by, and it usually is, there'll be no shortage of highlights. Penélope Cruz, Haruki Murakami, a documentary about documentaries and their impact upon the folks featured in their frames: they're all covered so far. Parallel Mothers star Cruz joins the lineup courtesy of L'immensità, playing a mum again. This time, she's in 70s-era Rome and navigating struggles in her marriage, while also supporting her 12-year-old when they begin to identify as a boy — with director Emanuele Crialese drawing upon his own experiences. Murakami fans, the animated Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman adapts the Japanese author's short story collection of the same name, complete with a quest to save Tokyo. And lovers of docos The Staircase, Capturing the Friedmans, The Wolfpack, Hoop Dreams and The Square should instantly add Subject to their must-see list — it spends time with subjects from all five works, diving into what it means to be the focus of a film, plus the duty of care that documentarians owe the people in their frames. SFF will also screen the latest features by acclaimed filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Christian Petzold, with the former winning a Venice Special Jury Prize for No Bears and the latter nabbing a Berlinale Silver Bear for Afire. Iranian great Panahi directs and stars, playing a fictionalised version of himself as he's fond of doing (see also: Tehran Taxi), and blending truth and fiction to examine how artists can too easily become scapegoats. Undine and Transit's Petzold once again puts actor Paula Beer in front of his lens, with the German director this time helming a tragicomedy about a seaside holiday surrounded by forest fires. On the local front, actor and director Rachel Ward returns to SFF after 2019 opening-night pick Palm Beach, this time with Rachel's Farm, a doco about bringing sustainable farming practices to her northern NSW beef farm. And, in The Last Daughter, Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews charts her experience being taken from her family as a toddler, growing up with a white foster family, then being returned to her parents. Taika Waititi graces the SFF lineup as an executive producer, with New Zealand comedy Red, White & Brass telling the true tale of Tongan rugby fans who volunteered to become a marching band for the Rugby World Cup — with no relevant background — just to attend the event. And, still with impressive cinema names, documentarian Frederick Wiseman's A Couple steps into the relationship between Leo and Sophia Tolstoy, while Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz ruminates upon power in When the Waves Are Gone, which is about two policemen. Rounding of the initial dozen flicks: Bobi Wine: The People's President, about the Ugandan musician getting political and battling his homeland's dictatorship; and While We Watched, focusing on Indian journalist Ravish Kumar's quest to champion independent reporting. As for what else is in store, Moodley advises that 2023's full lineup will "continue a 70-year strong tradition of presenting exceptional cinema from across Australia and around the world to Sydney audiences". "Since 1954, Sydney Film Festival has brought more than 10,000 films to Australian audiences. Year after year, the Festival continues to be a pioneer in the world of cinema, screening bold and inspiring works that provoke thought and push boundaries." "The 2023 program will expand on this legacy, promising to ignite stimulating dialogues and present powerful ideas that will broaden audience perspectives." Sydney Film Festival 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, with the full lineup announced on Wednesday, May 10 — check back here then for all the details, and hit up the festival website for further information in the interim.
Grabbing a meal in Brisbane's north is about to get a whole lot better thanks to Chermside's newest addition. As part of the shopping centre's massive revamp, they're adding a huge dining precinct, complete with 20 new eateries, a blend of indoor and outdoor spaces, and a light-filled dome. Due to launch from June 22, the culinary-focused space will boast Brisbane's first Betty's Burgers, Bin 931 Bar and Dining from Gold Coast Little Truffle restaurateur and chef Daniel Ridgeway, and Bootlegger from Sydney's Tom Chidiac of Sourdough and The Naked Duck fame. They'll be joined by Motto Motto and Zeus Street Greek adding to their Brissie footprint, plus the likes of Tapworks Bar & Grill, Hermosa by Olé, The Bavarian, 4Fingers Crispy Chicken, Landmark Yum Cha, Fiery Deli and Kamikaze Teppanyaki. If all of that food isn't enough to marvel at, shoppers can also feast their eyes on The Urchin. In case you're wondering, it's a dome-shaped structure that, yes, looks a sea urchin. It's also the latest part of the site's redevelopment, following the opening of a new fashion precinct over the past months, and will see Westfield Chermside become the largest Westfield in Australia.
Sydney has just joined the likes of Bangkok, Hainan, Hanoi, Shanghai and Singapore as a home to the luxury hotel group Capella. The award-winning accommodation provider officially opened Capella Sydney today, Wednesday, March 15, bringing 192 luxury rooms to a historic inner-city building. Housed within the sandstone Department of Education Building on the corner of Bridge Street and Loftus Street just across from Macquarie Place Park, the expansive hotel adds another dose of lavish luxury to Sydney's hotel scene. The restoration and reimagination of the century-old building took seven years in the hands of the Pontiac Land Group. The nine-storey building has been transformed with a glamourous interior brought together by muted tones of white and brown giving the hotel both a vintage and timeless quality. "Pontiac Land has always been passionate about creating meaningful developments that contribute and help shape their communities. Capella Sydney was an ideal opportunity for us to sensitively repurpose this culturally significant landmark in the heart of downtown Sydney and transform it into a more public offering as a leading luxury hotel for everyone to be able to experience," says Pontiac Land Group Chief Executive Officer David Tsang. Guests are greeted with a flurry of acquired and commissioned art within the lobby including works from the likes of Judy Watson and Otis Hope Carey, as well as a robotic light installation titled Meadow from Dutch art duo DRIFT. Once you've navigated the lobby, you'll find elegant guestrooms fitted with Italian Frette linen, a standalone bathtub and sustainable vegan amenities created in partnership with Haeckels. And, there's plenty to love outside your room as well. There are two shared spaces for guests to unwind in, a spa offering relaxing rejuvenation treatments, a fitness centre, a heated 20-metre indoor pool and two dining areas. The first is the more laidback McRae Bar. While this hotel bar is still overflowing with luxury, boasting gold trimmings and a hefty cocktail menu, it's hard to compete with the sheer exuberance of Brasserie 1930. This European-influenced dining room comes from the acclaimed hospitality crew behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus, offering the likes of oysters, brown-butter scallops, beef tartare, Eastern rock lobster, whole roasted duck and three different steak options ramping up to the $110 Coppertree Farm rib eye. To mark the opening, Capella is kicking things off with a special Capella History Journey package. The $1500 experience for two includes a night's stay in a deluxe guestroom, breakfast at Brasserie 1920, a bespoke welcome amenity, a Capella Culturist experience that will take you on a curated journey through the history of the building and Sydney's Sandstone Precinct, 24-hour access to the fitness centre and valet parking. The package is bookable until Friday, June 30. Capella Sydney is now open at 35–29 Bridge Street, Sydney. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
Take Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and add it to the rare list of sequels that transcend their predecessors. Picking up the story around ten years after Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the opening titles paint a bleak picture of a world brought to the brink of extinction via the so-called 'Simian Flu'. Brink of extinction for humanity, that is, because the apes, by contrast, have flourished. Under the strict yet compassionate leadership of Caesar (once again made inconceivably lifelike thanks to Andy Serkis's performance and the remarkable team at WETA), the apes have now adopted a number of human traits and habits: communication through sign language, horse riding, spear wielding and even the establishment of some rudimentary written rules — chief amongst which is: APE NOT KILL APE. Given the descent into murderous anarchy by the scattered human survivors of the virus, that proclamation is intended as a critical point of difference for Caesar, a mark of pride and proof of primate primacy. It's also, unfortunately, delusory, and it is in that realm of 'innocence lost' that Dawn spends most of its time. With rivalries and jealousies brewing between both father and son and leader and lieutenant, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is something of a modern-day Richard III. What makes it so compelling is that none of the villains — ape or human — are without their justifiable reservations and prejudices. Koba, for example, is Caesar's unfailingly loyal friend and bodyguard, yet he bares the scars of cruel human testing and holds no affection for the survivors. On the human side, the leader of the survivors' colony (Gary Oldman) sees only the faces of his dead wife and children whenever confronted by apes, and his determination to restore power to the city has no room for the kind of simian compassion shown by his lieutenant (Jason Clarke). Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is smaller in both scale and ambition than Rise yet feels so much bigger and more satisfying. It's an 'us and them' tale, a prelude to war where neither side is as unified as they might think. The direction by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) is technical and delicate, aided by sumptuous cinematography and special effects that are nothing short of exquisite, with even the most intense closeup failing to betray even the tiniest flaw in design. If anything, the CGI apes outperform the humans in almost every scene in which screen time is shared. Tender, tense, intelligent and morally complex, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an outstanding film and a genuine contender for blockbuster of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=3sHMCRaS3ao
Whatever your pet pupper has planned for this Saturday, you'd best cancel it — your furry BFF is coming with you to the pub. Excuses to take the doggo out for a few drinks aren't lacking across Brisbane (The Brightside even has their own weekly shindig), but Archer's Brewsvegas event comes with a few inclusions that'll get your four-legged buddy yapping: a 100 percent dog-friendly beer and dog ice cream, too. Sounds like a Dog Day Afternoon, doesn't it? That's the plan from 1pm on March 10. And, because a pooch-and-pint party is even better when it's in an ace location, you'll have to wander through a bottle-o fridge to get there. As well as the aforementioned Archer Brewing 100% Dog Friendly Woof Ale and Hugo's Dog Ice Creamery's frosty treats, there'll also be a brand new dark beer — Archer's first, complete with a secret ingredient — for humans, pimp-your-own hot dogs, live music and heaps of stalls selling goodies for pups. And, while entry is free, proceeds from the pooch-friendly tipple will go to the dog rescue charity Herd2Homes.
If Christmas rolls around, and you don't dress up your doggo in its festive finest and take it to see Santa, is it really Christmas? Felons Brewing Co thinks not. Not content with being Brissie's only riverside brewery, this new source of beers with a view is also giving the city's ale-sipping, Christmas-loving pooch owners exactly what they want: the chance to get their pet's portrait taken with the jolliest of figures. Between 3–5pm on both Saturday, December 15 and Sunday, December 16, the red-suited wonder known as Father Christmas will be outside Felons waiting to get snapped with your adorable four-legged friend. That's it, it's sorted: everyone you know is getting copies of the cute shot in their stocking. Best start looking for the best frames to go with them. The photos are free, although there is one caveat: they're for canines only. No kids, and no adults who think they're kids either. If you fall into the latter category, you can always treat yourself to a cold one afterwards.
What happens when you take the Australian teen series of the 90s and update it to the 2020s, all while riding a huge wave of nostalgia for all things stemming from three decades back? Even thanks to just the first part of that equation, every fan of beloved 1994–99 hit Heartbreak High could've told you that the end result would be a smash. And, streaming on Netflix since September, that's exactly how the ace new Heartbreak High revival has turned out — so much so that there's going to be a second season. No one has been saying "rack off" to the Sydney-set show's latest run, or its new batch of Hartley High teens, or their fresh dose of teen chaos. Not Aussie audiences, with the series sitting in Netflix's top ten TV shows in the country for the five weeks since its release. Not global viewers either, with Heartbreak High 2.0 also reaching the top ten in more than 43 countries, including in the US and across Europe, Africa and Asia — and spending three weeks in the global top ten, too. The streaming platform also advises that its subscribers clocked up 42.6 million hours watching Heartbreak High in three weeks. That's not bad for the latest high school-focused revival, doing what Beverly Hills, 90210 did, plus Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl as well, but with a firmly Aussie spin. Unsurprisingly, Netflix has greenlit Heartbreak High for a second season, although exactly when it'll drop hasn't been revealed. Still, if you're keen to spend more time with Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect), Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman), Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos), Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud), Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), Malakai (Thomas, Troppo), Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween), Ant (debutant Brodie Townsend), Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC) and Missy (fellow newcomer Sherry-Lee Watson), start getting excited now. Season one started with Amerie becoming a pariah at Hartley after a big revelation — an "incest map" plotting out who's hooked up with who throughout the school — and also struggling with a sudden rift in her friendship with bestie Harper. Attempting to repair her reputation, she calls on help from her new pals Quinni and Darren, all while working through her crush on Dusty and developing feelings for Malakai. And that's just the start of Heartbreak High's 2022-set story so far. It was back in 2020 that Netflix initially announced that it was bringing the series back — and yes, it sure is a 2020s-era take on the Aussie classic. Adolescent chaos is still the main focus, including everything from friendship fights, yelling about vaginas from the top of a building and throwing dildos at walls through to consent, crime, drugs and police brutality. The original Heartbreak High was a massive deal, and was filled with now-familiar faces, including Alex Dimitriades, a pre-Home and Away Ada Nicodemou, and Avengers: Endgame and Mystery Road's Callan Mulvey as Drazic. It painted a multicultural picture of Australia that was unlike anything else on TV at the time. And, for its six-year run across two Aussie networks, the Sydney-shot show was must-see television — not bad for a series that started as a spinoff to the Claudia Karvan and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid, too. Check out the trailer for the new Heartbreak High below: Heartbreak High season two doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The show's first season is available to stream now via Netflix. Read our full review.
Did you know Australia is the world's seventh-largest market for champagne? And, because we never do anything by halves, we're also the largest consumers of champagne per person outside Europe. We also seek quality over quantity, with drinkers choosing sparkling and champagne from vineyards with high quality vines. Avid champagne drinkers may have noticed an increasing number of rosé champagnes in their favourite bars and bottle shops, too. This is thanks to a rosé revolution — a surge in popularity for not only still pink wines but also for sparkling and champagne rosé — which is why we've partnered with Moët & Chandon to bring you a quick guide to the complex drink that can range from amber to hibiscus pink in colour, and from red currant to strawberry in flavour, and pair surprisingly well with sashimi and roast chicken. Read on to find out why your next glass of champagne should be pink. [caption id="attachment_760242" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pinot meunier grapes; Fred Laures[/caption] PINK CHAMPAGNE IS MORE COMPLEX THAN YOU THINK It's also drier and has layers of flavour. Winemakers use red wine grapes pinot noir and pinot meunier as the basis for rosé champagne; they take the intensity and structure of the pinot noir and combine it with the opulent flavours of meunier — think wild strawberry and cranberry characters — which creates a champagne that has freshness as well as layers of flavour. [caption id="attachment_758615" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lasseter Winery[/caption] IT'S THE ONLY TIME WINEMAKERS ARE PERMITTED TO BLEND RED AND WHITE WINES No, really. Making rosé champagne is the only time when it is permitted to blend still red wine and still white wine together to make rosé. The process is called rosé d'assemblage and winemakers combine a percentage of red wine (usually pinot noir or meunier) with the cuvée. Taking it a step further, Moët & Chandon trains its winemakers to master the specific techniques necessary to make red wines, giving them a devoted space, amenities and resources to allow them to focus on the nuances of crafting red wine. No other rosé champagne producer in the Champagne region has taken comparable steps. ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE DATES BACK TO THE 1700s The first documentation of rosé champagne was on March 14, 1764. It was discovered in entries from historic champagne house Ruinart's accounts book, which detailed a shipment of "a basket of 120 bottles", 60 bottles of which were Oeil de Perdrix ("Eye of the Partridge"), refers to "a delicate pink coppery colour." Some champagne houses like Moët & Chandon are celebrating their 43rd vintage of rosé champagne. IT PAIRS WITH MORE THAN JUST OYSTERS Rosé champagne comes alive with food. There's a common misconception that both champagne and rosé champagne should only be drunk at the beginning of a meal (with oysters or as an aperitif), but ask any sommelier or champagne lover and they will tell you that the vibrancy and delicate lines of acid are perfect for freshening the palate after foods like roasted pork, cured meats, or even after devouring a delicious burger. It makes the ideal brunch wine alongside fruit platters, which highlight the wine's natural fruit characters, and its minerality and acidity pairs well with a smoked salmon blini. Get creative and come up with a few unusual pairings at home. [caption id="attachment_762305" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] THE POP PRESSURE IS INTENSE The pressure in a bottle of rosé champagne (or any champagne for that matter) is equivalent to three times the pressure in your average car tyre (around 96psi) — which is why you should never take your hand off the cork when opening a bottle. This pressure is created through the process of fermentation within the bottle; when the yeast eats all the natural sugar in the grapes to produce alcohol, carbon dioxide is the by-product of this process and it gets trapped within the bottles of champagne. In rosé champagne the result is delicate pink bubbles that dance on your tongue. TWENTY PERCENT OF MOËT & CHANDON CHAMPAGNES ARE PINK One in five bottles (or around 20 percent of champagne production) from Moët & Chandon House is rosé. It takes the crafting and production of the blend very seriously. Its focus on higher quality champagnes shines through in the wine, which shows various vinous characters in different vintages with each new release. The non-vintage (NV) styles are made to a 'house style' and are consistent from year to year. [caption id="attachment_760219" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moet and Chandon Vineyards at the Loge Mont Aigu[/caption] IT'S (SURPRISINGLY) EXCEPTIONAL VALUE FOR MONEY Truly. Hear us out. Only the most outstanding pinot noir grapes, harvested from the House's own highly rated premier crus and grands crus vineyards (read: highly rated in French classification terms), are made into the red wines to be blended into Moët & Chandon's Grand Vintage Rosé Champagne. So you're always guaranteed incomparable quality every time you pop a bottle open. Moët & Chandon's Rosé Impérial is a fruity and elegant champagne with gooseberry, raspberry and wild strawberry notes. Find out more here. Top image: Boudewijn Boer.
Borders are finally open, interstate travel is firmly back on the cards and holiday-planning feels a whole lot less sketchy than it has for the past two years. And, in a show of fitting timing, you've just scored an extra excuse to cross the Bass Strait for that long-dreamt-of Tassie getaway. Namely, the sprawling new-look cellar door expansion unveiled at Devil's Corner. The renowned winery sits on around 180 rolling green hectares in Apslawn on the Great Eastern Drive, around one hour and 45 minutes southeast of Launceston. A major seven-month expansion to the site's award-winning cellar door has recently upped the ante, cementing its status as one of the region's must-visit wine-sipping destinations. The cellar door has more than doubled in size and scored a refreshed look by celebrated Tasmanian architects Cumulus Studio. Visit and you'll discover an assortment of indoor-outdoor spaces that pay homage to the property's rugged, natural surrounds; all offering sweeping views across the vines and down to the Moulting Lagoon wetlands. It's been designed and built using a similar approach to that of the winemaking here, embracing the natural elements this pocket of the world's been gifted with. On the upper level, the new Hazards Tasting Room is your spot for sipping, swirling and immersing yourself in Devil's Corner's vast catalogue of cool-climate drops. It's named after the mountain range that towers over the region; the vistas of which you can admire while partaking in one of the guided tastings, happening from 10am daily. Onsite eateries The Fishers and Tombolo both have new and improved homes within the cellar door precinct. What's more, punters can choose from various indoor and openair dining areas to enjoy their woodfired pizzas, fresh local oysters and loaded bowls of chilli mussels. Matched with a few glasses of Devil's finest pinot noir or a self-guided tasting paddle, of course. Downstairs, set into the hill, sits the Devil's Den — a cellar, events space and bar, where private functions, and food and wine masterclasses will take place overlooking the neat rows of vineyard. And for some of the site's most breathtaking vistas, head to the top of the lookout tower, where you can experience the winery's grand scale like nowhere else. Time for an interstate wine-sipping adventure? Yes, we think so. Find Devil's Corner Cellar Door at 1 Sherbourne Road, Apslawn, Tasmania. It's open daily from 10am to 5pm.
Pulling from the culinary trends taking over Japan, the team at Harajuku Gyoza is always working on sweet surprises. Now, for a limited time, they're launching a hidden dessert pop-up in the heart of the CBD on Albert Lane. Riffing on the classic Mont Blanc dessert, sweet-tooths will encounter four colourful cones priced at $12 each, layered with fluffy air cheesecake, castella cake and mochi. Then, for the crowning touch, classic Mont Blanc strands are pressed on top right before your eyes. With each option as bright and toothsome as the last, you're welcome to delve into classic fruit flavours like strawberry and mango. Meanwhile, Asian-inspired flavours like taro and matcha round out this Instagrammable lineup. Served out of the Harajuku Gyoza window, this pop-up storefront has got the design to match — think kawaii ice cream shop vibes. Available daily until mid-October from 11.30am–late, make sure you discover the Mont Blanc Cone Pop-Up before it's gone for good.
While an airport's not usually the kind of place you scramble to spend time in, Singapore's Changi Airport has a knack for making the whole transit thing a little more fun. And right now, the major transport hub — which welcomes a cool 65 million visitors each year — is embracing the festive season, unveiling a new immersive Frozen-inspired winter wonderland pop-up. Running until January 5 in celebration of Disney's soon-to-be-released Frozen 2, the installation will see various parts of the airport transformed into snow-dusted fantasy worlds, evoking all those white Christmas feelings. The airport's new nature-themed retail and entertainment precinct Jewel will play host to a program of dazzling themed light and sound shows, splashed across its Rain Vortex: the world's tallest indoor waterfall. There'll also be a festive market selling a wide array of handmade goodies for last-minute Christmas present shopping, as well as an offering of workshops covering crafty endeavours like terrarium-making and ukulele-painting. Meanwhile, the T3 Departure Hall will feature an immersive enchanted forest pop-up, with four challenge zones inspired by the four elements of nature. Sure, it's a total kids' paradise, but there's also plenty to charm the young at heart, from jolly stilt-walkers to larger-than-life installations and roving carollers. The faux snow will be a-flying at regular intervals and Changi will even be graced by its biggest Christmas tree ever – a 16-metre-tall stunner, decked out head-to-toe in full festive finery and lit-up dramatically at 6.30pm each evening. Keep an eye out for it at the Jewel entrance near Terminal 1. Changi Airport sure knows how to keep a travel-weary person entertained between flights. During last year's Christmas period, it hosted an immersive Harry Potter-themed world, while earlier this year, it unveiled its new 14,000-square-metre Canopy Park, complete with mirror and hedge maze, topiary walk (which is currently filled with snow) and slide-filled sculptural playground. A Frozen Wonderland at Changi is located in Terminal 1-3 at Changi Airport until January 5, 2020.
When West Village revamped its chosen patch of West End, it took over a site of significance. From 1928–1996, the Boundary Street spot was home to the Peters Ice Cream Factory, which churned out frosty dairy desserts for seven decades. That's why, to mark the precinct's past, West Village hosts an annual ice cream festival — and it's also now home to Anita Gelato. The international chain already has stores in Barcelona, New York, San Juan, Tel Aviv and Sydney, but its new West Village spot marks its first Queensland shop. Its specialty: boutique handmade gelato, with more than 150 flavours in its range. That hefty lineup includes yogurt and sorbets, too, as well as its organic, sugar-free, fat-free, soy-based and real cream-based gelato. For those new to the brand, it started almost 20 years ago in the Mediterranean, with its namesake and her youngest son Nir making frozen desserts for their friends and neighbours. Then, Nir began selling their ice creams — which use Anita's homemade jams for flavour — at local markets. Opening a store was the next step, then more followed around the world. Those jams, still made in Anita's kitchen, remain a feature — although you can choose from other toppings, such as fresh fruit, syrups and chocolate. You'll spy a heap of those add-ons on display in gold tiered trays at Anita's eye-catching West End setup, which goes big on green hues, wooden furniture and mirrors. Wondering what kinds of flavours rank among that 150-strong list? While you won't find them all on offer every day, the list includes creamy varieties such as pavlova, salted bagel, chocolate cheesecake, cappuccino with butter cookies, and chestnut with hazelnut cream.
When Australia's international borders reopen to the world in November — and when Aussies are permitted to fly overseas for holidays again from Monday, November 1 — that'll only fix one problem when it comes to travelling the globe. Obviously, being allowed to leave the country for a getaway is a big step, especially after more than 18 months of doing exactly that being banned. But being permitted to enter whichever destination you're heading to is obviously just as important. Different countries have different rules about who can visit — and, crucially, the requirements also vary regarding vaccination status. Also, once you've made it into your destination, the conditions might also vary regarding showing you're vaxxed to step inside venues and attend events. Accordingly, proving that you've been double-jabbed isn't something you'll only need to do at home — in New South Wales and Victoria under their reopening roadmaps, for example. So, the Australian Government is launching an international travel certificate that shows if you've been double-vaccinated. It'll become available for use from Tuesday, October 19. As announced on Sunday, October 17, the 'International COVID-19 proof of vaccination' certificate will be provided to Aussies and Aussie visa holders — as long as you have a valid passport, and also your COVID-19 vaccination has been recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). You will still need to request one, though, which you can do either by accessing your Medicare account through My Gov or using the Medicare Express app. If you're wondering how it'll work when you're travelling, the new certificate includes a secure QR code that border authorities around the world can access, letting them confirm your COVID-19 vax status. It'll also be marked with a visible digital seal for security purposes, and has been designed to meet the new global standard for these types of passes — as specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization and conforms with World Health Organization guidance. For more information about showing your vaccination status for international travel, visit the Services Australia website.
It could potentially be the final film for Studio Ghibli. And by gum, it looks like our hearts will be firmly in our hands. Set for limited release across Australia on May 14 for two weeks only, When Marnie Was There could be the last Ghibli feature film ever; after the Japanese animation legends announced the possibly permanent closure of their film division last year. Spirited Away creator and Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki retired from filmmaking before the 2013 release of The Wind Rises, and fellow Ghibli head Isao Takahata's Academy Award-nominated film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya didn't fare too well at the box office outside Japan. So we've got big hopes for the studio's last wild feature-length ride, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty). When Marnie Was There following the life of a lonely girl, Anne, whose foster parents decide to send her to the country to stay with distant family. After stumbling across a strangely familar old mansion, she meets Marnie, the mysterious girl who lives there. Ghibli magic ensues. Check out the trailer here: When Marnie Was There is set for limited release across Australia on May 14 for two weeks only, screening in both original Japanese language and English dubbed versions. Check your local cinema listings.
The Brisbane International Film Festival is expected to be postponed for 2014 ahead of a Screen Queensland board meeting this Friday. The Australian report this bad news comes as a result of the G20 summit due to be held at the same time in November — one more in a long list of ways in which politicians are messing with our arts these days. Just as Sydney Film Festival gears up for its opening, and the Melbourne International Film Festival organises a lineup ahead of its program launch in July, it has been reported that BIFF is suffering huge internal rifts that may prove fatal. Not only is it facing the troubles posed by the G20 summit, BIFF also has an extremely limited staff (including no sponsorship or marketing), and Screen Queensland are reportedly questioning their involvement entirely. While the other major cities' festivals are run by independent bodies with festival directors such as Nashen Moodley and Michelle Carey, BIFF has been overseen by representatives from Screen Queensland. Both the Sydney and Melbourne festivals are merely supported by their state-governed film bodies, not managed by them. In light of these difficulties, it's been suggested that the Asia Pacific Screen Awards could absorb BIFF in future years. Overall, the future of the event is still not clear. More details will undoubtedly emerge after Screen Queensland meet to discuss it on Friday. But either way, the outlook doesn't look great. Via The Australian. Photos: Matt Warrell.
When clouds start gathering in the sky, rain keeps pouring and storms hit, ever wonder what life would be like if something other than water streamed down from above? Everyone has — and now that idea has become a reality. Meet the world's first tequila-dripping rain cloud. Yes, this visible mass of minute droplets really is made of tequila, unleashing its boozy goodness first as a mist and spray that condenses inside a plastic container, and then as rain that drips down from the whispy structure. All anyone keen for a drink needs to do is stand by with a shot glass in hand. Bring your own lemon and salt. https://www.instagram.com/p/BRa17gCjyiW/?taken-by=visitmexico Unsurprisingly, you won't find the tequila cloud in sky — instead, it's located in a Berlin gallery as part of a promotional campaign devised by creative agency LAPIZ to entice German tourists to Mexico. Sure, it sounds like something out of Parks and Recreation; however it doesn't come with vodka in the form of a flash of light or whisky turned into lotion. Synchronised with the weather outside, the cloud actually starts raining showers of tequila when its natural counterparts in Berlin do the same with good old fashioned H20. The project follows in the footsteps of the agency's melting billboard, which turned ice into snow with the simulated power of the Mexican sun to show Berliners what they were missing (and to try to convince them to book a holiday). Via Food & Wine / The Huffington Post.
On the big screen, Beetlejuice has already made a comeback, with a sequel hitting cinemas in 2024. The original 1988 film is rarely far from cinemas anyway, proving a staple at retrospective screenings. But watching the ghost with the most sing and dance onstage? That's a brand-new experience for Australian theatre audiences. Start chanting three times: seeing the Beetlejuice musical Down Under is a reality in 2025. Penned by the nation's own Eddie Perfect and debuting on Broadway in 2019, this take on Beetlejuice still focuses on the character from Tim Burton's beloved 80s flick, of course — just with songs and dance routines. Cinema's famous 'bio-exorcist' haunts Melbourne's Regent Theatre from Saturday, May 17, 2025 for its Aussie-premiere run, with Perfect starring. You don't need a Handbook for the Recently Deceased in your ghostly hands to head along, but you will spend time with a couple with one: Barbara and Adam Maitland. And, you'll see what happens when they start to suspect that they're no longer alive, a new family moves into their house and they decide they need that bio-exorcist. In the Beetlejuice musical's Aussie debut, audiences are also in for an acclaimed production directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), and with a book by Emmy-nominee Anthony King (Broad City) and Scott Brown (Sharp Objects) — plus Perfect's Tony-nominated original score, of course. The show picked up a whopping eight Tony nominations in 2019, and won Timbers a Drama League Award for Excellence in Directing, plus both Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nods for set design. Images: Matthew Murphy, 2022.
Since 1989, Sweden's Icehotel has given travellers a decidedly cool place to stay each winter. December hits, and the site reveals its new frosty rooms — the kind that are carved out of ice and only around for a short time, as they'll melt once the weather gets warmer. They're not just any old slabs of ice and snow in the village of Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, however. As part of their annual tradition, the accommodation provider calls for designers and artists to unleash their chilly ideas — then unveils their wondrous creations to travellers. In this year's crop? A snail world made out of cold, cold substances, a hanging installation that you can sleep in, a bed you can only reach by navigating a 34-meter ice labyrinth and another than requires walking over a bridge — and some thin ice — before you can bunk down for the night. Other highlights include a frozen jungle of Monstera-plants, an icy Fabergé egg, a space-inspired space, and a dream-like, cloud-esque piece that UK artist Lisa Lindqvist has dubbed "an art installation who also happens to be a bedroom." Now open until April 15, 2018, the fresh blend of ice and creativity features 35 one-of-a-kind rooms in total, as crafted by 36 artists from 17 countries. They're made from more than 30,000 cubic metres of snice — that's a mix of snow and ice — from the local Torne River. As well as places to sleep, the new iteration also includes an ice bar, ice ceremony hall and ice gallery. If you're a fan of the kind of coldness the southern hemisphere doesn't see at this time of the year, but you can't make it to Icehotel's cold climes during the northern winter, don't worry — in addition to their annual slate of artistic suites, Icehotel has been open all year round for the past year. It inclludes 20 permanent suites, an ice bar, plus private saunas and spas for an added touch of warmth in such cold surroundings. For more information about Icehotel, visit www.icehotel.com. Images: Asaf Kliger.
When the cinema powers-that-be finally decided to turn long-running and immensely popular stage musical Cats into a movie, they probably felt like the cat who got the cream. But once the film actually came into existence — once its first trailer hit, really — they likely felt more like they'd made a huge mess in the litter box. Thanks to awful CGI, terrible performances and a completely silly concept that was never going to work going to work on the big screen, Cats doesn't equate to movie magic. It certainly doesn't ascend to cinema's Heaviside Layer, either. And now the Tom Hooper-directed flick has the industry's least-wanted gong to show for it, plus a few extra not-so-shiny trophies. From its nine nominations at this year's Golden Raspberry Awards — the event's 40th ceremony — the musical picked up six prizes, including Worst Picture of the past 12 months. The Razzies also coughed awards Cats' way for Rebel Wilson for Worst Supporting Actress, James Corden for Worst Supporting Actor, Tom Hooper for Worst Director, and both Hooper his co-writer Lee Hall for Worst Screenplay. As for the singing moggy-focused movie's sixth gong, it was given for Worst Screen Combo for "any two half-feline/half-human hairballs/cats". Also recognised were John Travolta for Worst Actor for both Trading Paint and the Fred Durst (yes, that one)-directed The Fanatic; plus Hilary Duff for Worst Actress for The Haunting of Sharon Tate — none of which hit cinemas Down Under. Rambo: Last Blood picked up the award for Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel, as well as another in the new category for 2019: Worst Regard Disregard for Human Life and Public Property. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws1YIKsuTjQ The Razzies doesn't just point out everything terrible in cinema from the past year — it also gives a Redeemer Award, too. Someone who once won a Golden Raspberry gets a prize for turning things around, and this year that that someone is Eddie Murphy. He's a Razzie favourite, winning Worst Screenplay in 1990 for Harlem Nights; Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Supporting Actor for Norbit; and Worst Actor of the Decade in 2010 for The Adventures of Pluto Nash, I Spy, Imagine That, Meet Dave, Norbit and Showtime. Now, he has the Redeemer Award for his excellent performance in Dolemite Is My Name as well. Check out the full list of nominees and winners below: GOLDEN RASPBERRY NOMINEES AND WINNERS 2019: WORST PICTURE Cats The Fanatic The Haunting of Sharon Tate A Madea Family Funeral Rambo: Last Blood WORST ACTOR James Franco, Zeroville David Harbour, Hellboy (2019) Matthew McConaughey, Serenity Sylvester Stallone, Rambo: Last Blood John Travolta, The Fanatic and Trading Paint WORST ACTRESS Hilary Duff, The Haunting of Sharon Tate Anne Hathaway, The Hustle and Serenity Francesca Hayward, Cats Tyler Perry (as Medea), A Madea Family Funeral Rebel Wilson, The Hustle WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR James Corden, Cats Tyler Perry (as Joe), A Madea Family Funeral Tyler Perry (as Uncle Heathrow), A Madea Family Funeral Seth Rogan, Zeroville Bruce Willis, Glass WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jessica Chastain, X-Men: Dark Phoenix Cassi Davis, A Madea Family Funeral Judi Dench, Cats Fenessa Pineda, Rambo: First Blood Rebel Wilson, Cats WORST SCREEN COMBO Any two half-feline/half-human hairballs in Cats Jason Derulo and his CGI-neutered "bulge" in Cats Tyler Perry and Tyler Perry (or Tyler Perry) in A Madea Family Funeral Sylvester Stallone and his impotent rage in Rambo: First Blood John Travolta and any screenplay he accepts WORST DIRECTOR Fred Durst, The Fanatic James Franco, Zeroville Adrian Grunberg, Rambo: First Blood Tom Hooper, Cats Neil Marshall, Hellboy (2019) WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL X-Men: Dark Phoenix Godzilla: King of the Monsters Hellboy (2019) A Madea Family Funeral Rambo: First Blood WORST SCREENPLAY Cats, screenplay by Lee Hall and Tom Hooper The Haunting of Sharon Tate, written by Daniel Farrands Hellboy (2019), screenplay by Andrew Cosby A Madea Family Funeral, written by Tyler Perry Rambo: First Blood, screenplay by Matthew Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone WORST RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE AND PUBLIC PROPERTY Dragged Across Concrete The Haunting of Sharon Tate Hellboy (2019) Joker Rambo: First Blood RAZZIE REDEEMER AWARD Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name Keanu Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum and Toy Story 4 Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers Will Smith, Aladdin
Girl Asleep, by director Rosemary Myers, has been touted as an Australian version of Napoleon Dynamite. It's an obvious comparison, but while there are many similarities, Girl Asleep will leave you feeling something much deeper than mild amusement and confusion (sorry Napoleon, but it's true). For a start, it's a coming of age film starring actual teenagers, and that awkwardness translates beautifully to the screen. Greta (Bethany Whitmore) is 14, very shy and starting life at a new school. On her first day there she meets the geeky Elliot (Harrison Feldman) and they develop an unlikely friendship. Her life and all its inherent confusion stays private until her parents (played so very well by Amber McMahon and screenwriter Matthew Whittet) throw her a massive 15th birthday party and all her internal chaos spills over. The narrative is well-paced and comfortingly predictable, until the third act when Greta is plunged into a surreal, sexy world of Abject Men, Frozen Women, vaguely sinister forest creatures and lessons about sisterhood. It's a brusque transition but not unexpected, since the whole film has a touch of the surreal about it. There's an air of awkwardness that at times that goes beyond the script, although thankfully the two young leads are supported by a fluid and confident supporting cast, who lend the whole production a professional veneer that keeps your faith intact. Myers originally developed and executed the story as a stage play, and you can see fragments of the stage in the two-dimensional composition and the all-singing, all-dancing dramatics that give the film its signature look. And what a look! Girl Asleep is worth the ticket price alone just for the attention to detail in the props, costumes and sets. It's all so glamorous, so coordinated, so excessive and so 70s – a visual smorgasbord of big hair, tight shorts, flares and loud patterned wallpaper. And yet, behind the glamour and theatrics, viewers will find a remarkably relatable protagonist. Greta deals with her questions of identity, gender, sexuality and feminism in a way that will catch you by surprise, right in the feels. The writing hits a subtle emotional frequency that offsets and works well with the zany visual antics, helping to set Girl Asleep apart from the pack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lJSjVbTvDs
Back in mid-2019, the revamped section of Fortitude Valley around the Alfred Street and Brunswick Street area welcomed a couple of newcomers, with Foresters Restaurant and Bar and Altitude Rooftop Bar opening in the slick FV by Peppers precinct. Plenty can change in 18 months, however, with both venues saying goodbye — and a new Italian-themed duo launching in their place. The space at 209 Brunswick Street is actually set to feature four new places to have a bite and get a drink; however, two have already opened their doors so far. If you're keen on a tipple with a view, you can head up to Cielo Rooftop. For those eager for a cocktail or other beverage on the ground level, that's where La Costa comes in. Both venues have their own personalities, but they share a couple of things other than an address. Firstly, they're the latest ventures from the team behind Salt Meats Cheese and Roman-style eatery Eterna. Secondly, they all take inspiration from Italy's coastline and riviera (so you can feel like you're on holidays without leaving the city). And thirdly, they're pouring drinks menus from the folks at Sydney's Maybe Sammy — which was not only named one of the world's best bars late in 2020, but ranked 11th on the World's 50 Best Bars list. [caption id="attachment_796304" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Upstairs at Cielo — which is accessed via an internal lift — that means cocktails like the Portofino (with vodka, mango, passionfruit, maraschino, orange curaçao, lemon and a tropical bubble), the Venice Beach (which combines a strawberry daiquiri and piña colada) and the Santorini (with tequila, mezcal, Aperol, mango and lemon). Three types of spritzes are also on offer, plus champagne, wine and spirits. And seafood features heavily among the bites to eat, including oysters, octopus carpaccio with fried capers, kingfish ceviche, and blue swimmer crab and mango salad. Patrons can tuck into the above beverages and food under a pastel-hued canopy and fairy lights, while perched on stools sat around round tables. Downstairs on the ground floor, behind the building's eye-catching facade — in a building that was first erected in 1889, was originally known as Foresters' Hall, initially housed a community meeting place and then became Fortitude Valley's first cinema in 1910 — more cocktails await, as does antipasti, and live tunes and DJs. Drinks-wise, La Costa Bar serves up mango coffee margaritas (with tequila, Mr Black coffee liqueur, mango and lime) and Olive and Tonics (made with olive leaf gin, madeira, tonic, rosemary and olives) from a nine-option cocktail list — and has three spritzes on offer, too, plus sparkling, wine and beer. On the food menu, the tapas range spans four cheeses and two types of fish, among other choices, and there's both a small plate and a brunch lineup. While exact dates haven't been revealed, Cielo Rooftop and La Costa will be joined by the La Costa Restaurant and an all-day wine bar. They're due to open by the end of January 2021. Find Cielo Rooftop and La Costa at 209 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. Cielo Rooftop is open from 11am–12am Thursday, 11am–2am Friday–Saturday, and 11am–8pm on Sunday — and La Costa Bar is open from 6am–2pm and 5pm–late Wednesday–Friday, and 7am–2pm and 5pm–late Saturday–Sunday.
For the past five years, Eleven Rooftop Bar has welcomed Brisbanites eager for a drink with a view, pairing a 270-degree vantage across the city with cocktails and tapas. Come mid-July, however, the Fortitude Valley venue is undergoing a significant makeover — temporarily saying goodbye to its current setup to welcome new pop-up Maya Mexican. The revamped bar will serve up mezcal cocktails, tequila, margaritas and bites to eat inspired by the country that gives the pop-up its name — as well food influenced by the Pacific Coast, Yucatan and Sonoran regions. While the menu hasn't yet been released, you can expect dishes such as spicy tuna tostadas, snapper tacos and wagyu steak asado, as well as a late-night range. Open grill and flame-grilled cooking will feature heavily. Also prominent: decor to suit the site's short-term change of focus, with Maya Mexican launching after the eleventh-floor Ann Street spot undergoes a refurbishment. That will include plenty of stone, marble and timber, a hefty use of white and a scattering of plants, including desert cacti. The venue will also benefit from a bigger seating area and a renovated courtyard, plus booth and lounge seating. Casual in vibe, the pop-up will open from 5pm on weekdays and from midday from Friday–Sunday for openair beverages with quite the backdrop — with DJs spinning tunes also part of the setup. And if you're wondering about the venue's old guise, owner Jason Coats says that it will come back down the track. "It's taken a lot of guts to transform Eleven Rooftop Bar, however all we can say, is it's definitely not goodbye forever," he notes. Find Maya Mexican at 757 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley from a yet-to-be-revealed date in mid-July — we'll update you with exact opening details when they're announced. Images: Eleven Rooftop Bar
It has been 87 years since Perry Mason first started sleuthing his way across the page, 86 since the defence attorney character initially hit the big screen, 77 since he made the leap to radio serials and 63 since he made his TV debut. In other words, this is a fictional figure with more than a little history — but 2020's version, starring Matthew Rhys, just might be the best yet. Brooding, moody, slinky, and making the most of thematically fitting, visually stunning inky black tones and lingering shadows, the HBO series heads back to 1932, when Los Angeles and the US in general are struggling with the Great Depression. Traumatised from World War I and grappling with a tough divorce, Mason is struggling as well. Then he's hired on a missing-child case as a private detective, and this star-filled series — think: John Lithgow, Robert Patrick and Tatiana Maslany, among others — kicks into quite the compelling gear.
Back in 1962, in the first-ever Bond film Dr No, the suave, Scottish-accented, Sean Connery-starring version of 007 admires a painting in the eponymous evil villain's underwater lair. That picture: Francisco Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington. The artwork itself is very much real, too, although the genuine article doesn't appear in the feature. Even if the filmmakers had wanted to use the actual piece, it was missing at the time. In fact, making a joke about that exact situation is why the portrait is even referenced in Dr No. That's quite the situation: the debut big-screen instalment in one of cinema's most famous and longest-running franchises, and a saga about super spies and formidable villains at that, including a gag about a real-life art heist. The truth behind the painting's disappearance is even more fantastical, however, as The Duke captures. The year prior to Bond's first martini, a mere 19 days after the early 19th-century Goya piece was put on display in the National Gallery in London, the portrait was stolen. Unsurprisingly, the pilfering earned plenty of attention — especially given that the government-owned institution had bought the picture for the hefty sum of £140,000, which'd likely be almost £3 million today. International master criminals were suspected. Years passed, two more 007 movies hit cinemas, and there was zero sign of the artwork or the culprit. And, that might've remained the case if eccentric Newcastle sexagenarian Kempton Bunton hadn't turned himself in in 1965, advising that he'd gotten light-fingered in protest at the obscene amount spent on Portrait of the Duke of Wellington using taxpayer funds — money that could've been better deployed to provide pensioners with TV licenses, a cause Bunton had openly campaigned for (and even been imprisoned over after refusing to pay his own television fee). First, the not-at-all-inconsequential detail that's incongruous with glueing your eyes to the small screen Down Under: the charge that many countries collect for watching the box. Australia and New Zealand both abolished it decades ago, but it remains compulsory in the UK to this day. As played by Jim Broadbent (Six Minutes to Midnight), Bunton is fiercely opposed to paying, much to the embarrassment of his wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren, Fast and Furious 9) whenever the license inspectors come calling. He's even in London with his son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead, Voyagers) to attempt to spread the word about his fight against the TV fee for pensioners when Goya's painting is taken — that, and to get the BBC to produce the television scripts he devotedly pens and sends in, but receives no interest back from the broadcaster. Even the Bond franchise couldn't have dreamed up these specifics. The Duke's true tale is far wilder than fiction, and also so strange that it can only spring from reality. Directed by Roger Michell (My Cousin Rachel, Blackbird) — marking the British filmmaker's last fictional feature before his 2021 passing — it delivers its story with some light tinkering here and there, but the whole episode still makes for charming viewing. Much of the minutiae is shared during Bunton's court case, which could've jumped out of a Frank Capra movie; that's the feel-good vibe the movie shoots for and easily hits. Such a move couldn't be more astute for a flick that surveys an incident from more than half a century ago, but reaches screens in a world where the chasm between the haves and the have-nots just keeps widening. Yes, it's basically a pensioner-and-painting version of Robin Hood. Decrying the gap between the wealthy and the not-so, calling out government priorities that only broaden that divide, fighting against injustice, sporting a healthy distrust of the powers that be: these all flicker through Bunton, his TV license crusade and his portrait-stealing trial, and through the movie itself. Michell and playwrights-turned-screenwriters Richard Bean and Clive Coleman (Young Marx) aren't shy about the anti-authoritarian sentiment, but package it up with can-do underdog cheekiness — the brazenness of the little guy sticking it to the man, naturally. That class clash gives The Duke depth as it dances through its caper, and does so with an upbeat, congenial and even farcical tone. Here, a feature can stress a point about the money-coveting state of the world and its impact upon the working class, and it can have an affable time saying it. Most opportunities to surprise disappear along the way, but the result is endearing and likeable rather than routine or pandering. The Duke's story was always going to demand notice, but it mightn't have proven so pleasing — so crowd-pleasing, to be precise — with any other casting. Although he ensures that it appears otherwise, the ever-reliable Broadbent doesn't have a simple role; veer too far in one direction and Bunton could've been seen as foolish, tip over to the other side too forcefully and he might've just been lecturing and scolding. When it comes to balancing the amiable and the passionate (someone winsome but with the strength of his convictions), the veteran on-screen talent hits the jackpot. Mirren and Whitehead's parts have fewer layers, but they each turn in engaging performances. And in Mirren's case, after her aforementioned spot in the Fast and Furious franchise, plus The Good Liar and Woman in Gold on her recent-ish resume, her love of heists and/or subterfuge shines through from beneath Dorothy's sterner surface. There's a cosiness and gentleness to The Duke, and an ease, sentimentality and sweetness. They all couldn't suit the film better, actually. With cinematographer Mike Eley (The Dig, Off the Rails), Michell gives the movie a comforting look and feel, too, but it's also lively, resonant and charismatic as well. It's little wonder, then, that feature slides nicely into the director's body of work alongside the likes of Notting Hill, Venus and Le Week-End. As many of those pictures did — and the tonally heavier The Mother and Enduring Love as well — The Duke has more than just entertaining in mind, though. Charting an escapade that no screenwriter could've convincingly conjured up, it rallies against societal divides and also wades through grief. Little is too shaken or stirred, but it all goes down smoothly and delightfully — and with some bite.
For years, you've probably sat at pubs or parties, listened to your pals tell boozy stories and found yourself laughing heartily. In fact, you've likely spun a few tales in a liquored-up state yourself — because we've all been there. And, since 2008, you've might've chuckled along to the US TV show based on that very idea, too. Indeed, it's easy to understand exactly how Drunk History came about, because the entire concept is just so relatable. While, in America, the show's run has just come to an end, Australian television is now hopping on the Drunk History bandwagon. It shouldn't escape anyone's attention that, at a time when we're all spending less time hanging out in bars talking with our mates for hours and hours over several rounds of drinks, Aussie TV has decided to deliver the next best thing. Called Drunk History Australia, the local version spans a six-episode first season, with each instalment tackling a couple of chapters of Aussie history. If you've ever wanted to watch James Mathison and Osher Günsberg reenact Burke and Wills' expedition, listen to Matt Okine explore the history of 'Waltzing Matilda', or hear Becky Lucas tell the tale of the country's first female detective — all with beverages involved — well, here's your chance. Also getting the Drunk History Australia treatment are Don Bradman, Dame Nellie Melba, Dawn Fraser and Gough Whitlam, in case you want to relive your primary school history lessons in a far boozier manner. And, the show also touches upon cannibal convicts, a war with emus and the first female bushranger, among other topics. The cast is similarly lengthy, featuring everyone from Anne Edmonds, Nikki Osborne, Em Rusciano and Tex Perkins to Stephen Curry, Joel Creasey, Steph Tisdell and Brendan Fevola. Drunk History Australia will start screening on Network 10 at 9.30pm on Monday, September 14; however, if you're keen to stream the whole thing right now, it's also already available via 10Play. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4iMnOEGI7c Drunk History Australia is now available to stream via 10Play, and will start airing on Network 10 at 9.30pm on Monday, September 14.
Despite having a smorgasbord of activities and events at your fingertips, it's surprisingly easy to find yourself stuck in an after-hours rut with you and your mates kicking back at the same old after-work haunts, week in and week out. Enjoyable, though it won't exactly win you huge points for a sense of adventure. Luckily, if you are looking to shake up your after-work routine, you don't have to hunt very hard at all. To get you off to a cracking start, we've teamed up with Hahn to scout out a bunch of non-boring, new ideas for your next group activities. [caption id="attachment_631811" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] SELF-GUIDED STREET ART TOUR No matter how long you've called yourself a local, we bet there's a truckload of corners and laneways you're yet to discover. So, round up the squad for some intrepid exploration, and gain a fresh perspective on that concrete jungle as you set off on a self-guided street art tour. The internet's chock full of printable tour maps curated by urban experts and art-lovers alike, directing you towards all the best art-focused walks in your area. Shake off the work day as you cruise the city at your own pace, unearthing public art gems left, right and centre. And once you've had your fill of art, head to the pub for a beer and a chat about the best, worst and most unusual sights you've seen. Where? Search 'street art' on Concrete Playground and find some of the works you should be seeing in your city, and if you're in Sydney, you can book into one of Culture Scouts tours if you need a bit more guidance. PASTA-MAKING WORKSHOP This gloomy stretch of winter will feel like way more of success if you come out at the end of it with something useful — you know, some visible gym results, a decent love life or, the most impressive of all, the knowledge of how to make a killer bowl of handmade pasta. Luckily from Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne, we've been gifted with a delicious array of classes on making the best comfort food out there. So, if you really want to set yourself up for culinary success and a whole lot of praise, book the crew in for a post-work pasta-making class where you'll learn to create pure magic with just three simple ingredients: flour, eggs and water. And once you've learned how to make pasta, you can then study up on how to pair some beers with your creations. Just think of all those future dinner parties. Where? Learn to craft some epic noodles at Pasta Emilia in Sydney, The Craft & Co. in Melbourne and at The Pasta Company in Brisbane. LAWN BOWLS For the ultimate group bonding exercise, you can't go past the joy of kicking another team's butt in some form of organised sport. But who really wants to run the risk of a bung ankle, wrist or hammy going into summer? This year, hone your teamwork skills and sharpen that competitive edge while keeping the big hits to a minimum — join the lawn bowls revolution. Outside of the summer season, a session at most bowling clubs will cost you mere pocket change, including access to all the proper gear, a guide to get you started off on the right foot and maybe a couple post-work pitchers. What's more, after a few weeks of practice, just imagine how you and your mates will dominate against all those less practiced suckers during summer's social barefoot bowls sessions. Where? Practice your bowl at one of these greens in Sydney, at the City of Melbourne Bowls Club and one of these lawns in Brisbane. YOGA WITH A TWIST A regular ol' vinyasa may not be everyone's cup of tea. So if you want to up the ante, throw in a twist to make things a bit more intriguing. Studios across the country are taking the concept of yoga to some rather wild territory, with classes that offer the ultimate mash-up of exercise and fun. Prefer your workout tunes to have some oomph? Head along to a hip hop yoga class and get bendy to a soundtrack of fresh beats. Or, if you fancy making some new feline friends, team that stretch session with a few kitty cuddles at cat yoga. There's even a variety of aerial yoga styles which'll find you nailing those poses while suspended gracefully in mid-air. Where? Stretch it out with some kitties at Catmosphere's cat yoga in Sydney, groove into your downward dog at hip hop yoga in Melbourne and defy gravity at Brissie's aerial yoga. THEMED TRIVIA Got a swag of random knowledge just waiting to be put to good use? Round up your post-work posse for some fun of the cerebral variety: showing off your pop cultural prowess with a rousing session of themed trivia. A more focused version of the classic pub quiz, these events provide the perfect opportunity to unleash your random stash of Harry Potter facts and, if we're honest, a brilliant excuse to go back and 'revise' your favourite TV shows, cult movies and long-forgotten pop music. What's more, on any given week, there's usually a plethora of themed trivia sessions to choose from. Gather your crew and bond over not-so useless facts, a few beers and a good ol' pub parma. Where? Test your music knowledge at The Toxteth's Tuesday Night Music Trivia in Glebe, dig up some old memories at Throwback Thursdays trivia at Island Somewhere in Melbourne and dive head first into Simpsons, Seinfeld or Harry Potter trivia at Man vs Bear's trivia nights held at various bars around Brisbane. Round up the troops and head out for a new after-work activity this week, topped off with a cheeky Hahn or two.
In an era of technology firsts, it's hardly surprising that a computer is now capable of mirroring human intelligence. Over the weekend, a computer programme known as 'Eugene Goostman' proved itself capable of imitating the living when it was the first ever programme to pass the Turing Test. Eponymously named for its designer, British mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing, no previous competitor had passed the test in its 65-year existence. Needless to say, passing the Turing Test is no easy feat. To prove successful, at least 30 percent of the judges must be convinced that the competitor is human. During the Turing Test 2014 Competition over the weekend, one-third of the panel deemed Eugene Goostman just that. Entered under the guise of a 13-year-old boy from the Ukraine, Eugene Goostman competed against 25 humans and other fellow programmes. The team behind Eugene Goostman comprised of one Russian and two Ukrainian programmers. Endowed with particulars that seemed just odd enough to qualify as human (a pet guinea pig, a gynecologist father), the long-awaited winning programme is actually a chatbot developed in 2001. The ingenue in this case is found in the simplicity of approach. Rendering their entry ignorant by diminishing his supposed age, the chatbot’s programmers acknowledge their surprising strategy. One of Eugene Goostman’s creators, Vladimir Veselov revealed in a statement, "Our main idea was that he can claim that he knows anything, but his age also makes it perfectly reasonable that he doesn't know everything. We spent a lot of time developing a character with a believable personality." Someone who claims to know it all but, in truth, knows little? No wonder they thought he was human. Via The Guardian and PC World.
A Brisbane market favourite since 2015, Le Fromage Yard has made the jump to a bricks-and-mortar shop, opening its first permanent base on Wynnum Road in Morningside. That means that dairy lovers can pick up more cheese more often, thanks to a real-world version of its popular online cheese room. Or, you can combine the two — ordering your favourite truffle brie or whisky cheddar from the website, and then collecting it in person. Cheese is the main attraction, obviously, but Le Fromage Yard is also expanding its remit. It already has its central ingredient covered, and custom-made cheese towers, too — however, every gooey slice of camembert and crisp sliver of pecorino needs something go with it. That means meats, pâté, terrine, olives, sweet garlic, crackers, pastes and honey, with the Morningside location designed as a one-stop destination for all things cheesy and all its accompaniments. That said, if you're after breads and baked goods to go with your feast, owners Stephanie Stevenson and Pierre Lantourne recommend heading a few stores down to much-loved Morningside mainstay Flour & Chocolate. If picking up the gouda stuff is a firm part of your market-going routine, don't worry — Le Fromage Yard will still continue to pop up at markets as well. Find its stall at regular berths in Queen Street, Brisbane Powerhouse, Kevin Grove, Mitchelton and Manly. Le Fromage Yard is now open at 7/611 Wynnum Road, Morningside. It's open from 9.30am–5.30pm Tuesday and Wednesday, 9am–6pm Thursday and Friday, and 7am–2pm Saturdays.
Sonic Masala is a long-running, Brisbane-based music blog that has earned a cult following from serious music fans and musicians alike. With a local lens and truly Australian flair, Sonic Masala has been a long-time favourite in the music blog scene, even branching out and fostering the community with their own brand of live shows. After launching their own record label this year, the Sonic Masala team decided to hold their own music festival, with a highly curated list of local and interstate bands that are favourites of the tastemakers themselves. Sonic Masala Fest is taking place at the Greenslopes Bowls Club on June 21. We caught up with Sonic Masala founder and man about town Brendan Telford to find out what it is all about. For those who don't know, what is Sonic Masala? Sonic Masala is a music blog primarily, which has been going for over four years, but has also included putting gigs on monthly and recently branching out to become a record label. What made you want to start such a project? The blog started with a "why not?" sort of epiphany. I was at the My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP in England back in 2009 with a mate, Paul Marsh, and around 4am we started cooking up this curry, listening to music, still drinking. We thought we spent so much of our lives doing this (listening and talking about music mostly, but drinking and eating curry too) why not do something a little more proactive about it? So, Sonic Masala was born. Paul dropped out within the year, but I kept hacking away, then I moved back to Australia in 2011. I had heard a few horror stories from local bands about struggling to find good venues and shows, being promised things and then not getting paid, I thought, "How is this still happening? It's 2011!" So when The Waiting Room in West End opened up I booked a night and that was how the gigs were born. The label has been a distant dream of mine, and through dumb luck, some hard graft and a lot of lunacy, Sonic Masala Records was born. What did you want to do with Sonic Masala in the beginning? Write about music. I was going to about three shows a week anyway, why not? It's changed over time, but initially it was just about music I liked. I've pared it back so its more Australian-oriented and focusing on bands that aren't really needing (or even wanting) my critical approval. I used to write about Grinderman or Neil Young releases, and I still love that stuff, but don't write about it. The gig nights were about bands playing regular shows and (hopefully) getting paid for it, and the record label is all about putting out albums that I love that wouldn't see the light of day otherwise — at least in vinyl form. This year you've started putting out records through Sonic Masala. Was this always a goal? Yes and no. It has been something of a dream of mine, but not one I actually thought I'd be stupid enough to actualise. I have wanted to continue pushing quality music, both popular and outlier acts, here in Brisbane since returning from London in 2011, and that passion has only grown over time. I attempted to get a label thing off the ground in 2012, pretty much on a whim; I wanted to put out Gazar Strips' first EP, Happy Valley. Due to crossed wires the band thought I wanted to be their manager and that all fell flat. Then when they started recording their second EP I asked again, this time we were on the same page — at the same time Roku Music asked me about help with their album. How has the response been so far? Are you happy with what you've accomplished this year? To be honest I think the response has been great. Most people understand what it is Nathan [Pickels, of Tape/Off fame] and I are attempting to do with Sonic Masala Records, and that is to breathe life into projects, releases and bands we really believe in, with a particular focus on Australian acts, especially Brisbane. Also, releasing on vinyl — there is an emphasis on that fact. It was always "we make records or we don't do it at all". It's a true labour of love. So far we have had the jackets screenprinted by good friend #7thdisaster, we have had friends and family help out with putting the jackets together, creating the special edition releases and the postage and handling. That DIY feel also evokes a sense of authenticity, diligence and care that I always love about a strong label no matter how big or small. We put in lengthy unpaid hours every day, but I think it is well worth it. So yeah, we are super happy with how things are going! For a while there has been a live component to Sonic Masala (small scale shows), when did you decide you wanted to putting on something bigger, like Sonic Masala Fest? Man, this is a big ticket dream! Everyone dreams of sitting down and putting together a festival, don't they? I wanted to pay homage to some of the biggest and best bands that have graced a Sonic Masala showcase since kicking it off in 2011. I also feel like we need to continually celebrate the music that exists here in Brisbane right now. Many of the stone-cold classic acts here do not get the love and crowds they deserve, and I'm hoping something like Sonic Masala Fest will be an opportunity for the bands to sell merch and play to appreciative people. It's a celebration of Brisbane. There are a few interstate bands — with Scul Hazzards and Narrow Lands, they have played Sonic Masala Record-oriented shows in Melbourne and Sydney respectively (and in Scul's instance they have strong Brisbane ties). Plus there is so much bitching about festivals these days, some of which comes from me also, so I thought I'd put my money where my mouth is. What is the biggest challenge you've faced with putting on SM Fest? Money. I wanted the festival to also promote a local venue that I feel needs more support and love, and so I'm anxious that there is a good showing for the Greenslopes Bowls Club too. Also, I wasn't able to get all the bands I wanted. Probably the biggest challenge is getting started. The idea sounded great, but like most of my "great" ideas involved alcohol and drunken verve. It's the morning after when you groggily wake and think "What did I promise I'd do?" But I try to follow through on these crazy ideas, and that is the fun part. Got any big plans for the future? More releases. We have Cobwebbs out shortly, and some planned releases for later in the year including a split album between a local band and an interstate band that might become a regular 'thing'. We also have a compilation in the works, again with the idea of combining artists who have played a Sonic Masala showcase over the years, which is very exciting. There are also some plans afoot that takes Sonic Masala even further afield in the world. What are some Brisbane bands that you think are doing great things at the moment? There are way too many to mention; every band that are playing the Sonic Masala Fest, for a start. As for new stuff, No Sister, even they are on an indefinite hiatus, showed something truly special in their starburst tenure. Multiple Man are still the best idiotic nihilists in town. Barge With An Antenna On It are just getting stronger and stronger, the loveable lugs that they are. Woodboot, The Wrong Man, Unpeople, Occults, X Wave and so many more are on the cusp of doing something absolutely incredible. Seriously, people talk about Melbourne, and it's an incredible melting pot of music, but there is something more visceral and ridiculous about Brisbane music these days that makes it worth hanging around in the sun for ten months of the year to take part in. Where are your favourite places to eat, drink and party around Brisbane? One of the biggest downfalls of Brisbane that Melbourne has us perennially pinned to the canvas over is that we have very few good actual pubs — they are what I love about life, and not having many to visit (and the continual downward spiral that is the Valley) kills me daily. So the Underdog gets that by default, but again I only go there when gigs are on. I do love beer though, so places like Newstead Brewing, Tipplers Tap, Brisbane Brewhouse, The Scratch, The Burrow (who also do pretty sweet pizza) all work for me. I do love eating. Sitar Indian in Albion is great, London-rivalling Indian, with a consummate host. I love breakfasts and there are heaps of great places to visit in Paddington and New Farm for that. There are new places opening all the time, it's crazy but I can't complain. Partying is all about gigs or house parties for me. These are my favourite pastimes actually — music kills my eardrums, drinking kills my liver, eating kills my health and partying kills my brain. All in excess. Sonic Masala Fest will be on Saturday the 21st of June at the Greenslopes Bowls Club. Tickets are $10 on the door. The full line-up can be found here. There will be a Pre-Fest party on Thursday at The Bearded Lady with performances from Scul Hazzards, Frown and Occults.
There's never a bad time for gelato. There's never a special occasion that couldn't use it, too. That's all in Gelato Messina's wheelhouse, with the chain mighty fond of releasing limited-edition treats to make holidays even tastier. The latest example: its Easter 2023 offering, which brings back its gelato-filled chocolate eggs. Dessert heaven? This is it. Also, if you've always wanted to smash open a Messina Easter egg, that's on the menu as well. Either way, you'll be tucking into an egg handmade out of Messina's milk chocolate — and it'll be filled with frosty, creamy goodness or six rocher balls. First, the gelato-packed eggs, aka a dream for gelato and chocolate lovers alike. That's tasty news as it is but, in even better news, these goodies come in a trio. So, you'll get the Ménage Egg Trois, as Messina has dubbed it, all for $95. The gelato chain says the three eggs can feed between six and ten people, but it's obviously up to you how much you share them On the menu: a custard and shortbread gelato number, with the chocolate egg also featuring strawberry jam yolk, and then dipped in strawberry white chocolate; and an egg packed with vanilla and coconut gelato, mango sorbet, mango gel yolk and baked cheesecake, then encased in white chocolate and desiccated coconut. And, rounding out the pack is a pretzel and milk chocolate-coated egg featuring chocolate gelato with peanut fudge, chocolate brownies and peanut butter caramel. Your tastebuds might already remember that Messina did gelato-free chocolate Easter eggs in 2022, too. This year's version sprinkles its shell with chopped roasted hazelnuts, and boasts two waffle cone and white chocolate rocher balls (filled with waffle cone cream), two 65-percent dark chocolate and salted peanut rocher balls (filled with peanut cream), and two milk chocolate and hazelnut rocher balls (filled with Messinatella cream) inside. That'll set you back $70, and apparently will keep two-to-four people (or just you) very satisfied. As a bonus, Messina is also making golden versions of both Easter sets — and the difference isn't just in the appearance. If your milk chocolate gelato-filled eggs happen to be gold on the outside, you've won a year's worth of Messina. If your giant chocolate egg has a golden rocher inside, same deal. You will need to take a photo, then email hello@gelatomessina.com to claim your prize. Messina's Easter kits can only be ordered online on Monday, March 20 for collection over Easter — of course — between Thursday, April 6–Sunday, April 9. Messina now opens its orders at various times for various places, so you'll want to hop online at 9am for Queensland and Australian Capital Territory stores, 9.15am for Victorian shops, and at either 9.30am, 9.45am or 10am depending on where you are in New South Wales. Gelato Messina's Easter eggs are available to order from Monday, March 20 for pick up between Thursday, April 6–Sunday, April 9 — head to the Messina website for further details.
When it opens its borders in early March, Western Australia will allow travellers from interstate and international destinations to visit for the first time in nearly two years — and, if it's beaches you're after, you have plenty of reasons to make the trip. Already in 2022, WA's Misery Beach was named Australia's best beach for the year. Now, the state's Turquoise Bay has nabbed its own accolade, topping a list of best beaches in the South Pacific for 2022. In Tripadvisor's just-announced 2022 lineup of the region's best beaches, which ranks ten idyllic locations, seven Aussie spots made the cut — and two from New Zealand. In fact, the only patch of sand that wasn't from either country was Bora Bora's Matira Beach, which came in fifth. Yes, that means three Aussie beaches and one NZ spot pipped French Polynesia. Located in Exmouth, Turquoise Bay came in third in Tripadvisor's top ten list of beaches around the world, too, moving up a spot from sixth in 2021. So, if you're making beachy holiday plans, this WA locale has been given the tick twice over. [caption id="attachment_844142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Greens Pool, Denmark, Western Australia[/caption] On the South Pacific list, Broome's Cable Beach, also in WA, came in second — followed by New Zealand's Kaiteriteri Beach at third, then Greens Pool in Denmark, WA at fourth. Norfolk Island's Emily Bay ranked sixth, Queensland's Mooloolaba Beach came seventh, Cape Le Grand National Park in Esperance, WA sits eighth and 2021 best beach in the world winner Whitehaven Beach in Queensland came ninth. Rounding out the rankings: Tahunanui Beach in Nelson, NZ. Clearly, WA beaches scored big — with most locations named this year also placing in 2021. [caption id="attachment_844140" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaiteriteri Beach, New Zealand[/caption] On the worldwide list, Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands emerged victorious — moving up from fourth place in 2021 — followed by Varadero Beach in Cuba at second. Brazil's Quarta Praia in Morro de Sao Paulo came fourth, Aruba's Eagle Beach sits fifth and Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island in India ranked sixth. They were followed by Baía do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil at seventh; Trunk Bay Beach in the Virgin Islands National Park, US Virgin Islands at eighth; Baía dos Golfinhos in Praia da Pipa, again in Brazil, at ninth and Italy's Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa at tenth. The global list also named spots from 11th to 25th place, with Broome's Cable Beach coming in 11th. Across both the worldwide and South Pacific rankings, winners were chosen as part of Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice awards, which is based on reviews and ratings left on the online platform across 2021. [caption id="attachment_844145" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands[/caption] TOP TEN BEACHES IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC FOR 2022: Turquoise Bay, Exmouth, Western Australia Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia Kaiteriteri Beach, Kaiteriteri, New Zealand Greens Pool, Denmark, Western Australia Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia Emily Bay, Norfolk Island, Australia Mooloolaba Beach, Mooloolaba, Queensland Cape Le Grand National Park, Esperance, Western Australia Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Queensland Tahunanui Beach, Nelson, New Zealand TOP TEN BEACHES IN THE WORLD FOR 2022: Grace Bay Beach, Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos Varadero Beach, Varadero, Cuba Turquoise Bay, Exmouth, Western Australia Quarta Praia, Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil Eagle Beach, Palm, Eagle Beach, Aruba Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island, India Baía do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil Trunk Bay Beach, Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands Baía dos Golfinhos, Praia da Pipa, Brazil Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa, Italy To check out the full list of top beaches for 2022, head to Tripadvisor. Top image: Tourism Western Australia.
This time last year, the Brisbane Street Art Festival was in full swing, with creative folks brightening up the Queensland capital with their artistic work. While the fest ranks among the many, many events changing their plans in 2020, you can still watch street art come to life before your eyes this weekend — via a two-day live stream. Teaming up with Brisbane art space Superordinary, BSAF is unleashing 19 artists on the building. Naturally, they'll be painting up a storm. Every inch of the space will be transformed, and everyone can see it happen. That doesn't just cover street art-loving Brisbanites, either, because online streams are handy that way. The weekend-long event runs across Saturday, May 16–Sunday, May 17, with the action streamed via Twitch. As well as oh-so-much painting, there's also interviews, Q&As and roving performances — all while social distancing. https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneStreetArt/photos/a.10150176402908346/10158102825878346/?type=3&theater Top image: Gus Eagleton.
It's been a big few months for new hotels around Australia, including just-opened spots and places that'll launch in the coming months and years. Sydney now boasts the first Down Under outpost for Ace Hotels, and will soon score Porter House Hotel, too — plus the local debut of The Waldorf Astoria in 2025. Melbourne has welcomed the design-driven AC Hotels, Newcastle is nabbing its own QT with a rooftop bar and a suite in a clock tower, and the Gold Coast is nabbing The Langham. There's also a new hotel in the works for the Barossa in the middle of a vineyard, and the Yarra Valley is getting one as part of a big gig venue. Don't go thinking that Brisbane is missing out, though — because that's where the new voco Brisbane City Centre comes in. The chain has just taken up residence on North Quay right next to Brisbane Quarter, which means that it's in a prime riverside position. And, to take advantage of that location, it features a views aplenty, as well as a rooftop pool. Brisbane's first voco hotel — and the second for Queensland, after voco Gold Coast — it also comes with 194 rooms, as well as hangout space Kraft & Co. There, you can drink coffee by day and kick back in a lounge bar by night. You'll find the latter on the ground floor, slinging everything from eggs for breakfast and brunch through to cocktails till late. Wherever you're spending your time at this new staycation spot, you'll be surrounded by a sleek fitout by Sydney-based interior design studio JPDC, which takes its cues from the hotel's riverside locale. Dark blue tones are a big feature, alongside neutral colours — and maximising natural light. Among the site's features, voco Brisbane City Centre also boasts an all-hours gym, plus 11 meeting and function spaces. And, as part of a sustainability push that also includes aerated shower heads and refillable Antipodes products, guests can zip around the city for free on handcrafted bamboo bikes from Wyld Bikes. Find voco Brisbane City Centre at 85–87 North Quay, Brisbane. For more information or to make a booking, head to the voco website.
There's nothing better than receiving a "guys, you've gotta see this!" message in your crew's group chat. Have they found elusive cheap return tickets to Tokyo? Did they finally pop the big question? Is there a new puppy about to join their family? Big life milestones aside, heading off on a trip with your mates is the next most special thing. It's a chance to switch off, escape the big smoke and explore our beautiful backyard. And the cooler months are the time when we all need a break from the daily grind with a long weekend or a well-earned week away. If you've done the cosy cabin retreat to death, why not shake things up with a bit of adventure this winter? Hit the slopes, strap on your helmet and gear up for a chance to try something new, from thrilling aerial adventures over World Heritage sites to snowy escapes filled with snowshoeing and fondue-ing. Partnering with Hugo Boss, we've whittled down the endless list of Aussie adventures to just five that will leave you feeling amped up and ready to take on the world — much like its newest fragrance, BOSS BOTTLED Infinite. Go on, give these pulse-racing sports a go and you'll get a new perspective on the stunning land of Oz. [caption id="attachment_720491" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland.[/caption] CAPE TRIBULATION HELICOPTER AND LAND ADVENTURE TOUR It's not every day you get to knock not one but two UNESCO World Heritage-listed areas off your bucket list. But then again, this ain't your average adventure tour. You'll spend a jam-packed day exploring the best of tropical north Queensland, including the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. The tour kicks off with a two-hour scenic helicopter flight over world-class reefs and cascading waterfalls before touching down in the oldest living rainforest in the world. Then, the choice is yours: spend your afternoon on horseback as you weave through the Daintree to the ocean's edge, or head straight for the treetops with a zipline experience. Head to Red Balloon to book. [caption id="attachment_720598" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luke Tscharke.[/caption] CRADLE MOUNTAIN HUT WALK: WINTER OVERLAND TRACK It takes guts (and possibly a swig of gin) to sign up for a multi-day trek through the icy terrain of Tasmania's Cradle Mountain in the dead of winter. There's no wifi out here, friends. Just ancient landscapes, frozen lakes and long nights enhanced by a glass or two of Tasmanian wine. The eight-day Cradle Mountain Huts Walk winter overland track is one of the most challenging routes that the Tasmanian Walking Company offer, but it comes with plenty of rewards. Climb the peaks of Cradle Mountain, explore Lake Will and finish at Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest natural lake. [caption id="attachment_720745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Skydive Noosa.[/caption] SKYDIVE NOOSA Jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet is one way to get the blood pumping in the morning. But when you're freefalling over the sparkling Sunshine Coast, the terrifying drop can't be that bad, right? Strap in for an adrenaline junkie's dream with Skydive Noosa. The experience sees you spend 60 seconds in freefall — a minute the company describes as "life-changing" — before your instructor opens the parachute and you gently cruise your way to solid ground while soaking in the views. [caption id="attachment_720600" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kane Naaraat and Pinkbike.com.[/caption] BLUE DERBY MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDING TRAILS The historic town of Derby in Tasmania's north-east hasn't always been known for its 125 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails. It was tin mining that first put Derby on the map before the tragic bursting of Briseis Dam ended that. The town has been revitalised since the opening of the first section of the Blue Derby Trail Network in 2015. Today it boasts trails to suit every experience level, meaning it has something for you and all of your crew. HOTHAM SHOWSHOE TO FONDUE If exploring Australia's mountains and sleeping under the stars are on your to-do list, this is the tour to make it happen. Say hello to Alpine Nature Experience's Snowshoe to Fondue trip, an unforgettable overnight adventure set on the outskirts of Victoria's Alpine National Park. You'll snowshoe your way to your tipi-style eco-village accommodation before spending a night sipping hot glühwein, dipping your way through gooey French cheese fondue and soaking in the warmth of the outdoor campfire. When the sun comes up, the crew will make sure you leave fed and watered with a hearty warm breakfast. Hitting that work-life balance is hard. But shutting your laptop, splashing on some new BOSS BOTTLED Infinite and getting out in nature will help you seize the day and live your best life. Top image: Snowshoe to Fondue Experience.
