When it comes to organising birthday parties, it's easy to understand why even the best-laid plans often turn into a defeated and last-minute 'meet me at the same bar we go to every weekend at the normal time we go there' situation. Conflicting schedules, differing interests and varying spending capabilities all play a part in making anything other than another simple dinner and drinks session sound like a nightmare option. But don't despair, to make things easier for you, we've found the best places in Brisbane to unleash your inner child and have the kind of birthday you've been dreaming of since you were a kid. Plus, with Suncorp's Platinum Credit Card*, you can earn extra points for every dollar you spend on the celebration of your existence — from the decadent birthday cake (you deserve it) to the candles on top. From designing your own t-shirts to belting out tunes in a 70s-themed karaoke room, each of these eight spots will have you counting down the days 'til your next big bash. [caption id="attachment_669756" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] DESCEND INTO NETHERWORLD FOR VINTAGE ARCADE GAMES AND DRINKS If rows of arcade games and a drinks menu packed with punchy cocktails, like the bubblegum-infused vodka Acid Queen, sounds like fun then it's time you take a trip to Netherworld in Fortitude Valley. Despite its hellish name, the place isn't the local satan-worshippers hangout, but rather a nostalgic arcade bar filled with every game you could ever hope to play. From board games including Settlers of Catan and Battleship to 80s favourites like Atari and Pac Man, there's something for everyone. Once you've roamed all of the venue's three monster-themed rooms, be sure to try one of the juicy burgers at the Buffy-inspired Hellmouth Diner — the beetroot-laden Bunyip Burger is one of the best bites you'll find in Brisbane. HAVE A TEE PARTY AT A BREWHOUSE Okay, we know what you're thinking. A tea party, really? But we're not suggesting you spend your birthday sipping from fine china – although there is something to be said for a hot drink and a nice selection of sugary pastries. At Only T, the world's first t-shirt and tea brewhouse, you can enjoy a good cuppa while also creating your own t-shirt, tee (tote) bag or tee (plant) pot — genius, right? Set in a gorgeous warehouse space in Windsor, this unique creative gathering is held every Friday night and Sunday afternoon, but spaces are limited, so book ahead if you're planning to have a big bash. [caption id="attachment_672989" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts.[/caption] DON YOUR BEST GOLF DIGS FOR A FEW ROUNDS AT HOLEY MOLEY Chances are that if you enjoy fun and games, you've already hit a few holes-in-one at Holey Moley on Warner Street. But thanks to recent renovations, even regular visitors to the multi-level putting green will have plenty of new additions to explore. The converted old church now has Stranger Things, E.T., Dazed and Confused and Uno-themed holes with tongue-in-cheek names like Par for the Corpse, The Loop Hole and Draw Fore, plus two 60s- and 70s-style karaoke rooms to belt out your favourite tunes in. The menu has also received a facelift, with highlights including quirky cocktails like the Duck, Duck Joose, which is served in a mini bathtub with rubber ducks. PLAY FOR KEEPS AT B.LUCKY AND SONS Having a few drinks with your mates is one of life's simple pleasures. But on your birthday, you might want something more — and that's where B.Lucky and Sons comes in. Hidden away behind a pawn shop inside the historic TCB Building, this adults-only arcade bar is brought to you by the same team behind Holey Moley, so you know it's going to be a ripper. Glitzy casino-style chandeliers, lush green ferns and bright red booths are just some of the strange furnishings that give the venue its eclectic vibe. Daytona, Mario Kart and Space Invaders arcade games all make an appearance — except instead of winning something cheap and plastic, you'll get one of the pawn shop's wares, which includes anything from vintage Chanel bags to forgotten vinyls you'd find in your dad's garage. GET BOUNCY AT SKY ZONE'S TRAMPOLINE PARK Sky Zone is not your average trampoline park. The space has hundreds of connected floor and wall trampolines that make up one huge, springy wonderland. You'll be flipping through the air in no time, whether you meant to or not. When you get tired of literally bouncing off the walls, there's also a surreal Alice in Wonderland-themed laser tag area that'll have you ducking and dodging behind giant chess pieces while attempting to overcome your mates (aka enemy combatants). PLAY DIGITAL BEER PONG AT IPONG BRISBANE Yes, technically this one involves drinking — but it's interactive, so we're letting it past. If you've ever been to a house party, then you've probably played some version of beer pong before. For those unfamiliar with the game, players set up cups filled with beer in a triangle pattern (similar to a ten-pin bowling set-up) and attempt to throw ping pong balls into each other's glasses. If you land a ball in one of your opponent's cups, they have to drink the contents. It's usually a pretty good time, and iPONG in MacGregor has taken it up a few notches. Featuring neon-lit tables with crazy sound effects, dazzling lights and smart sensors that track your progress, these high-tech tables take the old-school game to a whole new level. CATCH FREE COMEDY AT BRISBANE POWERHOUSE Love a good laugh? Well, prepare yourself for an hour full of smile-inducing fun at Brisbane Powerhouse's free hour of comedy. Every Sunday from 5pm, a bunch of talented Australian and sometimes international comedians grace the stage to bring you cracking stories and hilarious one-liners that your dad could only dream of thinking up. GET CRAFTY AT MAS & MIEK CERAMIC HOUSE If we learned anything from Demi Moore in Ghost, it's that mucking around with pottery and clay is a surefire way to put a smile on your dial. So, why not grab your closest pals and head over to Mas & Miek Ceramic House's hip warehouse space in Newstead for a beginner-friendly hand-building session? Unfortunately, there'll be no Patrick Swayze encounters, but you will learn how to make your own ceramic household items like cups, plates and even incense holders. Seize the day, make your everyday moments count and get rewarded all the while with Suncorp. *Issued by Citigroup Pty Limited ABN 88 004 325 080 AFSL No. 238098 Australian credit licence 238098. Top Image: Only T.
With their impressive psychedelic-rock sound and glorious attention-grabbing melodies, Deep Sea Arcade is quickly becoming one of the most talked about bands in Australia. With their highly praised album Outlands combining both new and old sounds to create something quite enigmatic, this Sydney-based band has truly established their name as a humble, yet sonically rich group of musicians. Deep Sea Arcade will be performing at The Zoo following an incredible run of touring Australia, USA, UK, Germany, Spain and Japan. The band is currently touring with Sydney punk-pop boys Bluejuice, and head overseas again next month to play at Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival, as well as a string of shows across Europe and The UK. This will be Deep Sea Arcade's last headline Australia tour before they disappear into the studio early next year to record their highly anticipated follow up album. Don't miss out on this undeniably unique band. Check out Deep Sea Arcade's 'Girls'
UPDATE: OCTOBER 3, 2020 — Fast and Furious 9 has moved its release date again, and will no longer hit cinemas on April 1, 2021. Instead, it'll release on May 27, 2021. UPDATE, MARCH 13, 2020: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has announced that Fast and Furious 9 will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, May 21, 2020. It will now release worldwide in April 2021 — including Down Under on April 1, 2021. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Given the Fast and Furious franchise's title, you'd think driving speedily and passionately is what this big-budget film series is all about. Over-the-top car antics play a hefty part, as the 2001 original, its seven sequels to-date and its 2019 spin-off have all shown via a constant onslaught of hectic stunts — but if there's one thing that this Vin Diesel-starring and -produced saga loves just as much as vehicular mayhem, it's family. Over the years, Diesel's Dominic Toretto has extended the term 'family' to include not only his girlfriend-turned wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), her husband Brian (the late Paul Walker) and their various offspring, but their extended motley crew of fast-driving pals as well. Dom talks about family rather often, usually over a few Coronas with said friends and family. The gang has even faced off against a family of adversaries, courtesy of brothers Owen and Deckard Shaw (Luke Evans and Jason Statham), and their mother Magdalene (Helen Mirren). So, when it comes to Fast and Furious 9 — or F9 as it's being called — it's unsurprising that the franchise is leaning heavily on one of its favourite concepts. Somehow, the saga hasn't expended all family-related options just yet, as the just-dropped first trailer for the flick reveals. Not only does the sneak peek begin with Diesel growling "I used to live my life a quarter-mile at a time, but things change" as his character dotes on his young son (who is called Brian, naturally), but it introduces John Cena to the series as Dom's younger brother Jakob. Don't expect a happy sibling reunion, however, with Cena playing the film's villain. Via text on-screen, the trailer also tells viewers that "not all blood is family" — which means that all this flick's outlandish action stunts will pit Dom and the crew against Jakob, who has teamed up with returning criminal mastermind Cypher (Charlize Theron). Basically, they could've called this film Fast and Furious: More Stunts and More Family, which is exactly what the trailer serves up. Of course, that's what's made this franchise a huge box-office success for almost two decades now — and those action scenes, while typically defying logic, physics and gravity, are always expertly, astonishingly and entertainingly choreographed. As well as Diesel, Rodriguez, Brewster, Cena, Theron and Mirren, F9 also stars franchise mainstays Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris, as well as another returning fan favourite that's revealed in the trailer — plus Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel, who joined the series back in 2015's Furious 7 and is now considered part of Dom's family. And, after a two-film absence, the movie marks the return of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 director Justin Lin. The filmmaker is also signed up to helm the upcoming tenth F&F flick, which was always inevitable, and will release just a year after this one hits. Check out the trailer for F9 below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSiDu3Ywi8E&feature=emb_logo F9 was originally due to open in Australian cinemas on May 21, 2020, and then on April 1, 2021; however it'll now release on May 27, 2021. Image: COPYRIGHT © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved
From 1279–1213 BCE, Ramses II ruled over Egypt. When Saturday, November 18 rolls around this year, a collection of items from the pharaoh's rule 3000-plus years ago will gleam in Australia. First announced back in 2021, and now locking in its dates and details, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will display more 181 rare artefacts and treasures at the Australian Museum in Sydney — including sarcophagi, animal mummies, royal masks, jewellery, amulets and other golden items from the ruler's tomb. Focusing on Egypt's third pharaoh from its 19th dynasty — a ruler also known as Ramses the Great, who enjoyed the second-longest reign of any pharaoh, and is considered a symbol of the country's prosperous ancient New Kingdom period — this showcase is set to be big. The Australian Museum has dubbed it the largest cultural collection Down Under in more than a decade, in fact. While the hefty number of objects featured is impressive, so is their rare status; some of the pieces included haven't ever left Egypt before. [caption id="attachment_908639" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World Heritage Exhibitions[/caption] Bringing a slice of history to Australia's shores, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will be filled with items from museums and historical sites in Egypt, which are being loaned to the exhibition by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. Also included: letting attendees enter two of the ruler's monuments — the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, and the temples of Abu Simbel — virtually. [caption id="attachment_908637" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paris Exhibitions[/caption] "Mystery surrounds Egypt's origins, religions and monumental architecture — many of which were built during the reign of Ramses II," said The Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr Mostafa Waziry, who is also an archaeologist, launching the countdown to Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs. "This ability to transcend age and time has ensured the Egyptians have an eternal place in history, and I invite visitors to discover for themselves why Ramses II is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of all time." [caption id="attachment_908641" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World Heritage Exhibitions[/caption] "The AM is thrilled to present these exceedingly rare objects in an exhibition where visitors can appreciate their astonishing beauty and enduring history firsthand. Ancient Egypt holds intrigue and fascination for all age groups, and I know Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs in Sydney will introduce the mystery of the pharaohs to new generations of locals and visitors alike," added Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO. Presented in partnership with World Heritage Exhibitions, Neon and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with support by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and also funding from the NSW Government's Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs heads to Australia after showing in Houston and San Francisco in the US, as well as its current season until September in Paris. Sydney was also meant to celebrate a different Egyptian rule, Tutankhamun, a few years back; however, Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, which was due to bring more than 150 items to the Australian Museum in 2021, was cancelled due to the pandemic. [caption id="attachment_908640" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World Heritage Exhibitions[/caption] [caption id="attachment_908638" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World Heritage Exhibitions[/caption] Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will display at the Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, from Saturday, November 18 until May 2024 — head to the exhibition's website for further details, and tickets from Monday, July 17. Top image: Paris Exhibitions.
You'll know Untitled Group best as the crew behind hit music events such as Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts and Grapevine Gathering. But as it turns out, these guys have some chops when it comes to making top-notch booze, too. They've gone and launched their own vodka brand, Ugly — a new Australian-made spirit crafted from imperfect apples that would otherwise be headed straight to landfill. Made in Melbourne in collaboration with the pre-batched cocktail experts at 80proof Liquor, the new drop is distilled five times to create an extra smooth sip without any residual apple flavour. It uses unwanted fruit sourced from the Goulburn Valley, with the apples containing a starch extract that works similarly to the potatoes in regular vodka. An innovative response to the issue of food wastage, Ugly gives new life to imperfect fruit that would otherwise be chucked out, having not made the cut to end up in the neat piles of good-looking apples at the supermarket. This preference for perfection contributes a huge amount of food waste to landfill, which leads to hefty CO2 emissions. After 80proof co-founder Danny Grant witnessed the impacts first-hand while on his research trips and talking to farmers, he was inspired to create a new drink that would help undo some of the damage. An initial limited-run batch of Ugly has hit shelves, having rescued an estimated 20 tonnes of unwanted apples from heading to landfill. Ugly Vodka clocks in at 40% ABV and is priced at $64.99 RRP. You can grab a bottle online. Images: Michael Woods
Hitchcock had Cary Grant. Kurosawa had Toshiro Mifune. Now, in the modern era, Jaume Collet-Serra has Liam Neeson. The duo have worked together on four films to date: Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night and now The Commuter. This most recent collaboration features all the familar trademarks: Neeson plays Michael MacCauley, a regular, everyday insurance salesman with a complicated past and a fractious family situation, who suddenly finds himself thrust into a high octane, race-against-the-clock scenario complete with double crosses, mysterious messages and plenty of dead bodies. This time around Neeson finds himself on a train. Beyond that, The Commuter runs disappointingly close to the far superior Non-Stop. Just as it was on that terror-threatened plane, Neeson is again tasked with identifying an important passenger about whom he knows nothing. Non-compliance will result in the sudden and violent deaths of those around him. There's an early appearance by a femme fatale (here, the wildly underused Vera Farmiga), a claustrophobic fight scene and, of course, a comically over-the-top climax. But while Non-Stop managed to keep things relatively fresh, The Commuter just feels tired and increasingly incoherent. Collet-Serra's films are often described as modern day B-movies. Whether that's meant as an insult depends on the critic – but either way, it's hard to argue that they don't fit the label. His films are wild rides that focus more on adrenalin than story; Hitchcockian pastiches that thoroughly entertain but don't always hold up under scrutiny. His best film by far is also his most reserved: The Shallows, starring Blake Lively, was a deliciously tense woman-vs-shark thriller that proved to be one of the most enjoyable (and surprising) hits of last year. By comparison, while the filmmaker's collaborations with Neeson have unquestionably borne excellent fruit, their limitations must also be acknowledged. Neeson is a terrific actor with an extraordinary body of work behind him, yet that same gravitas works against him when playing the everyday Joe roles Collet-Serra continues to give him. He's too intense to pull off folksy charm, whilst workmanlike barroom banter ("another day, another dollar") sounds ridiculous coming out of his mouth. The truth is, while Taken remains something of a gold standard in the annals of contemporary action flicks, attempts to replicate it with the same leading man have largely fallen short. The Commuter offers fine entertainment for a switched off brain, but little more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWexI9YiLSc
In a few years, when someone hands you an Australian $5 note, that cold hard cash in your hand will look more than a little different. The nation's banknotes have undergone a makeover in the past few years, with a revamped $5 note doing the rounds since 2016 — but that same denomination is about to get another redesign to replace Queen Elizabeth II. Whether you pay for your coffees with actual money or you barely handle physical coins and notes, every Aussie knows that the late monarch's likeness adorns some of our legal tender, including our $5 note. Accordingly, with the Queen's passing in 2022, we all started wondering two things: whether we'd get a day off (answer: yes) and what's happening to our currency. Now, the Reserve Bank of Australia has announced that the $5 note will replace the portrait of the Queen, but not with King Charles III. Instead, in welcome news, one side of the note will feature "a new design that honours the culture and history of the First Australians". "This decision by the Reserve Bank Board follows consultation with the Australian Government, which supports this change," the organisation said in a statement. "The Bank will consult with First Australians in designing the $5 banknote. The new banknote will take a number of years to be designed and printed. In the meantime, the current $5 banknote will continue to be issued. It will be able to be used even after the new banknote is issued." The other side of the $5 note will remain unchanged, so it'll still boast an image of the Australian Parliament. That design features the Forecourt Mosaic, which is based on Michael Nelson Jagamara's Central Desert dot-style painting Possum and Wallaby Dreaming. As the Reserve Bank's statement makes plain, exactly how the new $5 note design will pay tribute to Australia's Indigenous culture and history hasn't yet been finalised. In the past, Australia's currency has featured imagery of Aboriginal rock paintings and carvings, and designs based on a bark painting by David Malangi Daymirringu, thanks to the original $1 banknote from 1966 — before that denomination was replaced with a gold coin. The Reserve Bank also issued a one-off $10 note as the nation's first-ever polymer banknote in 1988, which highlighted examples of ancient and contemporary Aboriginal art. And, the $50 banknote currently in circulation pays tribute to author, activist, inventor, musician, preacher and Ngarrindjeri man David Unaipon. For more information about Australia's currency and any changes, head to the Reserve Bank of Australia's website.
Sydney restaurateur and pioneering chef Josh Niland is adding yet another gong to his award-laden mantelpiece after winning one of the world's most prestigious laurels for cookbooks. Announced on Saturday, June 8, at an awards ceremony in Chicago, Niland's Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut and Craft was recognised as the Best Restaurant and Professional Cookbook at the James Beard Awards. The book is Niland's third to focus on revealing the innovative techniques behind his revolutionary no-to-low waste approach to seafood, including his radical practice of dry-ageing of fish. Niland beat out fellow Australian chef-authors Mat Lindsay and Pat Nourse, whose book Ester: Australian Cooking was also nominated. [caption id="attachment_771911" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Palmer, from Josh Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook[/caption] Niland is no stranger to the James Beard Awards, which celebrates the world's best cookbook authors, food illustrators, book designers, publishers and food journalists. This most recent win is his third to date, having already scooped the coveted Book of the Year Award in 2020 for his in-print debut The Whole Fish Cookbook, which also took out the Best Restaurant and Professional Cookbook category that same year. Another Aussie was also celebrating a win from this year's James Beard honours. Chinese Australian food writer Hetty Lui McKinnon, who currently lives in New York, won the top prize for Vegetable-Focused Cooking for Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds — her fifth published cookbook. McKinnon underlines the poignancy of her work's title in an Instagram post: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hetty Lui McKinnon 雷瑜 (@hettymckinnon) Niland can boast about many award wins during his career, but the past year has been a particularly decorated period for the Sydney-based chef. In May, Niland's fine diner, Saint Peter — which is migrating from its Paddington address to a new home at the Grand National Hotel next month — was named as the only Australian venue to make it onto the 100-strong longlist of the annual World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, ranking 98th. Also in April, American publication Food & Wine declared Niland's St Leonards restaurant Peterman as the second-best place to eat on the planet — and before that, in October 2023, Niland was named Chef of the Year at the 2024 Good Food Guide Awards. [caption id="attachment_855330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Palmer[/caption] Find the full list of 2024's James Beard Award-winners on the accolades' website. Top image: Allen Benson.
This chat about Talk to Me was meant to be with both of Australia's now world-famous filmmaking twins. But amid a whirlwind past year that's taken Adelaide-born pair Danny and Michael Philippou from a hometown premiere to an international debut at Sundance, then saw their first-ever feature part of a bidding war won by A24, Michael might've accidentally slumbered through our planned rendezvous. The energetic, eager-to-natter Danny is apologetic, and also notes that Michael was a week late to Talk to Me's pre-production, after "he got COVID in Hawaii or something, so he was held back and he couldn't get on the plane". When it comes to getting some shuteye, Michael obviously hasn't watched his own movie lately. There's little snoozing done after seeing this deliciously creepy new Aussie horror standout that's rightly getting the globe's genre lovers buzzing. Now helming 2023's eeriest flick, the Philippous cross over from making viral YouTube videos like Harry Potter VS Star Wars and Driving the World's First Underwater Car as RackaRacka, achieving a dream they've had since they were nine and getting filming in the backyard with their mates. Initially, those aspirations were fed by Goosebumps books, then by getting taken to MA-rated horror flicks. "I remember Michael being really terrified and scared of the remake of Texas Chain Saw Massacre — like he ran out of the cinema, he was so scared," Danny shares. Talk to Me spins its terrors around a helluva concept: an embalmed hand passing dead-and-hating-it spirits into the living's bodies as long as they're giving each other some skin. The film's Aussie teens oblige, including 17-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door), her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen, Joe vs Carole) and the latter's 14-year-old brother Riley (Joe Bird, First Day). More than that, they get high on the experience, turning it into a party game. And, they're as savvy about internet eyeballs as their directors, also turning their possession party footage into social-media content. The movie's irresistible underlying idea initially came from a short film script by Daley Pearson, executive producer of Bluey and Content, although the hand wasn't initially a part of the story. Danny, who co-wrote the feature script with fellow first-timer Bill Hinzman, grasped onto the disturbing limb as a symbol of connection — and it's now impossible to imagine Talk to Me without its cursed appendage. As the film has hopped around the globe leading up to its theatrical release — the Berlin International Film Festival and fellow Germany festival Fantasy FilmFest also screened it, as did South by Southwest in Austin — the response has been anything but damned. Sitting in A24's catalogue alongside The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar and In Fabric, plus X, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Pearl and Beau Is Afraid as well, is no minor feat, either. "The whole thing has just been so crazy and overwhelming, and feels so unbelievable. It's so odd. It just still feels like we're dreaming. It feels so surreal," Danny advises. With Talk to Me opening in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 27, Danny also chatted with Concrete Playground about wanting to direct movies since the twins were kids, crafting a film about connection, the concept of getting possessed to get high, making the leap from YouTube and crew gigs on The Babadook to the big screen, and whether there's more of Talk to Me's nightmares in horror fans' futures. ON THE ORIGINAL FILMMAKING DREAM — AND MAKING IT HAPPEN "It was always our goal from from nine years old, ever since we started making stuff — we always wanted to make films and television. That's always been our dream and our goal and, yeah, you always just picture it and envision it. But it's just happening on such a massive scale now that it still feels unbelievable. I remember we were making stuff all the way through our childhood, and we had this series that we were doing with our best friends. We just did that all the way through high school, like 13 to 18 years old, about ten seasons of this show — and we ended the last couple of seasons with these big movies. On the sixth and final film of this series that we're doing, everyone was losing interest and growing up, everyone was getting jobs, getting girlfriends, doing this, doing that. And then we were just still wanting to do this stuff, and we could only get together on the weekends — and everyone's like 'hey, we don't really want to do this anymore'. So we still needed to find a way to express ourselves creatively, and then we started the internet stuff. Within the first year of RackaRacka, we somehow we we got a million subscribers in the first year, and it just became our careers. But we got carried away doing that. It was so much fun because there's instant gratification of shooting, uploading, shooting, uploading. But we always wanted to return back to the film stuff, and it just happened. In 2018 or 19, we decided to sit down and actually focus on trying to get a film made." ON RECEIVING DALEY PEARSON'S SCRIPT, THEN COMING UP WITH THE HAND "He gave us a short film. It was a comedy-horror about these kids that were having fun with possession, and it was so cool. So I did a pass and made it a bit more serious, and then I inserted the characters that I really loved that I was working on for another project, which was Mia and Riley and Jade. Once I started writing, I couldn't stop — and it was like 80 pages within five days. I sent it over to my co-writer Bill Hinzman. He went through, we started like bouncing back and forth. Probably around the second draft, we found the hand as the device that they're using. Hands and the connections between people was always such a strong motif in the film already, and it fits thematically. I remember this story from when I was 16, and I was in a really bad car accident, and they thought I might have broken my spine. And I had this big cut on my face, I was bleeding everywhere — and I was in hospital, and I was shaking and shaking, and I couldn't stop shaking. And they're putting the heaters on. They're giving me all these blankets. But I just couldn't stop shaking. Then my sister came in to visit me, and she held my hand and the shaking just stopped. It wasn't because I was cold, with the shaking. It was because I was in shock and the touch of someone I loved brought me out of it. And so that always stuck with me, that experience — there was just something powerful to me about human connection. So that was just all the way through the script already, like I'd written so much of it in there. Then we just found that device, in that second pass. It just felt strong." ON THE CONCEPT OF GETTING POSSESSED TO GET HIGH, AND FILMING IT "Another big inspiring point for me was these neighbours we watched grow up. Then one of them, as he was getting older, was experimenting with drugs — and he was on the floor convulsing and having a really negative reaction. And the kids he was with were filming him and laughing at him. I remember seeing that footage, and it really freaking me out. I just tapped into that when I was writing — like, when I saw that footage, that was all the way through this film. And it just feels like what would actually happen. Everyone has such a morbid curiosity and obsession with true crime and the paranormal. People want haunted experiences. They want to do the Ouija board and film it — everything's recorded now. So it just makes sense to me." ON DIVING INTO BUSY HORROR TERRITORY, YET MAKING A MOVIE THAT STANDS OUT "I think that not being scared of the tropes is one thing. And not being ashamed that we're making a horror film — like embracing the horror of it, and embracing the tropes of certain elements and scenes. But also just writing a story that wasn't trying to be a big Hollywood movie, or trying to be like other films. It's writing something that's just personal to me, and to my experience, and my friends' experiences or family's experiences. It's tapping into stuff like my family's history of mental illness, and then exploring that. It was always about writing things that scared me personally. And so that was the way of expressing it, at the table with co-writer Bill Hinzman, it was just tapping at the things that scared us personally. It has to feel unique because it's your own story. And then it has to feel unique with the actors that we got because they were able to put themselves into their characters and completely embody it. It can't feel like anything else, because it's unlike anything else, because it's so personal." ON LEANING INTO SOME HORROR TROPES BUT AVOIDING OTHERS "Even things like their voices changing and and being in a body with someone else, I really love that in in horror. It's even small things like the animal — there's like a trope in horror of the dead animal on the side of the road, and I liked doing our Australian spin on it. And I also like that it just tied so well into the things that we're playing with already. So that's an example of a trope that we embraced. And a trope that we avoided — I didn't want it to get too big and crazy. I didn't want all the lights to go too crazy, be flashing and stuff, be flying around the room, and everyone's hair be blowing everywhere. I wanted the possessions to still be grounded in some sort of reality." ON RACKARACKA AND THE BABADOOK AS PREPARATION FOR MAKING A FEATURE "We had so much experience with so many things, even the makeup effects. Bec Buratto, who would help us with all of our Racka stuff for free, we got on to be the head of department in the film. So it was bringing those people with us as well. But each of those videos, and every project that you do, your experience grows and you learn from everything. So we just learned so much that when it was time to do the film, we'd done VFX before, we'd done special effects makeup, we'd worked with actors, we'd built sets. We know how to communicate what we want to do, and we'd developed our own style. So we weren't going in there not really knowing what we're doing — we'd worked on film sets before, and we'd worked on so many Racka productions that we had a clear voice. We used to do so much work experience and volunteer work on a bunch of different films just to be on set, because we were so obsessed with it. And so when Mike was 19, he'd done a whole bunch of jobs for free, and the producer, one of the line producers, was like 'I'm going to get you a paid job — you can't keep doing this for free'. So he got him his first paid job, which was The Babadook. It was the runner on there, so he drove around Essie Davis and Jennifer Kent. And he was able really able to be on set, and listen and learn, and just to see how sets are navigated and run. Then I was on set just helping out the lighting department. We both, Michael and I, could see how passionate Jen was. And it was one of the first directors, I think the first director that we saw, that cared so much. This wasn't just like a job or just making something to make something. She was making art. And she was putting her soul into it. So that was so inspiring to see someone so passionate, and to live and breathe their project. That rubbed off on us for sure." ON SPENDING MORE TIME IN TALK TO ME'S WORLD "It's so funny — we've written such an in-depth mythology bible about the backstory of the hand, the spirits that are possessing the kids, and there's just so many seeds that we planted. Even when we're writing the first film, I was writing scenes for a second film — and me and the other writer were always discussing it and talking about it. The idea of franchising or doing a sequel is so exciting to us. I'd love the opportunity to do that — that be so, so cool." Talk to Me opens in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on July 27. Read our review.
If you're all about thinking green, living in a more eco-conscious way and doing your utmost for the planet — as we all should be — then you likely already know about Brisbane's Green Heart Fair. Twice a year, the event takes over a leafy public space to celebrate sustainability in every way that it can. On Friday, February 24–Saturday, February 25, however, the Green Heart event program is doing something different. It isn't hosting one of its 2023 fairs yet, but it is coming to Toowong Village. From 9am–5pm each day, this two-day pop-up will set up sustainability displays, offer advice and hand out free plants. Located on the ground floor near Flight Centre, the pop-up makes its Toowong Village debut with information about living a more eco-friendly life, lowering household bills, building flood resilience at home and reducing emissions, Looking for free plants? They're a popular part of the fairs, and they're available at this pop-up as well. There'll be 1000 native plants on offer on a first-come, first-served basis — so get in quick.
Films about war are films about wide-ranging terror and horror: battles that changed lives, deaths that reshaped nations, political fights that altered the course of history and the like. But they're also movies about people first, foremost and forever: folks whose everyday existence was perpetually shattered, including those lost and others left to endure when hostilities cease. Quo Vadis, Aida? is firmly a feature about both aspects of war. It homes in on one town, Srebrenica, in July 1995 during the 1992–95 Bosnian War, but it sees devastation and a human toll so intimate and vast in tandem that heartbreak is the only natural response. A survivor of the war herself, writer/director Jasmila Žbanić (Love Island, For Those Who Can Tell No Tales) knows that combat and conflict happens to ordinary men and women, that each casualty is a life cut short and that every grief-stricken relative who remains will never forget their magic ordeal — and she ensures that no one who watches Quo Vadis, Aida? can forget the Srebrenica massacre, or the fact that 8372 civilians were killed, either. A teacher-turned-interpreter, the eponymous Aida Selmanagic (Jasna Đuričić, My Morning Laughter) is Žbanić's eyes and ears within the demilitarised safe zone established by Dutch UN peacekeepers. The film doesn't adopt her exact point of view aesthetically — we see Aida, and plenty; Quo Vadis, Aida? wouldn't be the same without the tenacity and insistence that radiates from her posture and gaze — but it lives, breathes, feels, roves and yearns as she does. What she translates and for who around the UN base varies but, as she roves, she's primarily a channel between innocents scared for their lives and the bureaucracy endeavouring to keep the Bosnian Serb Army away. She visibly feels the weight of that task, whether speaking for the injured, scared and hungry all crammed into the facility or passing on instructions from her superiors. Aida has a mother's and wife's motivations, however: above all else, she wants her husband Nihad (Izudin Barjović, Father), a school principal, to be with her and to be safe — and the same for their sons Hamdija (Boris Ler, Full Moon) and Sejo (Dino Barjović, Sin), obviously. It's a mission to even get them in the base, with Colonel Karremans (Johan Heldenbergh, The Hummingbird Project) and his offsider Major Franken (Raymond Thiry, The Conductor) determined to not show any appearances of favouritism, especially with so many other refugees pleading to be allowed in outside. But Aida hustles, including getting Nihad sent to negotiations with Serbian General Ratko Mladić (Boris Isaković, Last Christmas) as a town representative. And as the General's brash, cocky, swaggering troops start escorting out the base's inhabitants and putting them onto buses depending upon their gender following those talks, Aida makes every desperate move she can to save her family. Quo Vadis, Aida? equally chronicles and shares Aida's reaction to the chaos and trauma around her. With Nihad, Hamdija and Sejo's lives at stake, the peacekeepers that Aida is helping refusing to assist by expanding the protections she enjoys to her loved ones, and the UN making moves that bow to Mladić — refusing to act otherwise, more accurately — Žbanić's film was always going to bustle forward in lockstep with its protagonist's emotional rollercoaster ride. That said Quo Vadis, Aida? is also an exacting movie in laying bare the complexities bubbling within the base, and the broader scenario. Unflinchingly, it sees how ineffective the UN's actions are, as ordered from far away with no sense of the reality on the ground. It recognises how outnumbered the peace effort is in Srebrenica, too. It spies the ruthlessness of the General and his forces, as was destined to happen when given even the slightest leeway. And it also spots how determined Aida is to safeguard her family, all while hurrying around thousands of others in the same precarious circumstances but without the possibility of anyone even trying to pull strings in their favour. Unlucky not to win the Best International Feature Oscar in 2021, and also nominated for the Best Director BAFTA the same year — losing to Another Year at the former and to Nomadland's Chloé Zhao at the latter — Quo Vadis, Aida? is a taut, rigorous, resonant, unshakeably potent balancing act. Žbanić's narrative works with such a wealth of moving parts, and such a mass of complications within everything that the storyline juggles, that the result is an intricately packed powderkeg of a movie. And, it's a relentless onslaught, always hurtling along like its lead. Quo Vadis, Aida? doesn't flit by too quickly or fail to give attention to everything that needs it, though. Rather, it's an urgent picture poised around something that happened more than a quarter-century back, but will forever demand to be given weight and gravity — as the murder of so many people always should. Žbanić's regular cinematographer Christine A Maier perfects her own balancing act as well, her imagery rushing with Aida but eschewing lensing with anything but a grim, plain, naturalistic air. To look at, the combination is intense and also grounded, evoking the sensation of stepping into the scene as closely as possible. As edited by Cold War and Never Gonna Snow Again's Jarosław Kamiński, similarly with a pace and rhythm to match Aida's, the film is also tense to a heart-pounding, sweat-inducing, nerve-shredding degree. Quo Vadis, Aida? takes its title from the traditional Christian story that states that the apostle Peter, fleeing crucifixion in Rome, passed the risen Jesus and asked him "whither goest thou?"; in Latin, quo vadis? The answer he received: to Rome to be crucified again. Viewers don't need to know that tale going in to feel the depth of the movie's probing, but Žbanić couldn't have given her feature a more meticulous moniker. Amid the empathy and clear-eyed candour that marks the unforgettable Quo Vadis, Aida? again and again — as Aida peers through the barbed-wire fencing keeping not-so-fortunate townsfolk out, speaks words on behalf of Karremans and Franken she knows will prove false, and begs for anyone's assistance — Đuričić is remarkable. She's fierce, brave, resolute and resilient while wading through practicalities, horrors and stolen moments of hope alike, and every fibre of her being conveys Aida's torturous emotional journey. Traversing every move with her, and every feeling, is simply a foregone conclusion. That's as true in Quo Vadis, Aida?'s epilogue, too, which layers the film's despair and outrage with a survey of the reality for the genocide's survivors. Žbanić once again walks an unnerving tightrope with mastery: whither goest thou indeed.
Godzilla is dominating the screen, as the giant creature always should be, with TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters currently streaming, Japanese movie Godzilla Minus One in cinemas and monster mash Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire just dropping its first trailer. Both the small-screen show and the American film form part of the Monsterverse, the US franchise that links together a heap of kaiju and critters — so if you've seen 2014's Godzilla, 2017's Kong: Skull Island, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 2021's Godzilla vs Kong, you'll be primed for the next flick to come. If you're also thinking "didn't Godzilla take on King Kong before", you're right, but that isn't what Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is about. Both Godzilla and King Kong movies are better when neither is a villain, so that's exactly what the Monsterverse is delivering. In the new film that's due in cinemas in April 2024, the two titular towering critters need to team up to tackle a new threat to life as they — and humanity — know it. The brand-new debut sneak peek at Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire teases the reason that Godzilla and King Kong join forces with some carnage in a very familiar spot, proving that Napoleon isn't the only one messing with the pyramids on-screen at the moment. From there, it also gives a glimpse at Zilly lit up with pink, not blue — and, as Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) puts it, a mini Kong. Taking care of the human side of the story alongside Henry: Rebecca Hall (Resurrection), Dan Stevens (Welcome to Chippendales), Kaylee Hottle (Magnum PI), Alex Ferns (Andor) and Fala Chen (Irma Vep). Henry, Hall and Hottle all return from Godzilla vs Kong. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's narrative also promises a deeper dive into Skull Island's mysteries, why the franchise's huge creatures exist and what links them to people. Arriving 70 years since the first-ever Godzilla feature, the new Monsterverse entry boasts Adam Wingard in the director's chair, just like Godzilla vs Kong. On screenplay duties: the also-returning Terry Rossio (The Amazing Maurice), Wingard's regular collaborator Simon Barrett (You're Next, The Guest, Blair Witch) and Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), with the underlying story hailing from Rossio, Wingard and Barrett. Check out the first Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire trailer below: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Image: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
When visiting East Brisbane's The Smug Fig, you might place your order in a shipping container; however the bright blue gateway to the cafe isn't a sign of stripped-back things to come. For those looking to grab a coffee and go, the counter doubles as an easy exterior access point. For those wanting to stick around for a meal, it's just the beginning of your breakfast experience. A spacious interior, set over a wooden deck and gazing upon walls painted with blue and white flora and fauna, greets those who venture inside for the latter. A small but delicious menu does as well. Here, it's the taste — not the size — that matters. Substantial lunchtime offerings will join the selection of taste bud-tempting cakes and other offerings later in September, though the brekkie lineup could easily satisfy stomachs hungry around midday for the moment. They include a brie and double smoked ham omelette, the Smug Bennie that adds asparagus to the usual mix, and the aptly titled BAE — because who doesn't love bacon, balsamic tomato and sourdough multigrain with your chosen style of eggs? Find The Smug Fig at 999 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane. For more information, visit their Facebook page.
A good pair of boots is an investment. If you're adding some to your wardrobe, it's worth making sure you get the right ones. But, sadly, if you find yourself a pair that you can wear day and night, eventually even the best boots get a little worse for wear. Until Sunday, October 25, RM Williams has a solution — for everyone who has worn out their old boots, wants and/or needs a new pair, but hasn't gotten around to it just yet. Head by one of the brand's stores, bring your old boots with you and you'll be able to trade them in as part of its Well Worn Trade special, scoring a discount on some new RMs. In particularly great news for everyone who has a different brand of boots, you can trade in leather boots of any brand. That'll nab you $100 off some brand new RMs — or, if you do have some old RMs to trade, you'll receive $150 off your next pair. The trade-in is only available in-store, unless you're in Victoria — where you'll be asked to email in some details and images first, before posting the boots in. And if you're wondering what'll happen to all those old shoes, all traded RMs will be sent back to the brand's workshop to be restored and replenished, while boots of all other brands will be donated to the World's Biggest Garage Sale.
Taking superb coffee further into the Northern Suburbs is Elixir, a hugely popular café and roastery in Stafford where you can watch coffee beans being roasted as you enjoy breakfast and a cuppa. Owners Jason and David Narciso practically have coffee running through their veins, such is the quality of their caffeine pedigree, and they have recently inked a deal with Paleo Cafe that will see award-winning Elixir coffee served up in Paleo Cafes around Australia.
For decades, feasting your way through a Sizzler buffet was a regular part of Australian life. Families headed to the all-you-can-eat chain for special occasions, teenagers went along to gorge themselves full of bottomless soft drink and soft serve (and combine the two, obviously), and absolutely everyone couldn't get enough of the brand's beloved cheese toast. But, over the past few years, Sizzler restaurants have been shutting down around the country. Soon, they'll all be gone — with Collins Foods Limited, the company that owns and runs Sizzler in Australia, announcing that it is shutting down the chain's last remaining stores. Those nine restaurants — five in Queensland, three in Western Australia and one in New South Wales — will all close by November 15. So if you're eager for one last excuse to break out your stretchiest pants and indulge in a big dose of nostalgia (and food), you'll need to head to Mermaid Beach, Loganholme, Caboolture, Maroochydore and Toowoomba in the Sunshine State, Innaloo, Kelmscott and Morley in WA, and Campbelltown in NSW to hit the salad bar a last time. Collins Foods has been scaling down Sizzlers' footprint since 2015, when it announced that the brand was "no longer considered to be core to the company's strategic growth". In the half-decade since, 19 Sizzlers have shut down around the country. With COVID-19 now affecting the hospitality industry — and, unsurprisingly, people's eagerness to eat from buffets — Collins Foods has now completely called time on its endless soup, salad, fruit, pasta and dessert (and its regular menu of meals, too; however we all know they were never the drawcard). Announcing the news in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, Collins Foods Chief Executive Officer Drew O'Malley said that this was "not a decision we take lightly, especially for a brand as beloved as Sizzler, which has been such an important part of the Collins Foods' history". Collins Foods will continue to licence the Sizzler brand in Asia — so, when Australians are allowed to leave the country for holidays again, perhaps an overseas trip to the buffet can be in your future. In Australia, the Brisbane-based company also operates KFC and Taco Bell. Sizzler's nine remaining stores — in Mermaid Beach, Loganholme, Caboolture, Maroochydore and Toowoomba in Queensland, Innaloo, Kelmscott and Morley in WA, and Campbelltown in NSW — will all close by November 15, 2020. For more information about Sizzler, head to the chain's website. Top image: RegionalQueenslander via Wikimedia Commons.
As if you wouldn't be excited: Clueless is set to make a comeback, with a new streaming series featuring Alicia Silverstone (Y2K) reprising the role of Cher Horowitz reportedly in the works. How is life treating one of pop culture's favourite 90s Beverley Hills teenagers three decades later? Who else from her high-school life will feature? What tale will the new small-screen sequel tell? These are all valid questions; however, none of them have answers just yet. Variety has revealed that the show is in development, with NBCUniversal's US streaming service Peacock behind it. Behind the camera, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (The OC, Gossip Girl, Nancy Drew) are writing and executive producing the new series, alongside Jordan Weiss (Freakier Friday). Amy Heckerling (Vamps), who helmed the big-screen hit in 1995, is also an executive producer. If one of your most-pressing queries involves Paul Rudd (Death of a Unicorn), there's no word yet if the ageless actor will be back. Stacey Dash (Four.), Donald Faison (Extended Family), Jeremy Sisto (FBI), Elisa Donovan (NCIS), Breckin Meyer (Good Girls), Dan Hedaya (The God Committee) and Wallace Shawn (Evil) were also among the movie's cast, as was the late Brittany Murphy. And if this news sounds familiar, that's because reports also circulated back in 2020 that the same streamer was diving back into the world of Clueless with a series focusing on Dash's Dionne — but the new project with Silverstone is something different. This isn't the first time that Clueless has made the jump to TV, but it is the only small-screen series with Silverstone returning as the film's main character. After the movie's success, a Clueless television show ran for three seasons from 1996–1998, with Rachel Blanchard (The Summer I Turned Pretty) taking over the role of Cher, but everyone from Dash, Faison, Donovan and Shawn to Murphy, Meyer and Rudd either co-starred or popped up as guests. Another example of beloved 90s fare returning — Buffy the Vampire Slayer is also reported to be returning for a sequel series — the new Clueless isn't just an excellent development for fans of the OG flick, of course. It's equally great for Jane Austen devotees, too, given that the movie loosely adapts the author's Emma. There's obviously no sneak peek yet for the new Clueless, but check out the trailer for the original film below: There's no release date for the new Clueless TV series yet — we'll update you when more details are announced. Via Variety.
In literally huge news for keen hikers, a spectacular new walking trail has been unveiled on the NSW North Coast. The Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk weaves a spectacular 42-kilometre path through the ancient Gondwanan rainforest and volcanic landscapes of the Tweed Byron Hinterland, and it's ready to be explored right now. Located on Widjabul Wia-bal and Minjungbal Country, part of the Bundjalung Nation, the walk connects Mount Jerusalem National Park and Nightcap National Park via the Whian Whian State Conservation Area, and is the latest addition to NSW's growing collection of Great Walks. 'Gidjuum Gulganyi' translates to 'old people's track', a name chosen by the land's Traditional Owners to honour the cultural significance of this route, which follows paths walked by their ancestors for thousands of years. [caption id="attachment_999895" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scrub Tree Walking Track, R Brand[/caption] The four-day, three-night walk offers hikers a chance to explore plunging waterfalls and towering trees, as well as take in sweeping views of the Tweed caldera mountains. Across the three different parks the walking trail traverses, walkers will also be able to encounter the region's incredible biodiversity, including rare and unique species of flora, as well as creation sites, ceremonial areas, traditional pathways and campgrounds that are connected through the Dreaming. The walk ends at the dramatic Minyon Falls, a 100-metre-tall cascade formed by the ancient Tweed Volcano. The trail also boasts three newly built campgrounds, each fitted out with 11 elevated sleeping platforms — you can BYO gear and book a camping package, or opt for a guided experience that delves deeper into the region's flora, fauna and rich Indigenous heritage. There's also a shuttle service available for transfers from nearby towns and airports. [caption id="attachment_999892" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peates Mountain Track, R Brand[/caption] Not quite ready for the full 42 kilometres? No problem. You can tackle one of the many shorter side trails and sections, with options for a range of fitness levels. The Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk — delivered by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) — is part of the $7.34 million Tweed Byron Hinterland Trails Project, which aims to showcase the ancient landscape of and encourage more nature-based tourism to the region. It's the sixth NSW Great Walk to open in the past two years, and a worthy new addition to the list. [caption id="attachment_999897" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yelgun Kyoomgun campground, D Parsons[/caption] [caption id="attachment_999896" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Unicorn Falls Walking Track, R Brand[/caption] [caption id="attachment_999893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scrub Creek Walking Track, D Parsons[/caption] [caption id="attachment_999891" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Minyon Falls, D Parsons[/caption] For more information or to book, head to the NPWS website. Top image: D Parsons.
For decades, finding yourself at Treasury Brisbane's 24-hour sports bar LiveWire when other watering holes have closed has been one of the city's rites of passage for anyone who has just turned 18. But when the new Queen's Wharf precinct opens, which is set to start from August 2024, LiveWire 2.0 will change its focus to late-night entertainment and live music. Part of The Star Brisbane, which will become the CBD's new casino, the next iteration of LiveWire will sit alongside a dedicated sports bar, letting it hone in on music, comedy and more. Drinks will still be a feature, of course; however, there'll be a dance floor rather than a bank of screens to keep you occupied while you sip. Exactly what'll grace the venue's stages hasn't yet been revealed, but impressive headliners, local acts, comedians and special events have all been teased so far. The aim is to help boost Brisbane's nighttime economy, and also to give homegrown acts another platform to show off their talents. The space itself will be located riverside, complete with views over the water. International design firm Hassell is looking after decking out the place, heroing rich colours and booth seating. The ceiling has been custom-designed for acoustic control, while the speakers are being dotted around the joint to maximise sound throughout the venue — in the lounge area and on the dance floor alike. LiveWire's full drinks menu hasn't been unveiled yet, either, but The Rocktail, featuring strawberry and passionfruit puree, will be one of its tipples. Across The Star Brisbane at Queen's Wharf, the venue will be joined by the new Fat Noodle, Italian restaurant Cucina Regina and, upstairs at the Sky Deck, also Aloria, Cicada Blu and Babblers, all forming part of the new years-in-the-making precinct. "Brisbane is building a well-deserved reputation as a world-class city and as such needs a vibrant nighttime entertainment economy that thrives every day of the week," said Kelvin Dodt, The Star Brisbane Chief Operating Officer, Hospitality, about the venue. "LiveWire will contribute to Brisbane's cultural fabric and ensure the city's new multi-billion-dollar project reenergises a previously underutilised riverside precinct through entertainment, dining, art and unique experiences for everyone to enjoy and embrace their way." The new LiveWire Bar will open at The Star Brisbane, Queen's Wharf, Brisbane CBD sometime in August 2024. Head to the venue's website for more information in the interim. LiveWire images: Remco Jansen, The Star Brisbane.
When Fortitude Valley's newest watering hole launches on the corner of Ann and Constance streets, it will be stepping into the future while nodding to the past. The site most recently known as Fringe Bar and Kerbside is set to become The Osbourne Hotel, a name that dates back 153 years. In fact, that's what the pub was called right up until 1992, when it became The Dead Rat Hotel, and then the Rat & Parrot. Back in 1864, The Osbourne was the second hotel to open in the Valley, a fact that's certain to have made it popular. With a visible, multi-million dollar makeover both outside and in to restore the building to its original colourings, fittings and layout, the revamped spot will be hoping that history repeats itself when it welcomes patrons through the door from October 6. Well, not the more colourful parts — a man was famously shot dead there in 1974, women on roller-skates served drinks in the '80s, and a fire swept through in 1984. That was then, this is now — and Fringe and Kerbside regulars, you'd best prepare for a vastly different space. The Osbourne features 94 taps throughout the now 800-person venue, as well as a 400-seat glass-ceiling bistro and beer garden. For those after more than a casual drink and a meal, the old boarding rooms on the first floor have been transformed into function and meeting rooms, as well as a private dining area for hire. With two bespoke copper bulkheads boasting 31 taps each — and proving the only two of their kind in the country — thirsty visitors can expect a beer-heavy drinks menu focusing on craft, local and international brews. Also a highlight is a cocktail list providing new takes on old favourites, such as The Osbourne G&T, watermelon margaritas, barrel-aged old fashioneds and pineapple basil cucumber pisco sours also on offer. In a kitchen overseen by ex-The Alliance Hotel and The Walnut Restaurant chef Jamie MacKinney, dishes include all-day pizzas, char-grilled meat and oyster plates (aka the kind of pub fare they probably cooked up last time The Osbourne existed), as well as Peking duck spring rolls, karaage chicken, sweet potato and cashew empanadas, and cheese kranskies with onion jam. A special daytime menu serves up lunch for under $20, while evening specials range from burgers to steak to wings. Find The Osbourne Hotel on the corner of Ann and Constance streets, Fortitude Valley, from October 6. Head to the pub's website for further details. UPDATE SEPTEMBER 28: The Osbourne Hotel will now open on October 6, with an official launch party held on October 11.
Now that most of us are back at our desks — or out in the field or classroom or wherever it is you go when you go 'back to work' — we're more than likely reaching for a coffee to help kickstart the day. You might know exactly how you like your cuppa. But you might also be bluffing your way through the chatter that comes with Australia's prominent brew culture. To help you know exactly what's in your cup, we've put together a little bluffer's guide to the magic bean with help from L'Americano Espresso Bar. The folks behind this sleek cafe, which you'll find set within furniture retailer Coco Republic in Fortitude Valley, certainly know their stuff when it comes to coffee. Read on for the lowdown on this morning (or sometimes all-day) life source — from the best ways to drink it to the best bites to pair with your brew. THE HISTORY OF COFFEE IN AUSTRALIA Don't let anyone tell you that the Aussie love affair with coffee is a new trend — it's been around for a very long time. French-style cafes and coffee palaces were all the rage in Australia in the late 19th century as people tried to stay away from drinking too much liquor but it was the arrival of Italian-style espresso machines in the 1930s that really kicked things off. This was followed by the post-World War II wave of European immigrants, which saw espresso bars spring up all over the capital cities. The increased accessibility and established social aspect of drinking coffee blended well to create the unique coffee culture that Australia is world famous for today. Over the decades, various trends have shaped the Australian coffee scene — from the invention of the classic flat white (though we can't ignore the contentious debate with our Kiwi neighbours over its origins) and the obsession with latte art to the (quite frankly, sacrilege) OTT sugary concoctions from the American-style chain stores. These days, Australia's coffee scene is dominated by independent cafes and roasters that are passionate about making each of your pocket change investments memorable. Beans used in your cuppa come from all over the world — particularly Central and South America, East Africa and Southeast Asia — leading to the current emphasis on ethical sourcing and single origin brews. HOW TO DRINK IT If you're fond of a cappuccino or another milky variety, you're likely drinking a darker roast blend from a couple of different places, like Vittoria Coffee's Oro blend of 100 percent Arabica beans from around Central and South America. The family-owned Italian-style roastery uses a blend to ensure its coffee tastes more or less the same from batch to batch, as it can change its mix depending on how the beans taste that season. In a lot of Aussie cafes, you'll also find medium roast single origin coffees — these are great for black coffees like cold drips or brews, which will retain all the strong flavour characteristics of a single origin bean. Although, the punchy, acidic favours can be a lot for someone who is new to the style of brew. Brisbane's L'Americano Espresso Bar combines Vittoria's single origin beans (currently from Nicaragua but it changes seasonally) with a touch of the Oro blend in its cold brew. Head barista Julian Chai says this is a great intro to more complex styles of coffee, as it adds "some of those traditional dark roast characteristics that make it taste more like a coffee than a coffee juice". If you're not keen to veer away from your usual coffee taste, iced long blacks, made with the usual espresso coffee blend, are becoming more and more popular, particularly in the hot summer months. According to Chai, Brisbane's love of black coffee, and iced black coffee, has grown by at least 15 percent in the last year or so. And, as you'll know if you've spent any time in an Australian bar in the last few years, coffee goes damn great in a cocktail. L'Americano Espresso Bar uses Archie Rose vodka, cold drip liquor, fresh espresso, vanilla sugar syrup and shaved chocolate in its espresso martini, and it goes down a treat on a hot day. HOW TO PAIR IT Replicating the European-style of espresso that first gripped Australia, L'Americano takes its cues from 1950s cafes on the Italian Riviera. It's all about a naturally sweet, easy-drinking coffee paired with fresh Italian-inspired dishes. "As it can be quite bitter, coffee is a good aperitif or palate cleanser," says Chai. "It's good between meals or courses, or after your meal before the dessert." Most people grab their milky coffees to go on the way to work, Chai says, skipping breakfast or pairing it with a pastry crafted by French patisserie La Bon Choix. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, coffee is perfect alongside tiramisu or something else sweet — think Italian-style crepes with Nutella, bananas and ricotta or fruit toast. If you're a little hungrier, Chai recommends skipping the latte, as the milk coats your mouth and could take away from some of the delicious flavours in your meal. In summer, order a cold brew or an iced long black to pair with a full brunch. L'Americano's brunch offering features two soft-boiled eggs and sprouted wheat sourdough toast with your choice of crispy bacon, roasted tomatoes, wilted greens and mushrooms; smoked salmon, cream cheese, olives and capers; or Sicilian caponata, greens, roasted pumpkin and basil pesto. And if you're wanting to make your caffeine hit a little indulgent, pair your espresso martini with a crostini, an Italian-style open sandwich (think bruschetta) or as a sweet treat following a bowl of ricotta and spinach ravioli with 'nduja and green peas. You'll find L'Americano Espresso Bar at 400 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley. For more information and to check out the menu, visit the website.
What happens when two brothers can't agree on the best way to get ahead in life? That's the question at the heart of True West, after Lee (Thomas Larkin) forms a 'gentleman's agreement' with a Hollywood producer on the ninth green, and then earns a bout of bitterness and resentment from his brother Austin (Julian Curtis). If it sounds like a classic American tale — and one concerned with the popular topic of the American dream, too — then that's because it is. Indeed, before making its way to Brisbane Powerhouse courtesy of director Marcel Dorney and producers Troy Armstrong, Thomas Larkin and Annette Box, True West was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize back in 1983. It's also considered a modern masterpiece that charts a physical and psychological showdown of sibling rivalry. Yep, True West comes with considerable history, with David Wenham and Philip Seymour Hoffman each taking on the play in previous stagings. And, it was written by Sam Shepherd, who not only won a Pulitzer for an earlier effort, but has been seen in everything from television's Bloodline to this year's sci-fi flick Midnight Special. Image: Oliver Edwin
Bust out your fedoras and flapper dresses, Brisbanites, and prepare to step back in time. For one night only, Cloudland will become a 1920s-era speakeasy inspired by the F. Scott Fitzgerald book that epitomises the period, and its two film adaptations. If you wanted to be an extra on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby but didn't get the chance, this is the next best thing. At The Gatsby Gamble on September 22, attendees will work their way through an evening of games, puzzles and mysteries, all keeping with the Gatsby theme. It's a choose-your-own-adventure kind of night, with clues to collect, artworks to view, coins to earn, alliances to be made and a fortune to win. For the $65 price of admission, you'll get a two-hour hosted experience, a drink on arrival, canapes throughout the fun and chips to help grease the wheels. Pretending you're Leonardo DiCaprio or Carey Mulligan — or Robert Redford and Mia Farrow — is perfectly understandable.
What do you get the person who has drunk everything? Or someone who is partial to a sip of gin, but also likes vodka and whiskey? Just in time for the festive season, Archie Rose has launched its solution to this common Christmas dilemma: a pocket-sized collection featuring three of its most popular spirits. Now available to pre-order (with shipments despatched from Thursday, November 29), the Archie Rose 200ml Tasting Set includes mini bottles of the distillery's signature dry gin, original vodka and white rye. If you're new to the company's tipples, they're all award-winners. The gin boasts tastes of native Australian botanicals, such as blood lime, Dorrigo pepperleaf, lemon myrtle and river mint; the vodka comes with apple and mint notes; and the rye is made from rare malted rye and barley, and has a buttery, smokey flavour. Whether you're buying someone else a present — or buying one for yourself, because everyone deserves to get themselves something nice when the end of the year hits — all three come in a gift box for $89. And, they help resolve another frequent boozy problem: when you feel like a gin and tonic, followed by a martini and then a whiskey cocktail, but you don't want to buy three big bottles. To pre-order the Archie Rose 200ml Tasting Set, visit the Archie Rose website.
When winter rolls around, it's all too easy to hide away and only catch glimpses of the outside world through your Instagram feed. This year, fight the urge to bundle up on the couch for the next few months and go cure the inevitable wanderlust you'll get from scrolling through social media. You don't even have to go that far. Especially when spots like Port Stephens are an easy 2.5-hour drive away. You might associate the area with sun and surf, but it's packed with spots that are perfect for chilly days, too. Picture yourself kicking back in a comfy couch with a top-shelf tipple while staring out at still water. Or, how about blissing out in a hot tub after an aromatherapy massage? Then there are the whales. 'Tis the season for watching after all. We've got your itinerary covered below. Now, all you've gotta do is book the trip. [caption id="attachment_774058" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] SET SAIL TO WATCH FOR WHALES Between May and October every year, thousands of humpback whales swim along Australia's east coast, and one of the best places to watch them just so happens to be Port Stephens. Climb aboard a tour that you can book though Concrete Playground Trips to spend three hours cruising in the deep, looking out for tail slaps, body rolls and breaches. Alternatively, stick to the land — some of the best spots include Tomaree Head, Boat Harbour, Anna Bay and Fishermans Bay. GET UP CLOSE TO AUSTRALIA'S CUTEST MARSUPIALS We bet you have a soft spot for koalas because, well, who doesn't? And if you want to see these cuddly creatures up close — and contribute to local preservation and conservation efforts — we suggest paying a visit to Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary. Set within eight hectares of bushland, the sanctuary includes a koala hospital, Sanctuary Story Walk (a 250-metre pathway telling the story of the koala and its habitat) and the Newcastle Airport Skywalk — a 225-metre elevated pathway that provides a treetop-style experience in the koalas' natural habitat. The sanctuary has accommodation on-site, too, including glamping tents and suites, if you'd like to spend a little longer in the koalas' bushland retreat. Overnight guests are treated to an early-morning tour during the morning feeding routine, so you can see the koalas at their most active. INDULGE IN A TREATMENT AT SPA LUCCA A really good winter escape should involve a long spa treatment, which you'll conveniently find at Spa Lucca. As soon as you step into the peaceful, ocean-inspired surroundings, you'll feel instantly at ease. The extensive menu covers aromatherapy massages, chakra balancing sessions, body polishes and plenty more, including several signature 'rituals'. There's also a blissful private bath, where you can soak your stresses away, as well as a sauna and steam room. To go all-out, book a package, which bundles a bunch of treatments into one ultra-relaxing session. [caption id="attachment_774065" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] GO ON A 4WD BEACH AND SAND DUNE ADVENTURE This 4WD trek takes you to all the best bits of Birubi Beach, including the famous Stockton Sand Dunes — the biggest dunes in the entire Southern Hemisphere. At the dunes, the guide will take you sandboarding with all the equipment provided. It's guaranteed to be the most fun you've had since you threw yourself down a grassy hillside as a kid. Then you'll glide across the coast to gawk at stunning sites and search for pipis wiggling about the shore. You can then take a few back to your accom to taste later. GO TOP SHELF IN A WHISKY BAR Your wintry escapades continue at Moby's Bar. Sink into a leather lounge, surrounded by mahogany and stone, and sip your way through whiskies from all over the world. There are even a few bottles from Port Ellen, on the island of Islay, which closed in 1983 and is now considered one of the most coveted drops on the planet. To sample some top whiskies, head there between 4–6pm for happy hour. Afterwards, head to The Wild Herring to feast on local seafood, like seared scallop croquettes and Moreton Bay bug pies — nothing says winter by the beach quite like a hot seafood pie. EAT OYSTERS STRAIGHT FROM THE FARM For some people, loving oysters is in their blood. Take the Holberts, a Port Stephens family who've been farming the tasty little molluscs for five generations. Their business is now one of the biggest oyster producers in New South Wales — even with plenty of fierce competition. The best part of all this is that you're welcome to drop by the farm, chat about what they've learned over the past 100 or so years and taste the results — freshly shucked. Plus, you can do all that while sitting on the waterfront and sipping a beer or wine. And, if you happen to have a bottle of something special in your suitcase, you're welcome to BYO (wine only). [caption id="attachment_716523" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Spencer OEH[/caption] STROLL ALONG WRECK BEACH There are 26 beaches in Port Stephens, so it's never difficult to find a stretch of sand to call yours for a day. While many are well-known to locals and visitors, others are harder to find — and don't attract as many weekend crowds. One of these is Wreck Beach, a glorious cove tucked away behind Shoal Bay. To get there, and feed your intrepid spirit at the same time, take the Wreck Beach Walk (currently closed for repairs), a one-kilometre trek through coastal angophora forest. Once you're on the sand, keep a lookout for whales and dolphins; Port Stephens is home to a resident dolphin community, which numbers somewhere between 90 and 120. [caption id="attachment_716286" align="alignnone" width="1920"] High Tea at Galley Kitchen[/caption] HAVE HIGH TEA WITH UNLIMITED BUBBLY If there's one delicious way to while away a winter's afternoon, it has to be at a high tea with bottomless sparkling wine. And the only way you could make it even better is with tranquil, dreamy waterscapes to gaze at — which is exactly what you'll get in The Galley Kitchen. Set in an airy, light-filled space with expansive views over Port Stephens, the tea is available every day from 2.30–4.30pm. It'll set you back $89 but that includes unlimited sparkling wine, plus as much Ronnefeldt Tea as you can drink. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Tomaree Head Summit, Destination NSW
We're understandably sceptical about most tech things that are promised to us. Australians are always the last to get blockbuster films and critically-acclaimed television shows, we're geo-blocked from most great things online, and we pay depressingly more than the rest of the world for all our tech and entertainment goodies. It's a tough hand we've been dealt; one so bad we've taken to just skirting the system completely and either sneakily paying for overseas services like Netflix or becoming all-out pirates. But here's some good news: it looks as though the latest streaming service being shoved in our faces won't completely suck. Joining the iffy selection of commercial Australian streaming services like Quickflix and Foxtel's Presto, Fairfax and Channel Nine's new venture looks like a winner. Launching in February 2015, it's been announced the service will offer on demand viewing with no ads and no contract, it will have a fixed fee of about $10 per month, and it'll be exclusively airing the much-anticipated Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul at the same time as the US. High fives all 'round, people. This is all every sneaky Australian Netflix user has ever wanted. In fact, to put some icing on the already spectacularly delicious cake, this new platform will also have all five seasons of Breaking Bad in its catalogue and will be revealing one more awesome show every week 'til its launch next year. If there's one thing that's holding it back, it's the name. Though it was previously referred to as StreamCo, today it was announced that this new platform will officially be called Stan. That's right, your new favourite late-night best bud/ultimate time waster will share a name with a melodramatic late '90s rap collaboration from Eminem and Dido. "[We wanted a name] that consumers could actually associate with and actually have a character with," said CEO Mike Sneesby. "Stan is not going to be a character in itself but a brand that will build its own character in being truly Australian." Regardless of that ridiculous logic, this is still a service we can get behind. Though details of the Australian Netflix launch have not yet been announced, at $10 a month Stan would actually be competitive with the US version of Netflix which Australians currently (somewhat dubiously) access for around $9. These price points are also well below the $29.99 fee Quickflix users fork over monthly. So really, it's not so bad. It's not so bad.
So you've just finished a big day on the slopes and you're looking for a way to warm up. Luckily there's a bevvy of bars and pubs at your fingertips. In Queenstown at the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, the practice of après-ski ('after-ski') is as important as the time spent skiing or snowboarding — or spectating, if that's more your vibe. Perhaps you're after a quiet cocktail while enjoying mountain views, or maybe you're with a large crew and want to sink some cold brews by the fire — there will be something in this stunning alpine region that takes your fancy. But with over 150 bars and pubs to choose from, you need to make sure you're heading to a spot suited to your exact needs. We've put together some of our favourite spots for après-ski in Queenstown (and Arrowtown) so you're set to order the first all-important beverage of the evening — as well as the last one of the night. CARGO AT GANTLEY, ARTHUR'S POINT Built in 1865, this stone pub once catered to miners during the gold rush — now it caters to the many winter holidaymakers in the region. Head straight off the mountain and through the door of this cosy fireside spot, which is one minute from the base of Coronet Peak. That makes it an essential place to start your après-ski experience and suck down an extremely hard-earned beer — we're not here to waste any precious minutes. Don't just take our word for it — this historic spot pot also just won the Supreme Award at the Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence. So yeah, you might say it's pretty high on the list. Find it: 172 Arthurs Point Road, Arthurs Point, Queenstown LODGE BAR, LAKEFRONT This might be a controversial inclusion due to its position alongside a Rodd & Gunn store, but we maintain Lodge Bar to be one of the best bars in Queenstown thanks to its warm wood ambience and picturesque views. You'll feel like you've stepped into an alpine retreat thanks to the strong supply of blankets, furs and rugs to wrap up in while you order a few apéritifs and catch up with a friend or loved one. On holiday in Queenstown alone? No problem. Park up in one of the single seats by the window and people-watch to your heart's content while watching an incredible sunset. Find it: 2 Rees Street, Queenstown RED'S BAR, QT HOTEL It's not often a hotel bar is the place to be, but when it comes to Queenstown's excellent QT hotel, it's no surprise this bar is a cut above the rest. You won't just find miscellaneous hotel patrons in this chic and colourful spot: Reds caters to tourists and locals alike, thanks to its cool decor and excellent service. The highlight has to be the jaw-dropping views. One long wall of floor-to-ceiling windows allows you to take in the mountains and Lake Wakatipu, which would probably heighten the taste of any drink — but these bevvies barely need it. If you like your spicy margaritas extremely spicy, get the crew to whip one up for you — it's exactly what you need to warm up from the inside out. Find it: 30 Brunswick Street, Queenstown LITTLE BLACKWOOD, STEAMER WHARF With a prime location on Steamer Wharf, this bar recently won Best Bar at the Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence and we can see why. Fuel up after a big day on the slopes by making your own custom cheese and charcuterie boards — that means all the meats and cheese you love, and none you don't. This spot also has one of the best cocktail menus in the area, including a list of five (we say again, FIVE) different types of espresso martini — perfect if you need a pick-me-up. Get decision-making anxiety? Play 'Trust the Bartender' — the talented team behind the bar will do the hard yards for you. Chic and industrial cool, this cosy bar often plays host to some of the country's best live musicians, making the vibes 10/10. Find it: 88 Beach Street, Queenstown View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Fork and Tap Arrowtown (@theforkandtaparrowtown) THE FORK AND TAP, ARROWTOWN If you're more on the Arrowtown side of the region, head to this pub which gives all the wholesome winter vibes thanks to its open fire and historic stone building. It's one of those spots where everyone seems to know each other and the daily specials are chalked up on the blackboard, so nab a table near the fire and enjoy the great energy. If you're looking for the perfect winter warmer, opt for the mulled wine which comes in a cinnamon-sugar-crusted glass. It's like a hug in a mug. Find it: 51 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown SUNDECK, CENTRAL QUEENSTOWN Cocktails? Check. Open fire? Check. DJ spinning club bangers at 5pm? Check. A rooftop bar boasting epic views, you have to get in early to nab a table at this popular spot. Sure, you have to head up three flights of stairs to find it, but don't let that put you off. It's an absolute go-to if you feel you've gone a little bit too hard too early, and need somewhere to burn off the post-ski beers. With about five people behind the bar at any one time and constant hordes of patrons reaching for spare seats, it's chaos in the best way — but the staff won't baulk at making you a margarita or martini even when the line is six-deep and we love them for that. Find it: Top floor, 4 The Mal, Queenstown LITTLE AOSTA, ARROWTOWN From notable chef and restauranter Ben Bayly, this rustic Italian spot is serving up all the Euro-inspired cocktails, pizza and pasta to soothe the wounds of not being overseas for Euro summer with your friends. Order a Negroni Sbagliato ("Negroni by mistake") and cosy up by the open fire outside from 3pm — and no, no actual skiing experience required. Our tip? Stay for dinner, and warm up with an Italian feast, served family-style. Find it: 18 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown Top image: Steamer Wharf, Little Blackwood
McDonald's has been serving up Big Macs and soft serve cones to Australians for 50 years, and it's been celebrating that fact throughout 2021. That's why the chain gave our tastebuds a Birthday McFlurry earlier this year, among other specials — and now the fast food giant is one-upping that limited-edition treat with a new Caramilk McFlurry. Macca's is no stranger to one-off McFlurry flavours, of course. So, you've probably tried both the good (apple pie) and the bad (bubblegum) varieties before. But Caramilk dessert mashups always take things up a few notches. That's why you've probably already sipped Caramilk cocktails, and eaten the Caramilk dessert jaffles and Caramilk Krispy Kreme doughnuts — and why you've now mentally scheduled in a date with a Caramilk McFlurry (or several). Obviously, this new sweet treat's ingredients are immensely straightforward. We all know what a McFlurry is. We all know what Caramilk is. Combine the two and voila! When it comes to this cult-favourite caramelised white chocolate, there's absolutely no need to overcomplicate things. You'll find the Caramilk McFlurry on the menu at all Australian Macca's outlets from Wednesday, October 13 — and for delivery, too. That said, it really is a limited-edition special, so it's only on offer while stocks last. McDonald's Caramilk McFlurries are available in stores Australia-wide from Wednesday, October 13 while stocks last.
When Quibi launched in Australia and New Zealand back in April, it added yet another streaming platform to the already lengthy list of services competing for your eyeballs. But this newcomer comes with a few twists — serving up its content in small chunks of up to ten minutes in length, for starters, and also designing it all for viewing on your phone. Over the past few months, however, the platform has also undergone some changes. The big one: letting viewers stream Quibi's movies and TV shows from their phone to their television. While the service launched as a mobile-only app, forcing you to watch it on your device of choice, it added Airplay and Chromecast capabilities back in June — after realising that folks didn't just want to view things by themselves on a tiny phone screen, particularly when we're all spending more time at home during a pandemic. Now, Quibi has announced another new change. With the app's original 90-day free trial period now over, it has added a completely free ongoing option for viewers in Australia and New Zealand. There is a catch, though, as you're probably already expecting: if you want to check out the platform without spending a cent, you will need to sit through ads. Still, if you're keen to check out a new version of Punk'd hosted by Chance the Rapper, see Chrissy Teigen preside over small claims cases in the Judge Judy-style Chrissy's Court or get immersed in a Reese Witherspoon-narrated documentary series about females in natural history — or watch Anna Kendrick befriend a sex doll, follow the twists of horror-thriller The Stranger or work your way through a new version of The Fugitive — you can now do without troubling your wallet. Quibi's lineup includes everything from dramas and comedies to news and reality TV in bite-sized portions, with instalments maxing out at ten minutes but most running shorter (between five and eight minutes). Also on the bill: 'movies in chapters', which break films down into episodic segments to fit the platform's whole concept. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKPuomRV5C8 With an ultimate aim of hitting 175 different shows and 7000 episodes in its first year, other Quibi highlights include mockumentary Nikki Fre$h, which follows Nicole Richie's efforts to become a wellness-focused rapper; cooking competition show Dishmantled, where host and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess shoots food at two culinary industry figures, then forces them to try to recreate the dish in question; and Lena Waithe-hosted documentary series You Ain't Got These, about sneaker culture. There's also Flipped, starring Will Forte and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson as a down-on-their-luck couple desperate to host their own TV renovation series; Most Dangerous Game, the latest twist on the humans-hunting-humans idea, this time with Christoph Waltz and Liam Hemsworth; and Survive, which casts Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner as a suicidal patient suddenly forced to fight for her life after a plane crash. Or, you can watch luxury dog houses come to life in Barkitecture. Boasting a name that's been shortened from 'quick bites', Quibi was created by ex-Disney chairman and DreamWorks cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg, and is led by former eBay president and CEO Meg Whitman. Before it launched, it had been in the works since 2018 — and earned ample attention thanks to its huge stash of cash (reportedly raising $1.75 billion to spend on content), as well as its hefty array of stars and shows (including an upcoming remake of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days). If you are planning to check it out on your phone, Quibi is designed to play in full-screen no matter whether your handset is vertical or horizontal — with the image automatically changing as you move your device around. Don't like ads? If you're happy to pay, Quibi has also reduced the monthly price for its advertisement-free version from AU$12.99 to AU$6.99. For further details about Quibi, visit the streaming platform's website. To download the Quibi app, head to the App Store or GooglePlay. Top image: Barkitecture.
Everyone knows that New Zealand has epic Lord of the Rings landscapes, but far fewer know about its quietly awesome food scene. Much like the people, the country's food is unassuming, approachable and punches above its weight. With plentiful seafood and homegrown produce, New Zealand's cuisine scene celebrates this bounty from land and sea. Come for the scenery, stay for the food — it'll be love at first bite. Good food calls for a great wine match. Enter Cloudy Bay, one of New Zealand's most acclaimed wine brands. Whether you're foraging for fresh crayfish or sailing through the Marlborough Sounds, Cloudy Bay has you covered with its diverse and elegant selection. Together, we've dished up five top-notch food experiences you can only have in New Zealand. TAKE FLIGHT AND FORAGE FOR WILD FOOD Blending jaw-dropping scenery with locally sourced food, a foraging tour with Alpine Helicopters is the ultimate way for food lovers to get a taste of New Zealand. Spend the day flying high as you glide over giant glaciers, majestic mountains, winding rivers and lush native bush, with foraging stops along the way. Fish for trout on the edge of Lake Wanaka, help your heli crew rustle up crayfish from the sea, and fill up your camera roll with the most epic landscapes you've ever seen. Once you've worked up an appetite you'll be flown to a secluded spot for a surreal lunch stop — a Kiwi bush barbecue featuring your catch and gorgeous wines to match. It's no free lunch, but it sure is priceless. Wine match: Cloud Bay Te Koko, a wild take on sauvignon blanc, is the perfect pairing for fresh crayfish. FEAST ON CUISINE COOKED IN WINE BARRELS If you thought wine barrels were just for wine, think again. For an ingenious spin on the classic barbie, sink your teeth into 'barrel cuisine' at The Stoaker Room Bistro and Bar. Using retired French oak pinot noir barrels, the clever chefs cook up mouthwatering eats which burst with smoky, earthy flavours. From goat and wild pork to mussels and salmon, The Stoaker Room specialises in wild meat and seafood. For a real gastronomic experience, arrange a private catered meal at the Cloudy Bay Shed. The Stoaker Room team will roll up with their barrels and put on an incredible multi-course feast, matched with Cloudy Bay wines and dazzling Central Otago vistas. Wine match: Cloudy Bay Te Wahi, a poised pinot noir with a bit of a wild side. GRAZE ON TAPAS AT A PUB STEEPED IN HISTORY Smack bang in the heart of old gold mining country, Bannockburn Hotel in Cromwell, Central Otago, is a restaurant that's got a tale or two to tell. First established in 1862, the Bannockburn Hotel was born during the great New Zealand Gold Rush, which saw the region flooded with prospectors chasing the golden dream. As the first pub to be granted a liquor licence in the region, the hotel was understandably a popular spot with the gold seekers. Today, the old pub remains a popular haunt. Following a makeover or two, it has been transformed into a sophisticated restaurant, with rustic touches celebrating its history. Serving up top-notch tapas made from the best local produce, Bannockburn Hotel is the ideal spot for a cold brew and a grazing session. Feast on goats cheese croquettes, chorizo, meatballs, and relish the views over the craggy, historic countryside. Wine match: enjoy the savoury bites and rich history with a lively Cloudy Bay pinot noir. SAVOUR FRESH SEAFOOD WITH VINEYARD VIEWS A culinary tour of New Zealand would not complete without a visit to Marlborough, one of the world's finest wine regions. With the sparkling waters of the Sounds just a stone's throw away, this region also boasts bountiful seafood. Experience the best of the region's goods in a picturesque vineyard setting at Jack's Raw Bar — the summertime restaurant at the Cloudy Bay winery. Relax in the outdoor wine lounge as you tuck into fresh Marlborough oysters, Cloudy Bay clams, cured salmon and other regional delicacies, all matched with Cloudy Bay wines. Wine match: Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc, the iconic drop that put the winery on the map. DINE IN A BAY THAT'S ONLY ACCESSIBLE BY BOAT Nestled into a lush hillside, in a remote corner of the Marlborough Sounds, Bay of Many Coves is a shimmering sanctuary loaded with views. Take a boat from Picton to visit this tranquil retreat for a dreamy lunch escape. Cool down with a dip in the bay before settling in for a breezy lunch at the cafe on the water's edge. Sample the famous fish 'n' chips or seafood chowder and soak up the serenity. If you fancy a longer visit (and trust us, you will), stay overnight in one of the luxury villas. In the evening, treat yourself to a sumptuous meal in the award-winning restaurant, The Foredeck, which serves up immaculate cuisine from land and sea, and views to dine for. Wine match: an escape in the Sounds is best enjoyed with a glass of sparkling Cloudy Bay Pelorus. Discover the full Cloudy Bay range, alongside plenty more food pairing suggestions, here.
When Melbourne's acclaimed 400 Gradi achieves a significant feat, it doesn't rest on its laurels. It was true when the Italian joint whipped up a 99-cheese pizza, which it then bested with a 150-cheese pizza. And it has proven true at one of the pizza industry's night of nights: the 50 Top Pizza awards in Naples. At last year's gongs, 400 Gradi claimed the title of Best Pizzeria in Oceania. This year, it's done so again. It's only the third year that the awards have been held, with the Melbourne eatery now emerging victorious two years running over all other pizza places in the region. To anoint its winners, the event secretly judges almost 1000 pizzerias in Italy and around the world. While 400 Gradi topped the list in Oceania, it had some local company in the shortlist, including Melbourne's +39 Pizzeria, Doc Pizza & Mozzarella Bar, SPQR Pizzeria and Woodstock Pizzacheria; Sydney's Gigi's Pizzeria and Rosso Antico Pizza Bar; Brisbane's Pizzeria Violetta; and The Dough Room in Perth. It has been a big year for 400 Gradi, with the pizza joint also picking up another coveted prize this year at the Olimpiadi Vera Pizza Napoletana contest. Held by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (which is also known as The True Neapolitan Pizza Association), it compiles a ranking of the best pizzerias in the world — and while 400 Gradi didn't take the top spot, it did come in second. 400 Gradi Essendon eatery was the only restaurant outside of Naples to make the top five, in fact, and was joined by 400 Gradi at Brunswick and Gradi Crown at sixth and eighth place. To check out the 50 Top Pizza awards full lineup of award-winning pizzas, visit its website. To run through the Olimpiadi Vera Pizza Napoletana contest winners, head to its website, too.
For the past two years, heading off on holiday has been a matter of 'if' rather than 'where'. If and when border restrictions and lockdowns have allowed it, we've all been travelling to wherever we've been allowed, whenever we've been allowed — across Australia and, when the trans-Tasman bubble was open, to New Zealand as well. With Sydney and Melbourne now free of their stay-at-home stints, Queensland and Tasmania announcing their domestic border reopening plans, and the Australian Government allowing vaccinated Aussies to leave the country purely for a getaway from Monday, November 1, simply heading to whichever few spots will have you will soon be a thing of the past. You'll have options, in other words. And, ahead of all of those border changes, Virgin has just dropped a sale that's serving up a heap of cheap domestic and international flights. Called 'Yay for Holidays', this sale has 1.7-million discounted fares up for grabs — but you'll need to get in quick. They went on sale today, Monday, October 25; however, they're only available until midnight AEST on Monday, November 1 or sold out, whichever comes first. All one-way fares, the discounted economy flights cover 28 different destinations, starting at $49. Some of the domestic specials on offer include Sydney to Byron Bay for $55, Sydney to the Sunshine Coast for $75, Melbourne to Launceston from $59, Melbourne to the Gold Coast from $89, Brisbane to Hamilton Island from $85, Brisbane to Cairns from $89, Adelaide to Melbourne from $79 and Perth to the Gold Coast from $259 (and vice versa in all cases, naturally). Internationally, options span routes to Fiji, Bali and New Zealand. So, you can head from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Nadi for $229–239, to Bali from all three cities for $279 and to Queenstown from the trio from $287–302. If you're wondering when you can travel — depending on border restrictions, of course — you can book flights for trips between November 2, 2021–June 23, 2022. Only some fares cover seat selection and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in August that it is now splitting its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights also became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin's 'Yay for Holidays' sale runs from today, Monday, October 25–Monday, November 1 — or until sold out. Find out more about current Australian border restrictions via the Australian Government's Health Direct website and its Smart Traveller website.
Come 2026, seven years will have passed since the last Avengers movie, with Endgame releasing in 2019. If you've been counting down the days until the next huge Marvel team-up flick — as 2025's Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* have all been laying the groundwork for — then you'll still be seeing it next year. Instead of checking it out in autumn Down Under, however, you'll need to put it on your viewing list for December. Disney has announced that the two upcoming Avengers movies, 2026's Doomsday and 2027's Secret Wars, have postponed their release dates by more than half a year each. Instead of arriving in April 2026 and May 2027, respectively, they'll now start screening in cinemas on Thursday, December 17, 2026 and Thursday, December 16, 2027. [caption id="attachment_996596" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney[/caption] If you want to consider this a new Christmas gift two years running, then, you can. Doomsday's cast is certainly stacked higher than a pile of presents, continuing to enlist just about every famous actor ever to suit up for a Marvel movie — or to do so again. Set to be the 38th Marvel Cinematic Universe entry — following the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which releases in July 2025 — Avengers: Doomsday boasts Robert Downey Jr (The Sympathizer) rejoining the franchise, a few folks who've been in past Avengers films, recent additions to the fold, familiar X-Men faces and more. Downey Jr's return comes fresh from him becoming an Oscar-winner thanks to Oppenheimer. While the last time that he was in an Avengers picture, he played Tony Stark aka Iron Man — a role he portrayed in ten MCU movies — this time he's stepping into Victor von Doom's shoes. [caption id="attachment_973924" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.[/caption] It's a massive list from there, starting with Chris Hemsworth (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki), alongside Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Paul Rudd (Only Murders in the Building), Letitia Wright (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Winston Duke (The Fall Guy) among those with prior Avengers experience. Also, Wyatt Russell (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters), Florence Pugh (We Live in Time), David Harbour (A Working Man), Hannah John-Kamen (Breaking Point) and Lewis Pullman (Salem's Lot) are hopping from Thunderbolts* to Doomsday. Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place: Day One) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) are doing the same from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Simu Liu (Last Breath) returns from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Danny Ramirez from Captain America: Brave New World and Tenoch Huerta Mejia from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Channing Tatum (Blink Twice) was in Deadpool and Wolverine, and will keep adding to his MCU resume. As Beast from the X-Men movies, Kelsey Grammer (Paper Empire) joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in The Marvels, while Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: Picard) brought Professor Charles Xavier to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — and they're back again now. [caption id="attachment_989732" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.[/caption] Ian McKellen (The Critic), Alan Cumming (Drive Back Home), Rebecca Romijn (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), James Marsden (Paradise): they're on the list of X-Men stars — actors who were bringing Marvel comics to the screen before the MCU even existed, but in films that were their own franchise until now — that are also part of Doomsday. Now that Disney owns Fox, which previously was behind the Deadpool, X-Men and Fantastic Four flicks, it's moving characters from all of the above into its ever-sprawling screen saga. After helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo (The Electric State) are back as well, directing both Doomsday and Secret Wars. And character-wise, yes that's Thor, Loki, Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Ant-Man, Shuri, M'Baku, John Walker, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, Robert Reynolds, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Shang-Chi, Joaquin Torres, Namor, Gambit, Beast, Professor X, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Mystique and Cyclops covered. Check out the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement video below: Avengers: Doomsday releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, December 17, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars on Thursday, December 16, 2027. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter. Top images: photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
It's taken decades for this news to break, but after four decades of stardom in Australian music, Kylie Minogue is finally making her AFL Grand Final debut this September. Announced as the headline performer for this year's pre-match performance, she joins a Hall of Fame that includes stars like Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, Mike Brady, Robbie Williams, Delta Goodrem, Ed Sheeran, INXS and many, many more. It's been a big year in almost every sense so far, and Minogue's appearance will supposedly be "one of the biggest and most unforgettable" AFL Grand Final pre-shows in history. "The Toyota AFL Grand Final is the biggest event on the Australian sporting calendar – and this year, we welcome home an Australian icon." AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said. "Kylie has been on our wish list for a long time, and there is no better artist for headline the performance prior to our biggest game of the season." View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFL (@afl) Minogue will be the first Australian since 2021 to headline the event. In 2021, due to Covid restrictions, the Grand Final was played in Perth with a medley of Australian artists taking on the performance, including Baker Boy and Eskimo Joe. Minogue said of the announcement: "The AFL Grand Final at Melbourne's one and only, forever iconic MCG? Yes please! As a Melburnian, I'm so excited to be coming home for the biggest day in the Aussie sporting calendar. I'll not only be performing, but I'll be one of 100,000 fans at the 'G, watching the wonder that is footy." Minogue's career has seen her amass over 80 million record sales internationally, five billion streams, and nine No. 1 Australian albums. She has won 18 ARIA Awards, four BRITs, two MTV Awards, and two Grammys. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4RVnAU35WRWra6OZ3CbbMA?si=Ww3cj_YSSy2G4pT9TtvEtw Last year, her 2001 hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head" came in at second in Rolling Stone AU/NZ's Best Australian and New Zealand Songs of the 21st Century So Far list. The track, off Fever, also landed Minogue her first-ever No. 1 spot on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart. It was the first of fourteen No. 1s she would go on to achieve on that chart, a run which saw her eventually tie in tenth place for most No. 1s. "It signalled yet another shift in Kylie's musical direction. Here she was serving sharpened club beats that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a German electro cut from the '80s, a style so ahead of its time it still seems futuristic now," we wrote of it. The show will be produced by Mushroom Group's CEO Matt Gudinksi, who said they've tried "for some time" to make this a reality. "Mushroom is so excited to welcome Kylie home to perform at Australia's biggest day in sport at the MCG. We're working closely with Kylie's team to create and produce what will be one of the most memorable Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment shows yet." More entertainment announcements regarding the Toyota AFL Grand Final Day will be made later this year. This article first appeared on Rolling Stone AU/NZ. Image: Jim Dyson/Getty
It's funny, you might think the crossover between people who love geek stuff and people who love art stuff would be small, but not so. GRAPHIC Festival at the Sydney Opera House has been proving the crude stereotypers of the world wrong for four years now with its melange of comics, animation, illustration, music, multimedia and storytelling. Not only does the festival pull audiences, it puts on some of the most new and daring events in the country, which in past years have included Gotye's live animated album preview for Making Mirrors and Elefant Traks' Dr Seuss-inspired concert. The headliners are here in abundance in 2013, and they're mainly drawn (ha) from the world of comics. The man most credited with introducing comics as a 'serious' medium and Pulitzer Prize winner for Holocaust-themed Maus, Art Spiegelman, will present a hybrid of slides, talk and music in a performance specially commissioned for the festival. The event, called WORDLESS!, will see Spiegelman share his own history while expounding on the depth comics are capable of. Same room, same day: Grant Morrison — legendary writer of such titles as Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, New X-Men and All-Star Superman — will be in conversation with Gerard Way (former My Chemical Romance frontman, now award-winning comic artist). Morrison's not the only Arkham Asylum alumnus either; there's idiosyncratic artist Dave McKean. Best known for his collaborations with Neil Gaiman, he also designed the beasts in two of the Harry Potter films and created more than 150 album covers. And he makes music — six songs of which appear with three stories and a stack of images and film in 9 Lives, his Australian premiere performance during GRAPHIC. Also in the mix are Seth Green (Oz! Scott Evil!) and Matt Senreich of Robot Chicken; Wolverine and Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein leading a workshop; The Incredibly Short Film Festival (it's GIFs, of course); The Cinematic Orchestra in full flight; and Radio National's Radio with Pictures team-up of homegrown artists and storytellers. They don't say it on their promo material, but what you should understand is that GRAPHIC is like arty Comic-Con, and you don't need to be an uber-fan to feel part of the party. There are few events quite like it in the world. The festival runs from October 4-7 and tickets are on sale on Friday, August 2, at 9am from the Sydney Opera House website.
Thanks to the pandemic, and the restrictions and border closures that've come with it, travelling further than your own city hasn't been all that easy over the past 15 months or so. But Virgin Australia is about to give you some extra incentive to travel — and to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The airline has announced that it'll be launching a new competition called VA-X & Win, which will hand out free flights and a heap of frequent flyer points to Aussie who've had the jab. That's the catch, obviously. To enter, you'll need to roll up your sleeve first. "What the latest lockdown in Melbourne and the evolving situation in Sydney has taught us is the sooner we can all get vaccinated, the sooner we can get on with our lives, without the constant fear and uncertainty that come with lockdowns, restrictions and closed borders," said a Virgin Australia Group spokesperson in a statement. "Most importantly, the sooner all Australians are vaccinated, the sooner our most vulnerable members of society will be protected," the statement continues. "We are proud to have served the Australian community in so many ways over the past 20 years. The VA-X & Win competition is just the next instalment of our service, and is our way of helping boost vaccination numbers to protect the lives and livelihoods of all Australians." A few different prizes will be on offer, including millions of Velocity Frequent Flyer Points and dozens of free flights — in Business Class, too. Also, one person will become a Velocity Points millionaire, with the lucky winner then able to put those points to plenty of use. Most of the details are still quite vague — including how you'll prove you're eligible, how to enter and exactly what prizes will be on offer — given that the competition won't launch until COVID-19 vaccines are made available to all Australian adults. Exactly when that'll happen hasn't been made clear by the Federal Government during its delayed vaccination rollout. At present, adults aged between 16–39 still aren't eligible to get vaccinated unless they're are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent; work in quarantine, border or healthcare roles; are an aged care or disability facility worker or resident; work in a critical and high-risk job such as defence, fire, police, emergency services and meat processing; have an underlying medical condition or significant disability; or participate in the NDIS, or care for someone who does. Virgin's VA-X & Win competition will launch once COVID-19 vaccines are made available to all Australian adults. For further details about the contest, head to the airline's website.
Humans aren't the only creatures feeling isolated in the time of COVID-19. At the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo, spotted garden eels are too. And, like anyone trying to stave off loneliness, they're turning to video chats to stay connected to the world — with help from the venue's staff and, if you're keen, from you as well. From Sunday, May 3–Tuesday, May 5, the currently temporarily closed Japanese tourist attraction is encouraging lovers of marine life to make a video call to the site. Once connected, you'll be able to wave and talk to the tank of eels — more than 300 of them. It's all part of a 'face-showing festival', timed to coincide with Japan's Golden Week. Usually, it's a period of celebration, vacationing and travel, but with the country battling the coronavirus, the focus of this year's festivities is staying home. If you're wondering why eels might need to see humans waving at them via video chats — or why the aquarium has arranged the event, to be exact — it's all about health and wellbeing. Normally, the long, slender fish poke their heads out of the sand in their tank, saying hello to human visitors; however with the site out of action due to the coronavirus, and only the venue's staff in attendance, the aquatic creatures are becoming more than a little sensitive, wary and shy. Sumida Aquarium's garden eels inhabit one long tank, with attendees generally spying many, many thin bodies popping out of the sand. In person, it's quite the sight to behold. At present, though, the eels are burrowing instead — which makes it hard for staff to check on them to make sure they're okay. https://www.facebook.com/Sumida.aquarium.official/videos/3333965059986958/ The aquarium is also eager to ensure that the eels don't forget what it's like to be surrounded by humans, so they don't continue their reluctant ways once the venue re-opens. Although it has been shut since March 1, the Sumida Aquarium is typically rather busy, which isn't surprising given its location: beneath Tokyo Skytree, the towering 634-metre tower that's the second-tallest structure in the world. If you're eager to chat, you'll need to do so via iPhone or iPad — i.e. via FaceTime — with five email address set up so callers can connect. The aquarium is taking calls from 11am–3pm AEST (10am–2pm in Japan) across each of the three days, and asks participants to limit their calls to five minutes each. For further details about Sumida Aquarium's 'face-showing festival', which runs from 11am–3pm AEST (10am–2pm in Japan) between Sunday, May 3–Tuesday, May 5, visit the aquarium's website. Top image: Haya_BS via Flickr.
Titles matter. A film with a good one can intrigue, inspire and entice audiences from far and wide, just as a bad one can turn you off faster than a date swearing at a waiter. The grey area is when things get literal. Everything's okay so long as it's just a case of 'does what it says on the can' — your Ghostbusters, your Ferris Bueller's Day Off, your The Pianist — but what about when it gives something away? That poor choice of words can destroy all semblance of mystery for a movie. It's why studios ultimately didn't go with: 'Bruce Willis Is a Ghost', 'Don't Trust the Gimp with the Limp' or 'It's...His...Sled'. With that in mind, the decision to title Peter Berg's new film Lone Survivor would seem a miscalculation. "Four Navy SEALs go into Afghanistan to target a Taliban leader, but how many make it out ali- oh, wait, it's one. Just one. A 'lone survivor'. Says so right there on the poster. And yet, despite having directed Battleship, Peter Berg's no idiot. Mindful that the details of this true (and widely publicised) military mission were already known to many, he realised the most compelling question was not 'how many would survive?' but rather 'how did ANY of them survive?' That disastrous mission was Operation Red Wings, and the reason for its failure was essentially the SEAL team's decision to not kill three unarmed farmers who'd stumbled across their position. For the (moral) armchair general, it's a no-brainer. Rules of engagement and all that. But in the moment, knowing that to let the civilians go was to guarantee an attack by the Taliban and fail the mission… the ethics of combat became a lot murkier. Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Taylor Kitsch play those four imperilled SEALs, and from the moment they elect to abort the mission, Lone Survivor becomes a heart-in-mouth, hug-yourself-for-two-hours, ball-breaker of a film. Pursued through inhospitable mountains by several hundred Taliban and cut off from their support, the feats of those four soldiers quite simply defy belief. That's where the film's opening titles come into play: a montage of real-life footage from the SEALs' infamous 'Hell Week' training program that effectively acts as a 'proof of concept' for what you're about to see (if you're interested: youtu.be/sg2vF4UQMmQ). This is a war movie at its most confronting; it terrifyingly captures the confusion, brutality, chaos and intensity of combat in a way not seen since 1998's Saving Private Ryan. It's a suffocating sort of tension, and whilst there's no question the movie suffers from some clumsy jingoism, the experience is so tactile and overwhelming, you frequently find yourself ducking in your own seat. The author and journalist Sebastian Junger observed after his embedment in Afghanistan that "War is a lot of things and it's useless to pretend that exciting isn't one of them." From an adrenaline standpoint that might well be the case, but in every other respect, from every other possible viewpoint, it's an inescapable waking nightmare that you'd never wish upon anyone. If that doesn't ring true for you, go see Lone Survivor. https://youtube.com/watch?v=yoLFk4JK_RM
While horror has traditionally been the realm of the silver screen, The Walking Dead and newcomer Hannibal have brought all the magnificent gore, thrills and frights of the genre into our homes and onto our televisions. Part cop drama, part serial killer thriller, NBC's Hannibal is a somewhat-prequel to Silence of the Lambs starring Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy (you can guess which one's the conniving, cannibalistic title character). Recently renewed for a second season, it investigates the lives of Will Graham, an FBI agent, and Hannibal Lecter, forensic psychiatrist. The story is based loosely on the material of Thomas Harris's horrific novel Red Dragon but adds a few grotesque twists along the way. The A.V. Club's Todd VanDerWerff described the series as "an intricately twisted serial-killer thriller, but it's also a surprisingly deep series about psychiatry and the state of the human mind", adding that it "had every reason to be a cheap cash-in and has, instead, turned into one of TV's best shows." The Walking Dead, meanwhile, is more out-and-out horror — and, at this point, one of the most well-known and loved TV shows on the planet. Zombies, backstabbing, amputations: totally gross, and totally excellent. About to start its fourth season, it's packed with scream-out-loud scares, and brings a "film-quality drama series about zombies" to life on television. Season three picked up the story three months after season two ended, with both factions of the main characters attempting to keep their lives together whilst, of course, fighting off the infected zombies. Hannibal: Season One and The Walking Dead: Season Three are released on DVD in Australia on September 25. Thanks to Hopscotch Films, we've got 10 prize packs including copies of both series to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art might temporarily be closed at present, but it's now streaming one of its most luminous and spectacular installations once a week — and for the entire night. Spectra, by Roiji Ikeda, is a 15-kilometre-tall tower of beaming white light that stands over the city's skyline. The tower is powered by 49 custom-made search lights that illuminate the Hobart sky, accompanied by music specially curated for the exhibit, and can be seen from home up to 100 kilometres away. Every Saturday from sunset, MONA is live streaming the installation, which has been a permanent centrepiece for the museum since 2018. Each weekly stream will run all through the evening, finishing at sunrise on Sunday. Here are all twelve hours of last week's live-stream: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16071&v=QewCcg_E44g&feature=emb_logo[/embed] It might be a while until we can start travelling and witnessing enchanting sights like this one again, but this initiative by MONA will bring some of the magic of Hobart straight to your home in the interim. Image: MONA/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Before Wolf Man let out any howls on-screen, it went into production with a roaringly great idea: Leigh Whannell, fresh from his 2020 hit The Invisible Man, again taking on one of horror cinema's iconic monsters. But this update of 1941 classic The Wolf Man almost didn't happen, at least not like this. In the past decade, rumours first circulated that Dwayne Johnson (Red One) was set to bay at the moon, then a reimagining with Ryan Gosling (The Fall Guy) was simmering — the latter of which Whannell was linked to, then dropped out with Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance set to step in instead, then returned to but with Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) starring. Initially, Whannell declined the Wolf Man opportunity. Why did he change his mind? "I think it was hitting upon my way into the character," he tells Concrete Playground. "They were very smart in their inception of me — they said 'well, just as an exercise, what would you do? How would you approach this character if you were to do it — not saying you are, but what if you were?'. And so I started thinking about it, and once I hit upon this idea of perspective and using the camera to shift perspective, that's when I was hooked. Once I have an idea that is keeping me awake at night and I can't stop thinking about it, it's almost like you have to make that film to get that idea out of your system. If something's obsessing you, then you've got to exorcise it. You've got to get it out. And that was it." Co-written by Whannell with his wife Corbett Tuck — an alum of the Whannell-co-created Insidious franchise as an actor, including featuring in his directorial debut Insidious: Chapter 3 — this Wolf Man delivers what it promises, of course. It's a werewolf film, with Abbott's character of Blake Lovell destined for an unwanted transformation. But as anyone that saw The Invisible Man and experienced how it found an inventive way into its well-known horror figure knows, and everyone who watched Whannell's body-horror Upgrade before that and spotted its riff on Frankenstein as well, the Australian filmmaker isn't interested in straightforward or obvious do-overs. He's modernising movie monsters and grounding them in resonant emotion. As The Invisible Man's lead, Elisabeth Moss (The Veil) wasn't in the titular role but rather played the transparent force's target, aka his ex-girlfriend, for instance, in a picture about domestic abuse, coercive control and gaslighting. This time, while again examining the loss of agency as he keeps doing cross his career, Whannell spins an exploration of trauma, plus the transformation and grief that it can spark — and of a marriage and a family tested by it, and also of the breakdown of communication in a relationship, and the mourning over losing someone slowly before your very eyes — around cinema's werewolf archetype. It's a hauntingly effective way in, and a shrewd and engaging one. Again, feeling the impact on those closest to the movie's namesake is essential. As Blake's wife Charlotte, enter Ozark Emmy-winner Julia Garner, starring with Abbott for the third time following Martha Marcy May Marlene (the feature debut for both) and an episode of Girls. She's also currently on a four-film streak where tension and unease is the prevailing mood. The latter and discomfort were equally crucial in her turn in quickly bingeable, ripped-from-the-headlines streaming series Inventing Anna. "There's not just one family member," Garner advises, explaining why it was so pivotal to her that what Charlotte goes through is just as key to the narrative as what Blake faces. Wolf Man uproots the couple and their eight-year-old daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth, Coma) from their San Francisco existence — where Charlotte is an investigative journalist and loving it, Blake is a doting dad but adrift in his surroundings otherwise, and strain already stresses the pair's marriage. While it takes some convincing, soon they're in rural Oregon, where Blake grew up and where the film opens. As a child (feature first-timer Zac Chandler) in the 90s in an area where a strange virus has been linked to wildlife, his survivalist father (Sam Jaeger, The Handmaid's Tale) isolated the family from the rest of the world. Blake has now inherited the property, sparking his comeback decades later, as well as the use of impressive practical effects by Whannell's team to make good on the movie's moniker. First coming to fame at home as the film critic on beloved 90s Saturday-morning TV show Recovery on the ABC, and with acting credits in The Matrix Reloaded, Death Sentence, Dying Breed, The Mule and more to his name, Whannell did indeed wish when he was starting out to be where he is now. His path that also spans bringing both the Saw and Insidious franchises, two of the biggest sagas in horror of the 21st century, to audiences with fellow Australian James Wan (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) — and starring in them. But he steadfastly appreciates his journey and, as he notes, "that luck plays a massive part in film-industry success". While he's been doing big things as Aussie filmmaker, Garner keeps working with Down Under talents. See also: Kitty Green's The Assistant and The Royal Hotel, plus Rosemary's Baby prequel Apartment 7A from Relic's Natalie Erika James. We chatted with Whannell and Garner about their routes to Wolf Man, how the film continues trends in each of their careers, casting and the movie's fresh interpretation of the Wolf Man story. The figure is no stranger to the screen, after all, with 2010's The Wolfman also going the remake route, and focusing on werewolves at the heart of films as varied as 1935's Werewolf of London; the 80s trio of An American Werewolf in London, The Howling and Teen Wolf; and Wolf in the 90s (and others). Part of our interview, too: Whannell's recurring themes, Garner's reunion with Abbott and more. On Whether Whannell Ever Dreamed That He'd Be Modernising Iconic Movie Monsters Back When He Was a Film Critic on 90s ABC Series Recovery Leigh: "I think I did dream. I mean, 'dream' is the right word, because they were very much daydreams. I don't think I took it past the daydreams. Once you start actualising a daydream, where you're drawing up plans and charts, and thinking about the chess moves that you're going to make to get there — I was just wishing for it. So I think that the fact that I actually am doing it is a literal dream come true, but it's also surprising to me. Because I think if I hadn't met the right people at the right time — and it's a very particular path I had to walk. One wrong move and this all goes in a different direction. On Garner Engaging with a New Way Into a Horror Classic in Wolf Man Immediately After Rosemary's Baby Prequel Apartment 7A — and If That's a Daunting Task Julia: "With this one, I feel like a lot of it is just that's what people want to see now. I feel like most of the movies that come out in this day and age are horror in a way, so I think that's what's popular now. And I'm just an actor that that needs to work — what can I say? No. But that's what's popular. The thing with Wolf Man that's interesting is that I actually didn't watch any — I've watched the previous Wolf Mans before, even before I was attached to this movie, but I didn't rewatch any of the previous Wolf Mans because I always felt like it felt very different and it wasn't connected to the previous Wolf Mans at all. So I wasn't going to take that as reference, movie reference. I found other places that were more beneficial for this Wolf Man than the previous Wolf Mans." On What Motivates Whannell to Make New Versions of All-Time Horror Greats Leigh: "I think they're iconic characters that people know. They're known around the world. The Wolf Man, Invisible Man, Dracula, Frankenstein — these characters are truly global, and people have a firm idea in their head. You say 'Frankenstein' to somebody and they have a picture in their head, probably the classic Boris Karloff image of the square green head with the bolts in the neck. There's that, but having said that, they're not locked in. People have done many things with these different characters. You can take the Wolf Man and plug it into a teen comedy. They did with Michael J Fox in the 80s. You can take a werewolf and plug it into a children's film. My kids watch animated movies with the Wolf Man running around, and Adam Sandler's doing the voice of Dracula. They're very malleable. They're so entrenched in pop culture that they don't even have to sit in one lane anymore. [caption id="attachment_788088" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Invisible Man[/caption] That's what's exciting to me, because getting people into movie theatres these days is difficult. If you can take a really known character like that and create essentially an original film inside of it — like with The Invisible Man, I was essentially creating my own story. I wasn't adapting a novel. I was creating this character of Cecilia, her inner world. So it's a way of having my cake and eating it. I get to write an original movie that's based on an iconic character, and the fact that it's so well-known means that studio has a way in. They can sell it to people. It's an equation you have to think about, I think, when making movies these days, because getting people into theatres is tough." On Why Whannell's Approach to Horror Monsters Appealed to Garner, and What She Was Excited to Dig Into Julia: "That it felt very real and very grounded. I thought that was a super-interesting combination, with the supernatural element of a monster movie, like Wolf Man. So, that contradiction — well, any contradiction always interests me. I think playing a mother, but not only playing a mother, playing a working mother — a mother that is struggling with what her identity is. I interviewed a lot of working mothers separately, and they all had similar responses, in a way. And the pressure of being a woman in this in this day and age — there was different pressure being a woman in the past, but there's now this different pressure of this day and age, and they all had similar responses. But then to add on top, something that was also just interesting was the sense of acting, how I approached it, too, was the seven stages of grief taking place in one night. And I think that was a really interesting challenge as an actor, because playing anything that takes place in one day is very challenging, let alone having the stages of grief — that's very challenging as well." On Wolf Man Combining Its Monster-Movie Setup with Musing on a Marriage Breakdown, a Family Strained by It, and Grief and Loss Leigh: "I think it is a balancing act, but it's one of the things I love about screenwriting is calibrating it. You're shaping something. You're making this sculpture. And to me, there's something very musical about writing a film, because there is a rhythm to it — and it's a rhythm that you just feel, you kind of feel it in your bones. You're just like 'okay, I need a chord change here. It's time for a big moment, and then I'll pull back'. I love doing that. I love being the god of my own little world. So much of life is out of our control — but when you write a screenplay, you create these people and you can treat them badly, you can treat them well, you can give them victories, you can rip the rug out from underneath them. There's something very cathartic about that, about controlling the fate of these imaginary people. And so I do enjoy that calibration. I do enjoy deciding — and so I'll give them a moment of connection, and I'll give them an emotional moment, and then I'll be vicious to them. You really are putting these characters through the wringer and you just have to use yourself as the barometer of 'when do I get emotional and when do I write things up a little bit?'. On Elements of Horror, Tension, Unease and Discomfort Simmering in Garner's Last Four Films in a Row — Including The Royal Hotel and The Assistant Julia: "I think it's funny. I look at those two movies, I don't look at them as horror movies so much, Royal and The Assistant. I look at them more as movies that have a lot of tension, and movies that have more of a grey area — and that's what feels like horror, a grey area is sometimes scarier because it feels more real. But this movie is different from anything that I've done, because this is actually the most of an action movie from out of anything that I've done, so that was one of the things that I also wanted to do. There was a lot of physical just running and all the things that I'm doing this movie. It was like an action horror movie it felt like, this film." On Why Whannell Keeps Telling On-Screen Tales About the Loss of Control and Agency Leigh: "That's interesting. A lot of times I treat interviews like free therapy, where I'm discovering in real time what the hell it is I do with my life. The old saying 'a fish cannot describe water' applies — I'm so inside of my films and so close to them that I'm not always the best person to tell you what they're about. Someone like you, who's coming in with a fresh set of eyes, you have a better Google Maps-view of this thing that I've done, and you maybe can pick up things. So I'm surprised a lot of times. Hearing you say that, I'm like 'okay' — and thinking about it, I'm like 'yeah, you're right'. There is this throughline through Upgrade and The Invisible Man and Wolf Man, and a lot of stuff I've done. I think that — just unpacking this in real-time here for you — I think that feeling like being out of control is something I'm afraid of in my own life. I'm somebody who wants to know what the plan is. I'm trying to keep a lid on the chaos of life. Some people are better at going with the flow. I definitely need that and I've always been like that. So maybe it's a fear of mine that's coming out. But also I think it just makes for good drama when you have someone who is being stripped of their agency and who they are. That's just great drama, especially when the person doesn't deserve it, when they're a sympathetic character. They say the key to screenwriting is to put your main character up a tree and throw rocks at them. I guess I enjoy torturing these fictional people because that makes for a good screenplay." On the Importance of Key Surroundings in Garner's Recent Films, Such as Wolf Man's Oregon Farm Setting Julia: "Surroundings in general, I think, is — and this is actually not on the actor, but I think if a director is not using the surroundings, that is not good for the film because it's a character on its own. So you're not getting to know another character in the film." On How Whannell Knew That Abbott and Garner Were His Wolf Man Leads Leigh: "I knew both of their work and knew how talented they both were. With Chris, the final straw was seeing him do a play in New York where he was just so great. And he was just ball of energy on stage, just raging — and then I went and saw him backstage and he's just chilling out with a glass of wine. And I was like 'okay, this guy, this guy is amazing that he could do that and then this'. I could see that he could switch it on and off. And with Julia, I already knew what she was capable of. So a lot of times with actors, unless you're a Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg, you really are just fishing for a yes. You don't always get that. I've written plenty of impassioned letters to different actors trying to sell them on a film I'm writing and gotten the rejection. Even directors can get rejected. Actors face a lot of rejection, but directors do too. So I'm just so happy that these particular two people responded. I was waiting for Julia. I was like 'uhhh, I haven't heard anything for a couple of days'. I'm reading into it. 'I guess she's going to pass'. And then she texted me a little wolf emoji. And I was like 'all right'. It was just one of those happy times when two people you know can do it both said yes." On Garner Working with Christopher Abbott for the Third Time — and How They Drew Energy From Each Other in Their Wolf Man Performances Julia: Well, it definitely didn't feel like the first time I met him. So that was easy. And Chris is such a great actor, so I was very excited to attach myself to this. Chris met me when I was 16 years old, which is crazy — there is history. Just being real, I think is so important. Being real and being open, because if you have just open behaviour, then that makes your scene partner hopefully more open. So that openness is contagious, and then you get a real response. On What Whannell Makes of His Journey From Australian TV to Co-Creating the Saw and Insidious Franchise, Then Upgrade, The Invisible Man and Wolf Man Leigh: "A lot of it's been surprising. So much of the movie industry is gambling, and you the old saying 'nobody knows anything' applies, I think. Certainly in Hollywood, where you've got these big studios spending lots of money and it's a profit-driven industry. Unlike Australia, it's not a a government-supported art form. It's a deluge of capitalism, and you stand or fall on that box office. And there are detours you can take, i.e. spend less — well, then you're not on the hook as much; the less money you spend, the less you're expected to make. So anyone who manages to scrape out a career, it's kind of a surprise — because when James Wan and I did that first Saw movie, we never expected that people would actually go to see it, and never expected to turn into this huge franchise. And it was a total bonus prize. So it's surprising more than anything. And I think when luck is involved, it can keep you humble — or it should. If you start believing that you're there because of destiny, that you were chosen by the hands of fate, that's when you're in trouble. That's when your ego's talking. But if you have a healthy awareness that luck plays a massive part in film-industry success, it does keep you god-fearing. It keeps you humble in the face of that luck. Here I am again talking to you, I'm rolling the dice again. I've made a film. I'm hoping it does well. But I have no idea how it's going to connect with audiences. That part isn't up to me. There's nothing I can do or say to make this film connect with people. It either will or it won't. So yeah, I'm just very well-aware of that." [caption id="attachment_927986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Royal Hotel[/caption] On How Garner's Run of Working with Australian Directors Came to Be Julia: "I don't know. Well, Kitty is one of my closest friends, so I will do anything with her. I literally was just like 'I need to call her'. I love Australians. I think you guys are awesome. And you guys have great, great directors and art coming out of there, so I'm always intrigued by what an Australian has to say." Wolf Man opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 16, 2025. Leigh Whannell will chat about the film at the 2025 AACTA Festival, which runs from Wednesday, February 5–Sunday, February 9, 2025 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast.
The mornings have lost their icy chill. The weekends are getting sunnier. And — if you're like us — you might be feeling a little sluggish from all that raclette and cheese-wheel pasta and binge-watching Stranger Things 2. So, now's the perfect time to dust off your runners, get outside and start training. Keen to conquer your first fun run? Determined to beat those City2Surf hills that took the wind out of you this winter? Upping the stakes from a half- to a full-marathon? We've teamed up with Hahn to track down the most picturesque running locations in your city. Whether it's a waterside run in the CBD or a rainforest trail a short drive away, we've found it. And because we all need a little motivation to get those hearts pounding and those legs moving, we've also picked the best pub nearby to cooldown with a post-run beer. Balance is key. SYDNEY CBD: MRS MACQUARIE'S CHAIR THEN OPERA BAR Smack bang in the centre of the CBD is one of Sydney's most picturesque runs. Start in the Domain, jog up to Mrs Macquarie's Chair and continue around the sparkling harbour to the Sydney Opera House. Stop to take a photo (because how else can you prove you've been for a run if you don't document it on social media?) and continue around Circular Quay to The Rocks. If you're feeling extra active, we suggest running across the Harbour Bridge — the views alone make it worth the extra kilometre. When you're done, head back to Opera Bar for a cold pint. The best part? You can easily fit this run into your lunch break. SYDNEY FURTHER AFIELD: SPIT BRIDGE TO MANLY THEN HOTEL STEYNE If you, like many Sydneysiders, have jogged the Bondi to Bronte path a few (hundred) times, you're probably looking for somewhere less populated, but equally photogenic to visit. Look no further than the Spit Bridge to Manly trail. The 10-kilometre trek takes runners through the Sydney Harbour National Park, past small beaches and inlets and up high with elevated views over the city. If you stray off the track, you may run into Crater Cove's historic (and hidden) 80-year-old cabins. A word of warning: it's a hilly run (with more than a few steps) so we suggest packing plenty of water, a camera and your credit card, and heading toward the waterside Hotel Steyne for a cooldown dip and icy pint when you finish. MELBOURNE CBD: YARRA TRAILS THEN FORESTER'S The Main Yarra Trail, which runs from the northeast suburb of Eltham to Southbank, is a cool 33 kilometres. If you're up to this stage in your training, great — tie up those laces, slap on that Garmin and start jogging — but, if the thought of running that far fills you with dizzying, nauseating dread (we feel it), fret not. The Yarra Trails encompass a range of different length runs for different levels of fitness. Head to the lush Yarra Bend Park, a short ten-minute drive from the CBD, and pick your distance. You can head off on a quick one-kilometre jog around the oval or a seven-kilometre loop past Dight Falls. When you've finished, walk (or run) across to Forester's Beer & Music Hall for a pint and a parma (hot tip: the pub offers $5 parmas every night from 5–10pm). MELBOURNE FURTHER AFIELD: BLACK ROCK TO BRIGHTON THEN HALF MOON Black Rock may only be a 30-minute drive from the city, but its isolated location and stunning views over Port Philip Bay make it feel much further away. It's also the perfect place to go for an early morning run. Start the ten-kilometre track at the Black Rock Yacht Club, pass the Red Bluff Lookout, do some sand sprints on Hampton Beach and end at Brighton Beach's 82 colourful bathing boxes. If you're looking to extend your run, continue up the coast to Elwood beach or even further to St Kilda Pier. Once you're done, head back to Half Moon in Brighton. The rustic pub boasts six different dining areas where you can unwind with a pint. [caption id="attachment_593141" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Emily Davies.[/caption] BRISBANE CBD: THE RIVER LOOP THEN THE CHARMING SQUIRE A waterside jog isn't a bad way to spend a lunch break, especially when it's right in the middle of the CBD. How far you want to run is up to you, but we recommend kicking off on the southern side of Goodwill Bridge. After something short and sweet? Jog down to Victoria Bridge, over and back for a 3.5-kilometre loop. Something a bit longer? Head the opposite way to Story Bridge for a 6.5-kilometre loop. Getting close to completing a marathon? Look to the 35-kilometre Brisbane River Loop. It follows the river from South Bank all the way to Indooroopilly and back. When you're done The Charming Squire is serving up brews and views, waterside. BRISBANE FURTHER AFIELD: MOUNT COOT-THA THEN SUMMIT RESTAURANT & BAR Half-an-hour drive from Brisbane's CBD is Mount Coot-tha Forest — 1500 hectares of lush eucalypt forest. Inside this reservation, you'll find a heap of different running tracks. While the Brisbane City Council gives a full rundown of all your options here, these are a couple of our favourites. The Summit Track, a four-kilometre round loop, takes you from JC Slaughter Falls picnic area to Mount Coot-tha Lookout. It's a steep run up, but you'll be rewarded with an easy jog downhill on the way back. If you're more ambitious, there's a ten-kilometre loop that starts at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, heads across to the lookout, then follows Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, through the trees and back to the starting point. Since you survived, you deserve a beer and Summit Restaurant & Bar (next to the lookout) has some chilled for you. Top image: Brooke James Get outside and on a run now — there's an ice cold Hahn waiting for you at the end.
As a kid, your idea of the perfect getaway probably would have included only a few simple things, like proximity to the closest milk bar and easy access to the nearest beach or lake. But as you've matured, so have your tastes and expectations. Now you want only the best, don't you? Luckily, Australia has no shortage of lavish retreats to discover in every corner of the country. From safari-style glamping along Western Australia's vibrant Ningaloo Reef to a rugged private island off the Tasmanian coast, there are ways you can seriously treat yourself — and see some of Australia's most stunning scenes at the same time. With that in mind, we've hunted down seven luxury locations that will have you refreshed and rejuvenated. Everyone deserves a little five-star escape every now and then. [caption id="attachment_720489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] SAL SALIS NINGALOO REEF SAFARI CAMP, WA Hidden between sand dunes in the Cape Range National Park, Sal Salis is a beachside eco safari camp like no other. The 15 luxury wilderness tents take glamping to a whole new level, with breezy openair bathrooms, handmade timber beds and absolutely unbeatable views of the Indian Ocean, which is conveniently located only a few steps away from your sleeping quarters. There are outdoor activities aplenty, though swimming with whale sharks, manta rays and dolphins would certainly be at the top of our list. The main lodge also offers the perfect place to unwind with fantastic regional wines, WA seafood, and a rustic wooden outdoor deck that offers the ultimate vantage point to see the Milky Way in all its glory. Ningaloo Reef is one of our top places to visit in Australia in 2023, and Sal Salis would have to be the greatest place to stay in the region. THE CAPE AT WATEGOS, BYRON BAY If you're after a laidback luxury stay with uninterrupted sea views, then these Byron Bay lodges should more than do the trick. The Cape at Wategos sits above the area's much-loved Wategos Beach (backed by a national park) and is super close to a bunch of great restaurants and bars. It has the ideal blend of feeling totally remote but still close to Byron Bay's fun stuff. Choose from one of the two-bedroom suites — each with massive private decks overlooking the beach — or go for the large Residence that sleeps up to six guests. Expect stark white interiors, Hampton-style furnishings, spacious kitchens and living areas, an infinity swimming pool and comfy king-sized beds. Either spend all your days up at the lodges or take a short walk down for afternoons of swimming and surfing with mates. LONGITUDE 131, YULARA, NT No matter where you're standing, the mammoth form of Uluru is always an incredible sight to behold. But some vantage points are better than others — and if we had to pick, we'd say Longitude 131 has the best. Luxury tents (if you can even call them that) sprawl across the red desert in the shadow of the ancient Kata Tjuṯa. Every one comes with indulgent elements like floor-to-ceiling windows, a soft daybed, a rain shower and a coffee machine — not to mention the free-standing tub in the sprawling Dune Pavilion that we would definitely try to take home with us if it was remotely possible. The best part? There are no televisions and no radios, so you'll be in complete quiet and solitude. It is clear to see why it's one of the best glamping spots in all of Australia. [caption id="attachment_557208" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elise Hassey[/caption] SATELLITE ISLAND, TASMANIA If you've ever read Journey to the End of the Earth and thought 'that sounds like fun' then you're going to love Satellite Island. Lined with rugged cliffs that dip into clear blue waters and teeming with native wildlife, the 34-hectare landmass is located along the southeastern coast of Tasmania in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and is only accessible by private boat. Whether you're catching your own fish off of the island's single jetty, foraging for ingredients in the veggie patch or learning how to shuck your own oysters, you'll probably try to set up a makeshift cabin so you never have to leave this tranquil paradise. PS EMMYLOU, MURRAY RIVER According to the PS Emmylou team, this is the world's only accommodated woodfire paddle steamer. You'll slowly float along the Murray River in this newly kitted-out boat, stopping off at small towns and natural sites to do some light exploring. Grab one of the eight luxe cabins, dine on the back of the boat (with food and drinks included in the ticket price) and take part in a series of tours around the Murray River region. This will include leisurely hikes, winery tours and special dinners on the banks of the river. But the best thing to do is simply grab a seat on your balcony — if you get the luxury suite — and spend the day reading and drinking in the sunshine. It has to be the best way to see this marvellous part of Australia. JACKALOPE, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VICTORIA Situated in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula wine region, Jackalope Hotel has raised the bar for luxury retreats in the area. The first thing that greets you on arrival is a grandiose seven-metre-tall sculpture of a jackalope — the mythical horned rabbit after which the surrealist hotel is named — and things only get more extravagant from there. From the 30-metre-long infinity pool with lush vineyard views to the hotel's extensive art collection, opulent spa and two top-quality restaurants, you won't have to leave the grounds if you don't want to. [caption id="attachment_720481" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Aitchison and Baille Lodge via Destination NSW[/caption] CAPELLA LODGE, LORD HOWE ISLAND Operating for over a decade now, Capella Lodge is one of Australia's most well-known hotels — and, thanks to a cheeky $4 million makeover a few years ago, it's also one of the country's most lavish. Visitors are treated to inspiring views of the island's twin peaks, Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird, as well as the world's southernmost coral reef in the Pacific Ocean. The beach is only a stone's throw away when you feel like a swim, though the plunge pool is just as refreshing. Plus, you can do this epic hike and then head straight to the spa for a hot stone massage that'll have you feeling stress-free for weeks. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Longitude 131.
Low-fi. Wild ferment. Skin contact. Sounds like different incarnations of your mate's high school band, but actually this is just the lingo of the world of minimal intervention winemaking. It's a movement that's been gaining popularity in Australia and New Zealand for a while now, and the wines produced as a result of it have been floating around restaurants and bars for the better part of a decade. For some, seeing 'skin contact' on a wine list is like a guiding light — but, often, it can be confusing as to what that actually means. So what is minimal intervention winemaking exactly? In its purest form, minimal intervention means winemaking that doesn't add or remove anything at the cellar — it's about turning grapes into wine with as little interference from the winemaker as possible. Unlike your typical drop made with more traditional methods, there are less sulfites and commercial yeast added throughout the process. Instead, yeast that was already on the grapes when they were picked is left to ferment and make it into wine. So, how can you tell when you're sipping one? What flavours should you expect in the glass? And how long can you keep a bottle in your fridge before it ends up down the sink? To help you wade through the winemaker speak, we've teamed up with Stoneleigh to deliver the ultimate untraditional wine cheat-sheet. With this, you won't have to fumble your way through weighty wine lists (and, after that, chicken out and order the house red anyway). We'll have you picking the most interesting wine on the menu in no time. HOW IT'S MADE Let's start at the vineyard. In the case of minimal intervention wine this is, arguably, the genesis of every great bottle. The process begins with fruit picked at optimum ripeness, which is then harvested and crushed. From here, juices are drained and pressed from the skins, then poured into a fermentation vessel and left at room temperature. This is where things really kick into gear. The fermentation of the natural yeast usually begins within a few days and continues for up to a month. It's similar to the style of fermentation that happens in kombucha, kimchi and sourdough. In the case of Stoneleigh's Wild Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 70 percent of the wine is aged in French barrels, while the other 30 percent goes into stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation is complete, the two are blended to produce a balanced and ripe wine that has more texture and depth. The key difference here from conventional winemaking is there's no chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides, added yeast, sugar or machinery in sight. The result? Keep reading to find out. [caption id="attachment_644048" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brook James[/caption] HOW IT TASTES As minimal intervention winemaking adopts a hands-off approach, it's often said these wines are the ultimate representation of the land from which the grapes are sourced. Each vineyard will have its own unique environment that produces naturally occurring micro-flora (the stuff that makes wild fermentation happen) and, as such, its own distinct taste. Without the typical stabilisers and filtering process of conventional wines, the flavour profiles of this wine vary wildly from cellar to cellar. It's a spectrum that shifts from wild and crisp to cloudy and funky. Oh, and expect there to be plenty of sediment in the bottom of your glass. Unlike conventional wines, there are no agents (typically egg white or gelatin) added or filtering prior to bottling — so there will be floaties. But don't worry, these are completely harmless and 100 percent fine for ingestion. Think of it like the pulp in a freshly squeezed OJ. Grown in New Zealand's Rapaura valley, Stoneleigh's Wild Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a wine as very distinct. If you track down a glass, you'll smell stone fruit and lemon curd, and maybe even taste some paw paw. HOW TO STORE IT These wines, unlike their conventional counterparts, are best enjoyed young. Without stabilisers and additives, they prove more unstable and harder to age than a traditional drop. So Stoneleigh recommends consuming its Wild Valley Sauvignon Blanc within two years of purchasing to drink it at its peak. The same rules around typical wine storage still apply for low-intervention wines. Store horizontally away from sunlight in a cool, dry place and keep sealed and corked until you're ready to drink. Once open, the wine's flavour will be at its for the next two or three days — don't leave it any longer. [caption id="attachment_644050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brook James[/caption] HOW TO PAIR IT Being region-specific wines, many wild fermented wines are a perfect match for vegetable dishes. Look for savoury low-fi drops that play on the earthiness of root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and beetroot. Next time you're hosting a barbecue, skip the six-pack and nab a chilled glass of natural vino instead. Grab bottles with light, bright acidity that work well alongside charred seafood dishes like prawns and scallops or grilled barramundi. Stoneleigh's Wild Valley Sauvignon Blanc is suited to a range of dishes. The winemakers recommend pairing it with an oily fish such as salmon, topped with parmesan herb crust drizzled with fresh lemon or perfect with a range of cow's and goat's milk cheeses. Start your journey through minimal intervention wine with Stoneleigh Wild Valley, whose 2017 sauvignon blanc recently won gold at the New York International Wine Competition 2019. Top image: Brook James.
"They're hard and they're brutal and they're specific, but I know how to do it." So says Carmy (Jeremy Allen White, The Iron Claw) to his brother Michael (Jon Bernthal, Origin) in the flashback that opens the full trailer for The Bear season three. How true that claim will prove is the focus of this new batch of episodes — and, based on this latest sneak peek, it's going to be anything but an easy journey. What happens when a sandwich diner levels up in a big way, becoming a fine-diner that's angling for a spot among Chicago's very best restaurants, chasing perfection and a Michelin star? Fans of The Bear will soon find out. As not only the just-dropped new glimpse shows, but also two earlier teaser trailers, culinary chaos remains on the menu alongside the rotating array of dishes that Carmy keeps conjuring up in the name of kitchen creativity. Whether Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Bottoms) is advising that "this is a dysfunctional kitchen" or Carmy and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, No Hard Feelings) are asking her to "show me a functional one" in response, the three trailers are teeming with the hustle and bustle of the trio, and their colleagues, friends and family, working through the reality of having made their hospitality dreams come true. In season three, The Bear's namesake restaurant is now open, after Carmy, Sydney, Richie and the team transformed their beef-slinging eatery (where season one's action took place) into an upscale restaurant (with that process fuelling season two). But staying operational is still a struggle, especially with such higher stakes after the revamp and rebrand. [caption id="attachment_954671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chuck Hodes/FX[/caption] How that pans out will be revealed on Thursday, June 27 both in the US and Down Under. In the past, there's always been a wait for Aussie and NZ viewers — season one hit in June in America, then in August in Australia; with season two, US viewers still had a June date, while Aussies and New Zealanders had to wait till July — but thankfully that isn't the case this time. Comfort food and winter do go hand in hand, after all — and since 2022, so has this dramedy and the frostiest time of the year Down Under. It was two years back that The Bear debuted to become one of the best new shows on television. In 2023, it then became one of the best returning shows on TV that year. The Bear was renewed for season three in November 2023 to the surprise of no one, but to the joyous shouts of "yes chef!" from everyone. Also, even though that third season hasn't yet dropped, it looks as if the show has been renewed for its fourth season already as well. If you've missed The Bear so far, its first season jumped into the mayhem when Carmy took over the diner after his brother's death. Before returning home, the chef's resume featured Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. Then, in season two, Carmy worked towards turning the space into an upscale addition to his hometown's dining scene, with help from the restaurant's trusty team — including a roster of talent also spans Abby Elliott (Indebted) as Carmy's sister Natalie, aka Sugar, plus Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment), Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) and IRL chef Matty Matheson among the other staff. Check out the full trailer for The Bear season three below: The Bear streams via Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand, with season three arriving on Thursday, June 27. Read our review of season one and review of season two.
Sydney is now home to a dedicated Harry Potter-themed store. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set to return to Melbourne's stage this year. It looks like a new HP-related TV show is in the works, and Japan is due to score a theme park dedicated to the titular wizard. Yes, if you're a fan of the wizarding franchise, there are plenty of ways to keep indulging your love. Another one is coming, too, thanks to Harry Potter: The Exhibition. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it has existed since 2009 — and came to Sydney in 2012. Come 2022, however, a huge new version will start making its way around the planet, in a partnership between Warner Bros Consumer Products and Imagine Exhibitions. This time, Harry Potter: The Exhibition will cover all things Fantastic Beasts-related, too, if that's how you've been getting your magical fix over the past few years. In total, the big HP showcase will span between 929–1858 square metres, and feature everything from props and costumes from the ten movies to-date to installations that recreate the world of the books and films. While exact details of what'll be on display haven't been revealed as yet, the exhibition is set to "present beautifully crafted environments that honour the beloved characters, settings and beasts seen in the films while exploring the filmmaking magic that brought them to life" according to Imagine Exhibitions' statement announcing the new tour. The company also advises that Harry Potter: The Exhibition will "celebrate the most iconic moments of the films and stories of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the expanded Wizarding World". Just where it'll be heading hasn't been announced so far either, but the showcase will tour to multiple regions, including cities in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. So, you can start crossing your fingers that a visit Down Under will be among its stops — or saying "accio exhibition" as often as you like. For now, Australian fans can stream the eight original films as they've just hit Binge. And, for a refresher on how the movies wrapped up, you can also check out the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk&utm_keyword=referral_bustle Harry Potter: The Exhibition will start its world tour from sometime in 2022 — we'll update you with further details when they're announced. Image: Warner Bros.
When season five of Stranger Things arrives, it'll bring with it a big ending, wrapping up the Netflix hit for good after the next batch of episodes. Yes, everything from Succession to Barry is also saying farewell these days, but Stranger Things won't be completely dropping off the radar — it has spinoffs to slip into your streaming queue, including a just-announced new animated series. Back in 2022 when Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that their sci-fi show was working towards its endgame, they also said that they had more stories to tell in this fictional — and sometimes Upside Down — realm. Instantly, we all knew what that meant. Netflix doesn't like letting go of its hits easily, after all, so the quest to find a way to keep wandering through this franchise was about as surprising as Jim Hopper's (David Harbour, Violent Night) usual gruff mood. "Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you'll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling towards our finale. Season four will be the penultimate season; season five will be the last," the Duffers said at the time. "There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things; new mysteries, new adventures and unexpected heroes," the Duffers continued. Cue the upcoming Stranger Things cartoon, which doesn't yet have a name, but will boast the Duffer brothers as executive producers. Obviously, it's headed to Netflix. "We've always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realised has been absolutely thrilling," the siblings said, announcing the new show. There's no word yet on when the animated series will arrive, what it'll focus on and who'll be among its voices. If you're devoted to the OG cast, start crossing your fingers that some or all of Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes 2), Finn Wolfhard (Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio), Noah Schnapp (Waiting for Anya), Winona Ryder (The Plot Against America), Charlie Heaton (The Souvenir: Part II), Joe Keery (Free Guy), Gaten Matarazzo (The Angry Birds Movie 2), Caleb McLaughlin (Concrete Cowboy), Sadie Sink (The Whale), Natalia Dyer (Things Seen & Heard) and Maya Hawke (Do Revenge) are involved. Netflix did just reveal that it's getting the Scott Pilgrim vs the World cast back together to voice an anime continuation of that beloved flick, after all. There's no sneak peek at the animated Stranger Things series as yet, either, but you can check out the trailer for season four below: The Stranger Things animated series doesn't yet have a release date, but we'll update you when one is announced. You can the OG series via Netflix. Read our review of season four. Images: courtesy of Netflix.
Partway into Unfinished Business, three Americans go to Berlin. It’s a busy week in the German capital, with hotel rooms hard to come by. The youngest of the trio, Mike Pancake (Dave Franco), books into the only place he and his 67-year-old colleague, Timothy Winters (Tom Wilkinson), can afford: a youth hostel. Their boss, Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn), unknowingly opts for a “habitable work of art”, where he’s on display in a museum. The level of comedy shown here, of the “old folks doing young things”, “look how mismatched everyone is” and “isn’t this a ridiculous idea” variety, are actually some of the film’s best work. That’s not a compliment. But when much of the movie makes fun of unusual names, of a man wearing women’s clothing, and of the difficulties someone identified as challenged has in understanding certain words, well, the bar hasn’t been set very high. Also on the hit-list of Unfinished Business’ allegedly humorous subjects: gawking at naked women, the stereotype of women acting like men to make it in business, women compared to vending machines, gay nightclub culture and steam rooms. Contrast that with the film’s supposedly softer side, attempting to address bullying, fitting in, standing up for yourself and chasing what you believe in. That the combination of crassness and schmaltz is as muddled and messy as it is ill fitting is hardly surprising. The plot stems from a Jerry Maguire moment, as family man Dan quits his job selling metal shavings to go out on his own, and Mike and Timothy follow. A year later, they’re up for a lucrative contract – but despite being told the gig is theirs by their contact (Nick Frost), they’re pitted against Chuck (Sienna Miller), their previous employer. Though both teams travel to Berlin, it seems that smarmy exec Jim (James Marsden) has already made up his mind. Dan is forced to take drastic action to succeed, and to take care of everyone counting on him. Why Hollywood is convinced that audiences want to see Vaughn making the same kind of movies – especially these kind of movies – remains a mystery. He’s a likeable enough presence, but continually playing a big-hearted underachiever trying to get his life back on track via fratboy-like antics doesn’t do anyone any favours. Vaughn and his director Ken Scott obviously disagree, re-teaming after the thematically similar Delivery Man. If you’ve seen that, or The Internship, then you know what you’re in for here. The scattershot approach shown in the script doesn’t help matters, rushing from one scene to the next as fast as it can, even though the film always feels like it is dragging. Nor does the insistence that more is more: more crude gags, more cliches, more over-the-top exploits and more drama. And then there’s poor Franco and Wilkinson, saddled with one-note characters, but trying hard. At least someone is. Otherwise, Unfinished Business is an overstuffed, underdone mess that lives up to its name – and a film easily bested by its stock image marketing campaign.
Everyone deserves a hefty dose of Steve Buscemi in their lives and, across five seasons and 56 episodes, Boardwalk Empire delivers just that. The beloved actor plays Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson, a corrupt politician who is also a gangster kingpin in Atlantic City during America's prohibition era. The character is fictional, but it's based on non-fiction book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City, which focuses on comparable real-life figure Enoch L. Johnson. Created by The Sopranos alum and The Wolf of Wall Street screenwriter Terrence Winter — and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, with the iconic filmmaker also directing its pilot — Boardwalk Empire charts Nucky's ups and downs, including the government investigation into his activities. While Buscemi is the obvious star of the show, both Michael Shannon and Kelly Macdonald are top-notch, as is this weighty drama all-round.
Brisbane's bar scene is no slouch. It's also far from sparse. You can love getting a drink in your own city and want a taste of ace watering holes from around the rest of Australia, however. For that situation, the hospitality industry invented bar takeovers, where one booze-pouring place drops in to run the show for a night at another such establishment — and Brissie is about to welcome three interstate joints to show off their beverages. In February and March, for one night apiece, sipping drinks from Sydney's Bar Planet, plus Cry Baby and Memphis Slim's House Of Blues in Adelaide, will be on the menu without leaving the River City. Bar Planet and Memphis Slim's House Of Blues are headed to Frog's Hollow Saloon, while Cry Baby will do the honours at Alice, all as part of a month-long party series. Cry Baby will be bringing the late-night party on Sunday, February 18 to kick things off, before Memphis Slim's House of Blues and Frog's Hollow Saloon make a perfect pair on Sunday, March 3. Then, on Sunday, March 10, Bar Planet will be heroing martinis all evening. The two sibling Brissie bars also have another couple of parties on their agendas: a rave cave at Alice on Sunday, February 25, plus Frog's Hollow Saloon's second birthday party Sunday, March 24. Expect to celebrate all night at the latter. Expect plenty of bourbon as well.
