This year Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, Sara Landry and Dominic Fike are headlining a nearly sold out Spilt Milk alongside a roster of insane acts like ScHoolboy Q, Sombr, Nessa Barrett and more. Of course, Jim Beam are back at Spilt Milk again helping to deliver on one of the year's best festival experiences to bring you and your mates together. If you missed out on tickets when they dropped in May, Jim Beam have got you covered. [caption id="attachment_1040567" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] We have four sets of two VIP tickets up for grabs (for your nearest Spilt Milk location) with a Top Shelf upgrade, plus a money can't buy side of stage experience*. You can use the tickets at your closest Spilt Milk stop and even bring your mate along. To enter, just complete the form below. And, the good times keep rolling. If you've got tickets to Canberra and Ballarat, you can also crash the Jim Beam Mates Confessional and score a whole host of prizes. To free you from the guilt for past flaky friend discretions, simply step into the confession booth hosted by Will Gibb and drop the lore of the most diabolical reason you have ever flaked on your mates. Will will hear you out and determine what prize you're up for. You could be looking at VIP upgrades, merch and more. To get involved, look out for the Jim Beam Mates Confessional and bar at Spilt Milk Ballarat or Canberra from 2 - 5pm. Don't worry, that leaves you plenty of time to confess your flakiest excuses, score a prize, and catch the headliners. [competition]1040682[/competition] *Side of stage access is dependent on availability. Best enjoyed together, visit Jim Beam's website for more information.
So you've decided to visit Tokyo, good for you. Here at Concrete Playground, we're firm believers that it's one of the best cities in the world for travel — even with little ones in tow. It is easily accessible with numerous flights available from Australia and a digestible drop of many things Japan has to offer. So, we reckon it should be on every Aussie traveller's bucket list. If you're planning your family's first visit to this sprawling metropolitan kingdom, then there are a few important things you should know. We've teamed up with Apartment Hotel MIMARU to tell you. Book Easy and Family-Friendly Accommodation Obviously, accommodation is one of the most important elements of any holiday, and that decision can be tricky when you've got kids to cater for, too. The important elements to consider are numerous and can make or break the family spirit. The last thing you want is an unhappy group and an unsatisfying stay. That's where Apartment Hotel MIMARU enters the picture, focusing on comfort and convenience for travellers big and small. Every apartment hotel is spacious (40 square metres or more) and stocked with kitchens, cooking utensils and small appliances. With 28 locations spread across Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and 15 in Tokyo alone you have your pick of the perfect spots. Shinjuku West sets you up in a busy commercial district with plenty of stores and sights nearby; Asakusa Station is a central base for a range of luxurious experiences in one of Tokyo's most scenic and historical districts; the quiet Hatchobori puts you close to speciality shops and hidden culinary gems; all a stone's throw from one of the city's largest transport hubs. No matter the location, MIMARU Hotels all include spacious and well-equipped rooms, themed or traditional, catered for by staff who are fluent in English to help you get the most out of your Tokyo trip. [caption id="attachment_947223" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Davlens Photography via iStock[/caption] Organise Tokyo Tourist Essentials Tokyo is a big city. The population density is over 6,000 people per square kilometre, so it's easy to get overwhelmed. Thankfully, we have tips to help you make sense of this sprawling urban kingdom. Japan Travel by Navitime is a fantastic online resource, both a website and app with itineraries, area guides and an in-built trip planner that incorporates the buzzing Tokyo public transport network. There's also the government-operated Safety Tips app, a resource for tourists that covers transport, medical aid, communication help and resources to use in case of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. Something you might be unsure about is clothes to pack. Tokyo has a reputation for fashion and colour, but we'd recommend you keep a practical mindset and pack for the weather. Summer humidity can be oppressive, and the winter chill cuts through you. Additionally, be prepared for cultural customs. Research the customs surrounding any specific activities you have planned to be certain. All that said, don't be afraid to pack something extravagant if you're planning on visiting pop-culture hotspots like Harajuku and Akihabara. Finally, any Japan trip should involve organising transport cards. How else are you supposed to enjoy the world-class public transport and the famous Shinkansen? Like the transport cards of home, Japan offers Welcome Suica cards for purchase at Haneda airport, which will cover the cost of train travel within Tokyo. [caption id="attachment_947222" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Font84 via iStock[/caption] Stock up on Some Local Snacks As any parent knows, kids need a decent snack supply for nutrition, peace of mind, and, in some cases, added entertainment value. We have some suggestions for you. If you're near Asakusa, make a beeline for Marugoto Nippon Shopping Centre. Here, you'll find four glorious stories of shops that sell almost everything from all across the 47 prefectures of Japan. Marugoto Nippon translates to "the whole of Japan". Otherwise, Tokyo is blessed with more convenience stores than you can shake a hungry toddler at, with chains like 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson spread all over the city, each with its own range of snacks. At 7-Eleven, you can find sugar butter sand trees (white chocolate sandwiches in cereal cookies), macadamia cookies and bite-sized chocolate cakes. Family Mart offers treats like cheese taras (a stick of cheese covered in dried fish paste), cheesecake pudding and salty daifuku (savoury balls of bean mochi). Meanwhile, in Lawson, you can find premium roll cakes (doughy whipped cream tarts), calamari fries and matcha and brown sugar donuts. Hot tip: every MIMARU hotel has at least one of these stores nearby. [caption id="attachment_947224" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Junjie Xia via iStock[/caption] Plan a Visit to Attractions That All Ages Can Enjoy Now that the essentials are sorted, it's time actually to plan out the itinerary. We'd be here for 1000 pages if we were to describe everything on offer in terms of activities in Tokyo, even just for the whole family, so we've narrowed it down to three recommendations to get you started. For history lovers (and if you're planning a visit in the autumn), there's an annual festival that dates back centuries, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Reitaisai Festival. It's a mouthful, we know, but the TL;DR is a three-day festival that takes place in Kamakura from September 14–16 and is centred around a competition of horseback archery — a complicated military skill turned equestrian sport. There's the archery itself, plus traditional tea ceremonies, dance performances and parades. A less time-sensitive option is Hitachi Seaside Park, a sprawling outdoor park on the coast of the Ibaraki Prefecture northeast of Tokyo. There are tens of thousands of flowers that shift colour every season, making for a beautiful and relaxing walk or bike ride through the park. You can also visit a range of outdoor game areas and an amusement park with a panoramic ferris wheel. Finally, there's a more dynamic explosion of colour alongside music and festivities at the Asakusa Samba Carnival. Typically, it takes place in late August or early September, very close to Asakusa station, with floats, musicians and dancers in extravagant costumes taking over the streets from 1pm until almost 6pm. With a history of giant balloons and robots in attendance, you never really know what you might see. You have everything you need to start planning the rest of your Tokyo adventure. Head to the MIMARU Hotels website to make a booking.
Queensland has just cracked a moon shot — the state has won the right to host the 2027 Women's Softball World Cup Finals. Taking over the City of Moreton Bay, it'll be the first time Australia has hosted the event since its inaugural edition back in 1965. On that occasion in Melbourne, our national women's team, aka the Aussie Spirit, triumphed over the USA to score themselves the gold medal. Now, over 60 years later, the event is returning to where it all began, as eight of the world's best women's teams descend on Talobilla Park in Redcliffe from Monday, April 5–Sunday, April 11, 2027. Just 45 minutes north of Brisbane, this coastal spot will be the ideal setting for locals and international visitors to soak up the action. View this post on Instagram A post shared by YIAGA (@yiaga.au) While every Women's Softball World Cup is a special occasion, the next instalment will take on even greater significance. That's because it will serve as the qualifying event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Marking softball's return to the Games after not being included in the 2024 edition, the World Cup Finals will set the tone for what takes place on one of sport's most significant stages. "We're thrilled with the announcement of Redcliffe as host of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2027, the flagship event of international women's softball," says WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "Held one year before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and five years until the Brisbane 2032 Games, this tournament will highlight Australia's strong passion for softball and the deep roots the sport has in the country's sporting community." The announcement arrives on the back of solid support for women's sport in Australia, with the federal government clocking home run bids for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, the Women's Asian Cup in 2026, the Netball World Cup in 2027 and the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2029. So, pencil in your trip to Redcliffe to get behind the Aussie Spirit as they face off against the sport's heaviest hitters on the diamond. "The return of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup to Australian soil is a powerful opportunity to inspire the next generation with Olympic dreams, boost grassroots participation and deliver lasting benefits to local communities," says Softball Australia CEO Sarah Loh. The Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2027 will be held at Talobilla Park in Redcliffe from Monday, April 5–Sunday, April 11, 2027. Head to the website for more information.
After cancelling all international flights late last month and all domestic flights bar one daily route in early April, Virgin Australia has entered voluntary administration. In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange this morning, Tuesday, April 21, the Australian airline confirmed it had appointed Deloitte's Vaughan Strawbridge, John Greig, Sal Algeri and Richard Hughes as its voluntary administrators in an attempt to recapitalise and come out of the COVID-19 crisis in a "stronger financial position". Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah confirmed the airline will continue to operate its scheduled domestic and international flights, which are helping to "transport essential workers, maintain important freight corridors, and return Australians home", and is "determined to continue flying". "Australia needs a second airline," Scurrah said in the statement. "Virgin Australia will play a vital role in getting the Australian economy back on its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the country has access to competitive and high-quality air travel". The airline's decision to enter voluntary administration comes as it battles a reported $5 billion debt. While the Federal Government has so far rejected its plea for a $1.4 billion loan, both the Queensland and NSW Governments have offered the airlines bailouts — conditional on the location of Virgin's headquarters, currently located in Queensland. When asked about the Federal Government's refusal to bail out Virgin in an interview with ABC, Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham said, "we can't save every business in Australia. Ultimately, there can be no black cheques from Government... we've provided additional support already in the aviation sector." Virgin launched in Australia in 2000 as Virgin Blue, with just one route and two aircraft, and quickly grew following the collapse of Ansett in 2001. With 16,000 employees and 130 planes, the Australian brand, which also includes bargain flight carrier Tigerair, is owned by Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, the HNA Group, Nanshan Group and Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. The fate of those aircraft and staff is currently unknown, with administrator Strawbridge saying in the statement, "our intention is to undertake a process to restructure and re-finance the business and bring it out of administration as soon as possible".
Before the internet loved cats, the stage did too. Back in the early '80s, musical maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber took T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, turned it into a tale of feisty felines, and triumphed in West End and on Broadway. Even if you haven't seen it, you've heard of it. Indeed, CATS is one of those productions that always seems to be on in a theatre somewhere; it has played to 73 million people in over 300 cities around the world, after all. In Australia, the latest staging is doing the rounds, with Brisbane its next stopover. The Olivier Award-nominated revival once again follows the Jellicle Cats as they come out to play in a larger-than-life junkyard, with plenty of memories made — and the song 'Memory' sung — in the antics that follow. Even if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, we know you're fond of the cute creatures at the show's centre. Don't make us check your YouTube history. Image: CATS the Musical.
Fancy a stylish beachside escape where you can unwind with the help of salty air and stunning views? A trip to NSW's stunning Central Coast will tick all those boxes, no long-haul flight required. Located just over an hour north of Sydney, the region is peppered with designer beachfront abodes and charming coastal resorts promising holiday vibes on tap. We've done the hard work for you and pulled together 11 of the Central Coast's finest places to stay, each of which can be found on Concrete Playground Trips. Book your spot, pack a bag and get set for an indulgent weekend by the water. MANTRA ETTALONG BEACH Each and every one of the apartment-style accommodations (including studios, one and two-bedroom apartments and penthouses) look out over the Central Coast's picturesque Broken Bay, Brisbane Water and Lion Island. Expect large light-filled living spaces, fully equipped kitchenettes, an outdoor pool, heated spa, day spa and gymnasium all within the property's confines. This spot's got the lot. BOOK IT NOW. BLUE LAGOON BEACH RESORT You'll struggle to find a location as good as this one. Blue Lagoon Beach Resort is right on the water — just walk down a short path to find the Central Coast's Shelly Beach. Either opt for some of the large cabins — big enough to fit a large family or bunch of mates or bring your own camping gear to enjoy the area on a budget. Then all you have to do is enjoy this quiet area, spending days swimming at the beach or hiking up around the surrounding bushland. BOOK IT NOW. RAFFERTYS RESORT Raffertys Resort lies within a 38-acre parcel of land right on the shores of Lake Macquarie, just a 90-minute drive from Sydney (or 30 minutes south of Newcastle). Accompanying the various styles of self-contained accommodation (large houses, apartments and cottages) are four tennis courts, four pools, a boat ramp and resort jetty and access to a number of dining options on-site. It won't be hard to carve out your own personal patch of paradise. BOOK IT NOW. BEACHCOMBER HOTEL & RESORT The Beachcomber Hotel & Resort is an iconic waterfront destination located in the heart of the Central Coast, Toukley. With sweeping waterfront views, Hamptons-inspired ambience, boutique-style accommodation, an exclusive pool club and multiple eateries and bars, it's a damn good place to switch into holiday mode. Be sure to also check out its list of weekly events for live gigs, DJ sets and food and drink deals — taco and tequila Tuesdays are not to be missed. BOOK IT NOW. AVOCA BEACH HOTEL Avoca Beach Hotel is a small family-owned property that lies within 15 spacious acres of land nestled into the tree-covered hillside. Only 2km off Avoca Beach and the rockpool, and five minutes from some of the Central Coast's much-loved national parks, it's great for those looking to explore the region. And when you need some downtime, simply dip into one of the two onsite pools, grab some food on the newly renovated terrace, play a few sets on the tennis court and cook up some dinner at one of the barbecues — beer or spritz in hand. BOOK IT NOW. FORRESTERS BEACH RESORT This coastal property has recently had a big makeover and has now been transformed into a contemporary Hamptons-style retreat. The 34 guest rooms come with king-size beds, large two-person spas and private balconies, which either look out over the property's swimming pool with heated spa, waterfall, tropical native gardens or one of the lush courtyards. While here, you should also check out the rolling series of events taking place in the entertainment space and hit up the restaurant, bar and salon — it's treat yourself time. BOOK IT NOW. CROWNE PLAZA TERRIGAL Terrigal is a popular spot during summer, filling with out-of-towners seeking to escape the city without going deep into the wilderness — you've got great surf, plenty of restaurants and cafes, a few really good rooftop bars and streets filled with boutique stores for when you feel like a little late afternoon shopping. And Crowne Plaza is one of the most sought-after places to stay in town. The 4.5-star hotel has 199 guestrooms and boasts a bunch of luxe amenities, including an outdoor pool overlooking the beach, a day spa, two restaurants and its own cocktail bar. BOOK IT NOW. NRMA OCEAN BEACH HOLIDAY RESORT You've heard of glamping in safari tents, but have you heard about glamtainers? Now, this might just be a totally made-up word only used by NRMA, but we are all for it. The team here has turned shipping containers into small holiday homes, decked out with all the essentials — guests will have aircon, a kitchenette with a connected lounge and dining area, their own private bathroom and an outdoor deck with barbecue. But if that's not your vibe, these guys do have a bunch of cottages available, too. BOOK IT NOW. LASCALA HOLIDAY HOUSE This seven-bedroom home is made for big groups of mates or a couple of families who are looking for a glam getaway on the Central Coast. You can squeeze up to 22 people on beds. And it still doesn't feel cramped. That's thanks to the large rooms, plenty of common areas and the stunning pool that overlooks the water. It even has its own bar, billiards room, squash court and tennis court. This is the kind of place you'll remember staying at forever. BOOK IT NOW. GLENWORTH VALLEY ADVENTURES This huge property, set a few kilometres back from the beach, is known for being the place to go for horse-riding, quad biking, kayaking, abseiling and just about any other adventure activity. But there are also a whole host of accommodations — in the form of glamping tents and eco villas. Our favourites are the villas, especially the deluxe version that has its own woodfired hot tub. Escape to the country (even though you're just an hour or so out of Sydney) and either join in on the activities available or simply relax and enjoy nature. Choose your own adventure here. BOOK IT NOW. CAVES COASTAL BAR AND BUNGALOWS Stay at these bungalows, villas or the four-bedroom beach house to get direct access to the famous Caves Beach. It is but a few steps from the property. You can also wander in the opposite direction to find Lake Macquarie. Some of the best parts of the Central Coast are right here. And the accommodations are a bit alright, too. Expect contemporary Hamptons-style rooms with luxe amenities and access to the outdoor pool. Plus, if you book one of the bungalows, you'll get access to the adults-only part of the property. That means you'll be totally free from noisy kids. BOOK IT NOW. 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 to destinations all over the world. Top image: Bouddi National Park, Destination NSW
Seeing a lighthouse near the beach isn't anything new. When that glowing beacon by the shore is solely made from recycled sails, however — with animation to help it get luminous up top and rotate the beam — it stands out. The structure in question: a 10.6-metre-tall sculpture fittingly called Lighthouse, hailing from Simone Chua and Amigo & Amigo, and a big drawcard of the returning Swell Sculpture Festival when it takes over Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast for 2023. A trip to the tourist spot between Friday, September 8–Sunday, September 17 now involves checking out the impressive towering work — and 75-plus sculptures by 190 artists in total as part of this year's program. Every year for more than two decades now, the event turns a one-kilometre expanse of sand into a huge outdoor art gallery for ten must-visit days. Thanks to all of those hefty figures, visitors to this free festival will score an eyeful of stunning creations. Yes, by simply walking along the beach, you'll view stellar art almost as far as the eye can see. Other 2023 pieces include a life-size shark, aka Shark Rod, that's been built over weekends from vintage car parts; the bright orange Basking in the Sun — Eastern Water Dragons, as fashioned from 20-millimetre aluminium pipe and flat bar; a series of turtles and manta rays; and Treasure, which looks like an archaeological dig. The word "giant" comes up frequently in descriptions of Swell's artworks each year, with 2023 no exception; a huge conch shell and oversized coral are just the beginning. Contemplating climate change is also common, including in Surge, which muses on melting ice and rising seas. Storms, erosion, dystopias, the Gold Coast's future, Australian animals, flowers, oyster shells, marine pollution, inflation, the passing of time — they all get a nod as well. Exactly what each artist, pairing or collective whips up isn't the only highlight. The themes and topics that their works ponder is just as fascinating, of course, and so is the variety of materials used. Swell's talents tend to deploy everything from concrete, stainless steel, copper, bronze, wood, glass, plastic and natural fibres to fibreglass, bamboo, wire, silk, stone and aluminium. Art is the main part of the lineup, but Swell also includes a beachside fringe fest, guided walks, yoga among the sculptures, masterclasses and more. And if you feel like taking a bucket, scooping up some sand and making your own art there and then, you can — you're on a beach, after all. Updated September 8. Images: PBR Images/Leximagery/Katie Bennett/Embellysh/Room4Graphics/Carey Cam/Edward Trost/Katie Bennett/Dee Steinfort.
UPDATE, December 24, 2020: The Lodge is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When a horror movie takes its title from a house, home, cabin or other structure, nothing good will happen within those walls. Indeed, when a film boasts a name like The Cabin in the Woods, The Last House on the Left or The Orphanage, it starts creeping people out — or at least evoking a considerable sense of foreboding — long before the first frames even roll. Unsurprisingly, The Lodge fits the mould perfectly. There's a lodge, naturally. It's in the middle of nowhere, of course, and it's further isolated by the expanse of ice and snow that surrounds it for miles. Inside, strange things happen, too. But don't go thinking that Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala's (Goodnight Mommy) slow-burning psychological thriller just sticks to an easy formula. Before taking viewers to the feature's eponymous abode, the writer/director team visit two other houses: the home of journalist Richard (Richard Armitage), where kids Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) are being dropped off for the weekend; and that of his estranged wife Laura (Alicia Silverstone), who he's just told that he wants a divorce. Neither place particularly sparkles with joy, especially after Laura reacts to her marital breakdown — and the fact that Richard is planning to wed his younger girlfriend Grace (Riley Keough) within months — in a far more drastic fashion than just exclaiming "as if!". Afterwards, Aidan and Mia aren't thrilled about their new stepmother-to-be either, or the fact that she'll be joining them and their dad at the family lodge over Christmas. They're especially suspicious given that Grace isn't just the new woman in their father's life but, as a child, was the only survivor of a doomsday cult's suicide pact — which Richard literally wrote the book on. It's not hard to guess what happens next: they all go to the lodge, unease spreads and, after Richard heads back to the city to work for a few days, the situation explodes between Aidan, Mia and Grace. And while that may seem like as stock-standard a horror storyline (or family drama plot) as holidaying in a remote cabin, Franz and Fiala know how to mould even the most straightforward setup into something distinctive, chilling and disturbing. Their secret weapon: ambiguity. It's what made the aunt-and-nephew team's first feature, unsettling Austrian creepfest Goodnight Mommy, work such a charm as well. When The Lodge's central trio all awake to find a blizzard settling in, the power and water cut off, and all their food and warm clothes gone, there are a couple of perfectly reasonable explanations — but the possibility that something more sinister could be afoot also feels just as plausible. Cue a perturbing film that doesn't just ooze uncertainty, but embraces it, dwells in it and splashes it across the screen at every turn. That applies to the characters as well as to the audience, with mistrust and paranoia sparking plenty of questions on-screen and off. Grace wonders if Aidan and Mia are messing with her, the kids ponder whether their future stepmum's horrific past might be seeping into their present, and they all eventually suspect bigger, stranger causes. And, intimating that more than one answer might apply, Franz, Fiala and their co-writer Sergio Casci keep absolutely everyone guessing. Also adding another layer of queries: the movie's frequent, lingering glimpses at Mia's astonishingly detailed doll's house, which is filled with miniature versions of the exact same sights and scenes playing out in the lodge. If said doll's house reminds you of Hereditary and its disquieting diorama, that's understandable. They're made by different filmmakers, and The Lodge was in the works long before Hereditary premiered and became an instant cult horror hit, but the two films are kindred spirits. There's no limit on tragedy-fuelled explorations of family tensions, grief and distressing occurrences, after all — and no limit on atmospheric explorations of all of the above, either. Indeed, seeing how Franz and Fiala twist these familiar elements into something unique ranks among The Lodge's highlights. Mood-driven filmmakers, they ratchet up the eeriness with skill and style, firmly taking the film in its own direction. That said, for all its pinpoint-effective ambiguity, needling sights and sounds, and agitating ambience, The Lodge might've still proven generic. It could've just come across as a routine mashup of Goodnight Mommy and Hereditary, too, albeit an assured and eye-catching one. That's if it didn't have Keough at its core — and her impact in this supremely well-crafted film cannot be underestimated. As a horror device, uncertainty only works if audiences genuinely believe that multiple outcomes could be possible, which is the case here thanks to Keough's rattling performance. In her bone-chilling stare and gut-wrenching screams, Grace is a clear trauma victim. In her jittery behaviour, she's also a source of immense stress and apprehension for Aidan and Mia. Viewers never quite know whether to be frightened of Grace or to be frightened with Grace, with the Mad Max: Fury Road, American Honey and Logan Lucky actor selling both options. Serving up a nerve-shattering onslaught of psychological thrills, The Lodge leans into that anxiety-sparking uncertainty as far as it can go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4E-NV2bpo
Fans of Tom Cruise, actors doing their own stunts and impressive action setpieces, prepare to take a trip to the cinema. If you've seen a Mission: Impossible film over the past two decades (or the television series before that), you know what to expect. In fact, if you've watched any of the previous installments, you've essentially already seen this one as well. A different writer/director takes the helm this time around, and a fresh foe threatens the Impossible Mission Force. Yet it still feels like a case of new movie, same ol' stuff. Cruise's super spy Ethan Hunt is hot on the trail of a shadowy, multinational organisation called the Syndicate, chasing a cluster of seemingly unrelated disasters, and hopping from London to Vienna to Casablanca and back again trying to track them down. There's more to Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, of course — including an unhappy CIA boss (Alec Baldwin) intent on closing the IMF; the Syndicate's ever-crafty, always-one-step-ahead head honcho (Sean Harris); and the intriguing Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), who could be either friend or foe. Hunt's trusty colleagues Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Luther (Ving Rhames) help out, particularly after he goes rogue. But the details don't really matter. They're simply the filler that joins the film's standoffs, heists and fist fights together. That's not to say that filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie, reteaming with Cruise after directing Jack Reacher and writing the scripts for both Valkyrie and Edge of Tomorrow, doesn't craft an engaging-enough and unexpectedly lighthearted feature. It's just all too obvious that he's adhering to a tried-and-tested formula, leaving everything else — the characters, especially, as well as the dialogue — feeling a little too thin. That Baldwin both seems like he's reprising 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy and is forced to claim that "Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny" with a straight face provides the perfect example. Thankfully, what the Mission: Impossible franchise does often (and over and over again), it does well. Zipping through the slick mechanics of a never-really-impossible mission proves as well-handled as ever, notably in opera-set and underwater sequences that are sure to become the film's calling cards. Exuding an energy and urgency that the rest of the movie is lacking, the choreography of the action and the camerawork that captures it is in top form. The same can also be said for the returning cast, including the almost instantly shirtless Cruise, all playing to their strengths even if they are saddled with one-note roles. When Ghost Protocol arrived in cinemas in 2011 after a five-year gap in the series, its pace, smarts and thrills both surprised and impressed — and while none of those stand out in Rogue Nation, the feature does have one trick up its sleeve other than its spectacle. That would be Swedish actress Ferguson, last seen in Hercules, and the welcome addition that the film sorely needs. In an effort that's largely going through the motions, she is certainly not. Enjoying her time on screen is easy; finding anything more than been-there, done-that antics otherwise — now, that's your mission, should you choose to accept it.
Before Rhys Pike and Sean Astill opened Future Magic Brewing Co, Manilla Street in East Brisbane was already home to a brewery thanks to the Gold Coast-born Black Hops' Brisbane taproom. For many, setting up shop opposite another beer joint might've been cause for second thoughts, but not for this duo. Valuing community — cultivating Future Magic's own via crowdfunding, and celebrating the community it has joined in its new abode — is one of their guiding principles. "I think people want to be really proud of their suburb and their postcode," Pike tells Concrete Playground. That was something that Future Magic were eager to build upon with their 150-seater brewery — and, to do their part to make its chosen home as great as it can be. "Our rationale was basically to say that we want to be within a certain walking distance of either train or bus or ferry, to make it easier for people to get to the venue, but still pretty central as well. And just looking at all of the data, like census data and population density, and planning ahead for things like the Olympics — which is obviously quite a long way away still, but is impending — and just walking around," Pike continues. "Before we signed the lease, we walked around the suburb and had a look at all the businesses and chatted to locals, and we just found that everyone was so enthusiastic about the possible concept of having another brewery." Pike and Astill did hear the obvious doubts, however. "We've had quite a few people ask us in really direct terms 'don't you think it's silly to open a brewery within 100 metres of another brewery?'," Pike says. "And our rationale is that, it's a weird concept but the rising tide will lift all ships. If there's a great brewery in an area, it will then change the way another brewery will operate, and make them make their processes better — and it means that the local offerings for beer and food and wine, and craft concepts like gin and so forth, will become better for everyone." The pair met about seven or eight years ago, with Astill dabbling with home brewing and Pike running a craft beer blog and Instagram account, and both working for a technology business. "Sean presented me with a couple of home brew beers he had made, and I told him they were of very high quality and he should consider submitting them to some awards," Pike explains. Astill followed his advice, placed second in the state in the Queensland Amateur Brewers Association awards, and then fourth in the country. He'd next work for Ballistic Beer Co. Bringing Future Magic to fruition sprang from there, with monthly catchups to work through the duo's plans, research into ideal locations and a 12–18-month search for the perfect property, which involved inspecting 40–50 properties. Pike and Astill went with the industrial brick Manilla Street warehouse — the home of a former packaging supplies company — for its feature wall, its capacity to host both a taproom and the brewing operations, and its room for growth. "It's kind of cool and funny in its full-circle nature that the building has gone from a place that has housed boxes of pizza to serving boxes of pizza," Pike says. "We still get people coming in every week asking to buy pizza boxes and cake boxes." Future Magic's pizza range is made in-house, with seven types available — plus two for kids — alongside mushroom arancini and bruschetta. The main drawcard, of course, is the beer pumping through 12 taps. That includes its own brews, complete with a mango and passionfruit sour; a Thriller in Manilla Hazy IPA collaboration with Black Hops; two guest taps currently pouring tipples from Woolloongabba's Easy Times, which is located just blocks away the other side of the Gabba; and two ciders and a wine list from Witches Falls Winery well. None of the above would've come to fruition without the crowdfunding campaign, which raised almost $300,000 from 230 investors up to August 2022, and helped build that sense of community. "We really wanted to put our money where our mouth was early on," Pike notes. "A lot of breweries are around for three or four years, and then they go to market with a crowdfund. The most recent ones from the big-name breweries have raised $2–3 million in the space of 24 hours. For us, it was about getting our community involved as early and often as possible — to get everyone to be like 'our best advocate is our owners, technically, or our shareholders, who will bring their friends and family and spread our community through the process of experiencing it in person'." Find Future Magic Brewing Co at 32 Manilla Street, East Brisbane — with opening hours varying on Wednesdays, and the brewery operating from 12–9pm Thursdays–Saturdays and 1–8pm Sundays. Images: Rhys Pike.
If you're lucky enough to count Woolworths' Double Bay store as your local, you might soon be in for speedier shopping trips and a whole lot less time spent battling the self-serve checkouts. As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, the supermarket chain will launch a trial of 'shop and go' technology in the Sydney eastern suburbs store from today, Thursday, September 6. The first of its kind in Australia, the program allows customers to dodge the checkouts completely, instead scanning and paying for products via their smartphone as they shop. The new technology has already been embraced overseas, with retail giant Amazon famously opening its first checkout-free, fully automated shop-and-go grocery store in Seattle earlier this year, and China's bricks-and-mortar Alibaba stores using a similar technology. The Woolworths trial will see a few thousand members of its loyalty program — who are also Double Bay regulars — invited to shop there using a special Scan&Go app, which they can download to their smartphones. The customer can then use it to scan the barcodes of each item they take from the shelves, while specially-designed scales will handle the weighing and scanning of fresh produce. At the end of their visit, the shopper can pay for their haul via the app, 'tap off' on a pole near the exit, then leave the store — without interacting with either a human or robot checkout. As well as being faster and, potentially, easier, the new technology has the added benefit of letting customers track their spending while they're going. So, you'll know when those $2 chocolate bars push you over budget. There's no word on how long the Scan&Go trial will run for, and Woolworths says it currently has no plans to roll out the technology to other stores.
Member of iconic Australian band turned powerful solo rock femme. Adalita has been going from strength to strength since launching her solo career since her time in Magic Dirt, and now her seasoned solo performances are not to be missed by any fan of the classics or the contemporaries from this rock goddess. She’ll be celebrating the release of her latest album, All Day Venus, with her fans by way of an East Coast tour, with a band that includes ex-Paradise Motel bassist Matt Bailey. Adalita is hungry for the tour, she’s ready and excited, and she’s got a growing repertoire of solid, heavy tracks to thrash out with you. Joining her on the road will be songbird Laura Jean, who will make no less impact than Adalita. Don’t miss what could be your best opportunity to see such a worldly woman of rock in the intimate venue of The Zoo. Grab your tickets now.
Sometimes all you want in life is a little bundle of joy to play with and look after. No, we’re not talking about children here – we’re talking pets. No, not real, living pets (that’s a lot of effort and mess and pet food is pretty expensive), for the 21st century person you need a 21st century pet to go along with it. We’re talking electronics here, but forget Pleo – how’s about you make your own? Firstly, it’s less expensive. Secondly, you get to play Frankenstein for a little while, which allows you to tick that off the bucket list. The Edge is bringing artists Priscilla Bracks and Gavin Sade in to teach you how to make an interactive ‘pet’ – no prior experience required! Over four sessions, Priscilla and Gavin teach you how to design your character and bring it to life (well, figuratively), incorporating mechanisms and determining your toy’s level of intelligence. By the end of the workshop you’ll have a toy pet to call your very own – no clean up required.
What's better than regular ol' mini golf? Putt putt with booze, as Holey Moley embraced back in 2016 when it opened its first-ever venue right here in Brisbane. What's better than one such OTT spot dedicated to tap, tap, tapping and sip, sip, sipping, too? Two, obviously, which the brand also acknowledged when it launched a second Brissie spot in the Wintergarden in 2019. Now, what's even better than just a couple of places to pick up a club and try to hit a ball around pop culture-themed holes, while pausing to drink bathtub cocktails? Yes, the answer is three, because that's how maths work. So Brisbanites, you've now got a date with Holey Moley Chermside — which announced its impending arrival back in October, and is up and running from Friday, November 18. Given that Holey Moley has also spread across the Sunshine State and interstate, the underlying concept is already familiar, just at Chermside shopping centre. If you're known to pick up your Christmas presents at the huge Gympie Road spot, consider this an extra-festive piece of news — this year's browsing and buying can now include a mini-golf break. Holey Moley Chermside isn't be small, catering to 350 people. Patrons can play their way around 18 holes, channelling their inner Happy Gilmore before hitting the Caddyshack bar. The general setup, vibe and menu carries over from other locations, just in a different spot. Those greens include four new designs that've been exclusively tailored for the Chermside venue: Surfs Up, Dart Board, Moonshot and the Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired Mini Sonic Loophole. They're joined by a heap of the brand's well-known decor from other venues, such as The Simpsons' Evergreen Terrace and The Flintstones' Bedrock n Roll. And, some holes take their cues from Brisbane and its weather; 'tis the place for it, after all. At the bar, expect an 80s and 90s theme, as well as creative concoctions and stomach-lining bites to eat. Again, well-known faves like the Sugar Caddy and Rub a Dub Tub cocktails are on offer — the latter served in a tiny bathtub that even has rubber ducks floating in it — while the snacks lineup features ingredients sourced from local Australian producers. The bar's decor goes big on hanging plants, in a savvy touch: sure, you're not out in the openair, strolling around the grass and taking a swing, but you can still get a dose of nature all around you. The Chermside Holey Moley marks the sixth site in Brisbane for Funlab, the company behind it (and Strike Bowling, Archie Brothers and B Lucky & Sons), as well as the ninth in Queensland. Find Holey Moley Chermside at Chermside shopping centre, on the corner Gympie and Hamilton roads, Chermside, from Friday, November 18 — open 10am–10pm Sunday–Thursday and 10am–12am Friday–Saturday. Images: Zennieshia Butts.
Thinking about UK cinema's biggest names brings a wealth of famous talents to mind. Odds are that they're on the 2023 British Film Festival program in one way or another. When the Australia-wide cinema celebration returns for its latest tour, it'll do so with Olivia Colman's latest movie, Ian McKellen's as well, what might be Michael Caine's final role and an Alfred Hitchcock documentary. Ken Loach, Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E Grant, Timothy Spall, Helena Bonham Carter, Gemma Arterton, Maggie Smith: they're all covered, too. In total, 28 films are on the British Film Festival's 2023 lineup, including both brand-new flicks and retrospective screenings. Audiences can see the results throughout November, with the festival kicking off on Wednesday, November 1 in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth — and on Thursday, November 2 in Canberra, Brisbane and Byron Bay. BFF will keep is projectors whirring for four weeks, wrapping up on Wednesday, November 29. Opening night's One Life will begin the 2023 fest, with the Hopkins (The Son)-starring biopic coming to Australia after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. It tells the tale of Sir Nicholas Winton, whose World War II story includes assisting in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children, earning him the label of the 'British Schindler'. Johnny Flynn (Operation Mincemeat) plays the humanitarian in his younger years, with Bonham Carter (Nolly) also co-starring. Still on BFF's big festival slots, the Colman- (Heartstopper) and Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)-led Wicked Little Letters will close out the 2023 event. The two actors reunite after both featuring in The Lost Daughter, although this time they aren't playing the same character. Instead, they're in a mystery-comedy that's based on a real-life scandal dating back 100 years And, playing as BFF's centrepiece is The Critic, which is where McKellan (Cats) and Arterton (Funny Woman) come in, and Mark Strong (Tár), Lesley Manville (The Crown) and Nikesh Patel (Starstruck) as well. As the name makes plain, it does involve a critic — a theatre specialist, in a whodunnit that's based on the novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. Also a huge inclusion: My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock, the new documentary from The Story of Film's Mark Cousins. This time, the filmmaker turns his meticulous attention to a director like no other, and to plenty of suspense, including featuring footage from the bulk of Hitchcock's classic films. Among the other highlights, war veteran tale The Great Escaper could be Caine's (Best Sellers) last performance; The Old Oak marks the latest from iconic filmmaker Loach (I, Daniel Blake, Sorry We Missed You); The Lesson features Grant (Persuasion), Julie Delpy (On the Verge) and Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) in a literary thriller; and musical Greatest Days features Take That's songs. Or, there's Sweet Sue from Leo Leigh, son of Peterloo and Mr Turner director Mike Leigh; the Irish village-set In the Land of Saints and Sinners, which features Neeson (Retribution), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, and also Sex Education); Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First, with Gabriel Byrne (War of the Worlds) as the playwright; Golda, starring Mirren (Barbie) as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir; Mad About the Boy, a doco about Noël Coward; and Pretty Red Dress, which is set to the songs of Tina Turner. Plus, fans of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their BFF schedule. And, among the retrospective titles, the Mirren-starring Caligula, rock opera Tommy and drama Howard's End are all playing in 4K restorations — with Smith's (The Miracle Club) Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, plus The Remains of the Day, Women in Love and Morgan — A Suitable Case for Treatment also on the classics list. BRITISH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central, Sydney Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Leederville and Windsor, Perth Thursday, November 2–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Electric Cinemas, Canberra Thursday, November 2–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane Thursday, November 2–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The 2023 British Film Festival tours Australia between in November. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Back when Welcome to Bowen Hills was up and running, the inner-city spot was also home to the annual Brisbane Gin Festival. The venue has had a name change and a revamp in 2021, but it's still showing the love for juniper spirits — this time, thanks to the Summer Gin Festival. The rebranded fest will make a boozy comeback from 12–6pm on Friday, November 5 and Saturday, November 6, with tickets costing $20 per session. Plenty of gin will be flowing, all thanks to a heap of different stalls serving up tastings and bespoke cocktails. So, if you're a fan of Australian Distilling Co, Cape Byron, Long Rays, Wolf Lane, Larrikin and more, your tastebuds will be happy. There'll be food onsite as usual, with Zero Fox doing the honours. Obviously, gin lovers can expect to get sipping and sampling, and to chat with the makers behind the tipples as well. Plus, Lyre's range will also be on offer, if you heading to a gin fest but won't be hitting the hard stuff. Top image: Wolf Lane Distillery.
UPDATE, February 28, 2021: Rocketman is available to stream via Netflix, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes and Amazon Video. "It's obviously not all true, but it's the truth," says Elton John about Rocketman. Trust the British superstar to sum up his own lively, dreamlike musical biopic perfectly. Cinematic celebrations of beloved singers and bands often aim for little more than supremely skilled impersonations, toe-tapping greatest-hits soundtracks and broad rags-to-riches overviews; indeed, it's an approach that won Bohemian Rhapsody several Oscars. But there's a vibrant spark to Rocketman as it charts Reginald Dwight's transformation into Elton Hercules John. A glorious tone, too, which couldn't work better. Showing how fantastical the ups and downs of fame, fortune and rock stardom can be by sashaying through a sea of surreality, the result is a winning marriage of form and feeling. Bursting into a support group wearing wings, horns and a blazing orange devil costume in the movie's opening moments, an 80s-era John (Taron Egerton) lays bare his sins. He's an alcoholic, cocaine addict, sex addict, bulimic, shopaholic, fond of prescription drugs, dabbles with marijuana and, if that's not enough, he also has anger management issues. That's Rocketman's warts-and-all baseline — the unflinching description of its protagonist at his lowest point, in his own words. Of course, we all already know how things turn out, but the film spends its two-hour running time unpacking and explaining John's troubles. Two intersecting threads come into focus: his ascent to the top of the music world, and his simultaneous descent into depression, frustration and loneliness. From his therapy circle, John follows his younger self (Matthew Illesley) to his childhood home, with the singer stepping through his unhappy formative years as the son of bitter, bickering parents (Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh). When his talent for tunes starts shining brightly, the biopic traces his long quest for success, including teaming up with lyricist Bernie Taupin (a well-cast Jamie Bell), who becomes a lifelong friend. After a 1970 trip to the US shoots John into the music stratosphere, the film watches as he rockets higher and higher, chronicling the hits, glitz, raucous parties and romantic dramas — complete with his first proper romance, with his manager John Reid (Richard Madden). But what goes up must come down, with the movie charting John's personal crashes as well. Story-wise, so far, so standard. The familiar superstar origin tale and cliched sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll trajectory don't dissipate. But from the moment that John breaks into song while recounting his woes, then dances and sings his way along a visibly desaturated 50s suburban London street with the childhood Reggie by his side, Rocketman thoroughly eschews the standard approach. Biographical details guide the narrative as expected, with the film stringing together a timeline that spreads over four decades, however it's emotion that drives every scene in Lee Hall's (Victoria & Abdul) screenplay. As proved the case in Hall and John's first collaboration on Billy Elliott the Musical, blending sentiment and song couldn't be more pivotal, poignant or important. Nor could Rocketman's core creative decision, because this isn't just a music biopic. It's unashamedly a musical biopic, and those extra couple of letters make a significant difference. With structure and staging that brings Hugh Jackman's Peter Allen musical The Boy From Oz to mind — not to mention a standout central performance — Rocketman is presented with razzle-dazzle showmanship that could easily see the movie adapted into a live production. Sequins, glitter, shiny platform shoes, oversized glasses and over-the-top outfits have long been part of John's public persona, and it's that theatricality that director Dexter Fletcher draws upon. That said, he's not simply fashioning the film after John's flamboyant attire. The intention, and one that comes to life with as much deep-seated feeling as eye-catching flashiness, is to convey John's true inner state rather than slavishly sticking to the truth. How better to show how young Reggie saw music as an escape from his difficult upbringing than to make his success seem like a dream? To demonstrate just how electrifying and unreal John's breakout gig felt than to literally depict him and the heaving crowd floating in the air? From the song-and-dance highs of finally making it, to the boozy, woozy, literally sinking lows of feeling all alone when the world is at his feet, the list of vivid and expressive examples goes on. Not only set to all of the expected tracks, but using them to plot an engaging emotional journey, the final product takes more cues from Fletcher's last two official directorial credits — on the upbeat Proclaimers jukebox musical Sunshine on Leith, as well as the Egerton-starring sports biopic Eddie the Eagle — than his uncredited job taking over for the fired Bryan Singer on Bohemian Rhapsody. Without an ounce of surprise, Rocketman is all the better for it, even when it makes crowd-pleasing moves with some of its song choices, and doesn't dive as deep into its narrative and themes as it perhaps could. Still, the two biopics share a crucial element, apart from the obvious. It's unlikely that the Oscars will award two actors for portraying real-life stars two years in a row, but Egerton puts in a thrilling, multifaceted performance worthy of ample recognition. He's a candle in the wind and defiantly still standing, all while singing John's songs himself and soaring across this rousing movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTm5DWgL-MU
Where would we be without movies in 2020? While we'd usually say that there's no such thing as a bad year for the filmic medium, this year has been something else. Yes, cinemas have been closed for a hefty portion of the year, and have closed again in Melbourne. Yes, plenty of big blockbusters have shifted their release dates or ditched their in-cinema release for streaming instead. But the joy and escapism that watching a flick provides — even when you're in lockdown, quarantining or isolating at home — has been particularly cathartic in 2020. Still keen to queue up a big heap of movies, and a hefty dose of couch time? Enter Movie Frenzy, the week-long online film rental sale. Until Thursday, August 13, it's serving up a sizeable lineup of popular flicks from the past year, all at $3 or less per movie. On the lineup: the murder-mystery thrills of Knives Out, standout horror remake The Invisible Man, the war-torn tension of 1917 and a candy-hued take on comic book mayhem in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). You can also spend some time with Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit or Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, watch Daniel Radcliffe with weapons nailed to his hands in Guns Akimbo, and see Kristen Stewart get scared under the sea's surface in Underwater. Jumanji: The Next Level, Sonic the Hedgehog, Just Mercy and Midway are also on offer, as are Like a Boss, Dolittle, Bloodshot and Bad Boys for Life — and while some are more worth your attention than others, we'll let you do the choosing. You can nab the cheap flicks via your digital rental platform of choice, including Apple TV, Fetch, Google Play, Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, Amazon Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office and YouTube — although just what's available, and the price, will vary depending on the service. And you won't need a subscription, unless you decide to join in the fun via the Foxtel Store. Movie Frenzy runs until Thursday, August 13 — with film rental costing up to $3 per movie.
UPDATE, Friday, November 3: Fingernails screens in select cinemas from Thursday, November 2, and streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 3. In the world of Fingernails, 'Only You' isn't just a 1982 pop song that was made famous by Yazoo, is easy to get stuck in your head, and is now heard in this film in both French and English. It's also the philosophy that the first English-language feature by Apples filmmaker Christos Nikou has subscribed its characters to as it cooks up a sci-fi take on romance. In a setup somewhat reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes' claims to have revolutionised blood testing (see: The Dropout), Fingernails proposes an alternative present where love can be scientifically diagnosed. All that's needed: an extracted plate of keratin, aka the titular digit-protecting covering. At organisations such as The Love Institute, couples willingly have their nails pulled out — one apiece — then popped into what resembles a toaster oven to receive their all-important score. Only three results are possible, with 100 percent the ultimate in swooning, 50 percent meaning that only one of the pair is head over heels and the unwanted zero a harbinger of heartbreak. When Fingernails begins, it's been three years since teacher Anna (Jessie Buckley, Women Talking) and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear) underwent the exam, with the long-term duo earning the best possible outcome — a score that's coveted but rare. Around them, negative results have led to breakups and divorces as society's faith is placed not in hearts and souls, but in a number, a gimmick and some tech gadgetry (one of the sales pitches, though, is that finding out before getting hitched will stop failed marriages). Even folks who've obtained top marks aren't always content to stop there. Some seek to reaffirm their positive result years down the track. To boost their chances of nabbing a love certificate, other couples take courses to amplify their amorous feelings for each other. Sessions include watching Hugh Grant movies ("nobody understands love more," exclaims the cinema marquee), tracking your paramour's scent, getting breathless underwater while staring into your other half's eyes and the adrenaline rush of tandem skydiving. As their friends go the retesting route — satirising the need for certainty in affairs of the heart pumps firmly through this movie's veins — Anna hasn't been able to convince Ryan to attend The Love Institute as a client. She's soon spending her days there, however, feeding her intrigue with the whole scenario as an employee. When she takes a job counselling other pairs towards hopeful ever-after happiness, she keeps the career shift from her own significant other. Quickly, she has something else she can't tell Ryan: a blossoming bond with her colleague Amir (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal). As the operation's head Duncan (Luke Wilson, Fired on Mars) steps her through the official details, including the fact that it is biologically impossible for one person to be in love with two people according to the testing method, Anna starts feeling sparks fly with the co-worker assigned to show her the ropes. Amir has his own girlfriend (Annie Murphy, Black Mirror), but clearly reciprocates. Haddaway's Saturday Night Live- and A Night at the Roxbury-adored 1993 tune 'What Is Love' doesn't get a spin in Fingernails, but that's the question that Nikou and co-screenwriters Stavros Raptis (returning from Apples) and Sam Steiner (a feature first-timer) probe. The Greek writer/director and his collaborators contrast fondness as a contrived series of sensations with affection as a lived-in routine and passion as a butterflies-in-the-stomach response. So, Nikou's picture sees the mechanics, the comfort and the involuntary swirl — and sees Anna torn between everything that she's told, what she's supposed to be satisfied with and the yearnings that she's not meant to be experiencing. The filmmaker also makes a flick that pairs well with fellow new release Foe, exploring what technology can and can't tell us about love, and what will always remain innate, although Fingernails is never as dystopian, nor a thriller — and trades a definite future date for an undetermined era where mobile phones are welcomely absent. When he made his full-length debut with 2020's Apples, Nikou also sought love in an offbeat place, amid a pandemic of amnesia. In the process, he dived into the Greek Weird Wave that's become synonymous with The Favourite's Yorgos Lanthimos, whose own breakout Dogtooth was nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar. Fingernails' helmer was the second assistant director on Dogtooth, in fact, and now adds a picture to his resume that follows in the wonderfully absurdist footsteps of Lanthimos' The Lobster. Both are deeply romantic movies at their core, as well as sharply shrewd and witty flicks about human nature and societal norms. Both rally against conformity and expectation, too, and make physical the pains and struggles that come with the pursuit of affection. That said, Fingernails takes a more tender approach to its scenario. Dispelling the fascination with chasing one definitive perfect match by flouting that itself, it'd also make a great double with Celine Song's Past Lives, where there's nothing simple about a heart torn in two directions. Nikou's knack for casting is no different to Lanthimos' supreme skill in the same domain; what a quietly pining duo that Buckley and Ahmed make. Never seeming at risk of demanding that "yes chef!" be yelled his way, White gets myopic about relationships rather than cooking in a canny supporting role as someone who's blissfully emotionally oblivious — but, like Anna and Amir themselves, viewers are desperate to spend more time amid the real heat. Buckley and Ahmed turn in vulnerable portrayals that sear, even when the pacing unfurling their tale and the hues splashed around them are both muted. Nikou knows how feelings can both explode and simmer, serving up each. As he did in Apples, he also provides more memorable and meaningful dancing, this time as Amir cuts loose, Anna watches on, everything is evident and nothing needs to be said. The film looks away from the actual ripping out of nails — the idea remains suitably squirm-inducing, yet is never seen in gory detail because the audience flinches at the very notion anyway — but cinematographer Marcell Rév (Euphoria, The Changeling) utterly adores peering at Buckley and Ahmed. With different stars, he demonstrated the same focus in Malcolm & Marie with similarly intimate results. The premise here might be as high-concept as plots come, but seeing the longing, loneliness, melancholy, uncertainty, desire and revelations in Fingernails' two key performances couldn't feel more real. This is a movie that tingles with emotion — in its fingertips and everywhere.
The actors have it: in The Whale, Brendan Fraser (No Sudden Move), Hong Chau (The Menu) and Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) are each masterful, and each in their own way. For viewers unaware that this drama about a reclusive 600-pound English professor stems from the stage going in, it won't take long to realise — for multiple reasons, the film's performances chief among them. As penned by Samuel D Hunter (also a writer on TV's Baskets) from his award-winning semi-autobiographical play, The Whale's script is talky and blunt. The movie is confined to its protagonist Charlie's home, and is as claustrophobic as it's meant to be as a result. But it's that key acting trio, with the portrayals they splash through a flick that's a complicated sea of feelings and ideas, that helps The Whale swim when it swims. Yes, the Brenaissance is upon us, showering Fraser in accolades including his first-ever Oscar nod; however, fellow Academy Award-nominee Chau and rising star Sink are equally as powerful. Is it really the Brenaissance if Fraser hasn't ever been too far from our screens for too long? When he was recently stellar in 2021's No Sudden Move, albeit in a supporting part? Given that it's been decades since he's had the space and the feature to serve up this kind of lead effort, the answer remains yes. Slip his The Whale performance in beside standout 2002 thriller The Quiet American — although the latter didn't place The Mummy action star and Encino Man comedic force beneath considerable prosthetics. Fraser doesn't let his appearance here do all the work, though. Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, who hones in on the stressed and tested as he has so frequently before (see: Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Wrestler and mother!), doesn't allow it to, either. At the core of the pair's collaboration is a portrayal that overflows with vulnerability and grief alongside optimism for humanity, and acutely fuses Charlie's emotional and physical states. The character self-mockingly jokes that his internal organs are buried deep, but nothing conceals Fraser's sensitivity. It's with a lone black square that The Whale initially explains Charlie's relationship with the world: on online calls with his students, he's represented by a void of a tile. He claims that his webcam is broken, but he's actively hiding — from his pupils' reactions and from facing his sorrow. Other than these digital lectures, visits from his friend and nurse Liz (Chau) to check on his wellbeing and deliver food, and daily pizza drops from a driver instructed to leave the slices outside, Charlie has withdrawn from everything beyond his first-floor apartment when the film begins. That said, The Whale isn't a portrait of a man who is sad and has shut himself off because he is overweight. Rather, it's an exploration of someone who has an eating disorder because he is heartbroken by a tragedy, relying upon food compulsively to cope, and to process his doubts and regrets over his decisions and their ramifications. Friedrich Nietzsche's aphorism "what does not kill me makes me stronger" is flipped here: after the death of his partner Alan, who he left his ex-wife Mary (Samantha Morton, She Said) and now-teenage daughter Ellie (Sink) to be with, Charlie is using the sustenance we all need for strength and survival as his escape route. His sense of self has been slain by his loss, and so has his willingness to go on. It isn't just to ramp up tension or establish that obesity can spark high blood pressure and heart attacks that The Whale has its central figure doubling over with chest pains while he's masturbating early in the feature. With the film's narrative unfurling day by day, the incident sets a ticking clock, but most importantly it sees Charlie refuse to go to hospital. When she arrives, Liz insists, but he still won't agree. In this specific character study, he's that steadfast — and, even as he tries to reconnect with the bitter Ellie and spouts hope for humankind's ability to care, he's that intensely unhappy without Alan. Indeed, if it wasn't for missionary Thomas (Ty Simpkins, Avengers: Endgame), who conveniently comes a-knocking for the New Life church spouting a message about the end of times, Charlie wouldn't make it to The Whale's second act. Instead of asking the soul-searching young man to phone an ambulance, he makes a request that seems inexplicable while he's struggling for breath: to read aloud from an essay about Moby-Dick. The film gains its title from and shares its sense of search with Herman Melville's famous novel, as Charlie battles the behemoth that is his own complicated, constantly contrasting and conflicted feelings. The link isn't subtle. Again, The Whale isn't usually subtle. For another case in point, hear: Rob Simonsen's (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) emotion-shouting score. But Fraser always conveys Charlie's pain like it's pumping through the actor's own veins, and proves devastatingly and movingly effective at balancing bright-eyed charm with piercing melancholy. While The Whale both demands and deploys Fraser's best — in tender moments, in dialogue-heavy exchanges and in his physical performance alike — it leaves ample room for Chau and Sink to make an imprint. Aronofsky may task his regular cinematographer Matthew Libatique (also a Don't Worry Darling alum) with boxing in Fraser via the constricting Academy ratio, often offering very little visible space around him, but Chau's distressed pal and Sink's cruel daughter remain pivotal to this story. What does it mean to want contentment and safety for a loved one who seeks the opposite for himself? To bear the hurt of someone else's choices? To have either your daily existence or your identity, or both, forged by another's decisions? In Chau's direct, kindhearted but quietly anguished turn, and in Sink's openly, flippantly brutal reactions as Ellie, The Whale compassionately plunges into these questions. It should come as little surprise that Aronofsky's eighth film is at its finest when it lets Fraser, Chau and Sink verbally bounce off of each other — when it's unpacking the feelings boiling in Charlie's grimly lit, amber-hued flat, and examining how every life's ups and downs ebb and flow into others. Finding insights in clashing people, attitudes and concepts is The Whale's approach in general, including in its use of darkness and light; handling of religion and salvation; survey of Charlie's internal and external suffering; and attempts to wade into stress- and binge-eating, consumption as a coping mechanism, and body-shaming responses to any departure from societal standards of beauty. Charlie himself chases meaning in the same type of chaos and contradictions, pinning his hopes as his days wane on a last-minute reunion with Ellie. In that fiery confrontation, as in every single one at the heart of The Whale, nothing is easy.
Winter is coming, as Game of Thrones has been telling us for years — but the show's final season is coming first. Before the weather turns cold again in the southern hemisphere, fans of the epic HBO series will be able to discover how the popular series wraps up, with the eighth and final season hitting the small screen at 11am on Monday, April 15. That's next week, friends. Prepare the snacks. And with the final season, will come the death of many more cherished characters. As George RR Martin has shown us, over and over and over again, no one is safe from his murderous pen (or keyboard) — any character's death is fair game. The list of deaths in the first seven seasons is long — longer than even Arya Stark's list — and the fallen are being commemorated in an eerie new Game of Thrones cemetery, which has popped up in Sydney. Yes, right here in Australia. Two mausoleums and many, intricately designed, gravestones have been spread across 2000 square metres of Sydney's sprawling Centennial Park by Foxtel, ahead of next week's series premiere. And each is inscribed with the names of who lays inside. There are the fallen Starks: Eddard, Benjen and Rickon; the Baratheons (or should we say Lannisters): King Tommen, Joffrey and Robert; and the Stark direwolves: Shaggy Dog, slain by Smalljon Umber in S06E09, and Summer, mauled by wights in S06E05. [caption id="attachment_716483" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hodor's grave.[/caption] We'll never forget who else died in that latter episode — 'The Door' — either: Hodor. He has his own gravestone, as do other series favourites: Khal Drogo, the Sand Snakes and Oberyn Martell. Some of the more disliked characters are also remembered here, including Tywin Lannister, Walder Frey and Ramsay Bolton — whose grave is, fittingly, surrounded by barbed wire. Visitors to the cemetery, dubbed the Grave of Thrones, can download a map of the graves and listen to an eerie audio tour of the cemetery. [caption id="attachment_716488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] King Joffrey Baratheon's grave.[/caption] With the final season promising a huge final battle between the living and the White Walkers, we think this cemetery, which features hands and animals emerging from the graves, may also be ominously hinting to something else: we're going to see the return of many favourite fallen characters — as wights. In the offical trailer, dropped last month, you see Arya running through the halls of Winterfell — could she be running from something, newly reanimated, in the crypts? Then, there's this Crypts of Winterfell teaser. We'll let you continue speculating for yourselves, but expect one helluvan emotional Walking Dead-style murdering-of-fallen-friends battle to go down this season. Prepare many boxes of tissues. In the meantime, we suggest you jump on one of those electric Lime E Bikes and head on down to the cemetery in Centennial Park — you'll find it on Grand Drive near the kids' bike path. Maybe you'll find other hints scattered throughout, too. If you're not in Sydney, we suggest you carefully look through the images above, and the rest of the cemetery online here. Find Foxtel's Grave of Thrones at Fearnley Grounds, Centennial Park, NSW. It's open from 7am–6pm from Friday, April 12 till Sunday, April 14. Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres at 11am on Monday, April 15 on Foxtel.
Trying to do something creative isn't easy, especially in the institutionalised world of contemporary art. There's the difficulty of finding inspiration, the skill required to paint, sculpt or otherwise fashion something from nothing, the constant need to source funding, and the awkwardness of seeking external validation. It's little wonder, then, that artists Joseph Breikers and Timothy P Kerr have collaborated on an exhibition that brings all this to the fore, and does so with a clear sense of humour. Even the moniker of their combined showcase — Eight Embarrassed Males — is meant to make you laugh. Immediately, you're picturing an awkward group of anxious artists standing around. And, if you know your Swedish performance pieces, you might've cottoned on to the title's misremembering of the work Ten Embarrassed Men by Annika Ström. Featuring a series of tongue-in-cheek installations designed to elicit giggles — such as a large banner boldly encouraging compliments as well as an obscenely large donation box — Breikers and Kerr have fashioned a collection that observes, amuses and critiques the world at its centre all at once. Expect artistic ambivalence conveyed via drawing, sculpture, sound and video. And, if you're keen to find out more, the duo will be on hand on August 24 for an Artist's Talk.
Walking isn't the only form of exercise that's dog-friendly — and Kangaroo Point yoga studio myDrishti has the class to prove it. For one day only, to celebrate its reopening, the Linton Street spot is hosting a puppy yoga session. Even better: it doubles as an adoption day. So, next time you break out your best downward-facing dog, you could just have a posing pooch for company. Well, as long as you head along between 1–2pm on Sunday, February 5, that is. Raising money for the deserving cause that is the SMART Rescue SMART Animal Sanctuary and Rehoming Centre, this stint of bending and stretching gives every dog-loving yoga aficionado their day. Yes, the class really will pair adorable pooches with beginner yoga poses. You'd be barking mad not to head along. If you're looking for a four-legged friend to take home with you — a permanent tail-wagging yoga buddy, perhaps — all of the puppies will be up for adoption as well. And, if you're keen on adding a pooch to your family but not on the yoga, the dogs will be onsite from 1–4pm, with pop-ins just for the pups more than welcome. Back to that puppy yoga, bookings are required, with the session costing $40 per person. The full day's festivities also span meditation and sound healing classes, the latter with live music and both taking place for free.
When Sally Rooney's Normal People first hit bookshelves in 2018, it thrust readers into a disarmingly relatable love story, following the amorous ups and downs of an on-again, off-again couple from Sligo, Ireland. Teenagers Marianne and Connell have known each other for years, as tends to happen in small towns. And although she's aloof, intense and considered an acerbic loner, while he's outgoing and popular, a torrid and tumultuous secret romance blooms. That's just the beginning of the Irish author's novel, which then heads to Dublin's Trinity College with its two protagonists — where, free from the shackles, expectations and gossip of their hometown, their roles have been reversed. Marianne is now the self-assured and well-liked toast of the campus, while Connell, although excelling academically, struggles to feel comfortable in his new surroundings. Still, when the two cross paths again, old emotions reignite. Unravelling the pair's ebbs and flows from their final year of high school, then all through their university years, Normal People won plenty of fans on the page — and plenty of awards, too. As well as becoming a bestseller, Rooney's second book was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and nabbed 2019's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. The next step: bringing this tale to the small screen, all courtesy of an excellent and involving new 12-part drama of the same name that has just hit Stan in its entirety, and will soon be available on TVNZ OnDemand. As anyone who has devoured Rooney's novel will anticipate, Normal People, the TV series, proves both tender and perceptive as it dives deep into a complex chronicle of first love. One of the show's triumphs: its commitment not only to charting Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Cold Feet) and Connell's (newcomer Paul Mescal) feelings for each other, but to detailing the recognisable and realistic minutiae of being a high schooler and then a uni student. This is first and foremost a romance, and a passionate and intimate one at that; however the series can't tell this complicated couple's story without touching upon everything else that pops up along the way. That includes thorny family situations, different social circles, everyday bullying and painful tragedies, as well as the possibilities and anxieties that moving away from home brings, and the pair's ever-growing pile of emotional baggage. In making the supremely confident leap from the page to the screen, it helps that Normal People boasts an array of talent. Rooney herself helped pen the TV adaptation, alongside fellow screenwriters Alice Birch (Succession) and Mark O'Rowe (Boy A). And, in the director's chair sits both Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson (Room) and BAFTA winner Hettie Macdonald (White Girl, Howard's End), who share helming duties. That said, as smartly written and intelligently directed as the series is — and as beautifully shot, too — it's impossible to imagine it striking such a chord without Edgar-Jones and Mescal. They're in great company on-screen, with Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful) also a standout as Connell's mother. But when you're watching a sensitive and chaotic whirlwind of a romance, and unpacking all of its intricacies, you want textured, layered, convincing and heartbreaking performances to match — which these certain rising stars well and truly deliver. Check out the full trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODYjA9H4qcw All 12 episodes of Normal People are available to stream via Stan. It will be available in New Zealand via TVNZ OnDemand from May 3.
With everyone spending our days, weeks and months inside due to COVID-19, we're all putting that extra time at home to good use in different ways. Perhaps you're streaming your way through anything and everything you can find. Maybe you're playing board games, doing jigsaws and building Lego. Or, you could be cooking up a storm, getting a workout or being practical by learning a new skill (or several). For many folks, home renovation is on the agenda — whether you're finally painting that wall, putting up that shelf, making over your garden or doing all the odd jobs around the place that you've been putting off for far too long. That means that Bunnings Warehouse has been mighty popular, and busy. And if you're eager to pick up hardware supplies while still maintaining social distancing requirements, you're now in luck. The chain has just implemented a new drive and collect service, which is available at 250 of Bunnings' larger stores around Australia — excluding Tasmania. The contactless option is an extension of its existing click and collect option, just adapted so that you don't have to get out of your car. DIY enthusiasts just need to complete their purchase online, wait for notification that their order is ready, and select their preferred pickup date and time. Then, when you drive to the store, you'll park in a designated drive and collect bay, and text or call the store to let them know you've arrived. All you need to do next is wait for a staff member to bring out your goods and put them in your car boot. [caption id="attachment_767993" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bidgee via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Sadly, drive and collect doesn't apply to Bunnings' sausage sizzles, which have been suspended since mid-March in response to the coronavirus. Drive and collect isn't available at smaller Bunnings stores, so check online to see if your local warehouse is participating. For further information about Bunnings' click and collect service — or to place an order — visit the chain's website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
The Constance Hotel Fortitude Valley had us at rooftop bar. Then they won us over with the gallery-like lineup of contemporary art inside and outside the building. The Constance Hotel partnered with local and international artists to create this distinct look and feel, including Magee, Numskull, Rone and Beastman. The massive murals all help make The Constance a totally unique place to sleep and hang out at. These unique features help make The Constance Hotel Fortitude Valley one of the best hotels in Brisbane. The rooms themselves come with all the trimmings. The distinctive accommodation options include private courtyards, internal spas and themed artist rooms. Free wifi, 40-inch TVs, an in-room coffee machine and iPod docking stations come as standard for all guests, too. But back to The Constance Hotel's rooftop bar – we can see ourselves 'working' up here with a pint cider in hand any day. Alternatively, we could hire out a shisha, order all the Turkish street food, and dance late into the night with their resident DJs. But non-smokers don't need to worry – those on the hookah are kept separate. It's the ultimate urban hotel.
Don't you wish you could spend two-plus weeks closing out summer and welcoming autumn at the first WorldPride ever held in the southern hemisphere? In 2023, that's set to become a reality, all thanks to Sydney WorldPride. Don't you wish you could see a feast of big-name talent take to this stage for what's basically a mega Mardi Gras? That's coming true, too — and if you now have 'Don't Cha' stuck in your head, Nicole Scherzinger has just joined the bill. The Pussycat Dolls lead singer will headline the already-announced Bondi Beach Party on Saturday, March 4, which will turn the famed stretch of sand into an openair club. For one afternoon and evening only, a casual 12,000 people can dance by the water from dusk to the aforementioned 'Don't Cha', 'Buttons' and more tracks from across her career. As well as Scherzinger, the massive party will feature Australian DJs dameeeela, Jarred Baker, Jacqui Cunningham, DJ Charlie Villas and DJ Dan Murphy — taking to the decks and the sand. Unsurprisingly, the event already proved a hot ticket before the lineup announcement; however, there's a last batch of tickets on-sale now. Scherzinger's addition to the Sydney WorldPride bill slots in alongside Kylie Minogue and Charli XCX opening the festival, MUNA and G Flip closing it, Kelly Rowland headlining the Domain Dance Party and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will return to Oxford Street. Also on the lineup from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5 around Sydney: more than 45 rainbow artworks all around town and a monumental pride march with 50,000-plus people walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as part of a hefty program boasting more than 300 events over 17 days. This is the largest-ever LGBTQIA+ festival ever held in the region — and yes, it just got bigger. Sydney WorldPride will run from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5, 2023, with Bondi Beach Party happening from 3pm on Saturday, March 4. For more information, head to the event's website. Top image: Destination NSW.
When the first images of Lily James playing Pamela Anderson in new miniseries Pam & Tommy dropped, they captured an astonishing transformation. The Pursuit of Love star didn't just look like herself dressed up as the famed Baywatch actor; thanks to the show's hair, makeup and costuming teams, she appeared as if she'd leapt into Anderson's body Being John Malkovich-style. That feeling only grew as several trailers arrived. In the finished product, her performance borders on uncanny. It needs to, and not merely to ensure that James never just seems like she's simply slipping into a red swimsuit for an easy impersonation. Now streaming on Disney+, with its first three episodes hitting the platform at once and the remaining five set to drop weekly going forward, Pam & Tommy focuses on Anderson's marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan, The 355) in the 90s. It's all about the pair's sex tape as a result, because that intimate recording was the pop-culture scandal of the 90s, and it's impossible to step into Anderson and Lee's romance without it. Indeed, the show knows that it's spinning a wild story, even by celebrity terms. It's well aware that everyone watching will hit play with their own ideas already formed about the incident, and about the central duo's larger-than-life public personalities as well. Pam & Tommy leans into that exact certainty to begin with — talking penis and all — but, as James' performance demonstrates, it never sees the tale it's telling as a joke. [caption id="attachment_841923" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erin Simkin/Hulu[/caption] First, that chattering genitalia. After meeting Anderson at a club, clicking instantly and enjoying a boozy night, Lee is smitten — and his junk (voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Jason Mantzoukas) audibly helps him talk through his feelings. It's an attention-grabbing moment, and one that Pam & Tommy will always be known for; yes, this is now and always will be the prattling package show. But the immediately memorable scene also serves up the risqué with a side of heart, and makes one of its OTT subjects — as Anderson and Lee have long been regarded in the public eye, at least — more human in the process. It's even a little cheesy: he's a guy falling for a girl and working through his excitement by talking to himself, as plenty of rom-coms have lapped up over the years. Pam & Tommy is both a romance and a comedy at times. Crucially, though, it's a piece of recognition that Anderson and Lee's plight isn't quite the narrative it's been immortalised as for the past quarter-century. It isn't a coincidence that Australian-born director Craig Gillespie helms some of the series' episodes, because he unpacked a sordid real-life story that solidified a famous woman's reputation in I, Tonya, too. That's the real point of focus here, although the fact the series went ahead without Anderson's approval undercuts its aims more than a little. Still, on-screen, there's no doubting Pam & Tommy's quest to expose how unfairly Anderson was treated after carpenter Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen, An American Pickle) stole footage of private moments with her then-husband. [caption id="attachment_841925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kelsey McNeal/Hulu[/caption] Lee might get to converse with his dick — with Stan playing that scene, and his entire role, with as much commitment as James displays over and over again (and with as much helpful TV styling) — but he's also painted as a dick as first. Gauthier is one of the contractors helping build the ultimate bedroom for Lee's newly wedded bliss, and the rocker is a jerk of a customer. He keeps changing his mind about what he wants, blaming everyone else and, when he decides he's unhappy, refuses to pay or return Gauthier's tools. So, the disgruntled ex-employee hatches a plan to make off with Lee's safe, not knowing what it holds inside. When he finds the tape along with guns and cash, he's still so eager to get revenge on Lee that he enlists porn-producing pal Miltie (Nick Offerman, Devs) to help make it public, which he sees as his new payday. Pam & Tommy wants you to side with mullet-wearing Gauthier initially — including when Lee pulls a gun on him while he's just trying to get his work equipment back — but its real allegiance lies with Anderson. Its tender heart, too, something that the show shares with Lee and his chatterbox of an appendage. As it charts the path that Anderson and Lee's tape takes from their safe to Gauthier to eagerly paying customers, and then to the internet in online porn's early days, the series keeps returning to the fallout for the Baywatch and Barb Wire star. As she explains to Lee and to their lawyers more than once, things aren't the same for a man caught getting intimate on camera as they are for a woman, and the way that this true tale has already played out IRL has made that plain several times over. Come for the scandal, for the talking penis that everyone's babbling about, and for a show that always knows it's a rollicking ride, but stay for a far more thoughtful retelling and interrogation of a tabloid-fodder incident that changed multiple lives — and one more than most — weaved in, too. Also stay for the series' eagerness to spend time with its eponymous duo exposed as real people, and as victims of a crime, rather than as pop-culture punchlines. Stay for the magnificent performances by James and Stan as well, with both actors investing remarkable depth into figures who've rarely been allowed to be seen as such. And, obviously keep sticking around for the dripping 90s nostalgia in the process, including the outfits and soundtrack (because Yellowjackets isn't the only new show revelling in the decades' tunes). Check out the Pam & Tommy trailer below: The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy are currently available to stream via Disney+, with new episodes dropping each Wednesday. Top image: Erin Simkin/Hulu.
So you've started a business and it seems to be a success. People have been flocking to try something new and different, and the feedback is largely positive. But once the initial hype dies down, how do you keep customers coming back time and again? Surry Hills neighbours Paramount Coffee Project (PCP) and Butter have been serving the community for 11 and eight years respectively. Though their offerings differ — PCP slings contemporary brunch fare and top-notch coffee, while Butter dishes out fried chicken and tipples in a sneaker store — both venues know a thing or two about building customer loyalty. In partnership with Square, we asked the two industry mainstays how they managed to build customer loyalty, how they balance consistency and change, and what changes they've made to improve the customer experience. Paramount Coffee Project on Customer Service For Operations Manager Michelle Galloway, loyalty stems from how you treat your customers and whether you can foster a sense of trust. "Friendly and consistent customer service is most important when it comes to customer retention. One bad experience with a rude waitress is enough for a customer to completely dismiss your cafe, even if you have great food or coffee," shared Galloway. "It's important to acknowledge all customers that walk through the door with a friendly 'good morning'. We treat our regulars more like our friends than customers. Small things like getting to know your customers, friendly banter and remembering their names and coffee order is essential for any cafe," said Galloway. "There's lots of ways to create a memorable experience, but we focus on three main points: laidback, friendly customer service, a unique food menu and great coffee." For that reason, it's crucial to have a strong team that can construct a rapport with customers. "Staff play the most crucial role in building relationships with customers as they are the face of the company. They are the ones that can build a sense of community with our customers." Galloway continued, "Having good staff retention and good training systems means having strong, well-trained staff at all times that are ready to take on all your customers." As a cafe that's constantly updating its menu, how does PCP strike a balance between new offerings and classic menu favourites? "Keeping staples on the menu to build familiarity is important, but we're always on the hunt to add interesting items to both our food and drinks menu based on what's in season, what's popular and what's trending in Sydney." Either way, consistency is key for all menu items. "We pride ourselves on ensuring all products follow a strict recipe to ensure top quality and consistency. There's nothing worse than spending your money on a drink you ordered and loved last week, only for it to taste completely different the next time," explained Galloway. "All our drinks have a recipe that states how many grams of each ingredient goes in each drink." Butter on Technological Updates and Unique Offerings For owner, COO and Executive Chef Julian Cincotta, a small change that made an impact on customer retention was "implementing a digital loyalty program that connects with our POS system, website and EDM list — which is all Square." He continued, "By rewarding repeat visits and offering exclusive deals to regular customers, we've fostered a stronger connection and encouraged more frequent returns." Digital tools have allowed customers to be rewarded for returning to Butter, as well as allowing them the freedom to engage with the venue on their terms. "They [digital tools] have been instrumental in our customer retention," said Cincotta. "Our loyalty system rewards repeat customers, fostering a sense of appreciation and exclusivity." "Online booking has made it more convenient for customers to visit us, reducing barriers and enhancing their overall experience, whilst being able to spread the word of events, specials, collabs and media activations," he explained. "We also allow flexibility in our ordering — from having QR table ordering to bar ordering and table service — all depending on how the customer wants to interact with us." These tech updates have also allowed for greater customer satisfaction. "Streamlining our ordering process by integrating an efficient POS system has reduced wait times and minimised errors. This allows our staff to focus more on customer engagement rather than administrative tasks, enhancing the overall dining experience," Cincotta shared. Although helpful, these upgrades would be useless without an effective team and one-of-a-kind offerings. "Our staff are the heartbeat of Butter. They go beyond serving food; they engage with customers, remember their preferences, and create a welcoming atmosphere. Their genuine interactions and personalised service are key in building trust and long-term relationships with our wonderful customers." Cincotta went on to say, "At Butter, we focus on delivering a unique and immersive experience by combining exceptional food with elements of music and street culture. Our aim is to engage all the senses — from the taste of our dishes to the ambiance created by our curated playlists — making each visit memorable for our guests." That said, taking on feedback and keeping an open mind are also vital in appealing to customers. "We've incorporated customer feedback to introduce new dietary options, such as vegetarian and vegan dishes, catering to a wider audience," revealed Cincotta. Find out how Square can kickstart your business at squareup.com.
This week, NASA has been peering further than it has ever peered before, with dazzling results. But if you're fond of staring at the heavens with your own two eyes to see a stunning sight, you can also just look up until Friday, July 15. A supermoon is upon us, officially hitting at 4.37am AEST today, Thursday, July 14, Down Under — and if you train your peepers towards the sky this evening, you'll still be in for a glowing show. While super full moons aren't particularly rare — several usually happen each year, and one occurred just last month — there is a good reason to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering why, we've run through the details below. [caption id="attachment_769713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA/Joel Kowsky[/caption] WHAT IS IT? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because July 2022's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon. It's also a buck moon, too, which doesn't refer to its shape or any other physical characteristics, but to the time of year. In the northern hemisphere, July is around the time that new antlers grown by a deer buck each year start to show. Of course, that doesn't really apply in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. Also, this supermoon happens to the biggest and brightest of 2022. WHEN CAN I SEE IT? As mentioned above, the buck supermoon officially hit at 4.37am AEST today, Thursday, July 14, Down Under — but thankfully it is still visible until Friday morning Australia and New Zealand time. NASA advises that this moon appears full for a few days, from Tuesday through till Friday — so if you already thought that the night sky looked a little brighter this week, that's why. Still yet to catch a glimpse? You'll want to peek outside when it gets dark to feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. Head over to timeanddate.com for the relevant moonrise and moonset times for your area, with the moon rising at 5.37pm AEST on Thursday, July 14 and setting at 7.58am AEST on Friday, July 15. WHERE CAN I SEE IT? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies — so city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. Weather-wise, the Bureau of Meteorology advises that Sydney's showers will start to ease tonight, Melbourne will be cloudy, showers will develop in Perth and Adelaide will be partly cloudy. In Brisbane, though, clear skies await. If you miss out on this supermoon, the next one is due on August 12. Via NASA / timeanddate.com. Top image: Andrew C.
A big serve of movie star magic is coming to Canberra this summer; though thankfully you won't need to avoid any film crews or hordes of screaming fans. Rather, it's all happening thanks to the National Film and Sound Archive's exclusive new exhibition Australians & Hollywood, running from Friday, January 21–Saturday, July 17. This blockbuster showcase is set to celebrate Australia's many contributions to the silver screen, both in front of and behind the camera. It invites you to dig in and relive all the best, most iconic bits of Aussie cinema via an intriguing collection of costumes, props, behind-the-scenes footage and screenings. You'll see personal treasures from homegrown cinematic icons including Baz Luhrmann, Mia Wasikowska, Eric Bana and Paul Hogan, alongside scores of movie artefacts. Think art concept books for Romeo + Juliet, the customised steering wheels featured in Mad Max: Fury Road, the clapperboard from 2021 sci-fi epic Dune and more. And once you've explored the collections, you can continue your cinematic adventure by catching one of the National Film and Sound Archive's regular film nights dedicated to Aussie flicks. Book your timed visit to check out Australians & Hollywood here — it'll be open daily from 10am–4pm, as well as Friday nights throughout summer. Top images: 'Lion', by Mark Rogers; 'Extraction', Jasin Boland courtesy Netflix; 'The Prom', Melinda Sue Gordon courtesy Netflix; 'Romeo + Juliet'.
Get ready to hear "wackadoo!" constantly, and "for real life", too. Come spring 2024, Brisbane will welcome a new immersive installation that lets you step inside one of the River City's and Australia's biggest hits of the past six years: the award-winning animated favourite that is Bluey. Missed out on staying in a replica of the Bluey house when it was temporarily up for rent in the Queensland capital in 2022? The home of the family-friendly animated phenomenon is now getting a Bluey attraction so that you have another chance to experience the global sensation beyond the TV. Announced in 2023, originally to open this August, but now welcoming fans in from Thursday, November 7, 2024, Bluey's World will get you walking around life-sized sets that recreate the beloved series. Yes, the Heeler house and backyard are part of the setup. Maybe you'll be taking your little ones along, or your nieces and nephews. Perhaps you know that appreciating the adorable Aussie show about a family of blue heelers isn't just for kids. Either way, this is set to be big — including literally. Opening at Northshore Pavilion in Northshore Brisbane, the space itself will be sizeable, spanning across 4000 square metres. When Airbnb listed its Bluey abode in 2022, the response was massive. Expect the reaction to Bluey's World to be the same. Bluey and Bingo's bedroom, the family's living room and kitchen, the poinciana tree in the backyard: they'll all feature, of course. So will recreations of recognisable scenes, characters and even games from the show. And yes, as seen in the series, you can arrive via CityCat. Visitors can expect to spend 70 minutes bounding through the experience — and will also find a playground and a cafe onsite, with interactive play a focus, taking cues from Bluey episodes in the process. There'll be a soundscape to match, plus a gift shop, all in a purpose-built venue. And, for big Bluey birthday celebrations, the site will host parties as well. Bluey's World is exclusive to Brisbane, making it a tourist attraction to fans not only locally and nationally but worldwide. Unsurprisingly, that's a big part of the push from both the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council, who are supporting the BBC Studios- and HVK Productions-produced experience. "Bluey is globally adored and arguably our most famous Queenslander, from her Brisbane home and beyond, it's such a treat seeing our state's landscape immortalised in Bluey's adventures, episode after episode. Bluey's World will be truly captivating, giving fans an unforgettable and immersive experience, it is such a drawcard to drive visitation to Queensland," said Queensland Tourism Minister Michael Healy. "We're a family-friendly destination and we know that once the family have lived and played like our favourite Heelers at Bluey's World, that they'll get out and explore our state, which is Bluey's world — for real life." "This special event is so highly anticipated on our calendar, we expect more than 200,000 visitors will enjoy Bluey's World in its inaugural year, injecting more than $18 million into the local economy," Healy continued. Bluey's World will open at Northshore Pavilion, 281 MacArthur Avenue, Northshore Brisbane on Thursday, November 7, 2024 — head to the attraction's website for more information and to join the waitlist, and for tickets from Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Last summer, Queensland Museum was overrun with spiders. Now that the weather is getting warmer again this year, it's letting a different category of formidable creatures take over the place. Just when you thought it was safe to go looking at fossils from millions of years ago, the South Bank site has unleashed Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators — which runs until Monday, May 3. You won't need a bigger boat to get through the exhibition, but you will see a huge array of exhibits related to hefty ancient creatures from the deep. That includes giant animal replicas, complete with life-sized casts made from real specimens. Look out for a 1.4 metre kronosauras jaw, which comes from a marine reptile that would've spanned least nine metres — and for replicas of a 13-metre-long elasmosaur and 9-metre-long prognathodon. There are also hands-on interactive multimedia elements on offer, such as a 180-degree video that'll make you feel like you're surrounded by the critters. Obviously, if you're not fond of the kind of monstrous ancient marine creatures that would put the Jaws' shark to shame, then this won't be for you. Images: Kate Pentecost/Andrew Frollows via ANMM.
If you're a fan of poultry pieces, then you might already have July 29 marked in your calendar. It's your annual excuse to tuck into plenty of chook, because that's what National Chicken Wing Day is all about. At Rockpool Dining Group's' various German-themed venues — aka Munich Brauhaus, The Bavarian and Beerhaus — patrons won't just find a whole heap of chicken, however. Wings will also be on special all day for just ten cents each. You can nab up to 20 at a time for just $2, although you will also need to buy a full-priced drink. If you fancy more than 20, that's fine — you'll just need to get more drinks, which we're sure no one will be complaining about. All wings come with buffalo sauce, but if you're keen on ramping up the heat, you can also take part in the Hot Wing Ghost Chilli Eating Challenge at Munich Brauhaus and The Bavarian. Those wings will be smothered in cayenne, habanero and ghost pepper, and if you can eat more than anyone else in a minute, you'll receive a $100 voucher.
Everyone remembers the great takeaway pivot, when restaurants everywhere adapted to the beginning of the pandemic, stay-at-home orders and hospitality restrictions. Being able to enjoy a meal from your favourite eatery, no matter how luxe, was one of the things that made a difference during lockdowns. Can't fit a sitdown feast at Donna Chang into your schedule now, but still craving the luxe Chinese joint's steamed market fish with ginger and shallots? The George Street venue has just launched takeaways on an ongoing basis. Seven days a week from midday onwards, ordering Donna Chang's bites to eat at home is now on the menu. The restaurant's Dan Dan noodles, cumin spiced lamb buns, scallop and prawn wontons, and lobster rolls are among the options. So is the smashed cucumber salad, sesame prawn toast with seaweed mayonnaise, chow mein noodles, stir-fried beef with pickled chilli peppers and char siu pork neck with honey glaze as well. You can also expect to be tucking in speedily, with orders available within 30 minutes or less. That's not long to wait for chicken, prawn and shiitake siu mai for a snack, mapo-style hot fried pork and tofu for dinner, or vegetarian spring rolls just because. If you're new to Donna Chang, it sits inside the heritage-listed sandstone building on the corner Elizabeth Street, spread across both the ground floor and the mezzanine level — and in the same abode as Boom Boom Room, which is in the basement. Eating in at Donna Chang means being surrounded by pink, green and neutral-toned furniture while tucking into Chinese dishes with elevated Sichuan and Cantonese flavours and influences that aim for that highly sought-after blend of the old and the new. And while that's still one of Brisbane's best dining experiences — the eatery is one of the city's best restaurants, too — sometimes life gets in the way of dropping by for a full meal. Donna Chang hails from the Ghanem Group, the folks behind Blackbird, The Valley's high-end rotisserie and grill Bisou Bisou, sky-high bar Iris Rooftop and Byblos Bar & Restaurant. Find Donna Chang at 3/171 George Street, Brisbane City — with orders available online from 12pm–close seven days a week. Images: Markus Ravik.
First, Good Things confirmed that it would be back in 2025, and also announced its dates. Now comes the next key detail: where the festival is heading this year. Music lovers already knew that the event is returning to its three annual stops — Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — but now organisers have locked in the specific venues in each city. There's no change in the Victorian capital, with Flemington Racecourse again playing host to Good Things. In the Sunshine State, Brisbane Showgrounds is doing the honours again, too. But Sydneysiders will be hitting up Sydney Showground instead of Centennial Park, in a move made to increase capacity, shelter, transport options and accessibility. As it has in past years, the fest will play all three cities across one huge weekend. So, you can mark Friday, December 5 in your diaries for the Melbourne, then Saturday, December 6 in the Harbour City and Sunday, December 7 in Brisbane. As for who'll be on the bill, that still hasn't been revealed as yet, but it's safe to expect it soon. While 2022's lineup dropped in June, 2023's and 2024's each arrived in August. Last year, Korn, Violent Femmes and Billy Corgan were on headlining duty, with Electric Callboy, Mastodon, The Gaslight Anthem, L7, Kerry King, Jet, The Living End, The Butterfly Effect and Killing Heidi among their company. 2023's fest featured Devo, Limp Bizkit, Corey Taylor, Pennywise, Bullet for My Valentine, Taking Back Sunday, I Prevail, Enter Shikari, Pvris, Behemoth, Sepultura, Spiderbait, Frenzal Rhomb, Jebediah and Eskimo Joe, among other acts. In 2022, the reunited TISM, Bring Me the Horizon, The Amity Affliction, NOFX and Millencolin led the roster. Good Things 2025 Dates and Venues Friday, December 5 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Saturday, December 6 — Sydney Showground, Sydney Sunday, December 7 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Good Things will hit the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in December 2025. We'll update you when the lineup is announced and tickets go on sale — head to the festival website for more information and to sign up for the event's mailing list in the interim. Images: Kane Hibberd.
Once a year, Australia stops to listen to 100 songs. And, in recent years, music lovers have dedicated the next day to hearing the tunes that didn't quite make it — the next 100. No matter what date it's held on, it's the kind of time when kicking back, keeping your ears tuned on the radio, and having a beverage (or several) is well and truly in order, which is what Woolly Mammoth is offering up on January 27 and 28. One venue. 200 tracks. Plenty of drinks. Two huge days. Basically, if you won't be able to tear yourself away from the countdown and you're keen to listen in with an enthusiastic Valley crowd, that's your long weekend covered.
There are many things that the current situation is teaching us — one of the less-serious realisations being that we'll be spending more mealtimes at home. Some local eateries are still offering takeaway and delivery options, but with the government firmly advising Aussies to stay at home as much as possible, we're all going to become a lot more familiar with our kitchens. You may see this as an opportunity to crack out some of your favourite cookbooks, but with the restrictions on some grocery items, those elaborate 15-step recipes are probably going to be a little out of reach. Luckily, Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski has you covered. The Canadian, who is the food expert on the super-popular Netflix series, is hosting daily cooking tutorials on Instagram while in lockdown in Texas. The series, which he has dubbed Quar Eye, focuses on recipes that require only a handful of easily accessible ingredients with an aim to minimise waste. "It dawned on me that a lot of people in the country, and in the world, are actually going through this right now: when they go to the store and they can't find what they want. We're stuck at home so we might as well still be able to prepare good food that's good for us and makes us feel good," Porowski explained in his first video. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B90Oo5lHxYv/ Part one of the series saw Porowski create The Keep Calm-lette, an omelette served with a black bean salsa and, of course, avocado (fans of the show will know of Porowski's deep love for an avo). The punnily named dishes have continued from there, including Sequestered Salmon Squash, Cooped Up Chicken, Stripped of My Sanity Chicken Strips and Let Me Outside Leftovers. Porowski uploads his videos to IGTV and Facebook daily, so you can go back and watch them at any time. Image: Facebook
And boom, just like that, we're a brief nine weeks out from Christmas. We don't quite know where the time went or what happened, but present-buying season is upon us. What better time to kick into gear and avoid the dreaded last-minute shopping scramble, by hitting the Virtual Ethical Christmas Market this weekend. This annual event is normally an IRL situation, but it's headed online this year, now open to shop at your leisure, right up until the big day. Once again, organisers have curated a bumper selection of goodies from a range of small, ethically minded local businesses. If you're after gifts that are fair-trade, eco-friendly, socially-conscious, vegan or all of the above, consider this marketplace your one-stop-shop. Catch homewares from the likes of Plant Lab, Food Wraps 101, The Karma Collective and The Other Straw, or deck out that wardrobe with finds from labels like Colour Coded, Frske and Remuse. There are skincare and beauty products courtesy of The Essentials Lab and Nur Organics, alongside a diverse range of accessories, stationary, kids' gear and food products. Tick off your entire gift list at once and make this Christmas one with a conscience.
"We found love in a hopeless place," sings Rihanna, the sound of exuberance in her voice. With her declaration of romance gracing the soundtrack several times, American Honey has its unofficial anthem. The song in question couldn't be more fitting in the latest exploration of individuality and independence from Fish Tank and Wuthering Heights director Andrea Arnold. The film treks through desperate, desolate towns, but doesn't dwell in any one spot, or indulge in hopelessness for long. Instead, it combines the heady excitement that accompanies the first flourishes of something new, with the less-than-glamorous reality that inevitably seeps to the surface. Indeed, love isn't the only thing the film's road-tripping teen protagonists find, as they go door to door selling magazines across middle America. Cramped in close confines in cars and cheap hotel rooms, they witness wealth and poverty, meet kind and predatory strangers, and confront memories and emotions they don't have the words to express, but can convey only through their eclectic taste in music. That, plus a crew member who whips out his manhood whenever he can, and Shia LaBeouf sporting one hell of a rat tail. It's LaBeouf's Jake, a middle manager, who inspires 18-year-old Oklahoma resident Star (Sasha Lane) to flee from her sleazy dad and into a vehicle with the ragtag gang. She seeks nothing more than a pay cheque and a different scene, even if the former isn't easily earned, and the latter isn't quite the escape she thought it would be. The quick-thinking, smooth-talking salesman tricks that have served the charismatic Jake so well don't come naturally to Star, though amorous feelings for her new pal quickly do. Staying on the good side of the group's scantily clad, profit-obsessed leader, Krystal (Riley Keough), is a taxing job in itself. Landscapes fly by, spied out the van's windows, yet the more things change, the more they seem the same. Star can't help but have the celestial bodies she's named for in her eyes as fresh experiences, people, places and parts of life open up to her. A first-timer spotted on spring break by writer-director Arnold, Lane is as unguarded and realistic as you could want in such a film, and gives the impression of living rather than acting. Likewise, LaBeouf appears to coast rather than perform, in what may be the perfect vehicle for his careening off-screen ways. In support, Keough electrifies with little more than a steely glare and a no-nonsense demeanour. The entire cast, both leading and background, feel totally authentic — and while that's a term that gets bandied about a lot by film critics, the truth is American Honey oozes it from every frame. It's a product of Arnold truly going the extra mile, taking the cast on the road just as seen in the movie, and adopting stylistic choices designed to immerse viewers in the story. Boxing the film into a 4:3 aspect ratio demands the audience's focused attention, as does the dream-like sheen that tints her minutiae-filled images. Accordingly, there's potent, probing poetry in every shot, just as there is in every element of Star's ebbing, flowing life.
UPDATE, Friday, December 8: Leave the World Behind screens in cinemas from Thursday, November 23 and streams via Netflix from Friday, December 8. Call it the one with Julia Roberts playing the mother of a Friends-obsessed 13-year-old girl who hasn't clocked that someone closely resembling her mum pops up in the sitcom's second season. Call it writer/director Sam Esmail still ruing humanity's technological reliance and seeing only dystopian outcomes after Mr Robot became such a small-screen success. Call Leave the World Behind an effectively unnerving psychological thriller about a mysterious communications blackout striking while one New York family holidays at another's palatial Long Island vacation home, too. Down Under, badging it the horror version of Australia's November 2023 Optus outage also fits — just with a home-invasion angle that can be read two ways; Hitchcockian suspense, sharp writing and baked-in bleakness; Barack and Michelle Obama as executive producers; and Roberts (Ticket to Paradise) starring alongside Ethan Hawke (Reservation Dogs), Mahershala Ali (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Myha'la Herrold (Dumb Money) and Kevin Bacon (The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special). In her second chaotic getaway in two successive movies, Roberts plays Amanda Sandford, an advertising executive who prides herself on being able to read people and situations. But her professor husband Clay (Hawke) is surprised to awaken one morning to news that their brood is going away for a few days, thanks to a humanity-escaping misanthropic urge and a last-minute online booking. He and the couple's kids — the older Archie (Charlie Evans, Everything's Gonna Be Okay) and younger Rose (Farrah Mackenzie, United States of Al) — aren't complaining about the break, though. Then problems after eerie problems occur. First, an oil tanker runs ashore on the beach. Next comes the late-night knock at the door from their holiday home's owner GH Scott (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Herrold), who've driven in all dressed up from a night at the symphony. In a movie that isn't afraid of M Night Shyamalan-esque setups on its route to potential societal collapse, a power, phone and internet outage follows, plus oddly behaving wildlife and disquieting developments from above. Paranoia is Esmail's on-screen wheelhouse as much as distrusting the gadgets and connectivity that've become foundations of 21st-century life, so him bringing Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel to the screen is hardly a shock. Cultivating tension is also key among the film and TV director, writer and producer's skills, with Leave the World Behind providing another superb avenue for him to demonstrate that talent. With Mr Robot and this, which is only his second feature as a filmmaker (after 2014's Comet), Esmail has proven fond of filtering life's stresses, reliances and fears through harrowing but grounded-enough situations. Leave the World Behind's circumstances coming true doesn't feel like a fiction-only jump, and nor do the reactions from Amanda, her loved ones and the strangers that they encounter. If existence as we currently know it concludes, falters or is disrupted significantly, perhaps it'll be more mundane than instantly cataclysmic, Esmail keeps positing. Scene by scene, Leave the World Behind tears into the vacation idyll early. The trip to the beach under beaming sunlight becomes a disaster movie when Rose spots the ship heading straight for the shore, as grippingly handled by Esmail, his regular Mr Robot cinematographer Tod Campbell and editor Lisa Lassek (Dead Ringers). The distress that lingers in that incident's aftermath only multiplies when the Scotts show up — not thanks to their presence, but due to Amanda's Karen-style reaction. When there's no way of accessing the outside world, the kids try to swim away the unease while the adults argue, yet the disquieting vibe just keeps building. As the tanker moment illustrates, Leave the World Behind doesn't shy away from hefty instances of prospective end-of-the-world mayhem, with more springing; however, blockbuster spectacle isn't this feature's core focus. Indeed, this isn't just a film about responding to another apocalyptic scenario, of which screens big and small can't get enough (see: Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, plus The Creator, Biosphere and The Last of Us are a mere few fellow 2023 examples). Leave the World Behind is also steeped in today's attitudes as well as its accoutrements; that Alam's book is a pandemic-era release is fitting. So, the entitlement and prejudice that Amanda sports when financial planner GH and twentysomething Ruth arrive speaks volumes. The division and doubt between Amanda and Ruth across generational and racial lines do as well. The same applies to the panic when no manner of devices can deliver the news, a number of supremely self-serving decisions, and one helluva dark but glorious gag that stops anyone from hightailing it out of there and never looking back. As the Sandfords and the Scotts alike — and survivalist Danny (Bacon) as well — contemplate what's behind their chilling change of affairs, surveying everything from cyberterrorism to nuclear troubles, that humanity might be its worst enemy echoes loud and clear. Esmail and Roberts have teamed up before on TV series Homecoming, which he created and directed, and also when the former executive produced the latter-starring Gaslit. Enlisting America's sweetheart in an against-type part that gets her playing suspicious, privileged, contemptuous and prickly guides out a compelling performance, and one of her best in years; Roberts turns in an invested portrayal, and is also among the movie's producers. An always-magnetic two-time Oscar-winner (for Moonlight and Green Book), Ali renders GH as open, trusting and reasonable where Amanda is not, with some of the film's top sequences stemming from the pair sharing the frame. Hawke nails his affable part, and Herrold her no-nonsense role. It isn't just how its characters handle their plight, for better and for worse, that makes Leave the World Behind resonate with emotional truth, but the fleshed-out performances that are always centre stage. On the list of things that Esmail and his film don't shirk, humour and paying homage to Hitchcock also rank highly. The idea that the crashing of society mightn't stop a TV fan from wanting to see how their favourite show ends is both an astute commentary on the dominance of pop culture and deeply funny, while nods to The Birds and North by Northwest are well-handled tributes. Making Friends the series that Rose is obsessed with is all the more affecting after Matthew Perry's recent passing, but it's "I'll be there for you" refrain was always pitch-perfect for this tale. As America and the globe keep being factionalised, doomsday possibilities continue to loom and conspiracy theories about almost everything abound, what and who will be there for you? Call that one of the trains of thought that this ambitious, playful, savvy and cutting picture serves up.
People have orgasms every day, but for decades spent closing her eyes and thinking of England in a sexually perfunctory marriage, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande's lead character wasn't among them. Forget la petite mort, the French term for climaxing; Nancy Stokes' (Emma Thompson, Cruella) big wrestling match with mortality, the one we all undertake, has long been devoid of erotic pleasure. Moments that feel like a little death? Unheard of. That's where this wonderfully candid, intimate, generous and joyous sex comedy starts, although not literally. Flashbacks to Nancy enduring getting it over with beneath her now-deceased spouse, missionary style, aren't Australian filmmaker Sophie Hyde (Animals) or British comedian-turned-screenwriter Katy Brand's (Glued) concern. Instead, their film begins with the religious education teacher waiting in a hotel room, about to take the biggest gamble of her life: meeting the eponymous sex worker (Daryl McCormack, Peaky Blinders). For anyone well-versed in Thompson's prolific on-screen history, and of Brand's work before the camera as well, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande inspires an easy wish: if only Nancy had a different job. Back in 2010, the pair co-starred in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, a title that'd also fit their latest collaboration if its protagonist cared for kids rather than taught them. Jokes aside, the instantly charming Leo is used to hearing that sentiment about his own professional choices. Indeed, Nancy expresses it during their pre- and post-coital discussions, enquiring about the events that might've led him to his career. "Maybe you're an orphan!" she says. "Perhaps you grew up in care, and you've got very low self-esteem," she offers. "You could have been trafficked against your will — you can't tell just by looking at somebody!" she continues. There are plenty of "if only" thoughts and feelings pulsating through Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, a film where its namesake's tongue couldn't be more important — yes, in that way, and also because talk is as crucial as sex here. If only Nancy hadn't spent half of her existence in a pleasure-free marriage. If only a lifetime of being middle class and socially conservative, and of internalising Britain's stereotypical 'keep calm and carry on' mentality, hadn't left her adrift from her desires. If only being a woman in her mid-50s wasn't seen as a libidinous void by society at large, a mindset that's as much a part of Nancy as the wrinkles and ageing body parts she can barely look at in the mirror. If only prioritising her sensual needs wasn't virtually taboo, too, especially in her mind — even after, two years since being widowed, she's booked an expensive rendezvous with Leo. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande unpacks those if onlys — not the Nanny McPhee one, obviously, but the idea that Nancy's life is immovably stuck in the same rut it has always been. As played by Thompson at the height of her acting powers, at her absolute splintery, finicky yet vulnerable best even with Last Christmas, Years and Years, Late Night and The Children Act on her recent resume, she's nervous, anxious, uncertain and always on the cusp of cancelling, including once Leo strolls into the room, beams his easy magnetism her way and starts talking about what she wants like it's the most natural thing in the world. Slipping into the sheets and knowing what excites you is the most natural thing in the world, of course, but not to Nancy. As her four appointments with Leo progress, she comes up with a lineup of carnal acts she'd like to experience — and she may as well be reading from her grocery list. But getting her to shed her inhibitions is as much his focus as shedding her clothes, and the twentysomething won't let Nancy keep getting in the way of herself. How simple Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is, and also how complex. That's fitting; sex is the same. Brand has penned a slinky two-hander about an unfulfilled woman tentatively taking charge of her own wants, and the helping hand she needs to do so, and also a movie that layers every stigma about female lust, older women, sex work, boundaries and respect into one frank, empathetic, penetrating and delightful package. That's there in the minute details, such as Nancy's job teaching religion to schoolgirls, to whom she's shown the same stern judgement she directs her own way. It's in the way that Leo asks before making every move, dismantles Nancy's concerns about his vocation and their age gap, and dedicates their time together to putting her at ease in every way he can as well. And, it also lingers in his response to her lack of care about his own work-life divide. The straightforwardness, the complications, the texture, the intense emotional landscape — they all evolve and deepen as Good Luck to You, Leo Grande goes on, as do the weighty subjects that the movie ponders, and the two characters swirling through the frame. Twirl, twist, sway, spin, thrust, tumble: Nancy and Leo do all of the above, physically and verbally, and what a double act they make. You could call Good Luck to You, Leo Grande a chamber piece courtesy of its small cast, chatter-heavy setup and the fact it's largely set in one room; however, the always-phenomenal Thompson and the immediately mesmerising McCormack make every second of the film feel expansive. Movies about women of a certain age attempting to get their groove back aren't uncommon, but movies about accepting that there's even a groove to reclaim, why that's essential, and how not only sex but sex work have a pivotal place in our daily lives are almost as scarce as Nancy's orgasms — until now. Helming her third feature after progressing from the also revelatory 52 Tuesdays through to Animals and now this, Hyde could've just ensured that her regular cinematographer Bryan Mason was peering Thompson and McCormack's way, then let their acting magic happen — and, at times, that's how it appears. But Good Luck to You, Leo Grande does what Nancy never has with herself, and what Leo endeavours to control with his clients: it truly sees its central pair, who they are and who they want to be, and what makes them moan, groan and tick. Hyde is clearly drawn to intricate two-person dynamics and the dances they inspire, whether following a teenager and her transgender parent, two thick-as-thieves best pals or a couple of strangers getting explicit. She blatantly loves telling coming-of-age tales, too, with the emphasis on both the coming and the age in this case. And, she ensures that soaking in the quiet moments, including when her characters are together but alone, says as much as any words bantered back and forth. Sex comedies have rarely felt so lived in, so comfortable, so earnest or so nuanced, or like such a release.
Australia's human history makes for a dense history book, filled with highs and lows from tens of thousands of years of culture, war and identity recorded in words and stories alike. But what about the history before then? The millions of years that only survive by etchings and impressions in the rock? Australia's prehistoric past is filled with creatures you wouldn't believe, and they're the stars of the show in the first-ever Queensland Dinosaur Week. Queensland is home to many of Australia's paleontology sites, and a lot of what we know about the giants of the ancient land, seas and skies of our country comes from the dirt and stones of the north. So, to expand on the already-existing National Dinosaur Day, Dinosaur Experiences Australia is inviting Aussies to explore that history in full over the course of a week, Monday, May 4 to Sunday, May 10. Throughout the week, events will be hosted at museums, science centres and dig sites across the state, welcoming experts from the Australian paleontology community to share their knowledge of Australia's ancient history and its ongoing impact on us today. Choose from events like Dinosaurs After Dark at QLD Museum Kurilpa and seeing Australia's most important fossil finds in person — you can also venture into the outback and see the biggest bones in Australian history or become a volunteer fossil preparator to handle and prepare fossils (under supervision, of course). If you prefer a more choose-your-own-adventure-style itinerary, you can browse a number of pre-prepared road trip itineraries to visit Queensland's biggest and best fossil sites and most famous discoveries — such as the big seven. These fossils chart Queensland's history from the ancient Eromanga sea to coastal floodplains and ice-age riverlands that giant mammals and birds called home before humans hunted them to extinction. The legendary finds, scattered everywhere from Mt Isa to Eromanga, are among the largest and most fearsome animals ever to exist in the world, let alone Australia. They include Banjo, the most complete Australovenator (a vicious carnivore) to ever be discovered, Cooper the Australotitan, one of the biggest animals of all time, Krono, the killer king of Australia's Cretaceous-era seas, and the so-called demon ducks, giant flightless birds that lived just before the ice age. Whether you're planning on attending one of the many events or designing your own prehistoric adventure, Karen Hanna Miller, Executive Officer of Dinosaur Experiences Australia, says you'll see that "Queensland's fossil story is not complete. Every season, new finds reshape our understanding of ancient ecosystems and evolutionary changes. Visitors are not just observing history, they are stepping into a landscape where science is still unfolding." And as Dr Scott Hocknull, Principal Research Fellow in Applied Palaeontology & Palaeotourism at CQUniversity puts it, "When most Australians think of dinosaurs, they picture Hollywood blockbusters or far-flung fossil fields overseas. But if you want to stand where giants actually walked — or swam — you don't need a passport." Queensland Dinosaur Week runs from Monday, May 4 to Sunday, May 10. For more information, visit the website. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox. Images: supplied
Blues, Booze and BBQs is coming to MANIAX Newstead on Sunday, July 27. The event, which runs in two separate, two-hour sessions, combines axe throwing, ice-cold beers, good tunes and a barbecue showdown. The first round of the barbecue battle sees Flaming Horns Barbecue take on Peteʼs Barbecue Catering. All you have to do is taste test and vote for your favourite. The winner earns the right to return for the next showdown and has a shot at being crowned Brisbaneʼs Barbecue Champion. Once you're fuelled up and well and truly in the competitive spirit, head to the axe range and test out your range while channelling your inner Viking. Along with axe-throwing and barbecue battles, there will also be live music from Jake and the Cadillacs, and two tasting plates from Brisbaneʼs top barbecue crews. Keep yourself quenched with booze from Black Flag Brewing and Travis Fimmel's Travla. Two sessions are available from 12–2pm or 2.30–4.30pm. Spots are limited, so booking is recommended. Images: Supplied.
When Four Hearts Brewing Pumpyard Bar and Brewery opened early in 2015, it became Ipswich's first new brewery in more than a century. That's quite a feat, but it hasn't stopped there. The brewery has seven brews on its usual lineup — including a tropical fruit-laden new world pilsner and the Ipswich Challenger, a light English mild with notes of mandarin, green tea and spice — and it rotates in seasonal specials on the regular, too. There's more where they came from, including take-home growlers, but if hanging out and having a few takes your fancy, then grabbing a meal is a smart idea. Frickles, sweet potato fries, pulled pork and smoky BBQ brisket burgers, five types of pizzas, and steak, lamb, fish and salad mains are just the beginning — of the food options, and of your Ipswich eating and drinking bonanza. [caption id="attachment_770956" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption]
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours. It's a hefty list, spanning everything from frosé sorbet to gelato for dogs, plus ginger beer, Weet-Bix, fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge varieties. You might've tried its Biscoff, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey's Kisses scoops, too, or its gingerbread cookie dough version. That's a lot to choose from — but its Caramilk-inspired flavour was always going to stand out. Back in early 2021, the Australian dessert chain delivered a Caramilk Hokey Pokey-inspired gelato, and we're betting that your tastebuds were instantly thankful. It was a limited-time offering, however, but Gelatissimo has done us all a solid by bringing back its caramel milk version — sans Hokey Pokey — right now. This flavour is as simple as it sounds: caramelised white chocolate gelato, plus a burnt caramel sauce, all ready for you to lick either in a cone or a cup. And yes, it's the perfect option if you can't choose between devouring some Caramilk chocolate or opting for a few scoops of ice cream. Gelatissimo isn't revealing how long the caramel milk gelato is sticking around for this time, so it's the kind of dessert you want to make a date with sooner rather than later. The chain has brought it back because it's popular, understandably — and with that in mind, it's also scooping up its beloved bubble tea gelato again as well. That brown sugar bubble milk tea number starts with milk tea gelato that's infused with organic black tea, then swirls through brown sugar syrup and tops it with brown sugar pearls. And, giving everyone three past faves, Filipino ube cheesecake gelato — ube gelato topped with chunks of jiggle cheesecake — is back on the menu as well. You'll find the trio in all Gelatissimo stores Australia-wide, and only while stocks last. That includes via delivered take-home packs via services such as UberEats, Menulog, Deliveroo and DoorDash. Gelatissimo's caramel milk gelato, brown sugar bubble milk tea and Filipino ube cheesecake gelato are available from all stores nationwide while stocks last.
