Hong Kong's T'ang Court restaurant has earned itself an impressive reputation, becoming a must-eat mainstay in the city's culinary scene, and also boasting three Michelin stars for seven consecutive years since 2016. For Australians keen to give its Cantonese menu a try, there's now another option — and it's easier than hopping on an international flight. Adding to T'ang Court's outposts overseas, The Langham hotel chain has opened an Aussie venue in its luxe new Gold Coast site. The Langham Gold Coast hotel itself launched back in June, after first revealing that it was in the works in May — and T'ang Court making the jump to southeast Queensland was announced then as well. But the restaurant was always set to launch later, in spring. It clearly took that opening date seriously, welcoming in patrons from Thursday, September 1. The fine-dining chain's name comes from the Tang Dynasty, with the restaurant taking a luxe approach to both its surroundings and its culinary spread. The decor pairs bold pops of colour with neutrals, including bespoke abstract art pieces by Australian Chinese artist Lindi Li. As for the food range, it spans perennial favourites and seasonal delicacies, including across both a la carte dishes and three set menus. A big drawcard at T'ang Court's first Australian location: a three-part tribute to Cantonese duck, which features duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce, duck buns with lychee and raspberry sauce (and caviar), and sliced duck breast and leg paired with with plum sauce. Or, the menu also includes sauteed pearl meat with ginger, shallots and Asian greens, plus spicy black tiger prawns with roasted garlic. Located indoors on level three at The Langham, and seating 80, T'ang Court is serving lunch from 12–3pm and dinner from 5.30–11pm five days a week — operating from Wednesday–Sunday. If you're a keen to book in a visit from out of town, then stay the night afterwards, The Langham also boasts 339 rooms and suites, direct beachfront access, a pool bar you can swim up to while still staring at that ocean view, a number of other eateries and a wellness centre.
It's the animated burger joint with the best menu listings — aka the place, if you were a two-dimensional drawing rather than flesh and blood, that you'd want to eat at. It's also the family-friendly sitcom giving that well-known, long-running, doughnut-loving cartoon clan a run for their money. Yes, we're talking about Bob's Burgers. Spending time with the Belchers and their Ocean Avenue community in an unnamed seaside town is a TV-watching delight, as is checking out their weekly specials (Let's Give 'Em Something Shiitake 'Bout or Parma Parma Parma Chameleon, anyone?). And, showing just how much burger-flipping goodness you've soaked in at The Brightside's Bob's Burgers Trivia Night can be just as much fun. So, put on a rabbit-eared hat, bust out your keyboard and head to Warner Street from 7pm on February 2. It's one of Man vs Bear's most-requested themes, and it's finally coming to fruition. As always, it's free to play, plus there's prizes and bragging rights on offer. To really make a night of it, drop by Lucky Egg while you're there, order one of their three burgs, and think up your best chicken burger pun.
They brighten up our days, and our gardens and houses. They make any home, table or shelf feel cheerier. They're a treat to pick, and the fact that they don't last forever offers a colourful reminder that life is both gorgeous and fleeting. But, floral fans, you can be forgiven for adoring flowers and wanting to fill surround yourself with blooms that'll stand the test of time. One solution: fake blossoms. Another: Lego's eye-catching floral kits. At the beginning of 2021, Lego unleashed its new Botanical Collection — part of its growing range for adults, because we're all well past pretending that Lego is just for kids. Back then, it boasted a flower bouquet and a bonsai, letting you add both to your home without worry about care, water, wilting or the expiry date that always comes with cut florals. Or, they made great presents to your nearest and dearest for all of the same reasons. Since then, the toy brand has kept adding to its floral range. In 2022, it came out with succulents and orchids as well, and has also released roses, tulips, sunflowers and a bird of paradise. To start 2023, the company is expanding the collection again, and going big — with another bouquet, this time of wildflowers, and also a centrepiece. If you've got a shiny vase that needs filling — and some spare time to pack with Lego-building — the 939-piece wildflower kit includes eight species, all with adjustable stems. These blooms are inspired by cornflowers, lavender, Welsh poppies, cow parsley, leatherleaf ferns, gerbera daisies, larkspurs and lupins. You make them, then arrange however you like. And, you can combine them with the previous bouquet as well for one large bunch of petals. The 812-piece centrepiece set is designed for tables, obviously, and opts for a dried flower look. So, the colours here are calmer, and you'll see — and construct — a gebera and a rose as its focal point. Lego also suggests that it can be hung on a wall, or paired with two other identical kits on your surface of choice. Terrible at keeping greenery alive? Don't know the first thing about maintaining dried flowers? These are ideal for you, then. As well as looking adorable and adding some splashes of green to your decor, Lego's newest products are designed to help you destress and get mindful — something that the brand has been promoting for adults for a few years now. Both kits cost $99.99 each in Australia, and $99.99 for the bouquet and $109.99 for the centrepiece each in New Zealand — and go on sale on Wednesday, February 1. And yes, they'd make a cute Valentine's Day present, or a gift (including to yourself) just because. For more information about Lego's Botanical Collection, including the wildflower bouquet and flower centrepiece, head to the company's website.
Thanks to Thor: Love and Thunder, Christian Bale is currently creeping out cinemas as Gorr the God Butcher. As the internet won't stop noticing, Margot Robbie is filming Barbie right now — fluoro-hued outfits and oh-so-much pink all included, naturally — ahead of the Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women)-directed movie hitting cinemas in 2023. But come November, they'll both be on the silver screen together, and involved in what looks like quite the crime caper. As the first trailer for Amsterdam shows, Bale plays one of two soldiers, alongside the always-welcome John David Washington (Malcolm & Marie). Meanwhile, Australia's own Robbie plays a nurse. The trio form a pact to protect each other no matter what, and soon find themselves wrongly accused of killing someone. Given that the feature hails from writer/director David O Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Joy) — and based on the sneak peek so far, too — expect hijinks to ensue. Expect pretty much every famous face you can think of to show up as well, actually. The Amsterdam cast also includes Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark), Andrea Riseborough (Possessor), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Northman), Chris Rock (Spiral: From the Book of Saw), Matthias Schoenaerts (The Old Guard), Michael Shannon (Nine Perfect Strangers), Mike Myers (The Pentaverate), Taylor Swift (Cats), Zoe Saldaña (The Adam Project), Rami Malek (No Time to Die) and Robert De Niro (The War with Grandpa), after all. If you've seen Russell's American Hustle, expect that film's loose vibe to echo through, too — in the trailer, it's the first thing that springs to mind, and not just because the filmmaker's regular actors Bale and De Niro feature prominently. As for the exact story that'll be spun once Amsterdam hits cinemas on November 3, the trailer is taking a shaggy approach to the specifics — as the film looks like it will as well, which Russell does tend to love. In the sneak peek so far, it all starts with a dead body, and with Rock anxious about said corpse. From there, expect a blend of fact and fiction set early in the 20th century, and also a whodunnit angle — to go with that who's who-style cast, clearly. Check out the Amsterdam trailer below: Amsterdam releases in cinemas Down Under on November 3.
Opening this November, a historical event 3000 years in the making is coming to Sydney's Australian Museum. Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will be an unmissable exhibition for any lover of history, arts and culture. As the name suggests, the exhibition profiles Pharaoh Ramses II, often referred to as Ramses the Great. So great in fact was Ramses, that in his 90-plus years of life he held the second-longest reign of all Pharaohs, a ruler so respected that many of his subjects feared the world would end when he died in 1213 BCE. The world kept turning but Ramses II left a permanent mark on Egypt — nine future pharaohs would be his namesake out of respect. And statues and artefacts from his reign still exist today — including the 181 objects bound for this exhibition comprising sarcophagi, animal mummies, royal masks, jewellery, amulets and other golden items from the ruler's tomb. Chief among them is the sarcophagi (royal coffin) that Ramses himself was entombed in on its first tour outside of Egypt. Many of these objects have never left Egypt before, let alone landed on Australian shores, with the entire collection loaned and supported by the Egyptian government. You can also upgrade your ticket to include a multisensory VR experience, allowing you to step inside two of the most significant structures from the era — the tomb of Queen Nefertari and the temples of Abu Simbel. Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs opens on Saturday, November 18 and will run until Sunday, May 19, 2024. For more information or to book tickets, visit the Australian Museum website.
It wouldn't be a trip to Bundaberg without a stop in at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery. You'll get to roam the sprawling museum and learn the secrets behind what it takes to be a master blender. The Bundaberg Rum Distillery Experience guides you through a state-of-the-art facility before you take a break at the bar. And the Blend Your Own Rum Experience welcomes you to taste Bundaberg straight from the barrel; you'll select drops aged in five different barrels — port, sherry, bourbon, scotch and heavy-charred American white oak — to create a unique blend under the guidance of master blenders. Not only do you get to take it home, but the crew will also store your recipe so you can reorder it later down the track.
The term 'best of both worlds' certainly applies to beer yoga. Exercise, alcohol — what's not to love? And we'll all just happily overlook the fact that one counteracts the other because simultaneously sipping and stretching is just so much fun. Brisbane's latest batch of brew-fuelled active sessions boast a little something extra, however. When you're doing your best downward-facing dog and then pausing to take a drink, you'll be doing all of the above in a brewery. Just join the folks at Ballistic Beer Co. fortnightly on Thursdays, with the next sessions happening on October 31, November 14 and 28, and December 12 and 26. You'll want to head to its Salisbury digs, and arrive at 5.45pm for a 6pm start. It'll only set you back $15, which includes the class and a Ballistic beer — and it's a BYO yoga mat situation. Updated October 30.
Screenlife films such as Missing should be the last thing that moviegoers want. When we're hitting a cinema or escaping into our streaming queues, we're seeking a reprieve from the texts, chats, pics, reels, searches, and work- and study-related tasks that we all stare at on our phones and computers seemingly 24/7. (Well, we should be, unless we're monsters who can't turn off our devices while we watch.) There's a nifty dose of empathy behind thrillers like this, its excellent predecessor Searching, and the similar likes of Unfriended and Profile, however, that relies upon the very fact that everyone spends far too much time living through technology. When an on-screen character such as Missing's June (Storm Reid, The Last of Us) is glued to the gadget on their desk or lap, or in their hand — when they're using the devices that've virtually become our new limbs non-stop to try to solve their problems and fix their messy existence, too — it couldn't be more relatable. As Missing fills its frames with window upon window of June's digital activities, cycling and cascading through FaceTime calls, Gmail messages, WhatsApp downloads, Google Maps tracking, TikTok videos, TaskRabbit bookings, plain-old websites and more, it witnesses its protagonist do plenty that we've all done. And, everything she's undertaking feels exactly that familiar — like the film could be staring back at each member of its audience rather than at an 18-year-old who starts the movie unhappy that her mother Grace (Nia Long, You People) is jetting off to Colombia with her new boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung, Old). That sensation remains true even though Missing's viewers have likely never had their mum disappear in another country, and their life forever turned upside down as a result. We've all experienced the mechanics behind what writer/directors Will Merrick and Nick Johnson (who make their feature debut in both roles after editing Searching) are depicting in our own ways, with only the vast power of the internet able to help. As an opening video set 12 years earlier explains, plus folders of medical info and farewells over a move from Texas to California, June is far from thrilled about Grace and Kevin's getaway due to its timing. She isn't fussed about her mum's rules for while they're away and repetitive reminders to empty her voice messages, either, but they'll be gone over the weekend of Father's Day, a difficult occasion given that June's father James (Tim Griffin, True Detective) passed away when she was a kid. To fill her time home alone, she makes sure that she's not really home alone, throwing parties she's not supposed to, avoiding tipping off her mum's lawyer pal Heather (Amy Landecker, Your Honor) — who's on check-up duties — and hanging out with her bestie Veena (Megan Suri, Never Have I Ever). But when June heads to Los Angeles airport to collect Grace and Kevin upon their return, her situation gets worse. She waits. She holds up a playful sign. She films the whole thing as well. But no one shows. Five years have passed since Searching became one of the best screenlife movies yet while making stellar use of John Cho (Cowboy Bebop) as a dad desperate to find his absent daughter. With that flick's writer/director Aneesh Chaganty and co-scribe Sev Ohanian getting a story credit, Missing flips the setup, having a kid looking as far and wide as technology currently allows for a parent instead. With some assistance from FBI Agent Park (Daniel Henney, Criminal Minds), but not enough — plus on-the-ground sleuthing by Cartagena local Javi (Joaquim de Almeida, Warrior Nun), thanks to an outsourcing service — June gets investigating, and also increasingly frantic about what's happened, why, where Grace might be and how to get her home. The film also gets pacier than Searching, reflecting not just half a decade's worth of tech advancements, but a teenager's innate, always-on comfort with the online landscape as a digital native. June doesn't just hop from app to app, program to program, chat to chat and call to call quickly — and, conveniently for the film, keep her webcam running in-between so viewers see the stress expand across her face as she does so. As she scours and worries, worries and sours, she's as creative as she is determined with her detective skills. Indeed, Missing doubles as both stalker 101 and a cybersecurity warning. If you're already concerned about the surveillance-heavy times that we live in, expect your Black Mirror-style anxieties to only expand while watching. Missing is so relatable in what it's showing, rather than the tale it's using all those computer windows to show, that it's also a double-edged sword: we've all been June, inseparable from our MacBooks and the like; can our online lives be so easily picked through, as Grace does to Kevin as her suspicions heighten, as well? As Searching did, Missing has its audience playing gumshoe along with its characters. As Unfriended and Profile did — all four movies share Russian Kazakh filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov as a producer, and he also directed Profile — it keeps everyone on high alert via a tense, propulsive and immersive affair. Viewing screenlife flicks, which also includes the unconnected Host and We're All Going to the World's Fair (and the less-convincing Spree, and downright grating Dash Cam), means constantly seeking clues as to where the next twist, revelation or crucial detail will spring from. They're an involving experience, especially when there are people to find and crimes to solve, and Missing is as on-edge, nail-biting and as attention-demanding as they come. Amid the sea of clips, conversations and text on-screen — and some wild leaps in logic — the nerves and vigilance here aren't June's alone. Missing knows how folks watching will engage, even if it obviously isn't interactive in the way that film-meets-game Isklander — screenlife IRL, basically — is. It knows that it exists in a world obsessed with true-crime, smartly commenting on the pervasive and persistent fascination with other's misdeeds — and overtly linking back to Searching in the process — while asking how much anyone can ever truly know their nearest and dearest. That's another relatable source of the thriller's distress. It's where Reid proves devastatingly effective, compellingly shifting from a teen annoyed at her mum's overprotectiveness to the point of virtually ignoring her, to a concerned daughter willing to do whatever it takes, to questioning everything that she's ever been told. Long also plays her panicky matriarch part with potency, but the riveting Missing is right on target at grounding its nerves and thrills alike in all that can be uncovered, endured and experienced with your fingers on a keyboard and your eyes staring at your chosen rectangle.
After many years and many hours spent on the Skybus, it seems Melbourne's long-awaited airport rail link is closer than ever to being an actual reality. The Federal Government has today announced it will commit up to $5 billion to help build the project — which should help things along. Four months after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that construction of the link would kick off shortly, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised the big bucks to get it done. "There have been countless reviews, reports and recommendations, but Melbourne is still waiting for a service almost all of the world's great cities take for granted," Mr Turnbull said. "This is the rail link that Melbourne, Victoria and the millions of people who use the airport every year demand and deserve." The proposed rail line is expected to help ease congestion, speed up travel times and create a stack of new jobs in the process. However, the promised $5 billion isn't quite enough to cover such a hefty project and the pressure's now on the Victorian Government to match that figure in funding of its own. The Federal and State governments have previously committed $30 million to conducting a planning study for the airport link, which is also likely to include extra train lines between Southern Cross Station and Melbourne's western suburbs. This would mean speedier commutes between the CBD and Geelong and improved accessibility across western and northern Victoria. About time, we say. Sydney and Brisbane already have airport rail links, and Perth is currently in the process of building its own. Maybe this will finally kill or clarify that myth around the airport's secret underground 'station' as well. Image: Global Panorama via Flickr.
First announced in late 2022, Ippin Japanese Dining in West End's West Village finally opened its doors on Wednesday, April 12. It's Brisbane's new go-to for everything from sushi and sashimi through to wagyu and yuzu cocktails, and it's also the first Brisbane venture from Sydney restaurateur Kenny Lee (Kuon Omakase, Allta and Funda). And, it's perched up on the second floor of the precinct's Garden Pavilion, so it comes with leafy views. Fancy trying it out — and eating your way through plenty of the menu — for $118? Meet the restaurant's chef's tasting menu launch special, which is running until Monday, April 17. It's serving up 11 dishes for that reasonable price, although that is just the starting point. You'll pay an extra $30 to add a wagyu strip loin, and various courses have matching wines available by the glass for an additional fee. Still, opt for the standard package and you'll start with bluefin tuna paired with sea urchin and caviar, then move onto wagyu tartare and tempura Moreton Bay bugs, and also enjoy barramundi san choy bow, sushi and sashimi, and snow crab. It all ends with roasted green tea warabi mochi over vanilla ice cream. And if you'd like cocktails or sake, that'll also cost you extra.
Obsessing over mysteries is human nature. We're hard-wired to piece together puzzles, trawl through murky terrain and look for answers; in fact, you could say that's what life is all about. Gothic tales understand this. They take audiences to dark, strange, far-from-straightforward places, and as a rule we're more than willing to go along. They unsettle, unnerve and ooze with unease — and that's precisely what makes them so alluring. These are the sensations conjured my My Cousin Rachel as it immerses viewers in a story of love, death, money and mistrust. For Philip (Sam Claflin), that's also the feeling he gets from the film's title character (Rachel Weisz), his cousin by marriage. When she arrives at the Cornish estate he'll inherit upon his upcoming 25th birthday, he's bubbling with anger and intent on vengeance, believing that she murdered her husband. And yet Philip soon finds himself mesmerised by the new woman in his life, even if he can't quite quell his suspicions. A Gothic romance penned by Daphne du Maurier back in 1951 (and first brought to the screen one year later), My Cousin Rachel leans into its enticing climate of wariness; this is a movie where a stiff gust of wind leaves everyone shaken, and where flickers of candlelight cast telling shadows. Writer-director Roger Michell (Le Week-End) successfully bathes every frame of the film in tension, using his handsome period staging to further the mood. A grand old house in the English countryside — and one typically seen during the daytime, too — has rarely elicited such feelings of seductive discomfort. Simmering beneath the feature's mastery of tone, however, is an exploration of both the power of perception and the battle of the sexes. It shouldn't escape attention that Philip is quick to condemn a woman he doesn't know based purely on conjecture, nor that he mostly changes his mind — becoming determined to help her, and unable to hide his affection — when she pays him attention. Similarly, noticing the response that Rachel receives for wanting to live her own life, have her own money and make her own decisions is crucial. Indeed, for all of its talk of potential poisonings, subterfuge and betrayal, as well as its pondering of Rachel's true nature, perhaps the most perturbing element of the film is the bewildered reaction directed towards her for daring to be independent. Is she a killer? Does she deserve Philip's doubts? They're questions that My Cousin Rachel asks; questions that Weisz's inscrutable performance makes it impossible to answer. Ambiguity is often the key to Gothic narratives, drawing you in to themes and situations that have no easy answers. Weisz expresses that conflict perfectly. That probably wouldn't have been the case in another actor's hands, but, as she's made a career of doing, she inhabits the role of Rachel so completely that it's hard to imagine anyone else doing it justice. While Claflin does well playing the naive but stubborn Philip, the movie's real point of interest is right there in its name: an enigmatic woman, the talented actress that brings her to life, and the mystery that follows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C-q7by64mA
If you've ever wanted to enjoy a beverage in a speakeasy, pretend you're drinking bootlegged liquor, or get glammed up 1920s style, you're about to get your chance. Welcome to Prohibition Brisbane, the venue that brings the fun of almost a century ago to Fortitude Valley's nightlife district. It's a theme the underground haunt takes seriously, as its grand arrival space, complete with moving ceiling, makes clear. Inside the 1100 square metre warehouse, three separate basement spaces — the main hall, a speakeasy-style bar and an exclusive VIP lounge — evoke times gone by via earthy tones and aged finishes. Need proof beyond the fancy decor? It's all in the drinks list. The hard stuff reigns supreme, of course, as Prohibition's packed bar shelves prove. For those fond of shaken or stirred concoctions, the extensive cocktail range mixes time-honoured tipples that date back to the '20s with brand new house originals. Twists on classics are a highlight, including 'The Peach and Passionfruit Rickey' and the 'Du Pont Daiquiri'.
With its frosty cabinets filled with decadent flavours, Gelato Messina knows how to get sweet. Among its array varieties all ready for the licking, the chain isn't afraid to get saucy as well. And if you're the kind of ice cream fiend who adores nothing more than scoops piled high on a cone, drizzling down your fingers as they melt, you'll know that Messina might also leave you slippery. That's all before you try its new Standard Procedure collaboration, too: a finger bun gelato lube that's coming on Valentine's Day. When Messina created its extremely delicious finger bun gelato, it answered an important question: why just eat finger buns or gelato when you can combine the two into a glorious dessert mashup packed with brioche gelato, whipped cream, raspberry puree and coconut icing? Now, the chain has another query: why keep this covetable combo out of the bedroom? Launching online on Tuesday, February 14 via the Standard Procedure and Messina online stores, then also headed to Sephora's shelves at a yet-to-be-announced date, the limited-edition Standard Procedure x Messina's Finger Bun Gelato Lube does indeed play up all of the flavours that make the latter's finger bun gelato as tasty as it is. So, expect to smell raspberry as part of a coconut and brioche water-based personal lubricant. Expect to be hungry for a banging time and a freshly baked sweet treat as well. Made on the Sunshine Coast, the lube features aloe vera, Kakadu plum and chamomile extract, is pH-balanced and works as a natural anti-inflammatory. Crucially, it doesn't include any parabens, petrochemicals, palm oil, silicon, hormones, alcohol or glycerin. And, whether you're enjoying it with a partner or solo, it can used with toys. It's also safe with most condoms. While Messina has already dropped a Valentine's Day dessert which promptly sold out, as its specials always do, it's also scooping up its finger bun gelato across all of its 26 stores to celebrate its new lube. It's a get-in-quick affair, however, because it's only available from February 14 until sold out. Via UberEats from 7pm on Valentine's Day itself, Messina is also doing $32 packs featuring 500-millilitre finger bun gelato tubs and 125-millilitre bottles of Finger Bun gGelato Lube. Standard Procedure x Messina's Finger Bun Gelato Lube is available from Tuesday, February 14 via the Standard Procedure and Messina online stores, and will also hit Sephora's shelves at a yet-to-be-announced date.
The deep, the drink, the high seas, the brine, the blue: whatever you call it, the ocean is endlessly fascinating. And if you've ever sat on the beach, the smell of sunscreen wafting up from your torso and the sea breeze rustling through your hair, and just stared intently at all that H20 glistening right there in front of you — as we all have, and more than once, because it's just that hypnotic — then you'll understand why UQ Art Museum has devoted its new four-month-long exhibition to the earth's watery spaces. Oceanic Thinking is all about creative ways of thinking about the deep blue sea, and marks the inaugural part of a multi-year project called Blue Assembly. The overall aim: to explore humanity's relationship to the ocean, and examine how talk about and focus upon blue spaces — the ocean, obviously, but also coastal ecosystems that include mangroves, tidal marshlands and estuaries and seagrass meadows — has played into thinking about climate change. Getting us all to ponder how all of this vast amount of liquid plays into our future is another key part of the free exhibition. Running from Saturday, February 19–Saturday, June 25, Oceanic Thinking features work across multiple artforms, and from an impressive list of artists — spanning Sancintya Mohini Simpson, Isha Ram Das, Elise Rasmussen, Izabela Pluta, Monira Al Qadiri, Tabita Rezaire, Stephanie Comilang and Alicia Mersy, as well as Birrmuyingathi Maali Netta Loogatha, Kuruwarriyingathi Bijarrb Paula Paul, Salote Tawale, Benjamin Armstrong, Charles Callins, Andreas Angelidakis and SUPERFLEX. And, as well as getting you musing on the oceans, water and research about both, Oceanic Thinking also aims to span a wealth of other topics — so while you're peering at the deep and the drink, expect to also contemplate race, decolonisation, kinship, diasporas and even science fiction. [caption id="attachment_843395" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monira Al Qadiri, Divine Memory, 2019, still from video, 5:00 min, Courtesy of the artist.[/caption] Top image: Superflex, Dive-In, 2019. Dive–In was originally commissioned by Desert X in collaboration TBA21–Academy with music composed by Dark Morph (Jónsi and Carl Michael von Hausswolff). Courtesy of Desert X. Photo: Lance Gerber.
The jolliest time of the year is almost here. And, that means the most festive movie-viewing window of the year is nearly upon us, too. We all know that it wouldn't be Christmas without rewatching a heap of suitably themed flicks, whether you've loved Elf since you can remember, prefer a classic such as It's a Wonderful Life or will only watch Die Hard — but Stan is hoping that you'll add a new Australian comedy to your end-of-year rotation. Sometime around Christmas, the streaming platform's subscribers will be able to watch festive Aussie flick A Sunburnt Christmas. And yes, you are probably just now realising that Australian doesn't actually have that many Christmas films to its name. This newcomer will join the likes of Bush Christmas, both the 1947 and 1983 versions; the animated Around the World with Dot; and recent horror movies Red Christmas and Better Watch Out — and it seems to be really leaning into the fact that it's a seasonal Aussie film. Directed by Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters, The Other Guy), A Sunburnt Christmas follows a group of kids who mistake a runaway criminal for the real Santa. Daryl (Snowtown and Acute Misfortune's Daniel Henshall) happens to be dressed appropriately, red suit and all. He has also just crashed a van full of toys. But as well as not being Father Christmas, he's being chased by a mobster called Dingo (Animal Kingdom and Ride Like a Girl's Sullivan Stapleton). Kids, crims, hijinks — if you're currently thinking about Home Alone or Bad Santa, that isn't surprising. But these children live on an outback farm with their a single mother (The Gloaming's Ling Cooper Tang), and neither Joe Pesci nor Billy Bob Thornton are anywhere to be seen. The all-ages-friendly flick doesn't yet have a release date, but you can obviously expect it to hit your streaming queue just as you're breaking out the eggnog. A Sunburnt Christmas will be available to stream via Stan later in 2020 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced.
When Murder on the Orient Express became a big box office hit back in 2017, it wasn't the first time that the Agatha Christie novel had reached the silver screen. That honour goes to the 1974 movie of the same name, which starred Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, and featured everyone from Sean Connery and Lauren Bacall to Vanessa Redgrave and Ingrid Bergman. And if you're keen to explore its whodunnit thrills, you can at Dendy Coorparoo's new Murder Mysteries Film Festival. From, Thursday, March 18–Wednesday, March 31, this six-title fest is all about sleuthing through blasts from the past. Before the next new Poirot flick, Death on the Nile, reaches cinemas — hopefully at some point this year — you can see the 1978 version with Peter Ustinov, Angela Lansbury, Mia Farrow and Maggie Smith, too. Also on the bill: Humphrey Bogart-starring classic The Maltese Falcon, Orson Welles in The Third Man and the aristocratic dramas of Kind Hearts and Coronets. There's also Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece North by Northwest, which everyone needs to see at least once on the big screen. Like all of Dendy Coorparoo's festivals, different movies screen on different dates — and multiple times — so checking out the session listing is the best way to schedule your viewing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek7T9Gyl_J4
Into every few years, reports of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comeback are born. Five years ago, a Buffy spinoff was in the works, for instance; however, like an undead bloodsucker and making daytime plans, nothing happened. But the just-announced Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is different. In fact, it's due to arrive within weeks, in mid-October. And, it's getting a heap of the show's original cast back together. Audible is behind the new entry in the Buffy realm — which, yes, means that it's arriving as audio only, not a new season of the beloved television show or a movie. But more Buffy is more Buffy. Also, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story has a fangtastic point of focus: bleached-blonde vampire Spike, with James Marsters (Runaways) returning to the role. Dropping on Thursday, October 12, the Audible original is the first ever to be set in the Buffy universe. Yes, everything in pop culture is a universe these days. This will jump into the leather-loving vamp's tale ten years after the events seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's final episode. Of course, fans will know that Spike's story also already took him over to TV spinoff Angel, too. Joining Marsters for Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is a who's who of Buffy stars, even if Sarah Michelle Gellar (Wolf Pack) isn't one of them. Nor are Alyson Hannigan (Office Race), David Boreanaz (SEAL Team), Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) or Alexis Denisof (How I Met Your Father). That said, Charisma Carpenter (Going Home) is back as Cordelia, Anthony Head (Ted Lasso) as Giles, Juliet Landau (Claws) as Drusilla, Emma Caulfield Ford (WandaVision) as Anya and Amber Benson (The Nightmare Gallery) as Tara. Benson also co-wrote and co-directed the Audible original, scripting with Christopher Golden (who has penned a number of Buffy books), and helming with both Golden and Kc Wayland (the We're Alive podcast franchise). Danny Strong (Billions) is back as Jonathan as well, plus James Charles Leary (A Room Full of Nothing) as Clem. Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will also bring Laya DeLeon Hayes (The Equalizer) into the Buffy fold as 16-year-old slayer Indira Nunnally. With their ten-years-later tale, Benson and Golden have penned a story about Spike in Los Angeles, where he's pretending to be evil but it's just a cover. Then Indira blows the ruse, leaving Spike to both mind her and try to find her a watcher. The reason there's no Buffy Summers? Slayers: A Buffyverse Story also brings in parallel realm where Cordelia is the only slayer. And her big bad? That's where Drusilla comes in. "I'm ecstatic to be back with my dear friends for this next chapter in the Buffyverse, as we take listeners on a familiar but unexpected journey chock full of horror, passion and mischief," said Marsters, announcing Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. "I'm excited for old and new fans to experience this beloved world of vampire slaying like never before, brought to life through immersive audio storytelling." The latest Buffy chapter comes after not just the seven-season series that aired from 1997–2003, or spinoff Angel, but also the 1992 movie of the same name before them. There's no trailer for Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, but you can get a blast from the past with the TV series trailers above and below: Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will be available to listen to via Audible on Thursday, October 12.
Just two weeks after announcing its 2024 lineup, long-running regional music festival Groovin the Moo has been forced to cancel all six of its dates. The beloved touring festival was set to hit Adelaide, Canberra, Bendigo, the Sunshine Coast, Bunbury and, for the first time, Newcastle throughout the end of April and beginning of May, but has now been forced to pull the plug on the national tour, citing poor ticket sales for the cancellation. "We are extremely disappointed to announce that the Groovin the Moo 2024 tour has been forced to cancel," reads the statement released by the festival. "Ticket sales have not been sufficient to deliver a regional festival of this kind." "All tickets will be refunded automatically. Thank you to everybody who has supported the festival. We hope to be able to bring Groovin the Moo back to regional communities in the future." This year's edition was set to feature Wu-Tang Clan's GZA, Spice Girl Melanie C doing a DJ set, The Kooks, The Beaches and Alison Wonderland. Stephen Sanchez, Armani White, Kenya Grace, King Stingray, DMA's, Jet, The Jungle Giants, Mallrat and San Cisco were all also set to appear on the bill, alongside Hot Dub Time Machine, Mura Masa, Claire Rosinkranz, Jessie Reyez, Meduza and The Rions — and more. 2024 was set also to be the first year when the festival moved from its longstanding NSW home in Maitland, with plans to move the festivities to Foreshore Park in Newcastle. It comes during a tough time for music festivals in Australia. Late last year, Sydney Festival was forced to pull the plug on the inaugural edition of its Summergrounds Music Festival, citing "changing consumer behaviors, cost of living pressures and mounting operational expenses". And, fellow regional favourite This That hasn't been able to go ahead with its annual events for the last two years. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Groovin the Moo (@groovinthemoo) Groovin the Moo won't be happening in 2024. You can read the festival's statment via Instagram. Images: Jordan Munns
Mention Burleigh to a southeast Queenslander, and the sight of one of the Gold Coast's best beaches will instantly pop into their head. As well as surf, sun and sand, however, the coastal spot is also home to Burleigh Brewing Co — with Brennan and Peta Fielding setting up shop in the industrial part of the suburb more than a decade ago. The focus here is on a craft-driven approach, and sticking local in terms of ingredients and materials. Also worth noting: Burleigh doesn't use sugar in its brews. That doesn't mean that its Twisted Palm Tropical Pale Ale won't go down sweetly, though, with the 2016 World Beer Championships Gold Medal-winner featuring orange, mango and papaya notes. Unsurprisingly, it's inspired by Burleigh beach. Located on Harley Drive at Burleigh Heads, Burleigh Brewing Co's headquarters offers beers on tap and behind-the-scenes tours — aka the two staples everyone wants from a taphouse and brewery. It's only doing takeaways at present, which includes beers and growler refills, and its backstage tours are expected to return in September.
Fancy enjoying a taste of Paris without paying for the plane fare? Brisbanites, the CBD's newest cafe has you covered. Freshly arrived on Edward Street, Lait Noir is here to help break up the nine-to-five grind with French-inspired surroundings, a menu packed with pastries and toasties, and plenty of coffee. First announced at the beginning of March and now trading Monday–Friday, Lait Noir aims to give the River City the Parisian vibes it's missing — it's "Brisbane's first Parisian-style dining with guests able to watch the hustle and bustle go by from their seat," explains Charlotte Bourguignon, the cafe's Operations Manager. On the menu at Lait Noir: a hefty range of baked goods pumped out of Queensland's first Unox Speed-X oven. Lemon muffins, raspberry almond coconut tarts, apple tarts and mini French doughnuts sit among the sweet bites, while croissants, quiches, frittatas and beef bourguignon pie are highlights from the savoury range. And, from a dessert-focused lineup, lemon meringue tarts, passionfruit tarts, choc-fudge caramel brownies and carrot cake are sure to tempt tastebuds. Lait Noir also does salads, including a roasted vegetable option, plus sandwiches, toasties and wraps. And yes, the cheesy egg and bacon croque toastie instantly sounds like a must-try. The cafe now sits in the space that was previously home to Roll'd Vietnamese, and takes its cues from French cafes design-wise — complete with luxe $450,000 fitout overseen by Outkast. That means getting a caffeinated brew beneath seven-metre-high ceilings and over A-grade marble bench tops. If you happen to work in the building, it's also planning to do a concierge service for tenants.
Entertaining things come in small packages in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least where Paul Rudd playing Ant-Man is concerned. The character's two solo big-screen outings have wavered between charming and familiar, but whenever the ageless star himself pops up — and wherever, given that he hasn't just been confined to his own franchise within the franchise — he's always proven a treat. So, of course a third Ant-Man movie is on its way, because who doesn't want to give the world more Paul Rudd more often? The MCU clearly does, and that new film is Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which will buzz into cinemas in February 2023. This time, the MCU's insect-sized superheroes — yes, including both Scott Lang aka Ant-Man (Rudd, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Hope van Dyne aka The Wasp (Evangeline Lily, Crisis) — are thrust into a secret universe beneath the one they already know and inhabit, and also face a new enemy. The chaotic space? The quantum realm, hence the Quantumania part of the upcoming movie's title. The adversary? Kang the Conqueror, as played by Lovecraft Country and The Harder They Fall's Jonathan Majors. And yes, both pop up in the just-dropped first trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, as do the return of Hope's parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method), plus Scott's now-older daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton, Freaky). Viewers of 2015's Ant-Man and 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp will know that Janet spent decades stuck in the quantum realm, so it's unsurprising that she's a key part of the new glimpse at Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. But, she hasn't told her family and friends everything about the place — as the film is set to explore. The trailer also throws in plenty of goofiness, because that exact vibe helped make the Ant-Man movies stand out in the ever-sprawling MCU. Here, there's an amusing case of mistaken identity to start off this Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania sneak peek. The film marks the 31st film in Marvel's on-screen universe, and the first in its fifth phase — arriving after 2022's already-released Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, plus the upcoming: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Check out the first Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania trailer below: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits cinemas Down Under on February 16, 2023.
Before Coriolanus Snow became President of Panem and kept having encounters with Katniss Everdeen, he was an 18-year-old Capitol resident tasked with mentoring District 12's female tribute. So tells author Suzanne Collins' 2020 The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on the page, as will the franchise's new film of the same name when it enters the cinematic arena in November. This jump backwards in the saga's timeline is set 64 years prior to the dystopian tales told its initial four movies, with Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid) doing his best to become a young Donald Sutherland. And the tribute he's charged with readying? Meet Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler, Shazam! Fury of the Gods). If you're wondering where the book and feature's titles come from, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes references Lucy's bold move during the reaping ceremony: singing. Yes, every movie franchise ever has to keep returning, as Harry Potter and Twilight are as well. If the Wizarding World can have young Dumbledore, The Hunger Games can have young Snow, clearly. In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' debut trailer earlier in 2023 and also in its just-dropped new sneak peek, Snow's backstory scores more detail. He gets the mentor gig because he hails from a family that's hit hard times in the postwar Capitol — and he's told that he's now in the business of creating "spectacles, not survivors", in a word of warning about what's expected in his new role. That comment comes from the creator of The Hunger Games himself, Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage, Cyrano), Dean of the Academy, and the reason that children from 12 of Panem's districts fight to the death every year for the entertainment of the masses. Of course, this wouldn't be a Hunger Games story if one of its tributes didn't earn hearts as well as attention. When his protege proves a hit, Snow starts to think about turning the odds in their favour. That said, viewers already know that any good he achieves here won't change the fate that's already been seen in the initial 2008–10 novels and 2012–15 movies. As well as Blyth, Zegler and Dinklage, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes features a stacked cast spanning Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City), Viola Davis (Air), Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) and Josh Andrés Rivera (Zegler's West Side Story co-star). Francis Lawrence jumps behind the lens again, as he did with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part II. Check out the latest trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes below: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes releases in cinemas Down Under on November 16, 2023. Images: Murray Close.
The sun is shining, your out of office is on and you've already spent a good amount of time curled up streaming TV shows. Now's the chance to catch up on your reading — so, find a shady spot on a beach, next to a pool or by a waterfall and start making your way through our favourite ten books of 2019. It's a mixed bag this year — we've been turning the pages of a novel about a debaucherous secret society, the latest Booker Prize winner (no, not The Testaments), devastating nonfiction works about Australian bushfires and a heartwarming page-turner combining politics, royalty and queer history. Some of them are immersive, some of them knotty and uncomfortable, which makes them perfect for mulling over during the holidays, and provide flavourful fodder for dinner conversations. Take your pick. LANNY BY MAX PORTER In 2016, Max Porter won the Dylan Thomas Prize for his debut novel Grief Is the Thing With Feathers — a story in which a trickster-babysitter crow visits two grieving children. This year, Porter delivered another poetic and daring tale, this time centring on a creative and mysterious boy called Lanny. There's a rhythm to Porter's writing; he illustrates one of his most exciting characters through a scrawling, italicised font that seems to slip and slide off the page. Dead Papa Toothwort is a shapeshifting spirit that feeds on the life and grime of Lanny's village in the English countryside — one with gossip at the school gates, nosy but well-meaning neighbours, and a woodland where children like to build treehouses. Reliable old Pete is Lanny's good friend. He's an older man, an artist, and one of the more likeable characters. What starts as an eerie, but largely quiet, tale of village life gathers speed towards the end, when Lanny is missing and the village mob starts pointing fingers. SUPPER CLUB BY LARA WILLIAMS Lara Williams' novel about a secret society of women who meet after dark to feast is superb. At the centre of the novel is Roberta, and the novel jumps back and forth between her days at university, where she teaches herself to cook and dates a lecturer, and the present day, where her and her wild, intense friend Stevie start the supper club. Over bowls of pasta, slabs of meatloaf, messy bouillabaisse and gallons of wine, the women gorge themselves and behave in an incredibly 'unladylike' manner in rebellion of their oppression by men. They throw food at each other, vomit, dance topless and go wild with debauchery. Intelligent and boldly written, Williams' story is less about food and more about the characters' appetites to acquit themselves of their everyday lives. Easy to read, you'll smash it quicket than your avocado on toast. RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE BY CASEY MCQUISTON It might be questionable of us to include a book that would certainly not be considered literary, and falls firmly in the romance and new adult categories. But Casey McQuiston's debut novel Red, White & Royal Blue is so joyous and hopeful that it makes you want to throw away any pretence of trying to appear cool. Incorporating, and elevating, all the best cheesy rom-com tropes — enemies to friends to lovers, fake friendships, a secret relationship and an email scandal — McQuiston's writing is heartwarming, funny and intelligent as she blends politics, royalty and queer history into a big ball of happiness. I challenge you not to fall in love with this book's diverse cast of characters: Alex, the obliviously bisexual Mexican-American son of the first woman president of the United States; Henry, the compassionate, quietly homosexual prince of England with a scholarly interest in queer history; Pez, the prince's dastardly attractive Nigerian best friend; Zahra, the president's fierce and frightening chief of staff; Amy, a transwoman and former marine-turned-secret service agent who likes embroidery. Would recommend to anyone looking for a book so firmly placed in the now — but a better one than the one we've got. If it were possible, it would make your heart smile. ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS BY OCEAN VUONG Ocean Vuong's debut novel found itself on a host of nominee lists for literary prizes his year, earning reviews describing it as shattering, tender, haunting and stunning. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother, tracking a family history back to its roots in war-torn Vietnam and forward to the son's experiences as a queer, biracial American, and telling a story trapped between the worlds of trauma and compassion. Vuong's poetry background makes for prose that is fluid, raw and earnest, in an intimate exploration of race, class, grief and masculinity. SALT BY BRUCE PASCOE Likely already on the radar of fans of his work, Salt offers an insight into the range and depth of influential Indigenous Australian historian Bruce Pascoe. This collection of stories and essays from the award-winning author of Dark Emu includes some of his most revered work and previously unpublished pieces of fiction — tender stories exploring country, nature and identity — just waiting to be discovered. For those with a short attention span or looking for an introduction to Pascoe's works, this is an ideal read for afternoons on the beach, and a poignant reminder of our nation's history. BEAUTY BY BRI LEE Beauty marks the second book by Bri Lee in as many years to make it onto our Summer Reading List, so she must be doing something right. Once again imbuing her words with a brutal candour, Lee explores our obsession with thinness and beauty, in a world that has made huge strides against the patriarchy, yet still finds us holding ourselves to an impossible and unattainable standard of physical 'perfection'. Readers are invited into Lee's world in a 150-page essay on her battle with eating disorders and her final rejection of society's punishing ideals. For anyone that loved Eggshell Skull — and pretty much everyone else, too. THE ARSONIST: A MIND ON FIRE BY CHLOE HOOPER Published in October 2018, this novel isn't a 2019 book. But, with catastrophic bushfires currently burning across Australia, its content couldn't be timelier. Following the trial of the man charged with lighting the Latrobe Valley fires, part of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires that killed 173 people in regional Victoria and burnt over 450,000 hectares, Chloe Hooper's The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire is devastating and haunting. It includes harrowing accounts from those injured in the fires and fascinating details from the investigation, all delivered with captivating and lyrical prose. And, while it's a work of nonfiction, it reads like a thriller — and it's impossible to put down. GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER BY BERNARDINE EVARISTO Two books won this year's Booker Prize: Margaret Atwood's 34-year follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale, called The Testaments; and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. We're recommending you read the latter. Following the interconnected lives of 12 characters, mostly Black British women, from different generations, religions and social classes, it's a joyous, poetic read. You'll meet lesbian playwrights, investment bankers and farmers, all battling everyday problems and larger social issues, such as race and sexuality. As well as being a collection of 12 separate, intimate portraits, the book successfully paints a polyphonic picture of modern-day Britain. FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE BY TAFFY BRODESSER-AKNER A renowned celebrity profiler — if you haven't already, we suggest you read her New York Times Magazine piece on Gwyneth Paltrow ASAP — Taffy Brodesser-Akner first dipped her toe into fiction this year with the release of her debut novel Fleishman Is in Trouble. And Fleishman, a recently divorced, now-single dad navigating the world of dating apps, sexts and raising two children, really is in trouble. As is our narrator: stay-at-home mum Libby. And Fleishman's ex-wife, Rachel. While the bulk of the novel is dedicated to Fleishman and his struggles, it also cleverly explores how women's stories are often over-looked and sidelined. Its ending more-than rewards readers for pushing through some of the less-gripping sections, too BELOVED BY TONI MORRISON The first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Toni Morrison passed away in August at the age of 88. Her novel Beloved wasn't published this year — in fact, it was published way back in 1987 — but we think this summer is the perfect time to revisit it, or pick it up for the first time. Arguably Morrison's best-known novel, Beloved follows an escaped enslaved woman who is haunted by decisions and trauma from her past. It's not an easy read, nor should it be. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has had far-reaching cultural influence since its publication, including on Jordan Peele's 2019 horror flick Us. If you'd like to explore this connection further, we suggest listening to this episode from The New York Times podcast Still Processing. Words by Aimee Sics, Emma Joyce, Leisha Kapor and Samantha Teague.
Praise be to science, the invisible threads that make sense of our nonsensical existence. From the cosmic majesty of astronomy to the life-saving arts of medicine, we owe a great deal to science. And, while we all spend our lives surrounded by it, let's not take it for granted. Science and the experts who champion it deserve to be celebrated — and that's exactly what happens at events like the World Science Festival Brisbane. This annual event series, taking place between Friday, March 15 and Sunday, March 24, puts the top experts from every field front and centre to talk about the wonders and mysteries of science, both the fun and important kinds. With the 2024 iteration of the World Science Festival just around the corner, here are eight events we are not going to miss. 'An Afternoon of Science' with Leigh Sales, Annabel Crabb and guests — Saturday, March 23 If there are two hosts suited to lead a discussion about the all-encompassing joys and wonders of all things scientific, it's these two entertaining, intelligent women. Leigh Sales needs no introduction; anyone who has paid attention to the news in Australia in the past ten years will recognise her and that oh-so-familiar ABC anchor voice. Joining her is an equally influential name in media, commentary and creativity: Annabel Crabb. Together, the two of them host a much-loved podcast and have recently co-authored a book, but for WSFB they'll lead a conversation with some yet-to-be-announced special guests about everything exciting happening in science. Buy tickets now. 'ADA' by Karina Smigla-Bobinski — Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 24 For something interactive, it's worth considering Curiocity Brisbane and its range of artworks running alongside WSFB 2024. Chief among them is an interactive piece titled ADA at the Cultural Forecourt in South Bank. On the surface, it's a white room containing a floating plastic orb, an orb that bears several charcoal sticks and an open encouragement for visitors to push it around as they please. The idea of the piece is more nuanced. In giving it a nudge, you contribute to the growing web of markings on the walls, ceiling and floor as the orb moves around the room. It's a lovely callback to the earliest form of human communication: drawing on the walls. It's also a tribute by German artist Karina Smigla-Bobinski to Ada Lovelace, a visionary figure in early computing. Buy tickets now. 'Cultivating the Future of Food' with Rhianna Patrick and guests — Thursday, March 22 As entertaining as a floating orb of charcoal pencils is, it's not exactly something that the future of humanity depends on. A much more significant subject in that realm of interest is the issue of food; rather, the increasing risk of food shortages in a future shaped by climate change. That's the issue on hand for this panel of experts, led by Torres Strait Islander journalist and broadcaster Rhianna Patrick. The First Nations people of Australia (and the world) have championed sustainable food practices since the dawn of civilisation so what can we take from that knowledge and apply to the future? Patrick and her guests, Suzanne Thompson and Madonna Thompson, will lead an insightful discussion to address that question. Buy tickets now. 'The Earth Above: A Deep Time View of Australia's History' — March 15 to March 24 One of the most popular destinations during WSFB is the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, famous for its immersive dome cinema. This year, the starring show is a movie-length visual presentation on the huge dome screen, one that charts 140,000 years of Australian natural and cultural history. To explore that history, audiences will be transported to four locations across the country: Girraween Lagoon on Larrakia and Wulna Country near Darwin; Cloggs Cave on GunaiKurnai Country in Victoria's Gippsland region; Lake Mungo in NSW on the land of the Barkandji/Paakantyi, Ngiyampaa and Mutthi Mutthi people; and Jiigurru (Lizard Island) on the Great Barrier Reef, which is sacred to many, including the Dingaal people. Buy tickets now. 'Night of the Nerds' — Saturday, March 23 'Night of the Nerds' is a WSFB tradition, regularly adding a splash of hilarity to the festival program. In essence, it's a quiz show starring Aussie comedians and scientists putting their combined knowledge to the test. Hosted by whip-smart comedian Mark Humphries, two teams will enter but only one can be crowned nerds supreme. The games will star Chaser comedian Craig Reucassel, broadcaster Nate Byrne and astrophysicist Kirsten Banks, Professor Paul Young, Dr Naomi Koh Belic and more. The night will also feature a band comprised of Brisbane music luminaries like The Grates' Patience Hodgson, Velociraptor's Georgie Browning, Ball Park Music's Jen Boyce and Paul Furness, and Simi Lacroix. Buy tickets now. 'Social Science' — Friday, March 22 Another WSFB favourite, 'Social Science', is an after-dark transformation of the Queensland Museum into a space of celebration where art and science become one. Grab a science-themed cocktail from the bar and explore the museum to find one of the many free workshops and activities scattered across level two of the museum. Explore and you'll find a fashion show, live podcast recording, a drag show, live painting, an insect-pinning workshop, multiple dancefloors and after-dark entry to two of the museum's most popular exhibits: The Hatchery and Jurassic World by Brickman®. Buy tickets now. 'Life on Mars' with Graham Phillips and guests — Friday, March 22 For as long as humans have existed, we've been fascinated by the night sky. How could we not be? That beautiful mosaic has enchanted and inspired us, and as technology has taken us higher, we've started to explore it more and more. In this expert-led panel, astrophysicist and science journalist Graham Phillips will lead a conversation about the mysteries of the universe as we know them in 2024. Joining him will be Professor Tamara Davis, an accomplished astrophysicist who will share her knowledge on dark energy and the continuing expansion of the universe; Professor Kathleen Campbell, a leading expert on astrobiology who can offer insights on the ongoing search for alien life — and finally Professor Martin Van Kranendonk, an expert in early Earth research and how that can help us explore our solar system. Buy tickets now. 'Space Rocks to Moon Rocks: Paths to Life in the Solar System' — Saturday, March 23 If the solar system and the mysteries of the universe is exactly your kind of jam, then this is the unmissable event for you. Over the past few years, NASA has been set on answering fundamental questions like how our solar system came to be, how life on earth was sparked, and more. To do so, three famous missions were launched: Osiris Rex, Artemis and Perseverance Rover. What samples of the universe have these expeditions sent home? What can we learn? Discussing these questions and what this means for our many questions will be a panel made up of Professor Brian Greene, astrobiologist David Flannery and planetary researcher Phil Bland, three experts who together will do their best to chart the story of our planetary neighbourhood. Buy tickets now. World Science Festival Brisbane runs from Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 24. For more information or to book tickets to one of the events, visit the website.
When Felons Brewing Co opened at Howard Smith Wharves, it gave Brisbane a brand new hangout spot with plenty of beer to drink. The brewery was the first of the precinct's bars and restaurants to welcome customers. It's also marked the city's first riverside brewery — and plenty of people have been sinking hoppy beverages with one mighty fine view of the water, the Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point and the CBD ever since. Felons serves up brews made on the premises, with an Australian pale ale, crisp lager, middy and IPA always on tap — and a sparkling cider, too. A rotating array of other beers are also on offer, as well as a wine list; however, Felons' other big highlight is its food. Think shucked oysters, prawns rolls, hot burgers and woodfired pizzas, as well as mains that range from coral trout to crumbed veal and chicken parmigiana a 350-gram rib eye. From the dessert selection, the thin and crispy apple tart is a standout — and so is the sticky date pudding with butterscotch and vanilla bean gelato. Making one of HSW's heritage-listed sheds its home, Felons wants everyone to know that it's there — so much so that you can spot its name on the brewery's roof from afar. The black-lettered sign is designed to be a landmark that can be seen from the air, and measures 47 metres long and five metres tall. It's also a nod to the site's past, with the wharves' old warehouses decked out the same way back in the day. When HSW's other two sheds open, they'll do the same thing. Updated August 25, 2021.
Brighton-based experimental sextet The Go! Team are touching down in Australia this month for their Groovin’ The Moo appearances, and they’re also bringing the party to our capital cities to promote their most recent long-player, Rolling Blackouts. If you didn’t know it yet, The Go! Team are good at making people dance. Their live performances deliver that unshakeable feeling of needing to tear up the dance floor with the Team’s eclectic genre cocktail (“indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of blaxploitation and Bollywood soundtracks, double dutch chants, old school hip hop and distorted guitars” – thanks Wikipedia, you took the words right out of my mouth) and energy-driven instrumental arrangements,. This musical explosion of sound goes down best with a side of Purple Sneakers DJs, who will be joining the group on tour – so if you know what’s best for you, you’ll be heading down to The Zoo this Tuesday night to get your fix. Ready, steady, Go!
Who hasn't faced an ordinary but rather annoying problem — dealing with your neighbours or planning for a party, perhaps — and dreamed of how different things must have been years, decades and even centuries ago? We all have, but most of us haven't taken those historical fantasies and turned them into a one-woman show. Jenny Wynter's Viking Mama isn't just about catharsis, but about comedy and cabaret as well. In fact, it's an amusing rock opera that has been hyped by both Frank Woodley and Katie Noonan. Yes, it is safe to say it has both the amusing and the musical side of things covered. Just don't go in expecting anything like TV's Vikings, i.e. the television program about power grabs, feuding warriors and family squabbles that doesn't feature dragons. Instead, you'll explore a day in the life of a mother coping with the usual ups and downs, because vikings had to deal with everyday troubles and struggles, too.
Visitors along Victoria's legendary Great Ocean Road who are planning to swing by the famous Great Apostles will soon have to have a card or cash ready — the legendary coastal landmark is enacting an entry tax for visitors in a controversial new decision from the Victorian government announced on Monday. Attached to the upcoming Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre, a construction project costing $128 million that's set to open up at the end of the year, the new entry fee is intended to go towards the centre's upkeep, as well as funding ongoing upkeep and restorations to beaches and other landmarks in the Great Ocean Road region. Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos explained that "We're investing in the future of the Great Ocean Road region and making sure every single cent spent in the region stays there," adding that "It's only fair that visitors to the region pay a small fee to visit this world-class destination so that we can maintain it for future generations." [caption id="attachment_1081243" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] iStock[/caption] The exact cost of the new fee is yet to be determined, but will be decided in consultation with local councils, traditional owners and businesses throughout southwest Victoria. Locals and members of the Eastern Maar community will not be charged. To help mitigate the flow of visitors (according to the ABC, on average, two million of the Great Ocean Road's typical six million tourists visit the Twelve Apostles), a new booking system will also be enacted to guarantee parking at peak times. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Chair, Andrew Jeffers, said "Managing visitation at the Twelve Apostles will help protect the landscape, support local communities, reduce congestion and ensure visitors have a much better experience when they come to see one of Australia's most iconic natural attractions," adding that many natural landmarks around Australia and the world now charge entry fees. Expectedly, many are unhappy about the change. When The Guardian shared the news, one commenter wrote "I don't mind a fee for visitors, like most National Parks in the USA and Canada charge, but I think Victorian residents should be exempt," while one user in 9 News Melbourne's comments section added pointedly "I'm only paying if I can see all 12 of them." [caption id="attachment_1081244" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] iStock[/caption]
Get your shopping done under twinkling lights while surrounded by real (not plastic) Christmas trees. No, this isn't a festive dream — it's the reality of the South Bank Christmas Markets. Carol singers and other performers also help add to the mood, though they can't steal the show from the most important part of the proceedings: the wares on offer at the rows of stalls. From 11am daily, you'll find handmade toys, jewellery and other trinkets just begging to be given as gifts, as well as tasty treats to add to your Christmas feast. Yep, everyone's a winner here.
If you want to devour something a little different, be sure to check out Scrumptious Reads. Born out of a passion for food and books it is the perfect place to fuel your cookbook obsession and inpsire an appetite for the kitchen. A visit to this specialty culinary bookstore is sure to satisfy any hunger for gastronomical literature. Beyond the books, the store acts as a hub for the Brisbane foodie community, hosting culinary events such as wine master classes, and food and beverage pairing dinners.
Europe's chilly weather has already been and gone for the year — and no one can currently leave Australia to take a holiday, anyway — but, Brisbanites, you can still hit up a festive winter market. Taking place in the Tamborine Mountain area between Friday, June 18–Sunday, June 20, Evergreen Festival will make you feel like you've ventured far, far away. That's the aim, at least. The mulled wine will surely help. When you're not wandering around the market and shopping for food to eat straight away — including cannoli — plus knickknacks to take home with you, you can also sip steamy, stomach-warming vino at the Scandinavian-inspired dining village. It'll be doing a number of different dinner options, including a three-course feast using fresh produce from the Scenic Rim. And if you're wondering about the theme, it'll come through in the furnishings. Entry to the market will be free, but everything else will obviously require your wallet. Expect trees adorned with lights to really set the mood — and live entertainment as well.
Last-minute shopping, over-indulging at celebratory shindigs, and pretending not to be annoyed about receiving another pair of socks: they’re each part of every Christmas. For kids and adults alike, so is many a seasonal-themed movie. If it has Santa or Christmas in the title, it is optimal viewing at this time of year. The folks at South Bank certainly think so, and have thrown together a Christmas Cinema Series brimming with festive spirit. These free films aren’t just for families. Any Yuletide movie held under Brisbane’s starry skies and on the shores of Streets Beach at this summery time of the season is perfect for, well, everyone. Pack a picnic, bring your beach towel, and enjoy everything from Jingle All the Way’s ‘90s stylings to the classic treat that is Miracle on 34th Street. That’s not all, with The Muppets Christmas Carol, Elf, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone and more among a positively jovial and jolly selection of childhood classics gracing the waterside big screen.
Some people love last-minute New Year's Eve plans, going wherever the mood takes them. Others can't start planning early enough. If you fall into the latter category, here's something for your calendar: the return of end-of-year staple Lost Paradise, which turns a slice of Glenworth Valley on the New South Wales Central Coast an hour out of Sydney into one helluva shindig. There's no lineup as yet, but you can mark Saturday, December 28, 2024–Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in your diary now. This multi-day fest includes live music and DJ sets spanning both international and Australian talents, and regularly sells out — 2023's fest did. [caption id="attachment_965685" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Jordan K Munns[/caption] Tunes are just one part of the Lost Paradise experience. Art, culture, wellness, and food and drink also get a look in, with the 2024 event set to include a lineup of yoga and healing arts, and also workshops covering fashion, sustainability and more. So, you can not only farewell one year and see in the next with a party, but by relaxing, feasting and learning something. Last year's lineup will give you an idea of the usual mix of musicians, with 2023 ending with help from headliners Flume, Dom Dolla and Foals, alongside Basement Jaxx, Bicep and Carl Cox on the decks. Other notable names included local festival favourites like Lime Cordiale, PNAU, Winston Surfshirt, Royel Otis and Sycco; pop heavyweight Holly Humberstone; 'Afraid to Feel' hitmakers LF System; and international dance mainstays Kettama, Barry Can't Swim, Ewan McVicar and Yung Singh. [caption id="attachment_965687" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Byravyna[/caption] Since first unleashing its specific flavour of festival fun back in 2014, Lost Paradise has become a go-to way to wrap up one year and embrace the next — including if you're keen to camp for its duration. Just as in 2023, this year's Lost Paradise is also opting to steer away from a traditional first-, second- and third-release ticket strategy. Instead, ticket prices gently increase in accordance with demand, while maintaining fair market pricing. [caption id="attachment_965686" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Amar Gera[/caption] [caption id="attachment_965688" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Byravyna[/caption] Lost Paradise returns to Glenworth Valley, New South Wales from Saturday, December 28, 2024–Wednesday, January 1, 2025. To sign up for presale tickets, head to the festival's website — with general tickets set to go on sale in August. We'll update you when the lineup is announced. Images: Jess Bowen, Jordan K Munns, Byravyna and Amar Gera.
Mention the name Weird Al Yankovic and a pop parody song likely slips into your head. Maybe you're now humming 'Eat It' to yourself, or 'My Bologna' — or perhaps 'Like a Surgeon', 'Another One Rides the Bus', 'Smells Like Nirvana' and 'Amish Paradise' are echoing in your brain. They're some of the musical-comedy tunes the singer is famous for, but they won't be getting a workout on his just-announced 2023 tour. First, the exciting news: Weird Al is heading to Australia in March, hitting up Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane on a five-show whirl around the country. Next, the possibly surprising news: The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, as it's called, isn't about playing Yankovic's satires of other well-known songs. Instead, the musician is swapping his usual parodies for his other musical-comedy standouts across his 14-album catalogue. Clearly, he has plenty of tracks to choose from — and they'll all be played with his original band of four decades in an intimate, stripped-down show. Don't go expecting costumes, props or video screens, either. AUSTRALIA, here I come!!! #TheUnfortunateReturnOfTheRidiculouslySelfIndulgentIllAdvisedVanityTour comes to Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane in March 2023! https://t.co/o0riivPZ37 — Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) November 27, 2022 This deep cut-focused tour follows Yankovic's successful 2018 and 2022 North American Vanity Tours, which featured sold-out performances at The Kennedy Centre and Carnegie Hall. In Australia, he'll be joined by comedian Emo Philips, his The Vidiot From UHF co-star, at gigs at the Palais Theatre, Norwood Concert Hall, Enmore Theatre, Perth's Astor Theatre and QPAC. "I don't very often get an opportunity to tour outside of North America, so it's a huge thrill for me to come back to Australia and play a bunch of songs that most people would rather not hear." Al said, announcing the tour. His trip Down Under follows the release of comic biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which isn't currently available in Australia — but Yankovic has thoughts on how to see it. WEIRD AL YANKOVIC'S THE UNFORTUNATE RETURN OF THE RIDICULOUSLY SELF-INDULGENT, ILL-ADVISED VANITY TOUR 2023: Friday, March 10 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne Monday, March 13 — Norwood Concert Hall, Adelaide Wednesday, March 15 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Saturday, March 18 — Astor Theatre, Perth Monday, March 20 – QPAC, Brisbane Weird Al Yankovic is touring Australia in March 2023. Tickets go on sale at 11am local time on Friday, December 2 — head to the tour website for further details.
Think you've seen it all when it comes to wedding fairs? Think again — this one's a little less about the dress and a little more suited for, well, suits. Groom Fest will unite around 40 wedding vendors from all over Australia to concentrate on those who need a snappy three-piece suit and a pocket square to top it all off — the grooms of the world. There'll be much to see in the way of men's fashion, not to mention suiting, styling and grooming advice, with a barber setting up shop to do live hairstyling demonstrations. Model and rugby player Luke Casey will play MC for the day, while you wander through the stalls and get that special day sorted. To help you sail even closer to being your smoothest self, live panel sessions will cover everything from delivering a killer wedding speech to nailing that daunting first dance. There'll be plenty of food and drinks on offer, including gin tastings from Sydney-based distillery Archie Rose and live music performances from The White Tree Band (to help settle that band-versus-DJ argument once and for all). The event is open to all (not just grooms), so round up the troops for a two-hour wedding planning power session. All attendees will score a free goodie bag filled with items from Hunter Lab, a free Hello May magazine and the official Pocket Groom's Guide, written and produced exclusively for the event. Groom Fest will take place from 7.30–9.30pm on Sunday, March 31 at The Brooklyn Standard. Entry is free but RSVPs are essential — and you can add a donation to Movember at check-out if you wish. To reserve your ticket, head this way. Images: The White Tree.
"Show me what you got!" someone will yell at Shady Palms after 6.30pm on Thursday, November 21. Don't worry, armaheadon isn't here — but you will want to get schwifty. The tune Rick and Morty came up with to appease song-loving aliens and save the earth is bound to come up. It's a Rick and Morty trivia night, after all. Channelling your inner Rick is recommended if you want to slay your trivia foes — and, like Rick, that probably means drinking a few sangrias as well. While you're living it up like an eccentric scientist and his constantly distressed teenage grandson, answering questions and showing your Rick-tastic knowledge, Man vs Bear will be overseeing the fun. (And, helping you forget that while the fourth season of the series has finally dropped in America, an Australian release date is nowhere to be found as yet.) Naturally, if your response to every trivia question is "nobody belongs anywhere, nothing exists on purpose, everybody's gonna die," we're guessing it'll probably be accepted. Donning some brown pants and a white lab coat is optional. Be there, or be Jerry.
Almost three decades ago, in a movie that's still as beloved now as it was then — and keeps throwing new franchise instalments at the big screen, too — Richard Attenborough uttered four iconic words. "Welcome to Jurassic Park," the actor said in-character as the dinosaur-filled theme park's owner John Hammond. That phrase has been repeated countless times since, and will always be linked to the Attenborough name. Of course, Richard Attenborough isn't the only famous figure in his family. The now-late actor and filmmaker's younger brother happens to be none other than David Attenborough — and now he's showing dinosaurs some love, too. No, you won't find him in the new Jurassic World flick; however, he will be lending his voice to a five-part natural history series about the prehistoric creatures right before Jurassic World Dominion reaches cinemas. If you'd listen to David Attenborough narrate anything and you're always fascinated by dinos — and yes, both of those apply to pretty much everyone — then Apple TV+'s Prehistoric Planet will be a must-see. With a name that falls in line with the broadcaster, biologist and natural historian's past shows The Living Planet, State of the Planet, The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet II, Our Planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet and Green Planet (as well as Planet Earth and Planet Earth II, plus documentary David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet), it'll look backwards at what the earth was like 66 million years ago. Obviously, CGI will feature heavily, but combined with wildlife filmmaking and paleontology learnings. Accordingly, get ready to discover little-known and surprising facts of dinosaur life, step through the environments of Cretaceous times, see how the Tyrannosaurus rex parented, and explore the ancient creatures of both the sea and sky. That's what Prehistoric Planet will cover across five episodes, which'll drop daily on Apple TV+ across Monday, May 23–Friday, May 27. While David Attenborough's voice is always music to anyone's ears, Hans Zimmer will be adding rousing score to the show — fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune. And if you're wondering about the photorealistic imagery that's bringing dinosaurs to life, filmmaker Jon Favreau is one of the Prehistoric Planet's executive producers, and the effects company behind his versions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King is doing the CGI honours. Check out Prehistoric Planet's first teaser trailer and a sneak peek video below: Prehistoric Planet will hit Apple TV+ across Monday, May 23–Friday, May 27, with a new episode available to stream each day.
Green Island is the quintessential destination for the rainforest and ocean combo that Tropical North Queensland is famous for. As the name suggests, it's the only cay in the Great Barrier Reef that boasts a rainforest as well as pristine sands. Plus, Ocean Free is the only tour operator in Cairns that offers a personal sailing reef and island tour. Ocean Free provide a tour with an exclusive reef mooring at the island. Taking a highly personalised approach, Ocean Free lets you decide how to spend your day. Snorkel straight off the boat, try your hand at an introductory dive or spend the day exploring the island's rainforest. Then, return aboard Ocean Free to relax and marvel at Green Island over a smorgasbord lunch.
For some, it can be hard to believe that the Queensland floods were over a year ago now. Our community was brought together so quickly to repair the damages that our broken riverbank that within a week following the floods, Brisbane was almost back to how it was before the rain began. Almost. While a lot of the city is back to its original state, there are still many reminders of what happened last January. The Queensland Museum was one of the buildings heavily affected by floods. Closed for much of last year, it has recently reopened to be even better than before. In memorandum of past events, the Museum, in partnership with ABC Open, have curated Bouncing Back From Disaster, a display of artifacts and stories from Queenslanders discussing the impacts of the floods. It’s an honest, hard-hitting exhibition that resonates and relates to everyone in our river city.
Leonardo DiCaprio making his first movie in four years, a swaggering Brad Pitt spitting out wry dialogue, 60s showbiz laid bare, and Australians Margot Robbie and Damon Herriman playing Sharon Tate and Charles Manson — it must be Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. One of 2019's most anticipated titles, the acclaimed filmmaker's ninth stint behind the camera travels back five decades to tell the tale of fading TV star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), his trusty stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt), his neighbour Tate (Robbie) and an industry that's changing fast. Set in Los Angeles in 1969, it's a story that charts the end of Hollywood's golden age, the Manson Family murders and everything going on around Tinseltown at the time. Tarantino loves jumping into the past — thanks to Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, this is his fourth consecutive period piece — but he might've found his ideal niche. For this journey back to fame, fortune and crime gone by, he's also amassed a who's who of the film's titular town. Get ready — it's a long list. Tarantino regulars Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Zoe Bell and Michael Madsen all feature, as well as Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Al Pacino, Timothy Olyphant, James Marsden and the late Luke Perry. Nodding not only to Hollywood's past and present, but to its future, up-and-comers Maya Hawke and Rumer Willis also pop up (they're the daughters of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, respectively). Basically, Tinseltown today delves into Los Angeles' darker days, a behind-the-scenes Hollywood caper meets US crime history, and Tarantino might've taken some inspiration from the Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar! — at least if the ace and amusing initial teaser for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is any indication. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival — with Variety reporting it received a six-minute standing ovation — and will release worldwide from late July. Check out the first full trailer below: https://youtu.be/ELeMaP8EPAA Once Upon a Time in Hollywood releases in Australian cinemas on August 15.
If you're a fan of author, comedian and NPR humorist David Sedaris, then you'll know that he's a frequent visitor Down Under. Missed him on his last trip in 2023? 2025 is your latest chance to experience his snappy wit, as well as his discerning and astute ability to observe life's moments — both trivial and extraordinary — in both an observational and unique way. This is Sedaris' seventh trip Down Under, spanning stops in both Australia and New Zealand — including at Brisbane Powerhouse on Thursday, February 13–Friday, February 14. If you haven't seen Sedaris live before, his shows are part of the reason that he's built up such a following. Onstage, he regularly weaves in new and unpublished material, too — and the satirist will throw it over to the crowd for a Q&A as well, and also sign copies of his books. [caption id="attachment_862849" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Fishbein[/caption] Sedaris has more than a few tomes to his name, so you have options for him to scribble on, including Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso, Theft by Finding, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice, Naked and Barrel Fever. Sedaris is equally celebrated for his constant This American Life appearances and must-read pieces in The New Yorker, and boasts everything from the Terry Southern Prize for Humor and Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor to the Time Humorist of the Year Award among his accolades. If you've been searching for a supportive environment to use the phrase "how very droll", this is it. [caption id="attachment_862850" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Fishbein[/caption] Top images: Jenny Lewis, Prudence Upton.
First, Boy Swallows Universe was a must-read book by Trent Dalton, spinning a tale about a young boy, his prophetic brother and his jailbreaking best friend as they navigate the heroin-filled underworld of 80s Queensland. Then, the Brisbane-set story became one of 2021's stage hits, earning admirers new and old while treading the boards. Next, it's about to become your next must-binge homegrown show, with Netflix announcing a streaming adaptation of the award-winning book earlier in 2022. If you've been wondering since how the latter might turn out, the platform has just dropped more details — and some behind-the-scenes photos. You can stop your fan casting, because unveiling which famous faces are taking on the novel's characters is Netflix's new news. It's a hefty list, with the eight-part limited series set to star Travis Fimmel (Raised by Wolves) as Lyle Orlik, Simon Baker (Blaze) as Robert Bell and Phoebe Tonkin (Bloom) as Frances Bell — as well as Felix Cameron (Penguin Bloom) as Eli Bell, plus Lee Tiger Halley (The Heights) as Gus Bell. Also nabbing parts: Bryan Brown (Hungry Ghosts) as Slim Halliday, Anthony LaPaglia (Nitram) as Tytus Broz, and Sophie Wilde (Eden) as Caitlyn Spies, plus Christopher James Baker (Ozark) as Ivan Kroll, HaiHa Le (Back to the Rafters) as Bich Dang and Deborah Mailman (Total Control) as Poppy Birkbeck. And, you'll see Ben O'Toole (Barons) as Teddy, Zachary Wan (Never Too Late) as Darren Dang, and Millie Donaldson and Eloise Rothfield as Shelley Huffman (aged 17 and 13, respectively). Exactly when the series will hit your queue still hasn't yet been revealed, but it's scripted by screenwriter John Collee (Master and Commander, Happy Feet, Hotel Mumbai), and the show's executive producers include Troy Lum (The Water Diviner, Saving Mr Banks, Mao's Last Dancer), Andrew Mason (The Matrix, The Water Diviner), Sophie Gardiner (Howard's End, Chimerica), Kerry Roberts (Foe, Boy Erased), and Aussie actor and filmmaker Joel Edgerton (The Underground Railroad, The Green Knight). On directing duties: Bharat Nalluri (The Man Who Invented Christmas), Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker) and Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket). On the page, Boy Swallows Universe has snagged a slew of local awards, including Book of the Year, Literary Book of the Year and Audio Book of the Year at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards. The novel, which has sold a hefty amount of copies in Australia alone — 160,000 in 2019, when the play was announced — was also longlisted for Australia's most prestigious literature prize, the Miles Franklin Award. And, while bringing Boy Swallows Universe to the screen has been in the works for some time — with Harper Collins selling the television rights to the novel back in 2019, and Edgerton set to produce the show since then — if you've been waiting to actually lock your eyes on a Boy Swallows Universe series, now it's finally happening. Boy Swallows Universe will hit Netflix as an eight-part series sometime in the near future. We'll update you with further information, including a release date, when it's announced. Images: Netflix.
"Think of a powerful memory. Make it the happiest you can remember." They're Daniel Radcliffe's words, uttered in the opening moments of the trailer for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts — and, just like the title for this HBO reunion special, they say it all. First announced in November, and headed to Binge in Australia on Saturday, January 1 and TVNZ On Demand in New Zealand on Sunday, January 2 — to start 2022 off with some magic, obviously — this nostalgic special will celebrate 20 years since the Harry Potter franchise first hit cinemas screens. Yes, HBO is doing with all things wizarding what it did with the cast of Friends earlier this year, in great news for everyone that's been chanting "accio more Harry Potter" for the past decade since the eight-film series wrapped up. Like the Friends special, this one will reteam all of Harry Potter's famous on-screen faces — Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson among them, because it wouldn't be worth going ahead if they weren't involved. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts won't feature anyone in-character; however, they do indeed head back to everyone's favourite wizarding school, as the just-dropped full trailer for the special also shows. Also taking part is filmmaker Chris Columbus, who directed the franchise's first two movies. Plus, you can expect to spot a huge list of other actors from across the series, including Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman and Tom Felton, plus James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Ian Hart. You'll notice some missing names — Maggie Smith and Robert Pattinson, for instance, to name just two — but clearly there'll be a whole lot of HP cast members reminiscing about their time in the wizarding world. Whether you're a muggle, a wannabe witch, or someone who spent far too much of their childhood reading the books and watching the flicks, you'll want to mark 7.01pm AEDT / 6.01pm AEST on Saturday, January 1 in your diary in Australia — and 7pm NZST on Sunday, January 2 in your calendar in New Zealand — as that's when the special will hit locally. In the interim, you can check out the full trailer for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special below: HBO's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special will be available to stream in Australia via Binge from 7.01pm AEDT / 6.01pm AEST on Saturday, January 1, 2022 — and in New Zealand via TVNZ from 7pm NZST on Sunday, January 2. Top image: Binge / Warner Bros Entertainment Inc.
Dance music hits. An orchestra. Combine the two and Ministry of Sound Classical is one end result. For a few years now, this event has been giving Australia what no one probably knew they wanted when Ministry of Sound first started as a London club night back in 1991: tunes that usually fill dance floors performed by classical musicians. If you're a fan of making shapes and you're fond of getting nostalgic, then Ministry of Sound keeps indulging — sometimes by throwing huge 90s and 00s parties that nod back to raves three decades back and club nights at the turn of the century, and sometimes via this orchestral tour that gives bangers from the past 30 years a new live spin. In Australia, the latter is returning before 2025 is out, seeing out spring in Brisbane and Melbourne, then welcoming summer in Sydney and Perth. This year's run kicks off at Victoria Park in the Sunshine State capital on Saturday, November 1, with Sneaky Sound System headlining. Conducted by Vanessa Perica and with DJ Groove Terminator on backing duties, the Ministry of Sound Orchestra takes pride of place, of course. Then, Cassius is heading Down Under from France to front the fun on Saturday, November 29 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne — as well as on Saturday, December 6 at The Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, plus on Friday, December 12 at Kings Park & Botanic Garden in Perth. Other than the orchestra, the lineup varies per city, spanning both international and Australian names. Judge Jules is on the bill in Melbourne and Sydney, for instance, while Tall Paul is also joining in in Sydney — and so is A.Skillz, who has a date with Perth as well. Dirty South is another talent with a date with Brisbane. John Course, Kid Kenobi, Mell Hall and Minx are on the roster, too, plus local names at each of Ministry of Sound Classical's 2025 stops. As for vocalists, expect Reigan, Karina Chavez, Rudy, Lady Lyric and Luke Antony. Ministry of Sound Classical is calling 2025's run a summer dance music festival — even if half of its dates are the month prior — which means that a curated food and bar lineup is also on offer. Sydney will score three stages, while Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth will also feature a silent disco. As for the soundtrack, the event surveys tunes that've packed dance floors over Ministry of Sound's existence — so you just might hear classical renditions of Basement Jaxx, Darude, Röyksopp, Robin, Underworld, Moby, Fisher and more played by its orchestra. Ministry of Sound Classical 2025 Dates Saturday, November 1 — Victoria Park, Brisbane Saturday, November 29 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Saturday, December 6 — The Entertainment Quarter, Sydney Friday, December 12 — Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth Ministry of Sound Classical 2025 Lineup (varies per city) Cassius Judge Jules Sneaky Sound System Tall Paul A.Skillz Dirty South John Course Kid Kenobi Mell Hall Minx 2025's Ministry of Sound Classical tour will pop up across Australia in November and December. For further details and tickets — with presales from Tuesday, June 17 at 12pm AEST, then general sales from Wednesday, June 18 at the same time — head to the tour website. Images: Ruby Boland, Ashlea Caygill and Jack Dullard.
After scaring the shit out of us with an overnight cable car stay (without giving us a toilet), and waking us up with puppies in the middle of IKEA, Airbnb have yet again allowed us to stay in a jaw-droppingly novelty place. But this time, it's only two hours from Sydney and it's a cave. A real cave, all to yourself. A new listing in Bell, near the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, called Hatter's Hideout and Lodge, is up for rental grabs on Airbnb. The stay comes with two parts. On one hand, you're privy to a unique hand-built lodge on eight private acres of lush Blue Mountains wilderness, stocked with every last essential (kitchen, heating, internet, barbecue) and boasting panoramic views across Mount Wilson, Wollemi National Park and the World Heritage Area. On the other hand? You're the proud overseer of the 'Hat Cave' — a 20 metres high, wide and deep cave with "similar size and shape to a small shell of the Sydney Opera house (with better acoustics!)" according to the listers. Self-described as 'an ideal bushland retreat for modern cave dwellers (troglodytes)', the cave has been developed super carefully using minimal impact construction to maintain the environment as much as possible. The 25-metre-high cave opening faces north west, and you're protected from the elements by a friendly grove of coachwood trees. The owners will provide you with campfire kindling and wood, a gas barbecue, esky, tables and chairs, solar powered lights, candles, first aid kit, cooking utensils, and rainwater on tap — basically they've thought of everything your city slicker ass would forget otherwise. You'll even get a firsthand introduction to the surrounds with a 'Bush Walk and Talk', so you know exactly what's up with your newfound bush home. All you need to do is brush up on your acoustic 'Wonderwall' and you're home and hosed. The Hideout lodge can sleep up six people but you can fit in a bunch more if you're camping in the cave — perfect for a matey weekend getaway or hens night to forget. Obviously, it's a cave, so it's not the cheapest stay on the national park block. On weekends you're looking at $690 for two people for two nights (+ $55 extra adult per night), midweek it goes down to $495 for two people for two nights (+ $55 extra adult per night). But. Cave. For more info or to lock in your holiday cave, head over here.
