Streaming platforms and superheroes are modern life's new certainties, with instances of both continuing to pop up all over the place. When Disney launches its own next big venture, the two will combine, giving a number of Marvel's big-screen characters their own small-screen series. As reported by Variety, Marvel is apparently planning a number of limited-run shows based on its popular Marvel Cinematic Universe figures, with Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch named as the likely first candidates. Each series is expected to run for six to eight episodes, and the strategy will focus on characters that haven't yet received their own standalone movies — and don't have any in the works. That means that we won't be seeing any dedicated shows about Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Captain Marvel or Black Widow; however there are plenty of others that fit the bill. While no other names have been floated, War Machine, Hawkeye, Falcon, Quicksilver, Bucky Barnes, Valkyrie and Killmonger all meet the criteria, for starters — and, if you forget about the Edward Norton-starring The Incredible Hulk (which is easily done) before Mark Ruffalo took over the part, then the Hulk could also fit at a stretch. Taking a figure from one of its films and spinning a series around them is an approach that Marvel took with Agent Carter, based on Hayley Atwell's character from Captain America: The First Avenger, so it's hardly new or surprising. Like that two-series program, the plan seems to be for actors from Marvel's movies to reprise their roles for the streaming service. Disney hasn't even announced a specific launch date for its streaming platform — although it's expected to become available late next year — so this really is a watch-this-space kind of situation. Still, between the long-running Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the company's six different Netflix series and a few other TV titles, the company has shown that it likes putting the MCU on the small screen as much as the big. Disney's streaming platform will also boast a $100 million Star Wars series from The Jungle Book, Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau, a High School Musical TV series, another show based on Monsters, Inc. and a live-action Lady and the Tramp movie. Via Variety. Image: Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War. Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Photo: Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2018.
The transfixing terrain of Mads Mikkelsen's face has been cast against formidably frosty and inhospitable climes before, weathering mirroring weathering. Sporting a piercing and determined glint in his eye, the Danish acting great has previously surveyed the Scandinavian landscape, too, seeing possibility where others spot peril. It was true in Arctic, in Valhalla Rising and now in The Promised Land: there's no stare as mesmerisingly resolute as his. When Ludvig Kahlen, Mikkelsen's latest character, insists that he can do what no one else has done — to begin with: settling the heath on the heather-covered Jutland moorland and building a colony for the king, a feat considered virtually impossible in the mid-18th century — doubting him isn't a possibility for anyone in the movie's audience. The BAFTA-nominated Another Round star has danced in historical drama territory for his countryman director Nikolaj Arcel in the past as well, with the pair reteaming after 2012's Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair. A different king sits on the throne in this film, Frederick V instead of Christian VII; however, the regal shadow remains inescapable. This time, Mikkelsen and Arcel tell not of a doctor influencing a monarch and a country, but of a soldier aligning his quest for a better future with a sovereign's wish, and learning what it means to chase a dream only to realise that you need something less tangible. Kahlen's attempt to farm land considered barren is equally a battle against entitlement and arrogance thanks to his clash with Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg, Borgen), a cruel local magistrate who contends that the king's land is his own — and feels far enough away from Copenhagen for there not to be any consequences for his claim. A survivalist story, an underdog tale, an eat-the-rich narrative, a fierce repudiation of ill-earned senses of superiority, a journey of discovery: they all fertilise this potent Nordic picture, as do all of the hallmarks of a western. Jutland provides the plains. Kahlen and de Schinkel tussle over their conquering — one with what's best for the community in mind, the other only seeking their own power and glory. Based on Ida Jessen's 2020 book The Captain and Ann Barbara, The Promised Land isn't so simplistic as to make Kahlen the portrait of selflessness. Indeed, this isn't a naive film for a second. Instead, even with renown also on the line for its protagonist, it spies the vast chasm between the illegitimate son of a landowner and a servant who toiled in the military for 25 years to receive the title of captain and is now willing to keep scrapping to secure his lot in life, and the born-to-money and -means pomposity lorded over everyone in reach by someone that knows nothing of hard work, struggle and duty, and only of selfishly getting their own way. (Bastarden aka The Bastard is the movie's original Danish-language moniker.) The year is 1755 when Kahlen petitions Frederick V for the right to make what he can of the moors, a request only granted by the royal underlings because they think that the task is unattainable but it'll appease the king that an effort is being made. On the land itself, doubt also reigns supreme. Only the resident clergyman (Gustav Lindh, The Northman) shows any faith in Kahlen's mission. Finding workers to assist is also virtually impossible due to de Schinkel, who has the county cloaked in fear and its peasants indentured on his own turf. It's illegal for anyone to take on those who have fled the tyrant, but in the married Johannes (Morten Hee Andersen, Carmen Curlers) and Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin, Raised by Wolves), Kahlen takes a chance anyway. While it's also forbidden to enlist the Romani people, who first send the young Anmai Mus (debutant Melina Hagberg) to get pilfering on Kahlen's patch, that's another gambit soon made. Arcel has much to dig through in Anders Thomas Jensen's latest screenplay to star Mikkelsen — see also: Flickering Lights, Adam's Apples, After the Wedding, The Salvation, Men & Chicken and Riders of Justice — especially as de Schinkel keeps throwing his weight around as egotistical manchildren do, and as the ways in which exploitation, classism and racism shape the societal status quo push to the fore. With Kahlen, including as he gets caught between his new nemesis and the latter's Norwegian cousin Edel Helene (Kristine Kujath Thorp, Sick of Myself), the filmmaker makes a crucial storytelling choice, though: rarely peering far away from either Mikkelsen or the Danish scenery. Westerns fix their eyes on faces and frontiers because they're each sights that can unfurl an entire history in a mere look; in this feature's majestic imagery, which spans sweeping vistas and soulful close-ups alike, nothing says more than intently scrutinising its star and his surroundings. As classical as The Promised Land feels in an old-school, they-don't-often-make-them-like-this-anymore fashion — and with the route there proving more of a surprise than the destination as well — there's a slipperiness to Mikkelsen's involvement, too, thanks to a career spent playing everything from Bond antagonists and Hannibal Lecter to The Hunt's persecuted teacher. Even in a film with a clear villain that isn't his character, he isn't in the business of painting solely in black and white. In fact, nor should he when Kahlen can be stubborn, stern, beyond stoic, and quick to cast others aside in the name of settling the hearth and taking potato farming nearly as seriously as in The Martian at almost any cost. Absolutely nothing is formulaic about the feeling and complexity that Mikkelsen brings to a role, including this, one of his best performances — and again and again, he gives the screen the epitome of what a layered and complicated portrayal should be. With Collin and scene-stealing first-timer Hagberg especially, The Promised Land's lead has excellent on-screen company. In smaller but no less pivotal parts, each conveys perseverance and strength to match Kahlen's, as tinted with the added weight of being women, peasants and Romani in a time and place with no care for any of the above. This film's main trio, its makeshift family, inhabit an existence where little sprouts for those beyond the one percent that isn't tended to fastidiously, furiously and like their very being depended upon it. Among its many highlights, stepping reflecting the present bears plenty of fruit for this grand and gripping picture.
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.
A Star Is Born has already graced the titles of four different films, and Licorice Pizza isn't one of them. Paul Thomas Anderson's ninth feature, and his loosest since Boogie Nights — his lightest since ever, too — does boast a memorable Bradley Cooper performance, though. That said, this 70s- and San Fernando Valley-set delight isn't quite about seeking fame, then navigating its joys and pitfalls, although child actors and Hollywood's ebbs and flows all figure into the narrative. Licorice Pizza definitely births two new on-screen talents, however, both putting in two of 2021's best performances and two of the finest-ever movie debuts. That's evident from the film's very first sublimely grainy 35-millimetre-shot moments, as Alana Haim of Haim (who PTA has directed several music videos for) and Cooper Hoffman (son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, a PTA regular) do little more than chat, stroll and charm. The radiant Haim plays Alana Kane, a Valley dweller of 25 or 28 (her story changes) working as a photographer's assistant, which brings her to a Tarzana high school on yearbook picture day. Enter the smoothly assured Hoffman as 15-year-old Gary Valentine, who is instantly smitten and tries to wrangle a date. Alana is dismissive with a spikiness that speaks volumes about how she handles herself (a later scene, where she yells "fuck off, teenagers!" to kids in her way, is similarly revealing). But Gary keeps persisting, inviting her to the real-life Tail o' the Cock, a fine diner he claims to visit regularly. In a gliding ride of a walk-and-talk sequence that's shot like a dream, Alana says no, yet she's also still intrigued. As a smile at the end of their first encounter betrays, Alana was always going to show up, even against her better judgement (and even as she firmly establishes that they aren't a couple). Her demeanour doesn't soften as Gary interrogates her like he's a dad greeting a daughter's beau — a gag Anderson mirrors later when Alana takes another ex-child actor, Lance (Skyler Gisondo, Santa Clarita Diet), home to meet her mother, father and two sisters (all played by the rest of the Haims, parents included) and he's questioned in the same manner. That family dinner arises after Gary enlists the new object of his affection to chaperone him on a trip to New York, where he's featuring with Lance in a live reunion for one of their flicks. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Gary is heartbroken to see Alana with Lance, but all roads keep leading her back to him anyway. Charting Alana and Gary's friendship as it circles and swirls, and they often sprint towards each other — and chronicling everything else going on in the San Fernando Valley, where PTA himself grew up — Licorice Pizza is a shaggy slice-of-life film in multiple ways. Spinning a narrative that Anderson penned partly based on stories shared by Gary Goetzman, an ex-child talent turned frequent producer of Tom Hanks movies, it saunters along leisurely like it's just stepped out of the 70s itself, and also sports that anything-can-happen vibe that comes with youth. It's a portrait of a time, before mobile phones and the internet, when you had to either talk on a landline or meet up in person to make plans, and when just following where the day took you was the status quo. It captures a canny mix of adolescence and arrested development, too; teen exuberance springs from the always-hustling Gary, while treading water is both an apt description of Alana's connection with her would-be paramour and a state she's acutely aware of. Set to a soundtrack that bounces between Paul McCartney and Wings, Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman, and David Bowie ('Life on Mars' is put to transcendent use), it all breezes about like a relaxed 1973 summer, but plenty fills Alana and Gary's time and PTA's glorious feature. Gary auditions for TV ads, runs a PR firm with his mum (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and opens a waterbed business. Alana becomes his partner in the latter, meets with his agent (Harriet Sansom Harris, Atlantic Crossing), catches the attention of a Hollywood veteran modelled on William Holden (Sean Penn, The First) and volunteers for Joel Wachs' (Benny Safdie, Pieces of a Woman) mayoral campaign. As a backdrop to the pair's exploits, Richard Nixon implores Americans to use less petrol, and as the gas crisis kicks in. And when Cooper pops up, it's as Barbra Streisand's fiery then-boyfriend Jon Peters, who isn't impressed with his waterbed delivery. Cue one of Haim's most stunning moments, driving a truck after the drop-off, where she conveys more with her face and posture than words could ever express. As the film's two starriest vignettes make plain — plus another incident involving a not-quite-Lucille Ball (aka Lucy Doolittle, played by Search Party's Christine Ebersole) — Anderson is happy to both nod to and toy with reality. Licorice Pizza is firmly fiction, despite riffing on Goetzman's experiences, but it's also gleefully cognisant of how nostalgia for one's teenage and twenty-something adventures can feel slippery, starry-eyed and surreal. It'd make a great double with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for exactly that atmosphere, although it'd also pair well with PTA's Boogie Nights, his woozily romantic Punch-Drunk Love and his daylight noir Inherent Vice. Alas, it does also include pointless scenes with a restaurant owner (John Michael Higgins, Saved by the Bell) who speaks to his Japanese wives (New Bear Tours' Yumi Mizui and Good Girls' Megumi Anjo), plural, in a caricature of an accent — calling out what passed for acceptable in the 70s, but also landing flatly and clunkily. Nothing else in Licorice Pizza could be described as gawky — not even Gary's posse of pals, who are rarely far from his side — or as anything less than effervescent. This marvellous coming-of-age comedy is as masterfully made as all of Anderson's work, and yet also far roomier than the likes of There Will Be Blood, The Master and Phantom Thread; as he showed with Inherent Vice, he can be meticulous and freewheeling at once. Licorice Pizza wouldn't be the film it is without either Haim or Hoffman, though, who PTA peers at devotedly, including in closeups, as frequently as he can (he's also one of the movie's two cinematographers). With Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood providing the score once again, he adores nothing more than seeing them run towards each other — figuratively and literally, blue daylight skies blazing and purple twilight hues twinkling behind them — and he makes everyone watching savour every slice.
It has been four years since Brisbane Powerhouse added a new festival to their events calendar, giving the Brisbane Queer Film Festival a multi-arts sibling celebrating all things LGBTIQ+ beyond the screen. And while BQFF and MELT no longer coincide, they're both still going strong — with the latter back for another round of diverse theatre, comedy, dance, art, circus, music, burlesque and more from May 17 to 27. Taking place a little later in the year compared to previous fests, 2018's MELT actually kicks off on IDAHOT, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. To mark the occasion, it'll unleash 11 days filled with more than 20 different events, making Brissie an even more vibrant place than it already is. Prepare for pop, drag, parties, pride and plenty of fun. Top image: Savannah van der Niet.
"And now you want to be my friend on Facebook? Are you fucking kidding me?" The gal who brought us the anthem to sing at exes attempting to Facebook stalk us is releasing her latest album (album number four) on March 14 and heading on tour. She'll be singing 'Lose my shit', 'Ghost' (featuring Megan Washington) and other new tunes and hitting notes that most of us could only ever dream of. O Vertigo is Kate Miller-Heidke's first independently released album. And how did she make it happen? Crowdfunding. That's one way of getting around it. She hit her target three days after launching the campaign, and some of the lucky donators will be getting a Happy Birthday phone call from Ms Triple-Octave Pipes. The rest of us will attempt to suppress our jealousy. This is one worth heading to. https://youtube.com/watch?v=X0FdR7dEAYU
Anything people can do, pets can do too, right? Some doggos and kitties certainly think so. The folks behind Brisbane's newest weekly market clearly do as well, given that they're gifting the city with its first regular shopping gathering for pets. Okay, so two-legged attendees will still have to do all of the buying at Pets at the Gabba, but their four-legged friends will be the ones benefiting from their purchases. Whatever kind of pet you have, there'll be food, clothing, bedding, toys, treats and trinkets galore on offer — even for the lazy person's pet, otherwise known as the goldfish. Does your pupper need a birthday cake? Want to play sport? Yearn to wear a bowtie? You can take care of all that at 73 Logan Road, Woolloongabba when the markets kick off at 3pm on March 25. And yes, you can bring your pet with you. In case you're wondering, there'll also be food and drinks available for humans, plus live entertainment.
Visit Bowen Hills for nine days each August and the sounds of the Ekka echo through the suburb. Hit up the inner-city spot from Saturday, August 12, not just right through the Royal Queensland Show but beyond, and you'll hear plenty of cracking. Launching just in time for the show bag-loving influx but settling in permanently, Claw is the latest addition to King Street — and it's all about the kind of shellfish that you need to don a bib to eat. This crustacean-slinging joint was first announced back in May, and now opens its doors in August as promised. The American-influenced crab shack is focusing on the Ekka during its initial week and a half, including grab-and-go packs featuring a choice of chip butties, fairy bread, peel-your-own shrimp and beef brisket mac 'n' cheese — and a reduced menu in-house. Expect the full culinary lineup to kick on Monday, August 21, pairing seafood with barbecue fare in a massive sports bar. How massive? Taking over the space that food truck park Welcome to Bowen Hills previously called home, Claw can cater to 1000 people donning bibs, slicing into a steak, sipping boozy slushies and watching a match. Obviously, the crab shack heroes its fondness for seafood in its moniker, with king crab its signature menu item. You'll nab it in buckets, prepared Baja-style, and paired with chilled shrimp, oysters, lemon and cocktail sauce — and you'll pay $199 for the venue's delicacy. Also on offer: plank-roasted salmon, shrimp enchiladas, rib-eye steaks topped with half a lobster tail, jalapeño bacon burgers, fried chook, beef short ribs, Texas smoked beef brisket, Carolina pulled pork, buffalo chicken wings and blackened shrimp tacos. Add Cheetos mac 'n' cheese as a side, then feast on a salted choc brownie sundae for dessert. When the eatery was first announced, its food range also included buffalo shrimp po'boys, freshly shucked rock oysters, shrimp cocktails, fried calamari, fish tacos, and buckets of steamed mussels and clams — here's hoping they also pop up on the full menu. To wash down all of the above, frozen cocktails and craft beers are in the spotlight. Claw's drinks list features boozy slushies — think: margaritas, mango daiquiris and beergarita made with Coronas to share — plus both local and international brews, with an exposed keg room heroing the latter. If you prefer wine, there's a short array of options. And for more cocktails, go for guava or cactus apple margs, the root beer float, an apple pie-inspired tipple and a two-person concoction that's served in "a shark-infested fishbowl". For sports fans, large-screen TVs are a given, while DJs and live music will provide a soundtrack. Plus, because this is a family-friendly joint, there's even a playground for children. And, for everyone, arcade games will get you mashing buttons. Claw joins Potentia Solutions Leisure's growing Brisbane footprint, with the hospitality company also behind rooftop spots Lina and Soko, plus tequileria Carmen. Find Claw at 56 King Street, Bowen Hills, from Saturday, August 12 — open 4–10pm Monday–Tuesday, 11am–10pm Wednesday–Thursday, 11am–11.30pm Friday–Saturday, and 10am–10pm Sunday.
"Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad," said Salvadore Dali. Most visual artists would agree, there is no escaping with a drawing, no blending and bright colours to distract the viewer; it is complete honesty on a page. Jugglers’ Art Space is paying homage to the art of drawing with the Marie Ellis OAM Prize for Drawing. Open to artists from around Australia, this prize invites entrants to test the boundaries of drawing, moving beyond the conventions of illustration and sketching to unleash their passion on the page. The artist who does this most effectively will be solidly rewarded with a $4000 prize for their efforts. The Marie Ellis OAM was established to recognise the contribution of Marie Ellis, a long-term resident and dressmaker in Fortitude Valley, located in the exact spot where Jugglers now sits. Marie contributed to the arts, craft and design scene in Brisbane and worked with disabled children through the Girl Guide movement in Australia. For her service she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal, and Jugglers’ continue to keep her memory alive through this prize for drawing each year.
Once a year, Australia stops to listen to 100 songs. And, in recent years, music lovers have dedicated the next day to hearing the tunes that didn't quite make it — the next 100. No matter what date it's held on, it's the kind of time when kicking back, keeping your ears tuned on the radio, and having a beverage (or several) is well and truly in order, which is what Woolly Mammoth is offering up on January 27 and 28. One venue. 200 tracks. Plenty of drinks. Two huge days. Basically, if you won't be able to tear yourself away from the countdown and you're keen to listen in with an enthusiastic Valley crowd, that's your long weekend covered.
When David Bowie starred in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth, playing an alien being who crash lands on our planet, it became one of the musician's iconic on-screen roles. It's also one that he returned to nearly four decades later, in a fashion — co-writing the musical Lazarus, as inspired by the Walter Tevis novel that the sci-fi film was based on. Written with playwright Enda Walsh, and one of Bowie's final projects before his passing in January 2016, Lazarus opened off-Broadway in December 2015. The production made the jump to London in 2017 and, in 2019, it'll bring its otherworldly story — and its soundtrack of 18 Bowie tracks — to Australia. The first show announced for The Production Company's 2019 season, Lazarus will make its Aussie debut between May 18 and June 9, hitting the stage at Arts Centre Melbourne. While local cast details won't be revealed until February 19, when ticketing details will also be unveiled, the original production was a suitably star-studded affair. Dexter's Michael C. Hall followed in Bowie's footsteps in the part of Thomas Jerome Newton, while Fargo's Cristin Milioti played the alien's assistant. Those eager for a date with this starman — and to start loving the alien, again — can expect a sequel of sorts to The Man Who Fell to Earth. The enigmatic Newton remains on earth, unable to die; however the arrival of another lost soul might offer the solution that he's been looking for. As for the familiar songs that this story plays out to, it's basically a best-of catalogue of Bowie's greatest hits. 'Heroes', 'Changes', 'Life on Mars?', 'The Man Who Sold the World' and 'Sound and Vision' all feature — as do four of the star's final recordings, including the title track 'Lazarus'. Lazarus will hit the Arts Centre Melbourne stage from May 18 to June 9, 2019. Ticketing details will be available from February 19, 2019 — to sign up for the wait list, visit lazarusthemusical.com.au.
There are plenty of ways to spend the first day of the new year, including nursing the remnants of the previous night's celebrations and getting a head start on all your resolutions. When 2021 farewells us all forever and 2022 kicks into gear, US cable network HBO and Australian streaming platform Binge have another option to keep you occupied: watching the new Harry Potter reunion special. The show was announced earlier in November, and will reteam Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson — because it wouldn't be worth going ahead if they weren't involved. The reason? To celebrate 20 years of the beloved pop culture franchise on the big screen. The special's name, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, says it all. Yes, HBO is doing with all things wizarding what it did with the cast of Friends earlier this year, in great news for everyone that's been chanting "accio more Harry Potter" for the past decade since the eight-film series wrapped up. Like the Friends special, this one won't feature anyone in-character — but, if you're a Potter devotee, spending more time with the movies' stars still promises to be magical. Also taking part is filmmaker Chris Columbus, who directed the franchise's first two movies. Plus, a huge list of other actors from across the series are also involved, including Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman and Tom Felton, plus James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Ian Hart. You'll spot some missing names — Maggie Smith and Robert Pattinson, for instance, to name just two — but clearly there'll be a whole lot of HP cast members reminiscing about their time in the wizarding world. Whether you're a muggle, a wannabe witch, or someone who spent far too much of their childhood reading the books and watching the flicks, you'll want to mark 7.01pm AEDT / 6.01pm AEST on Saturday, January 1 in your diary — as that's when the special will hit Binge. In the interim, you can check out the teaser trailer for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special below — or stream all eight HP flicks on the Aussie streaming service: HBO's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special will be available to stream in Australia via Binge from 7.01pm AEDT / 6.01pm AEST on Saturday, January 1, 2022.
Experience all the wine this region has to offer during Canberra Wine House Murrumbateman Moving Feast, a weekend-long, roving degustation celebrating local drops and producers. Presented by the Makers of Murrumbateman, the feast will take over the best vineyards around town over the October holiday weekend from Saturday, September 30 to Monday, October 2, when local musicians will hold concerts throughout town for Music Monday. Each winery along the trail will offer signature tasting menus, with each dish paired with a curated fine wine. Punters can choose between a $25 savoury or $20 dessert degustation, with wines presented in a specialised engraved glass that is yours for the taking. Throughout the weekend, visitors will have the chance to meet the makers behind these nationally and internationally recognised bottles, all while taking in the gorgeous rolling views around the region.
Did you promise yourself that 2022 would be the year that you make that long-awaited trip to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef? Well, now you can finally tick that bucket-list trip off your list — on us. To celebrate the launch of the Qantas Green tier program, Qantas Frequent Flyer has teamed up with the destination leader in sustainable travel in Australia — Tropical North Queensland — to give away an eco-conscious holiday to the tropical north for you and a plus one. The prize is valued at over $11,000 and includes all the sustainable travel trimmings. You'll start with return airfares with Qantas that are 100-percent carbon offset. Then you'll spend three nights at the luxe carbon-neutral Daintree Eco Lodge, a Qantas Hotels eco-accredited property. The prize also includes an eco-certified trip to the Great Barrier Reef with National Sustainability Award winner, Sailaway, an exclusive rainforest conservation experience at Rainforest Rescue with a smoking ceremony by a Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owner, provided by Walkabout Cultural Adventures, and more. To take things one step further, we'll also be donating $5000 to Rainforest Rescue to help the organisation continue its crucial work in preserving and conserving the ecosystem in Tropical North Queensland. So you'll be doing good while you have a very, very good time. Keen to nab this incredible tropical holiday? Simply fill out your details below for your chance to win. [competition]844390[/competition]
If the current wave of boozy exercise classes has taught us anything, it's that alcohol is a great motivator. If it has taught us anything else, it's that we mightn't be too far away from a future where the alternative — aka getting active without a drink in your hand — seems strange. Add Yin & Gin Fridays to the list of sessions making the case for simultaneous sipping and stretching. Here, you'll strike your best yoga pose while knocking back some juniper spirits, and, thanks to its Friday afternoon, post-work timeslot, you'll unwind from the 9-to-5 in quite the relaxing fashion. Unsurprisingly, something this ace is proving rather popular — and while Stretch Yoga have two classes scheduled, from 5.30pm on both December 1 and 8, the latter has already sold out. The sessions include an Ink Gin cocktail, a Deep Stretch Yoga class, and cheese and nibbles afterwards, all in support of the Women's Legal Service. Bookings are essential.
We all like ice cream, but sometimes, the occasion calls for something other than everyone's favourite sweet treat. Maybe it's too cold? Maybe you already have an ice cream headache? Maybe Gelato Messina is closed, or just not in the immediate vicinity? Enter the food mashup that had to happen, really — and a concoction straight out of every gelato and biscuit lover's dreams. If you're a fan of Tim Tams smashed, crushed or placed atop scoops of creamy goodness, then you're sure to be fond of their exact opposite: those iconic chocolate rectangles in Gelato Messina flavours. Due in stores around the country from February 6, the Gelato Messina Tim Tam range will come in four styles: choc mint, salted caramel and vanilla, coconut and lychee, and black forest. The collaboration came about after Arnotts, the folks behind the bikkies, got in touch with the ice cream makers. ""It was a new challenge for us — making a gelato is one thing — and making a biscuit that tastes like that gelato is another," said Gelato Messina co-founder Declan Lee. Making this tastebud-tempting news even better is the fact that, like all Tim Tams, they'll be sold in supermarkets everywhere. Yes, that means more Messina goodness more often. The biscuits are expected to set hungry shoppers back $3.65 per packed. Come on, you know you're going to buy more than one.
For one month each year, Brisbane becomes a giant picnic blanket. No matter where you head, look or choose to hang out, there's food to be devoured, beverages to be sipped, and people thoroughly indulging their appetite for a good time. Welcome to Good Food Month. From street parties to chefs cooking up a storm, if it's a culinary-centric event, it's happening across the city from July 1 to July 31. In a smaller but still food-stuffed 2017 program, prepare to visit a heap of eateries, consume as many cuisines as you can, and feel like life is one big buffet. And if that sounds like too much to choose from, perhaps our top six picks of the festival can help you out.
Day in, day out - the working week can drag on like groundhog day and tired legs on a hot summer's day. To escape and prepare for the daily grind, office workers need their daily grinds. Much like ants the CBD workers, always in a hurry, trudge into one of hundreds of espresso bars and cafes lining every corner. Triple macchiato and a muffin-that-is-more-like-cake* and off they go. Fortunately, the CBD's newest laneway cafe is anything but ordinary and those who are curious will spot it first. Tucked away in Burnett Lane, blink and you'll walk right by, but open your eyes and climb the half-flight of stair to meet with Felix Espresso and Winebar. This is not the sort of place you want to stop, grab a coffee and walk on by, but somewhat of an urban oasis to sit, enjoy and contemplate within. The small cafe's design is an interesting and well-executed one. From the street go up half a flight, turn left and you'll reach the coffee counter filled with fresh-baked goods and roasting beans. Behind it is the small kitchen, and in front is seating. Step down a few stairs into the sunken eating area and pull up a bar stool at the open stained-glass window. Taking over one wall is a massive print of a cloud, helping feed your day dreams about further places, and the other wall is raw brick. The menu puts a focus on on healthy food made from scratch. Daily offerings vary but usually include 2-3 salad options, fresh-baked savoury tarts, goat pies, baguettes, chia cups, green smoothies and home-baked sweets. The coffee is organic and comes from Cup, and Felix even make their own almond milk. That's dedication. For lunch, a caramelised onion, feta and pumpkin tart with two salads sets you back a reasonable $13. Served on a blue-rimmed white tin plate, the salads of the day were a raw beetroot, feta and pepita, and a raw grated zucchini with olive, parmesan and barley offering – both definitely beat a greek or caesar from any food court. Wash it down with a raw cashew-milk smoothie. The strawberry one had a fresh, strong real-fruit taste. Sadly, like many CBD cafes, it is not open on weekends, and the winebar side of things yet to show its face. Felix is young on the scene and we can't wait to see this venue evolve into a Brisbane staple, we feel it has what it takes. *We'll leave the muffin/cake/cupcake battle for another time.
Wine — a four-letter word that can open up a whole world of possibilities. Yep, learning about wine (and, of course, drinking it) brings up fun facts about travel, food, agriculture, history, science and more. But, if your eyes glaze over when you peruse the shelves at your local bottle-o — or you think carbonic maceration is the name of a heavy metal band — we've got five easy (and not boring) ways for you to up your vino knowledge. To do so, we've teamed up with online wine retailer Vinomofo. If you've ever felt out-of-place when your uncle talks about terroirs and tannins, you'll soon be sneaking "did you know that the pressure in a bottle of champagne is about the same as in a semi-trailer tyre?" into everyday conversation. [caption id="attachment_787704" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Klook[/caption] GO ON A GUIDED TOUR IN AN AWARD-WINNING WINE REGION Let's start with a fun one: wine tours. In Australia, we have over 100 different grape varieties grown across 65 distinct regions. So if you prefer hands-on learning, there are plenty of incredible and award-winning vineyards right on your back doorstep. Klook's big red bus tour of the Hunter Valley in NSW and Daylesford Wine Tours, which runs day tours of Victoria's wine regions, are both great ways to experience wine with the winemakers in an up-close setting. Not to mention they're a good excuse to get out of the city for a weekend getaway. GET SCHOOLED BY THE EXPERTS Thanks to last year's unprecedented times, there are now many options available to people who want to learn about wine, either online or in person. Sydney Wine Academy (TAFE) hosts online wine courses that are accessible nationwide, including wine sensory evaluation bootcamps and courses on mastering wine from Australia and New Zealand. Or, you can opt for a 25-minute private virtual wine tasting with Handpicked, where you'll be guided through three to six of its drops in the comfort of your own home. Otherwise, join in a Wine School event with legendary Sydney sommelier and owner of Fix Wine Bar, Stuart Knox. [caption id="attachment_768003" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bibo[/caption] HEAD TO A WINE-THEMED EVENT Even when the source material seems a little dense, learning about wine should be fun. Enter Grapes of Mirth by way of comedian and radio personality Merrick Watts and event manager Jason Nikolas. The comedy and wine festival travels around the country and is designed to bring conversation, laughter and fun into wine regions. We also recommend keeping an eye on what's happening in your local area for specialised wine events, such as like Sydney restaurant Bibo's wine trivia nights, The Ugly Duckling's Wine and Cheese Sundays in Melbourne and a bubbles and oyster pop-up at Brisbane's Cloudland. READ, READ AND READ SOME MORE Even professional wine lovers need help sometimes. Thankfully, there's no shortage of fantastic resources you can turn to when you want to know what's going on in the world of wine. Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz is considered a staple for any wine nerd, while Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack's Wine Folly is a fantastic book for beginners wanting to understand the ins and outs of where, when and how wine is made (the infographics are second to none). More recent titles like Wine All the Time by Marissa A. Ross and Which Wine When by Bert Blaze and Claire Strickett are excellent resources to have on hand when you want to know what wines work with burgers or when to use a decanter. GET YOURSELF A PERSONALISED WINE SERVICE For those who have no idea where to start, Vinomofo has your back thanks to its curated selection of wines. The in-house buying team carefully chooses the wine to guarantee quality and exciting vino across the website. The online wine slinger also has a superb selection of mixed cases to help you go on an adventure to find out what wine styles you might like. For those wanting a little extra hand-holding, you can jump online or on the phone to have a one-on-one chat with Vinomofo's wine dealers, who'll guide you to your next drop. And, not that you need anymore convincing, but right now Vinomofo is celebrating its tenth lap around the sun with its biggest giveaway ever. From Monday, April 12 through to Tuesday, April 20, you can buy any wine online and go in the running to win $1000 wine credit, with one winner drawn every day over the course of the promotion. That's a lot of dollars to put towards your wine knowledge journey. Vinomofo's Birthday Week runs from Monday April 12–Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Head to the website and buy any wine and you'll go in the running to win a $1000 wine credit. See terms and conditions here. New to Vinomofo? Enter code VINO to get $30 off your first order plus free shipping.
You might have thought King George Square looked pretty fine during the day and maybe a tad finer at night, but it's at twilight City Hall really shows off its colours. And what better backdrop when you're shopping the evening away — especially when the King George is filled with some of Brisbane's best designers and makers, and you're looking for Christmas presents. The festive offshoot of the regular Brisbane Twilight Markets, this event will show off a sizeable array of stalls — usually more than 60, in fact — all staffed by some pretty nifty and talented local artists. Expect an eclectic selection of items, so prepare to browse and buy. You'll be perusing everything from handmade clothing, accessories and leather goods to paper goods, homewares, art and ceramics (and more). And seasonal gifts, obviously. [caption id="attachment_666947" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] BrisStyle[/caption] This market is all about sound, smell and sales — so live music will provide a soundtrack to the evening, and expect to be hit with that spring flowerbed smell that always lingers when there's a soap stall around. Food trucks are also on the agenda, with the market running from 4–9pm on Friday, December 20. So take along some cash and stock up on all things crafty. Top image: Brisbane City Council.
Get ready to toss a coin to your witcher, again. Two years after Netflix aired the first season of The Witcher — and got that song stuck in everyone's heads in the process — the fantasy series is finally returning. It was always going to, given that it was renewed for a second season before the initial one even aired, but thanks to the current state of the world, the next batch of episodes has taken some time to turn up. Come Friday, December 17, you'll be able to settle in for a weekend binge to see what happens next in the Henry Cavill (Zack Snyder's Justice League)-starring series — and to check out how his icy locks look this time around. You can nab a sneak peek at both right now, actually, with Netflix also dropping the first trailer for the show's second season to help tide fans over until the end of the year. Need a refresher? Haven't watched the first season yet? If the series' name sounds familiar, that's because The Witcher is based on the short stories and novels of writer Andrzej Sapkowski — and, as well as being turned into comics, it was adapted the video game series of the same name. A Polish film and TV show also reached screens in the early 2000s, although they were poorly received. In the Netflix show, Cavill plays the witcher of the title: Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter who prefers to work — aka slay beasts — alone in a realm called The Continent. But life has other plans for the lone wolf, forcing him to cross paths with powerful sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra, Netflix's Wanderlust) and young princess Ciri (newcomer Freya Allan). In the first season, the latter harbours a secret, because of course she does, with the series blending plenty of fantasy staples such as magic, royalty, fighting factions, battling hordes, fearsome creatures, a heap of sword-swinging and many a scenic location. After stepping into Superman's shoes and facing off against Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Witcher marked Cavill's return to TV a decade after starring in regal period drama The Tudors. As well as Chalotra and Allan, the first season also featured Jodhi May (Game of Thrones), MyAnna Buring (Kill List), Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards) and Australian actor Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks). Based on the just-dropped trailer for the season season, viewers can expect a homecoming, more all-round eeriness, and more time spent with both Geralt and Ciri. He's bringing her to his childhood home of Kaer Morhen, where he'll need to keep protecting her — from her powers, and from The Continent's kings, elves, humans and demons, who are battling for supremacy. Check out the trailer for The Witcher's second season below: The Witcher's second season will hit Netflix on Friday, December 17. The show's first season is currently available to stream. Top image: Susie Allnut.
How about an under-sea exploration on a tropical island right in your own backyard? Take the Micat ferry from Brisbane to Moreton Island, and discover Tangalooma Wrecks. This collection of 15 deliberately scuttled ships now provide an ever-changing underwater landscape of live coral, fish and even the occasional dolphin or dugong. Don't have snorkelling equipment? Just rent it via a tour that will also drop you out near the wrecks. When you've finished exploring the sunken trove of sea life, return to shore and slowly wander back along the white sands to Tangalooma Resort — you're on island time, now. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Add another impressive name to the long list of shows, plays and musicals alike, that've been treading the boards across Australia in recent years. That roster has spanned everything from The Book of Mormon, Hamilton and Moulin Rouge! The Musical through to Come From Away, SIX the Musical and The Mousetrap — but only Choir Boy hails from the Oscar-winning writer of the famously not-La La Land drama Moonlight. Tarell Alvin McCraney's other queer coming-of-age play premiered in London in 2012, then did the rounds of the US before opening on Broadway in 2018. It might've taken more than a decade since its stage debut for the show to make its way Down Under, but fans of Moonlight are in for a tale about sexuality, race, hope and gospel music, all focused around a young gay man finding his voice, that's certain to prove worth the wait. Story-wise, Choir Boy follows Pharus Young, who is determined to be the best choir leader that the Charles R Drew Prep School for Boys has ever seen in its 50-year history. That's easier said than done, though, given the rituals that've long been a part of the school, and the masculine expectations as well. Filled with a cappella gospel tunes, Choir Boy scored four Tony Award nominations back in 2019, including for Best Play and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play — and won Best Sound Design of a Play, while also nabbing music director Jason Michael Webb a Special Tony Award. After playing as part of Sydney WorldPride, it hits Brisbane from Wednesday, March 15–Saturday, March 18 at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre. Leading the cast is international musical theatre performer Darron Hayes, joined by Tony Sheldon (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), Robert Harrell (The Shield), Zarif (Lonesome), Quinton Rofail Rich (Godspell), Theo Williams (Passing Strange), and debutants Gareth Dutlow, Abu Kebe and Tawanda Muzenda, while Dino Dimitriadis (Overflow, Cleansed) and Zindzi Okenyo (seven methods of killing kylie jenner, Orange Thrower) direct.
"Do you remember the first time you saw a dinosaur?" asks Bryce Dallas Howard in the latest instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise. We do. It was 25 years ago, as John Williams' iconic score built to its majestic climax and the cast of Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster rose from the seats of their jeep, tore off their glasses and stared wide-eyed at a beautiful, towering Brachiosaurus. It's been a quarter of a century since the first Jurassic Park captured the imagination of moviegoers the world over and ushered in the brave new world of CGI-enhanced filmmaking. The whole thing was classic Spielberg: a rollicking, family-friendly adventure that pushed the boundaries of innovation whilst remaining grounded in entirely relatable human stories. Its extraordinary success made sequels inevitable, but unfortunately none except perhaps 1997's The Lost World have come even close to recapturing the magic and wonder of the original. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom we have a film significantly better than its immediate predecessor, yet one that still falls well short of the bar set back in 1993. Much of the problem with this instalment lies with the franchise's so-called villains. In Jurassic Park the combination was perfect: flawed human antagonists in Dennis Nedry and John Hammond, existential menace in the form of technological hubris, and, of course, those dinosaurs. Between the thuggery of the T-Rex, the cunning of the raptors and the toxic spit of the Dilophosaurus, every step through the failing park held unbearable peril for its characters, instilling a dread that overflowed into the audience. Since then, however, the Jurassic movies have relied largely on a generic recurring villain: InGen, the unscrupulous genetics corporation behind all that Dino-DNA splicing. Even worse, the raptors and T-Rex have become, thanks to their broad popularity, inadvertent heroes, leaving the Dino-threat to come from species that never even existed. Here again in Fallen Kingdom it's that same formula at play: InGen is secretly cooking up some new dinosaurs to sell as weapons (still as ridiculous a concept as it was in Jurassic World), and the big scary dinosaur is a genetically-engineered ultra raptor. Around them are cookie-cutter human bad-guys in the form of mercenaries, big game hunters and money-hungry suits, as well as franchise regular Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), the original Jurassic Park geneticist who continues to learn precisely zero from all his past mistakes. There is still a lot of fun to be had here, and even a few unexpected feels as director J.A Bayona (A Monster Calls) reminds us that monsters of choice are always worse than monsters of instinct. The film's central conceit, too, is a compelling one: a volcano on the island upon which the dinosaurs currently reside is poised to erupt, meaning they will again become extinct without human intervention. To rescue or not to rescue becomes the burning question for Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Dallas Howard) and returning fan favourite Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). InGen, predictably, wants the animals saved for far less noble reasons than preservation. The scenes set on the island are the strongest in the movie, and include perhaps the most affecting moment in the entire franchise in the form of a heart-wrenching callback to that iconic Brachiosaurus shot from all those years ago. Thereafter, Fallen Kingdom transforms into a semi Gothic horror film as the action shifts to an isolated mansion in which the characters are stalked by Wu's latest creation. Toby Jones and James Cromwell give spirited performances during this phase, but the weaknesses of the script refuse to be covered up. The bad get eaten whilst the good survive, and it honestly never feels like our heroes are in any genuine peril. As part two of a planned trilogy, the end-point of Fallen Kingdom certainly offers some interesting possibilities for the final instalment. That said, absent a more nuanced and, dare we say, sympathetic villain, this franchise, like Dr. Wu, seems destined to repeat the mistakes of its past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn9mMeWcgoM
I like a beard as much as the next person. And Star Wars even more. But there’s one thing that trumps both, and that’s beer. Combine the three, add some nana style seating, and you’ve got for yourself Cartel – the only bar on Caxton Street that delivers in hops, Han Solo and hair. Propped just across from Lefty’s, a dozen steps from Barracks, and equal distance between Casablanca and Oz Kebab (convenient) Cartel isn’t as hidden as it sounds, but is a gem none-the-less. Predating the recent Caxton facelift that saw Brewski, Statler and Waldorf and Lefty's set up shop, this homely bar sells itself on more than just comfy couches and craft beer – it’s got service as well. Brace yourself. On ordering you’ll probably get asked how you are? If you like the beer? What’s in store for the evening? And it won’t sound forced either. The guys here have legitimate, non-snobbish sincerity about them which is often lost in the new, boutique, prim-proper-and-proud bar scene. Relish this. Notably, Cartel has a finely curated collection of all the best craft beer behind the bar, and crisply refrigerated like a good beer should be. They stock a healthy range of Little Creatures, Holgates, Mountains Goats, Brooklyn Breweries and the palest of ales. If you haven’t had a Whale Ale before – here’s the place to have it. Or if you’d rather something less… beery? opt for a Twisted Tea or Lick Pier. In absence of food service at Cartel, comes freedom – if you want food, you go get it, bring it back and politely share (this isn’t a Cartel rule, but didn’t your mum teach you manners?). There’s Caxton Thai down the road, a Crust that will deliver and a Coles at Barracks that has a pretty great dip selection - even the ones with two dips in one container. Whether you’re craving the comfort that comes in having a ‘local’, need a quiet joint to predrink, or haven’t watched Back to the Future for a while, Cartel is your more-than-one-stop shop. Hike on over, give them a hey, grab a beer and sit back, and relax in the grog loving geek’s Mecca.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. FIRESTARTER Would the latest big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's Firestarter have been better or worse if it had included The Prodigy's hit of the same name, aka the most obvious needle-drop that could've been chosen? Although we'll never know, it's hard to imagine a film with less personality than this page-to-screen remake. Using the 1996 dance-floor filler would've been a choice and a vibe — and a cliched one, whether gleefully or lazily — but it might've been preferable to the dull ashes of by-the-numbers genre filmmaking that's hit screens instead. Zac Efron looking so bored that blood drips from his eyes, dressing up King's 1980 story as a superhero tale (because of course) and having its pyrokinetic protagonist say "liar liar, pants on fire" when she's torching someone aren't a recipe for igniting movie magic, or for even occasionally just lighting a spark. That said, the best thing about Firestarter circa 2022 is actually its 'Firestarter'-free score, and with good reason. It hails from legendary original Halloween director John Carpenter, plus his son Cody Carpenter and regular collaborators Daniel A Davies (all fresh from 2018's Halloween and its follow-up Halloween Kills). It's a savvy touch not merely for the kind of atmospheric, eerie, mood-defining electro-synth sounds that only the elder Carpenter can deliver, but because he was originally slated to direct the first version of Firestarter in 1984, only to be ditched because The Thing — now a stone-cold sci-fi/horror classic — didn't do well enough at the box office. While both features could've desperately used Carpenter behind the lens, at least the initial flick didn't feel like all it was burning was the audience's time and patience. Then, now and in King's book, Firestarter follows the McGee family, whose lives would blaze brighter if they didn't have abilities most folks don't. After volunteering for a clinical trial in college, Andy (Efron, Gold) and his wife Vicky (Sydney Lemmon, Fear the Walking Dead) have telepathic and telekinetic powers; being experimented on with mind-altering chemical compounds will do that. And, from birth, their now 11-year-old daughter Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, It: Chapter Two) has been able to start fires with her mind. How director Keith Thomas (The Vigil) establishes this backstory says more than it should about the movie, how blandly it turns out and what it might've been with more flair. A flashback to Charlie getting fiery as a baby is laughable, and kindles exactly zero thrills, scares or unease. But, flickering over the opening credits as old video footage, Andy and Vicky's time as test subjects ripples with tension and creepiness — that's swiftly extinguished and never felt again. Unsurprisingly, the McGees have spent years attempting to blend in, hiding their powers and fleeing the shady government department, The Shop, that's responsible for their situation — and now sports a keen interest in using Charlie as a weapon. Alas, as the girl grows, holding her abilities back is becoming harder. Andy and Vicky argue about what's better: training her to suppress the flames or teaching her how to harness them. Then she literally explodes at school, The Shop head honcho Captain Hollister (Gloria Reuben, City on a Hill) puts bounty hunter John Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes, Rutherford Falls) on their trail and the heat is on. (No, that track from Beverly Hills Cop, which reached cinemas the same year that the OG Firestarter did, doesn't feature here either.) Read our full review. OPERATION MINCEMEAT A twisty tale of high-stakes British espionage — one that spans secret identities, torrid affairs, country-hopping missions and a world-in-peril situation, too — Operation Mincemeat desperately wants its audience to know about its 007 ties. When it introduces a man by the name of Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn, The Dig), it lets the moment linger. It drops more than a few mentions of his fondness for writing about spy intrigue as well. And, when he refers to his boss Admiral John Godfrey (Jason Isaacs, Streamline) as M, the film even has him explain why. Fleming is also the movie's narrator, literally spinning a cloak-and-dagger story from the get-go. Plus, seeing him tapping away at a typewriter is a common image. Every single touch forms part of the feature's warm, well-meaning nod to the Bond, James Bond author's early years; however, it's also a tad distracting and unnecessary. Fleming is immersed in the IRL covert mission that Operation Mincemeat explores, and removing him would've been inaccurate, but the details themselves are fascinating enough without getting viewers thinking about tuxedos and shaken-not-stirred martinis. Operation Mincemeat is a war film, set in the darkening days of 1943. It's also just as much a heist film. Whether you've only ever seen one Ocean's flick, have memorised every single word of Reservoir Dogs, or loved Baby Driver or Widows in recent years, if you've seen one caper movie you know the setup: gather a gang together, work out the nitty gritty of a bold but tricky plan, endeavour to put the scheme into action, then weather whatever comes (be it success, failure or a bit of both). Adapting Ben Macintyre's book, which also spawned a 2010 documentary, screenwriter Michelle Ashford (Masters of Sex) is well aware of this formula. With director John Madden (Miss Sloane) behind the lens, Operation Mincemeat doesn't shy away from all of the heist basics for a second. But as with all the gratuitous Bond nods, a cracking real-life tale remains a cracking real-life tale — the kind that no one, not even Fleming, could convincingly make up. The titular gambit came about as much of the Allies' efforts in World War II did: as an effort to do whatever was needed to defeat Hitler. Britain needed to make its way into occupied Europe, but everyone involved knew it — including the Germans — ensuring that any standard move would've been oh-so-easy for the Nazis to predict. Enter the operation that might've been codenamed 'Trojan Horse', except that that label would've been much too obvious. The plan: getting documents about the Allies' purported and wholly fictional scheme to invade Greece to their enemies, misdirecting them, so that the invasion of Sicily could proceed with little resistance. The crucial detail: drifting those papers into Spain, where they could be reasonably expected to end up in German hands, by placing them with a corpse dressed up to look like a British military officer. Making that ruse stick — ensuring that the Nazis didn't smell a plant, specifically — was never going to be a straightforward move. It's one thing to nail the logistics of transporting the cadaver and its faux materials to the right place, and another completely to find a body that works, forge all the necessary documentation and build up a backstory so believable that it'd stand up to enemy scrutiny. As a result, Godfrey isn't keen on the operation, which was reportedly conjured up by Fleming, but it still gets the go-ahead anyway. Tasked with both fleshing and carrying it out are Naval Intelligence officers Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth, Supernova) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen, Succession), who amass a team of helpers including Fleming, Montagu's trusty chief secretary Hester Leggett (Penelope Wilton, Downton Abbey: A New Era), plus MI5 clerk Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald, Line of Duty). Read our full review. TO CHIARA Lurking behind every 18th birthday, beyond the alcohol legally drunk and nightclubs gleefully danced through, is an unspoken truth: life only gets more chaotic from here. That realisation doesn't usually spring during the celebrations, toasts and happy speeches of the big day itself — or necessarily within weeks, months or even a few years afterwards, either — however, it's inescapable nonetheless. In To Chiara, it blazes brightly for the movie's eponymous teenager (Swamy Rotolo). It shatters her sense of normality, too. But she isn't the one hitting the milestone that every adolescent yearns for. Instead, the party that helps start this Italian drama is actually for the 15-year-old's elder sister Giulia (Grecia Rotolo), with the pair's friends and relatives alike marking the occasion as countless other families have: with dinner, festivities and delighted emotions. As captured with a raw, fluid and naturalistic style like everything that both precedes it and follows, Giulia's birthday is a portrait of exuberance — until, for Chiara, it isn't. She plays up a garden-variety case of sibling rivalry, including during a performative dance contest. She revels in still being her doting dad Claudio's (Claudio Rotolo) favourite. And she thinks nothing of sneaking outside to have a smoke, only slightly worrying if her father will find out. But it's there, cigarette in hand, that Chiara watches her uncles get into a verbal scuffle outside. Then, in the aftermath, she spies her doting dad rushing off to deal with the fallout. Also, later that evening, perturbed by the feeling that something isn't quite right, it's Chiara who witnesses the family car explode outside their home, and spots Claudio fleeing under the cloak of darkness. The newest neo-realist film by Italian American writer/director Jonas Carpignano, To Chiara is also his third set in the Calabrian region, in the small coastal town of Gioia Tauro. It's the latest entry in a series that explores the area's mix of residents, segueing from refugees from North Africa in 2015's Mediterranea to the Romani community in 2017's A Ciambra, and now to the 'Ndrangheta. Call the latter the mafia, call them an organised crime syndicate, call them just part of living Southern Italy — whichever you pick, Chiara has always just considered them her loved ones without knowing it. Learning how her dad pays the bills and why he's now a fugitive, gleaning that her mother (Carmela Fumo) must be aware, trying to uncover where Giulia stands, attempting to cope with everything she thought she knew crumbling in an instant: that's what this gripping and moving film has in store for its young, headstrong, understandably destabilised protagonist from here. From the moment that Chiara begins to make her big discovery — piecing together the details stubbornly, despite being warned that her questions won't have welcome answers — it's easy to recognise why such a tale fascinates Carpignano. It's the story that sits in the shadows of other gangster flicks and shows, because so many are also about the bonds of blood; in decades gone by, it could've been Mary Corleone facing the same situation in The Godfather franchise or Meadow Soprano doing the same in The Sopranos. To Chiara also unfurls the ultimate tale of innocence lost, forever fracturing the bubble of an idyll that Chiara has spent her life inhabiting without ever realising, and causing her to now see the parent she has always adored in a completely different light. Nothing signals leaving childhood behind, no matter your age, more than having the entire foundation for your existence shift, after all. As gleams fiercely in its phenomenal lead's eyes, nothing is more devastating, either. Read our full review. THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE How do you make a concert film when no concerts can be held to film? Australian director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, Killing Them Softly) and his now two-time subjects Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have the answer. How do you create a personal documentary that cuts to the heart of these Aussie music icons when, whether stated or implied in their vibe, both are hardly enamoured with having their lives recorded? Again, see: Dominik's new Cave and Ellis-focused This Much I Know to Be True. Performances in cavernous empty British spaces fill the movie's frames but, via stunning lighting, staging and lensing, they're as dazzling as any IRL gig. The interludes between tunes are brief, and also intimate and revealing. The result: a phenomenal doco that's a portrait of expression, a musing on an exceptional collaboration and a rumination upon existence, as well as a piece of haunting cinematic heaven whether you're an existing Cave and Ellis devotee, a newcomer or something in-between. Dominik, Cave and Ellis initially teamed up when the latter duo scored the former's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Later this year, when upcoming Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde hits screens, the same arrangement will provide its soundtrack. But in the middle sits 2016 doco One More Time with Feeling and now This Much I Know to Be True, as entrancing a pair as the music documentary genre has gifted viewers. The first factual flick found Cave and Ellis recording the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album Skeleton Tree, as Cave also grappled with the death of one of his sons. Here, its follow-up is shaped by the first performances of Cave and Ellis' latest albums — the Bad Seeds 2019 release Ghosteen, and Cave and Ellis' 2021 record Carnage — plus the pandemic and the lingering effects of grief. Chatter precedes tunes to begin This Much I Know to Be True — talk, a revelation and a mini art exhibition, in fact. To the camera, Cave quips that he's "retrained as a ceramicist, because it's no longer viable to be a musician, a touring artist". He's joking about giving up music, of course, but serious about his foray into porcelain. Donning a white lab coat, he walks the audience through his workshop, sharing a series he's dubbed The Story of the Devil in 18 Figurines. That'd make a phenomenal title for one of his tracks, but it isn't. One piece's individual moniker, The Devil's Last Dance, also sounds like a song title. Unsurprisingly, Cave unfurls the same kinds of tales while explaining his ceramics — about a figure he's clearly long been fascinated with, and about choices, family, loss, redemption and mourning — as he always has behind the microphone. This attention-grabbing introduction serves several purposes, from pointing out the English government's patently ridiculous advice to artists during COVID-19 to setting the film's tone. There's always been a bewitching blend of the ethereal, mysterious and dark to Cave's music, and a sense of poetic preaching to his lyrics; his early musings here about the devil at various moments in his life earn the same description, and establish the movie as a type of spiritual experience. Fans of any star are guilty of seeing their hero's work in that light. It's especially true of musicians, who innately turn concert venues into altars for their disciples to worship their output. Still, when This Much I Know to Be True hones in on Cave at his piano, or behind the mic, spotlights casting him in a hypnotic glow while bathing his surroundings in blackness, that feeling couldn't be more blatant — and earned. Read our full review. FATHER STU The last time that Mark Wahlberg played a real-life boxer, The Fighter was the end result. The last time that Mel Gibson played the burger-chain owner's father, the world was forced to suffer through Daddy's Home 2. Combine this mismatched pair and you don't quite get Father Stu, the former Marky Mark's first step into faith-based films — but even watching the latter, the second instalment in his woeful comedy franchise with Will Ferrell, is preferable to this mawkish true tale. Drawn from the IRL Stuart Long's life, it's meant to be an inspirational affair, covering the familiar religious-favourite beats about sinners being redeemed, wayward souls seizing second chances and learning to accept physical suffering as a chance to get closer to the divine. First-time feature writer/director Rosalind Ross is earnest about those messages, and her film visibly looks more competent than most sermon-delivering recent cinema releases, but what preaching-to-the-choir sentiments they are. How ableist they are as well. When Wahlberg (Uncharted) first graces the screen as Long, he could've stepped in from plenty of his other movies. In his younger days, the titular future priest is a foul-mouthed amateur boxer from Montana, but he has big dreams — and when he hits Los Angeles with acting stars in his eyes, viewers can be forgiven for thinking of Boogie Nights. Porn isn't Long's calling, of course, although salacious propositions do come his way in the City of Angels, in one of the film's hardly subtle efforts to equate the secular and the sordid. It's actually lust that pushes the feature's protagonist on the path to the priesthood, however, after he spies volunteer Sunday school teacher Carmen (Teresa Ruiz, The Marksman) while he's working in a grocery store. To have a chance with her, he even gets baptised. Then, a drink-driving accident brings a vision of the Virgin Mary, sparking Long's determination to make Catholicism his calling. Next, a shock health diagnosis both tests and cements his faith. Father Stu is filled details that instantly seem too neat, contrived and poised to make the movie's point, even knowing that this is a biopic. Perhaps they wouldn't feel so calculating if Ross did more than simply connect the dots between events that push her central figure towards his spiritual awakening with big "and then this happened" energy. If exactly why the church appealed to Long so strongly was meant to be conveyed via Wahlberg's performance, that's lost in an always-superficial portrayal. The actor gained the necessary weight needed in Long's later years, and is happy to show off his brawn in his younger boxing and wannabe actor days, but that isn't the same as fleshing a character out. Here, Long is merely a symbol; Father Stu may recreate the real counterpart's experiences, but on-screen, the leap from swearing, drinking and abhorring religion, to putting on a show of devotion (and a spate of stalking) to get laid, to accepting his health woes in the name of the Lord, is quick, easy and unconvincing. Indeed, there's a big "Poochie died on the way back to his home planet" vibe to Father Stu's storytelling again and again, as the film favours the bland and broad over the detailed and textured. That includes the entire roster of performances, with Wahlberg basically typecasting himself — he's one of the movie's producers, driven by his own deep and well-publicised Catholic faith — as the wise-cracking tough-guy pugilist, thespian and holy man, and Jacki Weaver (Back to the Outback) stuck in a thankless part as Long's mother. Gibson's involvement is hardly surprising given he has The Passion of the Christ on his resume, and filmmaker Ross is his current real-life partner, but his work here is still as stereotypical as can be. That all still pales in comparison to the idea that serious health woes are "a gift from God", an atrocious notion that isn't the testament to accepting one's lot in life that Father Stu thinks it is. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24; and March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive, Studio 666, The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Pack your bags, book a flight, grab your winter woolies, and get ready to head to Hobart. For yet another year running, the Museum of Old and New Art is making Tasmania the place to be with events more weird and more wonderful than ever before. Yep, they've unveiled their stellar Dark Mofo 2016 lineup. From June 10 to 21, the museum every mainlander wishes was in their home city is unleashing its unique brand of large-scale art, food, film, music and just general light, noise and mayhem upon the apple isle. It's the kind of cultural pandemonium that has inspired more than 130,000 people to make the trek to Tassie in previous years. Now that's how you celebrate the winter solstice. One-off installation Asylum, set inside a historic mental institution, includes a 72-hour, non-stop performance by artist Mike Parr — and it only accepts mirrors (yes, those shiny things you can see your own reflection in) as an entry fee. It's the type of event most festivals can only dream of, so, naturally, it's on the Dark Mofo program. So is Ryoji Ikeda's supersymmetry [experience], which springs from his 2014-15 residence at the European Council for Nuclear Research, the home of the Large Hadron Collider, and will become the latest addition to the MONA collection. With the Juliana Engberg-curated exhibition Tempest bringing a blend of piracy and wild weather to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery at the same time, that's part of the Dark Mofo shenanigans as well. And it includes Event for a Stage: the Australian premiere of a new stage-to-film exploration of the acting and the creative process made by Turner Prize-winning Young British Artist Tacita Dean OBE, starring Game of Thrones' Stephen Dillane, and shot live during the nineteenth Biennale of Sydney. If that's not enough to inspire a mid-year pilgrimage, then perhaps a public art playground filled everything from swinging pendulums to LED light drawings that transcribe the patterns of the wind will be. Yep, the dockside Dark Park is the place to find Divination, Nancy Mauro-Flude's thirties-era cabaret crossed with a cypherpunk internet cafe; A Galaxy of Suns, where Michaela Gleave and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus turn constellations into scores; and the disorienting chamber of kaleidoscopic reflections that is Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney's House of Mirrors, too. We're noticing a theme here. [caption id="attachment_567185" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] The Bacchae. Image: Pia Johnson.[/caption] And really, that's just the beginning. Performance-wise, pop-up space Block Box will play host to a whole heap of pieces — although it depends if Lustmord's dark ambient tunes or hallucinatory theatrical event The Bacchae, a dream-like invocation of excess and violence as told through the eyes of teenage girls, is your kind of thing. Music fans will want to flock to Hymns to the Dead, where death metal gets its due, or to Rivers and Streams, the only Aussie show by Ukrainian maestro Lubomyr Melnyk, aka the fastest concert pianist in the world. Anyone fond of costume balls can don their best gothic threads for The Funeral Party — and given that it's set at Turnbull Family Funerals, it's certain to be as dark as it sounds. Plus, film buffs should expect another fright-inducing feast of sinister cinematic delights, such as heavy metal horror effort The Devil's Candy. Dark Mofo isn't just about all things new and exciting, though, with a couple of old favourites also returning. Late-night event Blacklist will turn both weekends into an art party, and the Winter Feast will serve up another communal banquet. Don't forget to purge your fears with the annual burning ritual of the ogoh-ogohs, and take part in the Nude Solstice Swim after the longest night of the year. Basically, whatever type of activity floats your boat, you'd best get on one — or another type of landmass-hopping transport — to take part. With a lineup this killer, you know you're going to kick yourself if you miss it. Dark Mofo runs June 10 to 21 in various locations across Hobart, Tasmania. Tickets are on sale from 10am on Monday, April 20 from the festival website.
Wellington is heaven for gourmands, combining all the ingredients that make for a brilliant culinary getaway. There are laneways crammed with cool, little artisanal producers; clandestine cocktail bars behind unmarked doorways; quiet suburbs hiding excellent, casual and international restaurants; centre-city breweries in abundance and a pack of wineries just over the hills. And then there's the fact that the city is wedged between a picturesque harbour and sprawling farmland, so the produce scene is very, very local. Wellington is a physically small city, so it's best explored on foot. This not only helps mitigate some of the effects of a food-filled holiday, but means there's also no stress about arranging transport or planning too far in advance. Just follow your nose and tastebuds. It's often said that Wellington has more bars and restaurants per capita than New York City. Whether or not there's any truth in this, it'll surely feel like it as you explore the many beaut spots, tasting your way through the city's unique culinary ethos. SHEPHERD Tucked away down Hannahs Laneway, Shepherd features framed botanical posters, taxidermy draped with fairy lights and jars of preserves used as decoration. And this unexpected and playful, yet refined decor is mirrored in its food. This is fine dining-quality fare in a wonderfully fun atmosphere where the staff know the origins of every ingredient. Expect plenty of local seafood, Asian condiments, fermented and pickled ingredients and some of the most creative desserts you'll ever taste. The pumpkin cardamom doughnut with peanut butter popcorn and whiskey anglaise is a favourite, but the menu is seasonal and changes almost daily so expect to find a new favourite each time you stop in. [caption id="attachment_635862" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Facebook / Fix & Fogg.[/caption] FIX & FOGG What started as a hobby for then-lawyers Roman and Andrea Jewell has turned into a bit of a peanut butter empire. Fix & Fogg was born from the couple's desire to learn new skills, and it quickly became one of the most delicious products coming out of Wellington. Swing by Hannahs Laneway, and if the peanut butter flag is out — you'll know it when you see it — then the PB will be flowing. The adorable shop window is literally tucked under a staircase and offers tastings, gourmet toast and the occasional peanut butter donut. [caption id="attachment_635860" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Facebook / Husk.[/caption] HUSK Another spot hidden down an alley, another spot that's the result of a collaboration between Wellington hospo stalwarts — HUSK is a lot of things: a cafe, a bar, a brewery, a coffee roastery and a restaurant. With true dedication, the coffee and beer venture is open from 8 or 9am till late every day. Swing by for a breakfast of sardines on toast and a Karamu Coffee flat white (with beans roasted onsite), lunch featuring pork shoulder tacos and a pint of Reet Petite, a stem ginger red IPA by Choice Bros (brewed onsite) and for cheeseburger spring rolls and a barrel-aged negroni for dinner. LAMASON BREW BAR Wellington runs on strong coffee, and Lamason is where you can try the best of it in a safe environment. You won't be mocked here if you're not really sure what the difference is between V60 and Swiss Gold. Lamason does do traditional espresso and they do serve a small selection of food, but what you really want to visit for is the specialty coffee. If you're a newbie, don't be afraid to ask the staff what they recommend. Their single origin beans each have their own unique flavour profiles, and they're beautifully profiled by siphon brewing — which is basically vacuum coffee extraction, otherwise known as magic. [caption id="attachment_635861" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Facebook / Harbourside Market.[/caption] HARBOURSIDE MARKET In Wellington, you bend the knee and swear allegiance to one of the weekend produce markets. There are a handful to choose from, but Harbourside Market is the true ruler of this realm. Every Sunday from sunrise to early arvo, locals and visitors flock to the market to get their week's fruit and veg, as well as bread, cheese, meat, fish, tofu, honey, eggs, peanut butter and so on. The markets also feature a bunch of food trucks and buskers. The roti wraps and cold brew coffee are a perfect cure to a foggy Sunday head, the waterfront vista is stunning and the people watching is excellent. Maybe you've been to Auckland, maybe you've gone to the snow in Queensland, but now it's time to set your sights on Wellington. The harbourside city may be compact, but that only makes for excellent walkability from its excellent restaurants, cafes and bars to its cultural hot spots and around the great outdoors. Use our planning guide to book your trip, then sort out your Wellington hit list with our food and drink, culture and outdoor guides.
Shutting down for a makeover involves embracing change, but Fortitude Valley favourite Gerard's Bistro is taking that idea to heart in more than just its physical revamp. When the James Street restaurant reopens its doors after its current renovations, it'll do so under a new chef, too, with Scottish-born culinary figure Jimmy Richardson leading the charge in the kitchen. Richardson brings some Michelin cred to Gerard's, thanks to experience in restaurants sporting stars — and chef hats as well — during his career both in Europe and in Sydney. Immersed in the hospitality industry since he was 15, he's notched up stints at Shangri-La Sydney's Altitude Restaurant, The Bridge Room and Café Paci, plus Sydney's Park Hyatt Hotel, Annata and The Tilbury Hotel. And, he's also worked at Gerard's before. In his last gig at the Brisbane eatery, Richardson was the restaurant's Head Chef. This time, he'll be Executive Chef. He comes in after Gerard's said goodbye to Adam Wolfers in March when he departed for health reasons. [caption id="attachment_917986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lyndon Mechielsen.[/caption] "Jimmy is very confident and articulate when it comes to food," said Gerard's owner Johnny Moubarak. "Bringing a brilliant balance between traditional and creative and progressive cuisine, Jimmy has an amazing way of letting food speak for itself." While Richardson's new menu hasn't yet been revealed — just like Gerard's Bistro's reopening date — it'll keep celebrating the Levantine region and its cuisine while giving classic recipes a contemporary spin. In the past, the restaurant has been known for its banquet-style feasts brimming with Maghreb and Middle East flavours, with its most recent culinary lineup including everything from smoked Moreton Bay bugs with baba ghanoush to sujuk-glazed octopus and cardamom ice cream. Gerard's shut up shop at the beginning of July for hefty renovations. Exactly what the new-look venue will entail still hasn't been revealed as yet, but diners can clearly expect significant changes at the Gerard's Lane spot, which has ranked among Brisbane's best restaurants since first opening its doors 11 years ago in 2012. When the revamp was announced via Instagram, the Gerard's Bistro crew said that it would "trade our culinary utensils for construction tools, immersing ourselves into this labour of love for a comprehensive makeover. Our team is eager to commence this renovation project, which will culminate in a reimagined exciting dining space". Gerard's Bistro is currently closed for renovations, with a reopening date yet to be announced. Find the eatery at Gerard's Lane, 14/15 James Street, Fortitude Valley when it relaunches. Top image: Lyndon Mechielsen.
The history of cinema is haunted by oh-so-many movies about oh-so-many ghost-riddled abodes, and the often-troubled and bereaved folks dwelling within them. The first clever move The Night House makes is recognising it's floating into busy spectral waters, then ensuring its tension stems from its living, breathing protagonist as much as the frights and fears she's forced to face. The film's second stellar step: casting Rebecca Hall (Godzilla vs Kong) as that central figure. An always-welcome addition to anything she's in — see also: Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, Christine and Tales From the Loop in just the past few years — she plays her tormented part here with brooding sorrow, reluctant vulnerability and a sharp, smart edge. She knows that grappling with loss involves being jolted in many different directions, and being subjected to bumps and jumps of the emotional kind, and that it's never easy to surrender to. Indeed, many of The Night House's surprises come from Hall as Beth, a schoolteacher whose life has been turned upside down by her husband Owen's (Evan Jonigkeit, The Empty Man) unexpected suicide. Clearly normally a no-nonsense type whether she's guiding pupils, dealing with their parents or navigating her personal life, she probes and questions everything that comes her way. As a result, her reactions — including just to herself — are constantly complex, thorny and compelling. Since Owen's passing — using a gun she didn't know he had, and tainting a rowboat usually tethered to the lake house he built for them himself — Beth has cycled through the familiar stages of mourning. When she returns to work to her colleagues' astonishment, including her close friend Claire's (Sarah Goldberg, Barry), she's blunt with the oblivious mother of one of her students. At drinks, she also shocks her co-workers by discussing Owen's suicide note, admitting her home now seems different and obsessing over how much she really knew her husband. That last written missive ties back into one of Beth's past traumas, and her own dealings with the end that awaits us all. When she's alone at night, she's not sure that she can trust what she sees and hears, or tell whether she's awake or dreaming. Filling her time by sorting through Owen's things, she's also unsure what to make of the eerie sketches and books about the occult that sit among his possessions. And, she's thrown even further askew when she finds photos of brunette women that could be her doppelgängers; plans for a home just like hers, but mirrored; and a cascade of tidbits that cast her memories of her marriage into disarray. Also among The Night House's savvy moves: understanding that grief really does change everything. Not only has Beth's life lost one of its brightest lights, but everything Owen once illuminated now keeps being cloaked in shadows he's not there to extinguish. She can't ask him about what she's uncovering, or feeling, or what it's digging up inside. She can't rely upon him, either, or keep trusting what she thought she'd already learned about him during their marriage. And, as being touched by death tends to evoke, she's spiralling down an a well of existential malaise. All ghost and haunted house movies are about confronting mortality, as are a long list of horror staples — zombies, vampires, serial killers, monsters and the like — and The Night House has a strong sense of terror about the the fact that life doesn't extended forever. Director David Bruckner (The Ritual) and screenwriting duo Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (Super Dark Times) infuse their film with foreboding, with Beth's demons, and also with a heightened state of anxiety. Cultivating an unsettling atmosphere via creepy sights, just as unnerving sounds and music cues, and Hall's showcase performance, they fill 108 minutes with the unease that lingers in us all, but that we spend the majority of our days burying deep inside. That horror craftsmanship — the bristling, needling score by Ben Lovett (The Wolf of Snow Hollow); the exactingly timed sonic assaults that litter the sound design; the sinuous and disorienting cinematography by Elisha Christian (Max Richter's Sleep) — is expertly calibrated. The Night House is a movie made with horror style as well as smarts, and it's meticulously engineered to coax the desired response out of its audience. Looking for what's not there, and also what loiters when in spaces defined by their emptiness, is one of the movie's visual charms. Bruckner enjoys teasing, too, knowing that viewers will always want more time studying Hall's face and winding through Beth's labyrinthine home, and yet never falling too in love with one or the other. And, while there's never any guessing who the camera and the film adore, he populates The Night House with well-weighted portrayals all over. There are no cartoonish bit-parts and supporting performances, with Vondie Curtis-Hall (Harriet) bringing concern and sincerity as Beth's neighbour, Stacy Martin (Vox Lux) giving a source of mystery flesh and blood, and Goldberg as nuanced as Barry fans will recognise. So many of his choices are nicely judged; however, when it comes to The Night House's plot twists, Bruckner is less careful about becoming prey to indulgence. Even though they're grounded in relatable, palpable sentiments, stirrings and musings, some of the movie's developments feel muddled, and also threaten to undercut the fine-tuned work going on elsewhere. Some of the repeated nightmarish symbols get splashed across the screen one or two too many times as well, although a love of all things hellishness is next leading Bruckner, Collins and Piotrowski to remaking Hellraiser. Here, when The Night House ruminates over psychological, existential and atmospheric horrors, it's as gripping as Hall always is. When it's less focused on being haunted by absence, and by death, it's a sillier, less shrewd and involving movie. While set in a house by a lake, it never stoops to Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock sending each other love letters, thankfully — but it also steps back from being as bleak at the last minute as it needed to be.
Somewhere, between the heady romantic drama of Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise trilogy and the good-natured bawdiness of the American Pie franchise, sit the films of Cédric Klapisch. Released in 2002, Spanish Apartment first introduced us to Xavier Rousseau (Romain Duris), a French university student on exchange in Barcelona. Four years later, Russian Dolls picked up with Xavier again, as he continued to search for love and direction in an increasingly complicated world. Chinese Puzzle turns the series into a trilogy, although Klapisch ensures the story is more or less accessible to newcomers. Now an author at the tail-end of his 30s, Xavier is marginally more mature than the last time we saw him, although no more lucky in the romance department. As a matter of fact, the film begins just in time for us to witness his marriage, to Englishwoman Wendy (Kelly Reilly), fall apart. When she takes their kids to live in Manhattan, Xavier decides to cross the Atlantic as well, crashing with his old friend Isabelle (Cécile de France) and her new girlfriend, Ju (Sandrine Holt), until he can find accommodation of his own. As with the previous films, Klapisch keeps the tone buoyant, livening Xavier's voiceover musings — on life, love, family, ageing and the cultural stewpot in which all of us are ingredients — with plenty of visual whimsy. Xavier's hunt for an apartment unfolds through a montage of Google Map graphics, even as the ghosts of German philosophers pop by to offer him relationship advice. French DJs Loik Dury and Christopher Mink aka Kraked Unit provide the score, a joyously infectious mix of jazz, hip hop and soul. For all its entertaining energy, Chinese Puzzle can feel rather messy. The film's multitudinous story threads — including a green-card marriage scheme, sperm donation and Xavier's lingering affection for his old girlfriend Martine (Audrey Tautou) — frequently get tangled up, or are left idle for long stretches of time. Meanwhile, at least one major subplot, involving Isabelle's attractive babysitter (Flore Bonaventura), gets no resolution at all. Then again, perhaps the film's lack of direct drive is a reflection of its protagonist's headspace. Xavier is by no means perfect, but he has only the best intentions and is difficult not to root for. Likewise, Chinese Puzzle is so breezy and charming that it's easy to overlook its faults. https://youtube.com/watch?v=M2a8vuQABd8
After cruising around the Brisbane river in 2017 and 2018, Sydney's permanent floating venue, Seadeck, is once again heading north. From Friday, September 27 until Sunday, October 20, the glamorous vessel will be cruising through Brissie waters for another season of luxe parties and hangouts. Seadeck's vessel spans 42 metres, can accommodate 410 passengers and is the epitome of handcrafted luxury — from the handmade tiles and custom-designed brass bar to the bespoke furniture from every corner of the glove, everything you see was tailored for floating. Even the palm trees, standing four metres tall, took a dozen specialists to make to the right specifications. Each of the three decks is connected by sweeping staircases and cast iron lace railings, an homage to Hollywood's golden age of the 20s, 30s and 40s. Yes, the word 'swank' should come to mind. Seadeck's latest Brisbane visit will kick off with Friday night cruise, then hit the water on Saturdays and Sundays afterwards. Tickets, available from the Seadeck website, start from $30 on the first Friday night, then range from $50 on Saturdays and $35 on Sundays — other than the Riverfire cruise on Saturday, September 28, which starts at $125 and includes a two-hour canape package. Of course, if you're feeling the need to blow some serious dosh while you're on the river, VIP packages are also available. By Marissa Ciampi, Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
Australia is getting its first Pride Centre. About time. After announcing the idea as part of the 2016/17 budget, the Victorian Government has revealed the centre's location: St Kilda. 79-81 Fitzroy Street will become a community hub dedicated to highlighting queer art and history; bringing together advisory, health and support services; providing community spaces and offering a safe environment. It'll be modelled after San Francisco's LGBTI Community Centre, though that's just a starting point. In fact, the government is thinking bigger than its US predecessor when it comes to size. The St Kilda spot was chosen after extensive consultation with the LGBTI community to find the right site, although, given that the suburb has played host to the annual Pride March since 1996, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Currently vacant, it has been secured for at least the next 20 years. The government has pledged $15 million towards what'll be called the Victorian Pride Centre, with work expected to begin in the next 12 months. "We will own this site in perpetuity — and march by it every Pride March knowing it is ours," offered Victorian Pride Centre Board Jude Munro AO. "The Pride Centre is long overdue — it is exciting news for the LGBTI community and yet another welcome addition to St Kilda," said Victorian Minister for Equality Martin Foley. "Our LGBTI community has a lot to be proud of, I congratulate everyone involved and we looking forward to see the site come to life."
Stuart Ringholt is an artist that specialises in a few bizarre forms of creation. In addition to his ‘conventional’ work (sculpture, video, collages), Ringholt also enjoys interactive performance art, where the line between artist and audience blurs. His participatory approach to art sets him apart from many artists of his generation. Utilising guided tours of his own work, Ringholt engages his audience in workshops and performances aimed at evoking emotion. His latest exhibition, Kraft, includes two ambitious works, 'Untitled (Clock)' and 'Club Purple'. Each work reportedly is shown with a selection of recent videos and drawings to provide context. The works were made to hopefully elicit emotional responses such as embarrassment and fear while prodding thoughtfully at insecurities. Members of the public are welcome to attend the opening night preview of the exhibition at 5pm on Saturday, August 9. Stuart Ringholt will be on hand to conduct one of his famous Anger Workshops. Kraft will be running until September 20. Be sure to check it out while you can.
Summer means long days, beach outings and lively nights, but when the heat makes it unbearable to even venture outside, create your own slice of paradise in the comfort of your home. With the festive season around the corner and no sign of the cost-of-living crisis slowing down, turn your balcony into a vibrant destination for leisurely catch-ups over home-cooked spreads and refreshing tipples. With the help of Weber, we've pulled together five ways to elevate your outdoor living space, so you can while away the hot summer days without working up a sweat. The Weber Lumin A good barbecue is a quintessential summer experience, but it's often too tricky to turn that dream into a reality when you're stuck on an apartment balcony. Legendary barbecue brand Weber has you covered with the Lumin — a compact electric barbecue designed to be set up in smaller spaces. Don't let its size or lack of gas fool you. The multi-functional Lumin packs a punch and is able to deliver a range of cooking methods, from grilling to steaming and smoking. Simply plug the barbecue into any electrical outlet and you're ready to don your apron, crack open a cold one and get barbecuing. Pillow Loungers If you're living in the vicinity of the city, it's unlikely that you'll have space for anything bigger than a single recliner (if you're lucky). But you can still bring the beach to your balcony with Business & Pleasure Co's pillow loungers. Crafted from UV and weather-resistant Pleasuretex fabric, the Reclining Pillow Lounger boasts five adjustable settings and is easily transportable for any picnic, pool or beach needs. If you have a little more room to play with, the Modular Pillow Stack is the versatile hero to solve all your outdoor comfort needs. Arrange the pillows to suit any occasion, whether it's a cosy sofa, reading nook, sun-bathing deck or additional seating for guests. Both loungers come in a variety of sunny colours to bring a dash of Euro summer to your home and can be folded flat for storage. Cocktail Trolley Between cooking and lounging, you won't want to make the long trek back into your apartment for drinks. Round out your outdoor set-up with a cocktail trolley, which can double as storage, a counter for meal prep or a display shelf. Brighten up your aperitivo hour with Fenton & Fenton's all-weather aluminium and powder-coated outdoor bar cart, or keep things fresh with the Heller Alfresco Cooler from Temple & Webster. The latter comes complete with an 80-litre capacity for ice and drinks, as well as a drainage plug and tube for easy cleaning. To really impress your guests, we'd even recommend grilling or smoking fruit on your Lumin to create a seasonal cocktail with a smoky twist. Outdoor Rugs An outdoor rug might seem counterintuitive, but Ruggable's garden and patio rugs are a colourful way to tie your space together. The outdoor range is stain, water, fade, mould and mildew-resistant. The best part? Your rug can be thrown into the washing machine when it inevitably gets a little dirty. Whether you're looking to create a Mediterranean escape, jungle oasis or coastal haven, there's a print and style to suit every aesthetic. Greenery Experience the great outdoors, no matter your outdoor dimensions. Make even the smallest balcony feel ever-so-slightly bigger with some lush greenery. Don't have any semblance of a green thumb? Opt for artificial plants, like these click-and-fix artificial turf tiles from IKEA, luxe faux botanicals from Pottery Barn, or smaller hanging plants from The Plants Project. You won't ever have to worry about killing a fiddle leaf again. Find out more about the Lumin at the Weber website.
Sydney’s Mere Women are an emotive and powerful musical force. Their recent album, Your Town, has earned rave reviews Australia wide and rightly so. Your Town is saturated with taught and wiry guitars, layered vocal work and impressive lyricism. Keep your eye on the 'Best Of' lists at the end of the year; this album is sure to feature on many of them. The trio are finally making their way up to Brisbane to play at local haunt, Trainspotters. Expect a whirlwind of noise, an emotive and passionate performance that will stick in your memory for ages. Be sure to get in early to see the local supports also on the bill. Industrial electro-punks, Multiple Man, irreverent and eccentric Cured Pink and ethereal and delicate Perfume Garden will also be playing. Prepare yourself for a night of amazing and diverse sounds.
Gelato Messina, nostalgia and limited-edition desserts: that's the sweet-treat holy trinity. The cult-favourite ice creamery not only loves making one-off specials in general — it adores whipping up delights based on the dishes you loved as a kid. The latest: a honey joy version of its bake-at-home sticky scroll. Scrolls — or snails, as Messina calls them — are no strangers to the brand's range. Neither are honey joy treats, after it made a honey joy cookie pie in 2022. But combining the two is indeed a new development. Yes, it'll take you all the way back to your tuckshop days, and ensure that you can skip your next cereal breakfast. So, what exactly is a honey joy sticky snail? It's a scroll-like dish that's made to feed several people — four-to-six is Messina's recommendation — as filled with vanilla crème pâtissière. On top, you'll find honey joy clusters and honey caramel. And to go with it, because Messina is all about frosty desserts, is cereal milk gelato. Yes, this is another of the chain's Frankenstein's monster-style indulgences — and the entire pack includes the snail and a one-litre tub of gelato. If you're keen to get yourself a piece, they're available to preorder online on Tuesday, September 19. And, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand staggers its on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.15am, and New South Wales customers are split across three times (between 9.30–10am) depending on the store. You'll then need to head to your local Messina store to collect your order between Friday, September 22–Sunday, September 24. You can preorder Gelato Messina's honey joy sticky snail pack from Tuesday, September 19, to pick up from all stores in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland between Friday, September 22–Sunday, September 24.
Nothing says winter in Brisbane like the Royal Queensland Show taking over the RNA Showgrounds each August. Get ready for rides, show bags, giant vegetables, cute animals and Brissie's favourite dessert: those coveted strawberry sundaes. There's always plenty to see, do and eat — and a reason that the event comes with its own midweek public holiday. Brisbanites get set free from work to rush along, fill themselves up with fried and sugary goodness, then brave the rides and gaze at the fireworks. While this year's day off falls on Wednesday, August 16, the Ekka still runs for its usual nine days between Saturday, August 12–Sunday, August 20. That means plenty of time to enjoy sideshows, animal competitions, cooking demonstrations, live music and more — patting pigs, crashing dodgems, throwing balls in a clown's mouth for a prize and taking home all the Bertie Beetles you can eat all included. More than 400 different types of show bags will be up for grabs, ranging in price from $2–125 each. Among the 77 new bags in 2023: Barbie, Pink Floyd and Milo offerings. For the evening Ekka Nites lineup's return, live performances will shine when the sun goes down. As well as lighting up the heavens, expect everything from galloping horses to circus performers, plus fire and pyrotechnics. [caption id="attachment_861552" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rommel Carlos Photography[/caption]
The latest in the impressively long line of remarkable French-Canadian dramas, Louise Archambault's Gabrielle finds poignancy in an unexpected place. Produced by Luc Déry, who scored back-to-back Oscar nominations for Incendies and Monsieur Lazhar, the film follows the trials and tribulations of its titular character, a kind-hearted 22-year-old with significant developmental disabilities. Combining heartfelt storytelling with nuanced handling of issues rarely explored on screen, it's a tender, uplifting picture that marks another big win for the cinema of Quebec. The evanescent presence at the centre of the film is Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, a first-time actress who, like her character, suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Williams syndrome. It's a condition that manifests itself in the form of learning impairment, along with a high level of sociability. From the moment we see her, Gabrielle reminds us of a primary-schooler: cheeky, gregarious and eternally curious but also fragile and incapable of real independence. The film's naturalistic script focuses on two key relationships. The first is the connection Gabrielle shares with her elder sister, Sophie (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin), her protector and closest friend. The second is her romantic attachment to Martin (Alexandre Landry), a similarly challenged young man who sings with Gabrielle in a choir for the mentally disabled. They're an adorable couple, until things turn sexual, at which point Martin's protective mother abruptly pulls them apart. Archambault tackles potentially uncomfortable subject matter with both empathy and frankness. The extent to which people in Martin and Gabrielle's situation are capable of having an adult relationship is a difficult and thought-provoking question, one that most of us have probably never considered. The film's depiction of the pair's burgeoning physical intimacy is delicate and deeply moving; you want so desperately for them to be happy, but you also completely understand the desire of Martin's mother, to protect her son from consequences he cannot understand. Marion-Rivard seems utterly at ease in the front of the camera, bringing authenticity and charm to a truly wonderful character. Supporting her is Landry, a professional actor who is not learning disabled but never once falls into the traps that depictions of the mentally handicapped sometimes do. Perhaps the most heartbreaking performance is that of Désormeaux-Poulin as Gabrielle's sister. The love she feels for her sibling is palpable, yet with it comes a sense of responsibility. The question of how much personal happiness you can sacrifice for someone you care about is a difficult one. Yet it's something that almost everyone must at one time or another face. It's that emotional honesty that makes Gabrielle so powerful. Archambault never condescends to her characters, nor does she indulge in mawkishness or stifling political correctness. Everybody, be they disabled or not, has their limits. But they also have potential beyond what you might assume. https://youtube.com/watch?v=4l4cV6KjlxU
Hoping for something cold, creamy and scrumptious this Christmas? Well, you're in luck. While Gelato Messina's bricks-and-mortar Brisbane store is now slated to open in early 2017 rather than late this year, they do have a gift for the city's ice cream lovers: a two-day festive pop-up. Messina is coming to town as part of the Milton Markets' yuletide shindig, aka Christmas on Cribb. On December 15 and 16, they'll be dishing out scoops of salted caramel and white chocolate, milk chocolate peanut fudge, and salted coconut and mango frosty goodness, plus a few other yet-to-be-confirmed flavours. We've got our fingers crossed they'll roll out their Mincing Tart (brandy custard gelato with Messina fruit mince tarts), Hansel He's So Hot Right Now (gingerbread gelato smashed with gingerbread cake) and their pavlova concoction. Christmas on Cribb will also feature pop-up bars, other guest stalls, all the seasonal foods you can dream of, artisan gifts and two stages of live entertainment, in case you need something to keep you occupied between servings of ice cream. A tip: don't forget that Messina also sell take-home packs. If you can manage to stop yourself from eating a whole tub full of their chilly deliciousness for ten days, you'll go down in Christmas dessert history. Find Gelato Messina at Christmas on Cribb, Cribb Street, Milton on December 15 and 16. Visit the event's Facebook page for more information.
A dimly light basement with walls covered in skate boards may look a little grungy for an Italian restaurant, but in the case of Verve Cafe, looks can be deceiving. Playing vertical neighbour to the Metro Arts, Verve Cafe is an ideal hideaway to grab a coffee, enjoy a boozy lunch, or settle in for a hearty dinner. I say hearty because the meals here are rich, particularly the pasta, and the surrounds are just as warm and cosy. Though it may not be noticeable from the street, most locals and city workers are well aware of Verve and the cafe is usually packed out during the weekends. Booking is a must if you're wanting to get a table on a Friday or Saturday night, and be prepared for the place to be buzzing too. The enclosed space can get a bit rowdy during the busy hours, but the noise just helps create a friendly, down to earth and infectious atmosphere. Considering the location and noise levels of Verve, its little wonder the cafe's food is the main draw card for patrons. The food is wonderfully fresh and simple – the way Italian food should be. Of particular praise is the pasta. The Brandy Tortellini and the Goats Cheese & Chicken Gnocchi are a stand out. Also on the menu are a selection of risottos and traditional Italian pizzas, which are all very well priced. Verve offers plenty of options for vegetarians and run Happy Hour drink specials from 5pm – 7pm at the bar every night, making Verve an ideal venue for a birthday or celebration dinner. Probably another reason why the venue can get a little rowdy.
2015 documentary Gayby Baby tried to teach audiences that love, not gender, is the most important thing about family — and became one of the most talked about films of the year as a result. Needless controversy aside, the movie's statement remains crucial. Gaybies clearly agrees, spreading the same message from the stage. Once again, real-life accounts of children from same-sex parents, surrogate mums, donor dads, co-parents and guardians are the drawcard, with their tales not only political and personal, but honest and heartwarming. They're brought to life by a cast of local performers and community members, and overseen by Brisbane Powerhouse's Kris Stewart, who not only continues to guide the venue's artistic direction, but directs this production as part of MELT Festival.
When the city floods, there aren't many bright spots to be found — but seeing Brisbane band together to support each other and raise cash for those that need is definitely one of them. At The Brightside from 5.30pm on Saturday, March 5, a heap of bands will be doing just that, too, all as part of a huge 11-plus act, two-stage gig that the venue has dubbed Flood Relief. Taking to the decks: Spacey Jane, Shag Rock, Sweater Curse, VOIID and Great Sage, all doing DJ sets, while Hope D, Melaleuca, Flamingo Blonde, Dopamine, Lucy Francesca Dron and Pure Milk will be performing live as well. The lineup is also set to keep growing, given that this show has been put together mighty quickly to mobilise music fans after such a chaotic week of devastating weather. Tickets cost $34.70, all of which is being donated to GIVIT — which is using all funds to support folks affected by the floods. You can throw some more love towards the cause at the venue, too, with karma kegs and cases courtesy of Philter and Jameson — and all proceeds also going straight to GIVIT — plus donation tins onsite as well. [caption id="attachment_801821" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Spacey Jane by Daniel Hilderbrand[/caption]
There's only one thing wrong with the third season of Reservation Dogs: it's the show's last. After three years and 28 episodes spent with Muscogee Nation residents in Oklahoma — and also on a journey to California and back — this coming-of-age dramedy says farewell as sublimely and soulfully as it's said everything else since 2021. When Reservation Dogs initially arrived, including on Binge in Australia, its debut season delivered one of the best new TV shows of that year. Next, its second spin served up one of the best returning shows of 2022. The show's swansong achieves the same for 2023, and in a ten-episode run that takes many of the series' own messages to heart. There's a skill in recognising when something's time has come, as Reservation Dogs knows. As co-created, executive produced and written by Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), this series is also well-aware that little lasts in life, but anything that's truly great always leaves an imprint and makes an impact. And, the show lives and breathes the idea that doing the best that you can with the time that you have is one of the noblest of purposes. Accordingly, while the teen-centric comedy about restless Indigenous North American adolescents feels like it could (and should) keep telling its stories forever, it wraps up with a season that's a rich and resonant goodbye — and continues to expand its slice-of-life tales, hero its distinctive perspectives and sink into minutiae that's seen nowhere else on television. Waititi gave Reservation Dogs its biggest name when it began with four Okern residents, aka the titular Rez Dogs, stealing a Flaming Flamers delivery truck to try to sell it to raise cash for their dream escape to the west coast. On the filmmaker's resume, it's one of a trio of brilliant half-hour comedies, premiering after the What We Do in the Shadows television spinoff was already a couple of seasons in and preceding pirate rom-com Our Flag Means Death. It's Harjo who is Reservation Dogs' guiding force, however, steering a series that couldn't be more original — and perfect. The casting, the cinematography, the equal parts dry and offbeat humour, the mix of clear-eyed reality and deeply felt spirituality, the thoughtfulness that swells through every touch: episode by episode, including in its masterful last season, these elements combine to make outstanding television. From its first-ever instalment, Reservation Dogs has hung out with its characters as they chase dreams and face truths, and realise that life is all about flitting between the two. So, it has enjoyed Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Fitting In), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese's (Lane Factor, The Fabelmans) company as they learn about the transience of existence at every moment, whether they're striving to see more than the place that they've always called home, grappling with loss or pondering what the future means. Of course moving on was always going to come for this show, then. Of course it's finishing on its own terms, too. And of course its final season is more moving, ruminative and mesmerising than ever. When viewers last saw the Rez Dogs at the end of season two, the OG quartet plus Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds), their once-rival and now somewhat-reluctant newcomer to the group, had finally made the trip to California that they'd been working towards their entire lives — but with added urgency after the death of their friend Daniel. Season three picks up with the gang still far away from home, and still journeying even when they do return. Elora considers both her past and her future, complete with an excellent guest appearance by Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight) in an episode that Jacobs directed. Bear goes wandering on his own, including through several revelatory encounters (and with the spirit of The Battle of Little Big Horn warrior William Knifeman, as played by another Rutherford Falls alum in Dallas Goldtooth, still popping up). Both Cheese and Willie Jack keep discovering new learnings within their community. All continue to utter and inspire the term "shitass", all while navigating everything from grief to hope. Harjo remains unafraid to depart from his leads along the way, whether sliding into history to explore myths, traditions or horrors inflicted upon Indigenous children; hanging with the Rez Dogs' parents and elders now as well as in their younger days; and taking the revenge-fuelled Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn, Alice, Darling) out of folklore and into a denim jumpsuit. A true portrait of community — and, of it teens embracing what it means to be a part of it — Reservation Dogs finds a story, be it big or small, for everyone within its frames. In season three, Bear's mother Rita (Sarah Podemski, Resident Alien) contemplates a big promotion that'll take her away from Okern, Elora's forever-20 mum Cookie (Janae Collins, Killers of the Flower Moon) still has messages to send as a spirit, and Jackie's aunt Bev (Rutherford Falls lead Jana Schmieding) has a spark with Officer Big (Zahn McClarnon, No Hard Feelings). Indeed, Reservation Dogs floats between characters as skilfully as it jumps between genres, in a series that can be anything in any given episode. During this last stretch, it's a road-trip awakening and an adventurous magical-realist odyssey. Then it dives into horror akin to Jordan Peele's work (see: Get Out, Us and Nope), as well as workplace comedy. Reservation Dogs flirts with 70s-set Dazed and Confused territory after that, plus an Ocean's-esque heist and sincere family drama as well. Harjo and his creative team nail each and every one — and ensure that every turn reinforces the show's survey of Native American life. This is a series that revels in the daily specifics, including the triumphs and joys; honours cultural conventions and how they're passed down; parodies cliches; and never forgets for a moment the plight that First Nations Americans have endured since colonial times. Everyday facts, ghostly visitors, decrying the worst of history, watching the next generation find its own way while balancing tradition and modernity, championing Indigenous talents emerging and experienced (including Killers of the Flower Moon's Lily Gladstone, Dead Man's Gary Farmer, The Last of the Mohicans' Wes Studi and Dances with Wolves' Graham Greene in the latter category): that's the juggling act that Reservation Dogs couldn't handle better. As Atlanta also achieved while similarly musing on race in the US, serving up surprises in every single episode and proving a creative masterpiece, it sees the moment-by-moment scene and the broader view. That both pictures take in the Oklahoma landscape also helps Reservation Dogs look like little else, as well as feel it. The show's legacy is equally pivotal; Bear, Elora, Willie Jack and Cheese especially will be deeply missed, but Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis and Factor shouldn't ever be far from screens after this exceptional breakthrough. Check out the trailer for Reservation Dogs season three below: Reservation Dogs streams via Binge. Read our review of season two, too. Images: Shane Brown/FX.
It might be icy cool within the Gallery of Modern Art's massive South Brisbane digs, but it's still shaping up to be a hot, hot summer. With two blockbuster exhibitions currently gracing the walls — Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow and Gerhard Richter: The Life of Images — GOMA is positively scorching with the world's best art. Naturally, they're throwing a party to celebrate. A one-night-only version of its regular after-hours shindigs, Summer Up Late combines Kusama's dotty delights, Richter's poetic paintings, live music, bars and more into the type of revelry art galleries aren't always known for. The catch? You'll have to head along from 5.30pm on January 19, or forever regret missing out. Partying surrounded by pumpkins and stepping into a room filled with glowing orbs between drinks is just the beginning. You'll also stare at transfixing lines and walk through a snapshot of cultural history, all while enjoying tunes from Berlin-based electronic producer and performer Laurel Halo, Aussie singer-songwriter Lupa J and DJ Black Amex on the decks. And, if you're there by 6.30pm, mosey along the one-off sensory tour, which will make you experience the entire evening in a completely different way.
It's the event that was always bound to happen. Even decade-long music polls have their detractors, or those who'd just rather listen to something else — and they're the folks The New Globe is catering for. Their "F!#* The Hottest 100" Australia Day Party offers an alternative to the triple j countdown, including a lineup of bands you're not likely to hear on national radio. Here, you can listen to Love Hate Rebellion, Lunar Seasons, Deadbeat Society, FriendlyFire, Dr Peppernickle's Orphanarium of Obese Aristocrats, Buttermilk, The Moongrinders, The MontalRoys, Thirteen Seventy and more to be announced, and think about your new favourite acts instead of last year's hits.
Since 2016, the cinema-loving world has had a Studio Ghibli-shaped hole in its heart. That's when the acclaimed Japanese animation house released its most recent film, the gorgeous French co-production The Red Turtle. Its last solo production actually came two years earlier, courtesy of 2014's When Marnie Was There. Still, much has happened in Studio Ghibli's world over the past decade. Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement, then changed his mind. In 2018, fellow co-founder and acclaimed director Isao Takahata sadly passed away. And, over the past few years, the company has been busying itself with its very own theme park. The latter is due to open in 2022 and become quite the tourist attraction — but that doesn't mean that fans aren't keen for more Ghibli movies. Thankfully, the studio revealed earlier this year that it's working on just that, with two new films on its slate for 2020. One of those movies will be helmed by My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle icon Miyazaki, with How Do You Live? actually first announced a few years back. As for the second film, information have been scarce to date; however the company has just provided more than a few details. Called Aya and the Witch — and also known as Earwig and the Witch in English — the movie will mark the first Studio Ghibli completely made using computer-generated animation. Director-wise, it's helmed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro Miyazaki, who previously directed Tales from Earthsea and From Up On Poppy Hill. It's also based on a novel written by British author Diana Wynne Jones, who penned the book that Howl's Moving Castle was adapted from, too. And, it'll head straight to Japanese television, with the film airing on local broadcaster NHK TV sometime during Japan's winter. Just when audiences elsewhere will get to see Aya and the Witch is yet to be revealed; however it was announced this week that it would've screened at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival if the event had gone ahead this year. In lieu of holding a physical fest, the prestigious event announced a lineup of 56 movies it would've shown, giving them the 'Cannes 2020 Official Selection' label — and Ghibli's latest is one of them. In terms of story, Aya and the Witch focuses on a girl at an orphanage. She enjoys living there, but her world changes when she's chosen to live with a couple — including, as the title makes plain, a witch. Fingers crossed that Aya and the Witch will head to screens Down Under sooner rather than later. In the interim, you can get your Ghibli fix by checking out the company's online tours of its museum on the outskirts of Tokyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccgm1Pp5Whw Via Studio Ghibli. Top image: Howl's Moving Castle.
Another week, another Gelato Messina special. That's been the dessert chain's contribution to making lockdown a little more bearable over the past year and a half, and it isn't changing that tactic now. So, if you're under stay-at-home conditions in Sydney and Melbourne, you now have another indulgent sweet treat to look forward to. And for folks in southeast Queensland, you've got an excuse to treat yo'self to a decadent dessert anyway. On the menu this time: the return of the brand's Basque cheesecake gelato, but without the sticky Cinnabon-style scrolls it came paired with when it made its debut back in August. You'll be able to buy a one-litre tub of the stuff, which comes filled with exactly what it says on the label — that'd be Basque cheesecake gelato — and is topped with a slice of toasted Basque cheesecake. The special can only be ordered online on Monday, September 27. It will set you back $35 — and, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand is staggering the on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Circular Quay, Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). The catch? You'll have to peel yourself off the couch and head to your local Messina store to pick up your order. They'll be available for collection between Friday, October 1–Sunday, October 3. Sydneysiders, remember to abide by lockdown restrictions when it comes to picking up your bavarian — which means sticking to your Local Government Area, or within five-kilometres from home. Melburnians, under new eased lockdown rules that come into effect in mid-September, you're permitted to travel within a ten-kilometre radius to pick up food. You can preorder a Messina Basque cheesecake gelato tub from Monday, September 27, to pick up from Friday, October 1–Sunday, October 3.
About an hour south of Brisbane, you'll find Tamborine National Park. Part of the Gold Coast hinterland, this eight-kilometre mountain plateau is home to countless waterfalls, gorges, heritage-listed sites and a botanical garden — plus, plenty of native wildlife. The best way to experience it is on foot, with a number of tracks between one and five kilometres available, which you can find here. If, however, you're looking for all the reward without the effort, there are a couple of lookouts that you can directly to and marvel at the epic views across the Scenic Rim and Great Dividing Ranges. Images: Tourism and Events Queensland
