No one makes social satires like Boots Riley. Late in I'm a Virgo, when a character proclaims that "all art is propaganda", these words may as well be coming from The Coup frontman-turned-filmmaker's very own lips. In only his second screen project after the equally impassioned, intelligent, energetic, anarchic and exceptional 2018 film Sorry to Bother You, Riley doesn't have his latest struggling and striving hero utter this sentiment, however. Rather, it springs from the billionaire technology mogul also known as The Hero (Walton Goggins, George & Tammy), who's gleefully made himself the nemesis of 13-foot-tall series protagonist Cootie (Jharrel Jerome, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). Played with intensity by the inimitable Goggins, this head of "a modern computational instruments fortune" also publishes comic books about The Hero. In character, he dons a helicopter backpack to roam the skies and scour the streets for lawbreakers. He's also reminiscent of both Iron Man and Batman, and makes a target out of Cootie, his biggest fan, from the moment that the shy Black teen takes his first steps in the broader world at the age of 19. And, as he chats about creativity and its choices always being commentary, The Hero helps Riley stress a pivotal point. Knowing that all stories make a statement isn't just the domain of activists fighting for better futures for the masses, like himself, and he wants to ensure that his audience knows it. Streaming via Prime Video from Friday, June 23, with all seven episodes dropping at once, I'm a Virgo is a show with something to say, and forcefully. On the big screen, Sorry to Bother You was the same. They both share more than just a creator, purpose and stunning outcome, which Riley also wants viewers to notice. Again, he sets his scene in a science fiction-infused alternate version of Oakland. Once more, he takes aim at capitalism — and savagely — alongside the prevailing status quo around race, class and wealth. Crying out for justice and equality, he remains concerned about the way that corporations and their ultra-rich overseers wield their power, influence and fortunes to control everyday lives. Riley is angry again, too, and wants everyone giving him their time to be bothered — and he still isn't sorry for a second. With Jerome as well-cast a lead as Atlanta's Lakeith Stanfield was, I'm a Virgo also hinges upon a surreal central detail: instead of a Black telemarketer discovering the impact of his "white voice", it hones in on the oversized Cootie. When it comes to assimilation, consider this series Sorry to Bother You's flipside, because there's no way that a young Black man that's more than double the tallest average height is passing for anyone but himself. Riley knows that Black men are too often seen as threats and targets regardless of their stature anyway. He's read the research showing that white folks can perceive Black boys as older and less innocent. There isn't a single aspect of I'm a Virgo that doesn't convey Riley's ire at the state of the world — that doesn't virtually scream about it, actually — with this series going big and bold over and over. How does someone so towering exist for nearly two decades without attracting attention? Via a massive effort by his cautious uncle Martisse (Mike Epps, You People) and aunt LaFrancine (Carmen Ejogo, Your Honor). They've brought Cootie up in secrecy, promising that he can venture out when he turns 21, and endeavouring to instil a wariness about how the world will treat him because he's black and preternaturally lofty. "People are always afraid, and you are a 13-foot-tall Black man," says LaFrancine. "People are gonna try to figure out how to use you and, when they can't use you no more, they're gonna try to get rid of you," Martisse warns. But, like anyone that's only ever experienced life beyond their own four walls and canopy-hidden backyard through windows and television, Cootie is curious and sick of being cooped up. Thanks to TV ads, he also desperately wants a Bing-Bang burger. The first time he sneaks out, he's nicknamed "twamp monster" and goes viral. Next, he finds pals by reaching over the fence for a joint: the car-worshipping Felix (Brett Gray, Star Trek: Prodigy), laidback Scat (Allius Barnes, Cruel Summer) and fierce activist Jones (Kara Young, The Staircase). When Cootie finally tastes one of those coveted burgs, he swoons over Flora (Olivia Washington, Breaking), who works behind the counter and stands out with The Flash-esque super speed. Friends, fast food, falling in love: that's the coming-of-age path that I'm a Virgo charts, with the horoscope-abiding Cootie chasing adventure and attempting to work out who he is. Of course, most tales about teenagers discovering themselves don't also span giants, vigilantes, cults, streetwear modelling campaigns, shrunk-down people, stoner cartoons that incite existential malaise, odes to bass and rebellions for fair treatment, all while tearing into myths by spinning one, but Riley couldn't tell most tales even if he wanted to. What Riley can and does craft is potent, probing, playful and piercing — a wild and wonderful series that has everything on its mind, too, and is determined to be unlike anything else that's streaming. This may be another story about heroes and villains, aka popular culture's prevailing type of narrative at present. And, it might sit on the same platform as The Boys. And yet, it couldn't be further from the onslaught of caped-crusader universes that frequently fill screens. As it contemplates and agitates, I'm a Virgo eschews slickness for authenticity visually as well. Practical effects are everywhere, with forced perspective getting a heavy workout and sets boasting a handmade feel. Puppetry, miniatures, animation that'd look at home on Adult Swim: they're also part of the series' experience. Imagination reigns supreme in every image, and the lack of dull CGI is a genuine sight for sore eyes. Advocating for thinking and seeing differently is a task that I'm a Virgo adopts with the utmost seriousness, clearly, even as it constantly proves eagerly eccentric and sharply amusing. In other words, Riley is back doing what he does impeccably, but no one could ever accuse him of repeating himself. From racism and conformity to social hierarchies and capitalist domination, the parts of life that he's challenging demand continual scrutiny. Including exploited workers, violent policing and America's money-driven healthcare system that seems to regard living as a right only afforded those who can afford it, the distressing art-apes-life elements of I'm a Virgo's dystopian realm need interrogating in as many ways as possible. This won't be the last time that the filmmaker brings them to the screen, or champions a different way forward. Here's hoping that everything that follows — be it a second season of this or whatever Riley plies his talents on next — is as glorious and essential. Check out the trailer for I'm a Virgo below: I'm a Virgo streams via Prime Video from Friday, June 23.
As everyone takes on paleo diets and embraces kale and cacao like they're going out of style, it can be easy to forget the real purpose of good nutrition. No, it's not to impress people with buzzwords or nom on superfoods as a fashion statement — it's about your health and happiness. In an effort to bring this message back to the fore, Australia's first "happiness restaurant" has opened in Melbourne. With chemicals on their mind and delicious fruit on their plates, Serotonin Dealer has swung open the doors of their Madden Grove establishment, Serotonin Eatery, in Richmond. In case you missed that class in high school biology, serotonin is a chemical released by your body that produces the feeling of happiness. There a number of ways you can increase your serotonin levels — get a good night's sleep, maybe grab a little sunlight, cut down on your coffee and booze — but it's also got a lot to do with your food. Despite what you may secretly hope, a big binge at Maccas isn't going to make your body very happy. What we really crave is raw, chemical-free, plant-based foods. This is what Serotonin Eatery will be focusing on. "I don't believe in diets," says founder Emily Arundel. "I believe that everyone should just be aware of what they are putting into their bodies and make the right choices to lead a healthy life." Accordingly, Arundel's cafe will serve fresh juices, smoothies and fibre-rich treats for breakfast, lunch and weekly set dinners. But it won't stop there. With personal trainers and yoga instructors on site for daily morning classes, Serotonin Eatery will be an interactive, inclusive one-stop health shop — a welcome effort to curb Australia's climbing rates of obesity, depression and anxiety. Find Serotonin Eatery at 52 Madden Grove, Burnley. Open Wed-Fri 7am-4pm and Sat-Sun 8am-4pm. Images: Didriks via photopin cc, Serotonin Dealer.
More than 80 years after it was first sung and heard, Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit' still isn't easily forgotten. Drawn from a poem penned to protest lynchings, it's meant to shock and haunt. It's designed to galvanise and mobilise, too, as drawing attention to the extrajudicial killings of Black Americans should. Indeed, so vivid is the song in its language — "Black bodies swingin' in the southern breeze" describes the third line — US authorities demanded that Holiday stop performing it. She refused repeatedly, so there were repercussions. Concerned that the track would spark change, inspire Holiday's fans to fight for civil rights and justice, and perhaps motivate riots against against oppression and discrimination as well, the US Treasury Department's Federal Bureau of Narcotics went after the musician for her drug use. If it couldn't get her to cease crooning the controversial tune via other means, such as overt warnings and a prominent police presence at her shows, it'd do whatever it could to keep her from reaching the stage night after night. So tells The United States vs Billie Holiday, the latest Oscar-nominated biopic to step through its namesake's life. Back in 1972, Lady Sings the Blues loosely adapted Holiday's autobiography of the same name, enlisting Diana Ross to play the singer — but, in taking inspiration instead from Johann Hari's non-fiction book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, this latest big-screen vision of the music icon's story adopts its own angle. Holiday's troubled childhood and youth has its part in this tale, which is scripted for the screen by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. Her addiction, and the personal woes that she tried to blot out, clearly don't escape filmmaker Lee Daniels' (The Butler) attention, either. But The United States vs Billie Holiday also falls in alongside Seberg, MLK/FBI and Judas and the Black Messiah in interrogating bleak truths about mid-20th century America. That includes the misplaced priorities of its government during multiple administrations, and the blatant determination shown by an array of agencies under various presidents to undermine, persecute and silence those considered a supposedly un-American threat to the status quo. Framed by a late 50s interview between Holiday (Andra Day, Marshall) and a gossip journalist (Leslie Jordan, Will & Grace), Daniels' film flits back and forth through the former's life. Her career heyday takes pride of place, but complexity seethes through every facet of her existence — whether she's ignoring commands not to sing 'Strange Fruit' in the 40s, being sentenced to prison for narcotics towards the decade's end, making a sold-out comeback at Carnegie Hall, cycling through relationships with several abusive men or peering back at memories of her unhappy upbringing. The narrative anchor: Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes, Moonlight). Tasked by crusading Federal Bureau of Narcotics head Harry Anslinger (Garrett Hedlund, Dreamland) to infiltrate Holiday's inner circle, he becomes a pal, a lover and also one of the key figures responsible for her incarceration. He's regarded warily by Holiday's dutiful entourage, which spans her best friend Roslyn (Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Kajillionaire), stylist Miss Freddy (Miss Lawrence, Star) and saxophonist Lester Young (Tyler James Williams, Detroit). And yet, Holiday consistently warms to Fletcher, including both before and after he starts questioning his real purpose. Holiday's status as a legend will never be diminished. Despite the US Government's concerted efforts otherwise, 'Strange Fruit' has cemented its place in history, too. But even given The United States vs Billie Holiday's iconic point of focus, her vitally important song, and the crucial and committed approach taken to both, the film that results here often feels little more than standard. It adheres to the biographical drama playbook, and uses Anslinger as a cartoonish villain. Its arrival on-screen in such close proximity to the aforementioned Seberg and Judas and the Black Messiah also imparts an unshakeable air of familiarity. The United States vs Billie Holiday is often rousing and moving. It tells an essential story, and tracks the tragedies and the triumphs alike. But it remains forcefully wedded to convention, to the extent that almost every second of the narrative plays out as expected, and every filmmaking choice as well — regardless of whether viewers already know the minutiae of Holiday's life intimately or are learning it anew. That well-worn sensation applies to most areas of the movie, except one. Day took her stage name from Billie Holiday's nickname, with Young dubbing the icon Lady Day — and in her first lead role, the 'Rise Up' singer turns in an absolute powerhouse performance. A Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama has already come her way, along with a Best Actress Oscar nomination, because this is an intense, impassioned, career-defining portrayal. Even when the feature itself becomes unfocused, including through Daniels' erratic stylistic flourishes, Day is simply mesmerising. She sings Holiday's songs flawlessly, and she also conveys the lifetime of struggle that lingers behind every word. She mirrors the star's presence, too; when she's centre stage, or placed in the centre of cinematographer Andrew Dunn's (The Children Act) frame, everything else seems to fade away. Day's rendition of 'Strange Fruit' isn't easily forgotten, fittingly; however, neither is anything about her performance. The raspiness of her voice expresses Holiday's pain, even when just uttering a single word. The fixed gaze her character continually directs Fletcher's way manages to be equally withering and melting, and the complicated rapport she shares with the also-excellent Rhodes makes for many of the movie's best moments. But if Day constantly vividly and memorably honours the woman she's playing — and she does, especially when she's belting out her songs — The United States vs Billie Holiday can't always claim to do the same. No one's life story should feel like it's ticking boxes, and Holiday's certainly didn't, but Daniels seems to forget that more often than anyone should. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGLmTd8q3Ec Image: Takashi Seida.
The New York City Public Library is one of the most instantly recognisable buildings in the world. The grand entrance to its marble halls has been guarded majestically by twin stone lions, Carrere and Hastings, for nearly a hundred years. This weekend, the building and the lions celebrate their centenary. Although it is the fifth largest library in the United States, to celebrate its centenary the Library is proving it’s more than just books. The Library’s artifact collection is absurdly steeped in historical importance and draws on four main themes - Observation, Creativity, Contemplation and Society - and includes items such as Charles Dickens’ letter opener, Charlotte Bronte's desk, Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Declaration of Independence, Jack Kerouac's personal affects and Christopher Columbus’ first letter from the Americas. In recent years, the Library has come across hard times. Recently, New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg has tabled over $40 million in cuts. Paul Gunther of the Huffington Post sees the greatest hurdle for the library as not budgetary but a question of relevance, stating that ‘the challenge for its second century is that this thriving architectural masterpiece not fossilize into merely an historic monument to some greater yet abandoned neo-classical past.’
Casting a biopic can't be easy. The awards-courting label that hangs over the genre that's earned Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Will Smith (King Richard), Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Renée Zellweger (Judy) and Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) lead actor and actress Oscars over the past decade alone can't make the task any less tricky, either. Then, when music bios get a spin — which is often — the weight of recognition and fandom is an especially heavy factor. Does the actor resemble the star that they're playing physically or in spirit? Can they? Will their attempt to slip into someone else's mega fame read like a triumphant ode or a faded facsimile? Will they try to inhabit rather than impersonate? Is doing the real-life person justice even possible? The questions go on. Even with those queries in mind, Back to Black has chosen its lead well. In Industry's Marisa Abela, who has just six prior acting credits on her resume before now — Barbie is the latest; Man in a Box, her first, came when she was only 11 — the Amy Winehouse-focused film has someone who looks the part beehive or not, and convincingly lives and breathes it behind a north London accent. She sings it, too, when the picture weaves in her own vocals atop Winehouse's music. But casting isn't the only key element for a biopic. The dance that a feature is taking through a well-known figure's life needs the material and the approach to support its central performance — the lyrics and tune to match with sheer talent, in music terms. If they fall flat, so does the flick. And unlike a bad song for an exceptional singer, there's no second chances in this realm. So echoes the big refrain of Back to Black: no matter her significant efforts, Abela as Winehouse is given as by-the-numbers a ditty to croon, and a beat to hit, as the music biopic genre has ever pumped out. It's impossible to know what the subject of the film would think of it, of course, but the movie from director Sam Taylor-Johnson (A Million Little Pieces) and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh (Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool) portrays her as someone who hated formula, which the picture itself does not. At their most routine, biographical features boil people and their achievements down to standard plot points that could be swapped into any such flick about any such folk with a sliver of fame. The names change, and the eras, but the details are virtually interchangeable. Dispiritingly, that's on full display here in a tale about supreme potential, the worldwide success to go with it, haunting demons that can't be shaken and a premature death. As a result, everyone knows what'll happen in Back to Black even if you somehow don't know a thing about Winehouse going in. Here, she's an outwardly plucky but inwardly vulnerable teen with a killer set of pipes who has a rocky time of it in the spotlight, in love and with addiction through her twenties until she heartbreakingly joins the 27 Club. If that was the movie's one-sentence pitch to get the green light, it's also all that Taylor-Johnson and Greenhalgh — who worked together before on 2009's Nowhere Boy, which was about John Lennon's adolescence — have committed to. To flesh it out, they've also made the broadest strokes, drawn from the most-obvious details and spun a narrative that's one-note. In this telling, which holds itself up as a tribute, Winehouse's on-again, off-again romance with Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O'Connell, Ferrari) becomes her defining trait, not her voice. When they meet in a pub, bonding over drinks and pool, and bantering with enough woozy charm to get the entire bar drunk from proximity, Fielder-Civil introduces her to 60s girl group The Shangri-Las, one of her influences. Their first breakup is then the inspiration for the iconic album that gifts the movie its name. The end of their marriage during his incarceration, plus the news that he has started a family with someone else, are poised as developments that she can't get over. There's so little to Winehouse without him in this account — and so much that doesn't directly involve him, such as her early years and even recording Back to Black, is rushed through or relegated to a quick montage — that the movie might as well be called Amy & Blake (it's no Sid and Nancy, though, or even Pam & Tommy). Winehouse is "no Spice Girl", the film has her stress, but she is little more than Blake's girl in its eyes — and regardless of the strength of their love throughout their tumultuous romance, that's hardly the complete Winehouse story. Back to Black gives its protagonist a strong connection with the grandmother (Lesley Manville, The Crown) that she idolises and considers a style icon, and an unwavering sense of what she wants her career to be, but neither earns enough attention to overtake the picture's Blake-centric angle. When it comes to Winehouse's father Mitch (Eddie Marsan, Franklin), the main aim seems to be contrasting with his depiction in Senna and Diego Maradona director Asif Kapadia's Academy Award-winning 2015 documentary Amy. There's no depth there, or to much in Black to Black, as it also puts too much emphasis on its subject's maternal desires and not enough on the ugliness of becoming paparazzi-hounded tabloid fodder, or of addiction. The only place that you'll find complexity: Abela's performance and Winehouse's jazz-pop sound. It's no surprise, then, that the film is at its best when it's recreating gigs, or that they're the next most-prominent part of the movie after the Amy-Blake love story. But unlike in Bohemian Rhapsody or Elvis — or 2024's fellow music biopic Bob Marley: One Love — the concert scenes feel less designed to get audiences soaking in the sensation of watching a stunning talent, transporting them to those moments like they're there in-person, and more about adding a few easy highs to a tale told as an inescapable tragedy. Taylor-Johnson and Greenhalgh, the latter of which also penned the excellent Joy Division-focused Control, used Winehouse's lyrics and interviews as their guide to making the feature, but they've still filtered it through a view that sees the outcome of her life as inevitable. To that, to the well-worn bio template, to making her time with Blake its point of interest and to much more about Back to Black, there's only one response — and it's the same that Winehouse gave to going to rehab.
Concrete Playground is looking for a Digital Sales Manager to join the team on a part-time basis. The candidate will be responsible for selling online advertising inventory across Concrete Playground’s various city editions, and will bring with them a proven history in media sales and a healthy database of contacts at agencies and brands. The role requires a well-presented, self-motivated individual who exhibits initiative and drive to generate new sales. It is a part-time role that would suit someone who is seeking 8-24 flexible hours of work each week. Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent business experience Responsibilities: • Build bespoke sales, sponsorship & partnership proposals • Present our properties face to face, over the phone and email • Generate ad revenue via agencies and direct clients • Anticipate new growth areas to develop ad revenue Experience: • Has worked in a target driven media sales environment • A proven track record of producing significant revenue • Proven track record in building relationships that turn into sales • In depth knowledge and understanding of Digital Sales including display/video and Rich Media advertising across online and mobile • Grown and managed business relationships with key agencies and direct advertisers. • Ability to manage a self generated workload TO APPLY: Please direct resumes to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
UPDATE, March 8, 2023: The Banshees of Inisherin is now available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video. In The Banshees of Inisherin, the rolling hills and clifftop fields look like they could stretch on forever, even on a fictional small island perched off the Irish mainland. For years, conversation between Padraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell, After Yang) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson, The Tragedy of Macbeth) has been similarly sprawling — and leisurely, too — especially during the pair's daily sojourn to the village pub for chats over pints. But when the latter calls time on their camaraderie suddenly, his demeanour turns brusque and his explanation, only given after much pestering, is curt. Uttered beneath a stern, no-nonsense stare by Gleeson to his In Bruges co-star Farrell, both reuniting with that darkly comic gem's writer/director Martin McDonagh for another black, contemplative and cracking comedy, Colm is as blunt as can be: "I just don't like you no more." In the elder character's defence, he wanted to ghost his pal without hurtful words. Making an Irish exit from a lifelong friendship is a wee bit difficult on a tiny isle, though, as Colm quickly realises. It's even trickier when the mate he's trying to put behind him is understandably upset and confused, there's been no signs of feud or fray beforehand, and anything beyond the norm echoes through the town faster than a folk ballad. So springs McDonagh's smallest-scale and tightest feature since initially leaping from the stage to the screen, and a wonderful companion piece to that first effort. Following the hitman-focused In Bruges, he's gone broader with Seven Psychopaths, then guided Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell to Oscars with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but he's at his best when his lens is trained at Farrell and Gleeson as they bicker in close confines. There's no doubting who's behind the camera of The Banshees of Inisherin from the get-go, with McDonagh speedy and concise in setting his scene, and showing his knack for witty dialogue and clever character-building in the process. The year is 1923, and the time — at first — is 2pm on an ordinary day. Except, after Pádraic calls on Colm's fisherman's cottage for their usual bar jaunt and gets no answer, nothing about it plays out as it typically would for the film's two main figures. Pádraic can see Colm sitting inside, in fact, smoking but not opening his door. He tries to talk it through with publican Jonjo (Pat Shortt, Pixie) after heading for a drink anyway, and with his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon, Better Call Saul) later at home. It's the next day when Pádraic gets the response no one wants to hear from the man he thought was his best friend, but that's hardly the end of their rift. A tragicomedy that lives up to both halves of that term without a whiff of formula, The Banshees of Inisherin twists Pádraic and Colm's hostilities in circles — not to be repetitive or due to any lack of plot, but because life's cycles keep spinning both within the duo's fractured bond and around them. Endings are never easy but neither is life, McDonagh has his film contend, doing so with intelligence, humour and an unshakeable unwillingness to shy away from bleakness. Take the inclusion of village oddball Dominic (Barry Keoghan, The Batman), for example. He buzzes around the movie's central quarrel, endeavouring to use it to become Pádraic's BFF and make his romantic intentions for the single Siobhán known, and he's frequently a source of overt laughs. And yet, as his backstory with his drunk cop dad Peadar (Gary Lydon, Brooklyn) is fleshed out, he proves as sorrowful a resident as Inisherin has, in a feature that sees life's small joys and heartbreaking woes alike with clear eyes. McDonagh is a master at packaging the grim with the chucklesome, however, as Pádraic's attempts to cope with his rejection convey. The writer/director has his dejected protagonist go through several stages of grief — but once he's done being shocked, denying his friend's rebuffs, getting angry, trying to bargain his way to a new outcome, feeling depressed and hoping Colm will change his mind, seeking revenge becomes his baseline. The alternative: feeling uncomfortable at the pub and in general; and badgering the protective Siobhán to spend more time with him, ignorant to her yearning to leave an island that embodies everything to most of its inhabitants but offers far too little for her. Or, Pádraic can accept his beloved miniature donkey Jenny and the ever-present Dominic as his new chief sources of company. Simply watching Farrell's eyebrows as Pádraic faces his changing circumstances is entertaining, emotional and evocative; the depths and shades he can relay with a twitch, many actors can't muster with their entire bodies. Watching Gleeson's exhaustion and despair is equally revelatory — indeed, while Farrell plays Pádraic as constantly searching for a silver lining and eagerly proud of being the village nice guy, his co-star conjures up a man who doesn't expect to find anything much to smile about even after making drastic choices. In Bruges sparked it and now The Banshees of Inisherin cements it: Farrell and Gleeson are one of cinema's very-best pairs, and they're mesmerising to an awards-worthy degree here. Also exceptional is Condon as the kind but frustrated woman who can see both sides. "He's always been dull; what's changed?" she replies to Colm when he admits his boredom with Pádraic. Amid the grand performances, scenery, cinematography (by The King's Man's Ben Davis) and score (from Catherine Called Birdy's Carter Burwell), McDonagh hasn't anchored this griping, one-upping, apologising, pleading and vengeance-seeking a century ago for fun. He hasn't made the move to avoid technology, either, although this'd be a lesser movie with phones and apps fuelling fires and gossip. As poignant and resonant as it is amusing — and sometimes horrifying — The Banshees of Inisherin works sparklingly as an odd-couple decoupling comedy, a slice of insular small-town life, a bittersweet musing on mortality and an interrogation of masculinity, but it's also firmly a product of its homeland. Despite being Irish, this is McDonagh's first film set in the country, and harks back to the 1920s Civil War. The conflict rages across the bay from Inisherin without disrupting the isle's daily life, but Pádraic shouts tellingly at its gunshots: "good luck to you, whatever it is you're fighting about".
In a year already filled with huge tour news Down Under, Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye dropping plans to hit both Australia and New Zealand before 2023 is out is up there with the biggest — and concertgoers clearly agree. The Canadian singer-songwriter and The Idol star only announced his Aussie and Aotearoa dates on Tuesday, August 22, and general tickets aren't due to go on sale until Friday, September 1, but he's already doubled the number of shows that he'll be playing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland. This arena spectacular will now play two nights apiece in each of the four cities across November and December, with the second dates immediately after the first in every spot. The extra gigs will join a tour that's been notching up soldout shows far and wide. In the UK, The Weekend saw 160,000 folks head to London Stadium across two nights, smashing the venue's attendance record. And in Milan, he became the first artist to sell out the Ippodromo La Maura for two nights. Those feats are just the beginning. In Paris, he scored Stade de France's biggest sales this year — and in Nice, the 70,000 tickets sold across his two shows are the most in the city's history. Will his Down Under dates add to his record-breaking run? Australia in particular has been loving the return of huge international tours. See: the Taylor Swift frenzy. And, if more shows are already being added to the 'Starboy', 'I Feel It Coming', 'Can't Feel My Face', 'The Hills' and 'Blinding Lights' artist's visit before the general on-sale date, fans are obviously mighty excited. The reason for the extra Aussie and Aotearoa gigs is the massive demand during the Vodafone pre-sale. And the reason for the whole tour, other than just because, is to celebrate The Weeknd's 2020 record After Hours and its 2022 followup Dawn FM. Obviously, he'll be playing tracks from 2013's Kiss Land, 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness and 2016's Starboy as well. In support across The Weeknd's four Down Under shows: Mike Dean and Chxrry22. The tour will help a good cause, too, other than your need to see The Weeknd live. The artist has been contributing funds for his shows to the United Nations World Food Programme's XO Humanitarian Fund, as one of the organisation's Goodwill Ambassador, raising over $1 million from his Europe run alone. THE WEEKND'S 'AFTER HOURS TIL DAWN TOUR' 2023: Monday, November 20–Tuesday, November 21 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Friday, November 24–Saturday, November 25 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Friday, December 1–Saturday, December 2 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Thursday, December 7–Friday, December 8 — Eden Park, Auckland The Weeknd is touring Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2023. For more information, and for pre-sale tickets for the second shows on Thursday, August 31, then general tickets from Friday, September 1 — all at staggered times depending on the city — head to the tour website.
Anyone who has ever worked in hospitality will tell you the same thing about their customers: they're awful. For some cruel and arbitrary reason, all human decency tends to go out the window when someone is wearing an apron. Sure, this isn't true of all customers, but definitely an alarming majority. Now, a cafe on the NSW south coast is doing something to change the etiquette game. The Seven Mile Beach Kiosk in Gerroa has been displaying a sign for the past few months advertising cheaper coffee for polite people. "A coffee: $5. A coffee please: $4.50. Good morning, a coffee please: $4," the sign reads. Though intended as more of a gimmick than a serious rule, the sign does pose some interesting questions. Is this problem so bad that we actually need to introduce incentives for general manners? Owners of the cafe Kev Chilver and Kylie Pickett told the Daily Mail that they created the sign to curb some of the rude interactions (read: caffeine-addled demands) they were receiving from their customers. Apparently, despite living in a small town on an idyllic strip of surf beaches, Gerroa coffee-lovers are just as abrupt and demeaning as those in the major cities. "Common courtesy is ... becoming less and less common, and we're trying to bring it back," said Mr Chilver. "We are in service industry but we’re not servants. We deserve as much respect as anyone else." The cafe owners are not alone in this frustration. In fact, you might remember similar initiatives taking place in Europe last year. Last January, a photo from an cafe in Italy stirred up the initial buzz by offering a €2 discount to those giving proper greetings. The idea then reached France where a cafe on the Riveria knocked that discount up to €5.60 (FYI French coffee is crazy expensive). The story gained notoriety online, on television and in newspapers being shared tens of thousands of times; at one point a French government minister even spoke out in favour of the concept. While it's a lovely idea, it's also an easy way to get already grumpy customers further offside. It's not hard to see why most venues don't properly enforce the policy — I'd hate to be the person behind the till asking some rude dude to fork out more cash for his weak decaf soy latte because he didn't smile at me enough. That's just asking for trouble. We think the real solution is something bigger. At some point in everyone's life, they should be forced to work in the hospitality industry. Clearing plates, getting covered in warm frothy milk on a hot day, and having to slap that 'I'm actually dead inside' smile on your face all day will give you a lifelong appreciation of your wait staff. Failing that, you could just skip the years of grief and torment and just find it within yourself to be a decent human being to the guy making your coffee. Via Daily Mail.
Plastic straws are slowly but surely disappearing from venues across the globe — including plenty of switched-on bars and eateries here in Australasia. And now, even fast food giant McDonald's is taking a stand against single-use plastic straws, announcing it'll start phasing out the unnecessary drink accessories across its UK stores next month. According to Sky News, McDonald's hopes to reach a point where 100-percent of its packaging is recyclable, having already phased out polystyrene and foam. Although, the company is yet to find an alternative to its plastic drink lids. Its next move is to start trialling the use of biodegradable and recyclable paper straws, in place of its less eco-friendly plastic alternatives. McDonald's UK restaurants will also start keeping its straws behind the counter, making them available only upon request. With 90% of the UK's population indulging in at least one Macca's run a year, and the Marine Conservation Society estimating 8.5 billion single-use plastic straws are used annually across the country, this new initiative is no small win for the planet. No word yet on whether McDonald's restaurants in other countries will follow suit, though here's hoping we're not too far behind.
UPDATE, May 5, 2021: Willy's Wonderland is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. If you've ever wondered how Nicolas Cage might've fared during cinema's silent era, Willy's Wonderland has the answer. A horror film about killer animatronic restaurant mascots, it's firmly a 2021 feature. It wasn't made a century ago, before synchronised sound forever changed the movie business, so it's definitely a talkie as well. Cage doesn't do any chattering, however. He groans and growls, and often, but doesn't utter a single word. The actor's many devotees already know that he's a talent with presence; whether he's cavorting in the streets under the delusion that he's a bloodsucker in Vampire's Kiss, grinning with his locks flowing in the wind in Con Air, dousing himself with vodka and grunting in Mandy or staring at a vibrant light in Color Out of Space, he repeatedly makes an imprint without dialogue. So, the inimitable star needn't speak to command attention — which is exactly the notion that Willy's Wonderland filmmaker Kevin Lewis (The Third Nail) put to the test. First, the great and obvious news: Cage doesn't seem to put in much effort, but he's a joy to watch. Playing a man simply known as The Janitor, he glowers like he couldn't care less that furry robots are trying to kill him. He swaggers around while cleaning the titular long-abandoned Chuck E Cheese-esque establishment, dances while hitting the pinball machine on his breaks, swigs soft drink as if it's the only beverage in the world and proves mighty handy with a mop handle when it comes to dispensing with his supernaturally demonic foes. Somehow, though, he's never as OTT as he could be. Cage plays a character who doesn't deem it necessary to convey his emotions, and that results in more restraint on his part than the film demonstrates with its undeniably silly premise. Accordingly, cue the bad news: as entertaining as Cage's wordless performance is — even without completely going for broke as only he can — Willy's Wonderland is often a ridiculous yet routine slog. The Janitor finds himself locked in Willy's Wonderland in the sleepy Nevada town of Hayesville courtesy of an inconveniently placed spike strip. Driving over the device trashes his tyres, which local mechanic Jed Love (Chris Warner, Machete) can replace, but The Janitor doesn't have cash, credit isn't accepted and there's no working ATM within a handy distance. So, he's offered a deal. If he spends the night cleaning the shuttered children's eatery for owner Tex Macadoo (Ric Reitz, Finding Steve McQueen), Jed will fix his car. The Janitor agrees and gets a-scrubbing, but animatronics Willy Weasel, Arty Alligator, Cammy Chameleon, Tito Turtle, Knighty Knight, Gus Gorilla, Siren Sara and Ozzie Ostrich (no, not Ossie Ostrich from Hey Hey It's Saturday) have him in their sights. Willy's Wonderland could've opted for a stripped-back, action-heavy approach, solely focusing on Cage's clash with the critters after the movie's obligatory setup scenes. The film clearly only exists because he's in it, after all. And, the idea of seeing Cage in a John Wick-style flick that's built upon relentless fights for survival is a concept made in cinematic heaven — if Charlize Theron (in Atomic Blonde) and Bob Odenkirk (in Nobody) can do it, he can as well. But first-time screenwriter GO Parsons opts for a different template. The horror genre's fondness for offing meddling teens comes into play, and Willy's Wonderland is a worse movie for it. Hayesville high schoolers Liv (Emily Tosta, Party of Five), Chris (Kai Kadlec, Dropouts), Kathy (Caylee Cowan, Incision), Aaron (Christian Delgrosso, School Spirits), Bob (Terayle Hill, Judas and the Black Messiah) and Dan (Jonathan Mercedes, Cobra Kai) know that something isn't right at Willy's. They're aware that folks have gone missing there before, too. And, after the rest of the group helps Liv escape the handcuffs her guardian and local sheriff Eloise Lund (Beth Grant, Words on Bathroom Walls) uses to try to keep her safe, they all head to the condemned building to stop The Janitor from becoming its next victim. When it wallows in by-the-numbers slasher territory, just with homicidal puppets and not maniacal humans picking off pesky teens, Willy's Wonderland delivers the least-engaging version of its premise. That's when it resembles the video game Five Nights at Freddy's mixed with terrible sequels to 80s fare like Friday the 13th, and blandly so. Lewis and Parsons might intend to wink and nod at the decades-old pictures that started their chosen subgenre, rather than lazily ape them — as the retro animatronic designs appear to indicate — but when their film happily embraces every cliche it can, it's neither fun or funny. The flick's disposable adolescents make the usual range of stupid choices, including having sex in the doomed space, and whenever they open their mouths, they rarely do the movie any favours. Indeed, the dialogue is so thin, clunky and unconvincing that you can be forgiven for desperately wishing that, like Cage's unnamed drifter, no one in the feature spoke. It isn't hard to squander Cage's talents in a lacklustre-at-best movie, though. Lewis can take solace in the fact that plenty of directors have, and their star has let them. Of late, the actor's resume overflows with films that've only garnered attention because he's in them — see also: the tedious Jiu Jitsu and Primal in just the past two years — and Willy's Wonderland easily joins them. He's nowhere near his best here, but he's still the best thing about the picture. Jittery editing, oversaturated visuals and oh-so-much formula can't dampen his noiseless performance, although, conversely, he can't help Willy's Wonderland overcome its many struggles. 2021 has already let Cage completists see him drip profanity and wax lyrical about the origins of curse words in History of Swear Words, so perhaps this dialogue-free affair is just his way of retaining a sense of cosmic Cage balance. It's never anywhere near as goofy, wacky or out-there as it seems to think, however, and it's positively dull whenever its leading man is out of sight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE5-hkHIZF4
Can’t make friends? There’s an app for that. Do you find you’re too busy checking in and tweeting to meet actual people? Help is at hand. Agora, created at the first foursquare Hackathon by Pierre Valade, will find like-minded folk for you. The app finds people who are checked in near you, and then works out if you have common interests based on your Twitter feeds. It then sends you both a tweet suggesting you meet up, with a link to each other’s Twitter accounts so you can check if the algorithm’s compatibility score is on the money. Ingeniously, since the matching is done through Twitter, it can introduce you to people who don’t have the app themselves. Of course, it does mean you’ll have to stop posting all those ironic tweets about Justin Bieber’s haircut, otherwise you’ll end up being introduced to a busload of tweens. [via PSFK]
The Irishman screens in cinemas from Thursday, November 7, and will also stream via Netflix from Wednesday, November 27. Is Martin Scorsese cinema's foremost purveyor of pissing contests? In the posturing men that fill the filmmaker's frames, penis-measuring and ego battles keep bubbling up. The urge to assert one's superiority and claim one's domain pulsates through gangster classics such as Mean Streets, Goodfellas and The Departed. It's also evident in The Wolf of Wall Street, which takes aim at the need to one-up everyone and everything. But, spread across six decades and told with a deeply melancholy sense of contemplation, this notion seeps through The Irishman with particular weight and purpose. It's impossible not to notice it when, surrounded by mob heavies on one side and a corrupt labor union leader on the other, the film's central hitman observes these two opposing forces agitating for supremacy — by any means possible, and frequently to their own detriment. That hitman is Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), after the World War II veteran-turned-truck driver crosses paths with Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci). Taken under the crime boss's wing, he rises through the ranks as far as any non-Sicilian can — becoming, at his mentor's behest, the mob's conduit to outspoken Teamsters head Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Adapted by Steven Zaillian (The Night Of) from Charles Brandt's 2004 non-fiction text I Heard You Paint Houses, Scorsese's film is told from the octogenarian Sheeran's perspective, as he reflects on his life's volatile ups and downs while remembering a pivotal road trip, and the events that led to it. It's no spoiler to say that, in bookending scenes, he's whiling away his remaining days in a nursing home. And even if you don't know your 20th century American history, it's no spoiler to say that Sheeran's cronies don't all enjoy the same fate. Sometimes, Scorsese introduces bit-players via text outlining their name, date of death and its cause, stressing the cutthroat nature of the gangster world. In the process, he illustrates the cost of behaviour that's as common as breathing in The Irishman, and that his protagonist becomes accustomed to. As Sheeran progresses from stealing steaks to grease mob wheels, to "painting houses" (read: killing), to taking on a union role to help control the headstrong Hoffa, he's thrust into the thick of ego-driven conflict. He not only adapts, but prospers at the expense of many a life, with this violent true tale doubling as an indictment of the destructive deeds and mindsets that remain baked into society. It's telling that, when a remorseful Sheeran finally confronts the fallout from these constant power struggles, he's no longer cool, calm and collected. It's just as potent when, after seeing her dad at his worst, his daughter Peggy (played by Lucy Gallina as a child and Anna Paquin as an adult) makes the movie's biggest statement by shunning this dog-eat-dog regime, and refusing to even really speak. Scorsese ruminates on the consequences of acquiescing, and the strength required to avoid being complicit — ideas that reach far wider than Sheeran's story. The director has probed the murky basis of American life in complex gangster flicks for half a century, with The Irishman proving a meaty musing on the subject as filtered through one mobster's recollection. And, what a gangster flick this is. Nearing 80 himself, Scorsese is as stunning a filmmaker as ever. The Irishman swaps the endless energy of his earlier output for a more patient but still lively unravelling across three-and-a-half hours — and revelling in the minutiae, hearing conversations that seem to go nowhere, and spying the cycles and repetition is all by design. Stylistically, the film is classic Scorsese from the opening tracking shot that recalls Goodfellas through to the devastating final image, all thanks to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Silence). As she's done since Who's That Knocking at My Door and Raging Bull, editor Thelma Schoonmaker not only gives the movie its pace, but moves seamlessly between time periods as Sheeran's story jumps back and forth between decades. What would a Scorsese film be without his on-screen muses, though? De Niro is a powerhouse, taking the ebbs and flows of Sheeran's life in his stride, and acting his way past the barely noticeable de-aging special effects that help wind back the clock. Somehow, this is Scorsese and Pacino's first pairing, but the director and actor are on the same wavelength, especially when they're at their most boisterous. Harvey Keitel steps in front of the filmmaker's lens for the sixth time, and Vinyl's Bobby Cannavale and Ray Romano make an imprint as fellow mobsters, too. If one star acts as weathervane for The Irishman, though, it's the inimitable Pesci in his welcome return. He has barely acted since Casino, and he's in quietly menacing rather than frenetically ferocious mode, which sums up this compelling epic perfectly. Gangster chest-beating resonates through every second of the phenomenal crime drama, which earns its lengthy running time — but the toll that's left unsaid echoes far louder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHXxVmeGQUc
Calling a beautiful art deco building on the corner of South Brisbane's Fish Lane home, Julius Pizza serves up authentic Italian cuisine in a relaxed — yet usually packed — setting. While you've probably heard about the delicious pizza, there's one section of the menu that flies under the radar — dolci. Once you've devoured a margherita with fior di latte, tomato and basil, treat yourself to one of their no-nonsense, authentic Italian desserts. Our pick? The traditional and authentic tiramisù, which includes rich Italian style trifle made with coffee, creamy mascarpone and sponge finger biscuits for only $11.
Glamping has been having a renaissance in recent times. For too long, your fussy friend was always the one to kill the vibe on every camping trip. You know the kind — the one fumbling with expensive battery packs and car adaptors for their hair straightener while the rest of the group settle into full Bear Grylls-style wildling life. But now, the tables have turned. Now, the glamper has an awesome arsenal of James Bond-level gadgets at their disposal and, if you laugh at them, they won't let you into their amazing impromptu hot tub. The latest invention to set glampers' hearts aflutter, the Nomad Collapsible Hot Tub is exactly what it sounds like. Delivered to you in what must seem like the most infuriating IKEA-style flat pack ever, the tub is easily transportable within a regular-sized duffle bag. When fully assembled, this vinyl-coated slice of heaven transforms to a structure 1.5m wide and 60cm tall. It holds 850 litres of water and approximately four or five super-chilled adults. As idyllic as this concept sounds, it obviously hinges on a few important things. For instance, unless you carry 850 litres of water with you wherever you go, you really need to be camping somewhere with easy water access. The tub needs to be filled with the help of a pretty hardcore water pump, and it has to be heated with a nifty little water heater coil. This means two things: you really have to be prepared — this isn't the $2 shop blow-up pool you fill up with the hose on Australia Day — and you have to willing to pay for it. In a special sale offer, Nomad are selling both the tub itself and the water heater coil for US$990. But that's not taking into account the water pump you'll need to fill it or the inevitable postage you'll rack up in shipping both to Australia. All in all, you'd surely be looking at around $1500 for a dip in the spa. Plus whatever exorbitant costs you and your glamping buddies are already paying for a tent with a king size bed in it. All things considered, it still has a crazy amount of pulling power. Even if you can't assemble an IKEA flat pack to save your life, even if you consider a ticket to the hot springs a splurge in the budget, even if you get pruny fingers immediately after jumping into any form of hot water, you really can't deny how much better your camping trip will be with a gadget like this.
Canberra's legendary music, art and food festival Spilt Milk is set to return for its fourth edition this summer, though this year, the ACT's not the only place that'll be getting a taste of the action. Regional Victoria is also coming to the party, as the festival expands and adds a second Ballarat outing to its bill. Yep, the one-dayer is doubling in size, hitting Canberra's Commonwealth Park on Saturday, November 23, before making its southern debut at Ballarat's Victoria Park on November 30. That should mean twice as many festivalgoers get to join in the fun, which is a win given Spilt Milk tickets have sold out in under 30 minutes every year. If you're interstate and have missed out previously, this could be your chance to score a look-in. And, in even more exciting news, the festival's jam-packed lineup has just dropped. Heading the bill is American R&B star Khalid, who'll be heading Down Under fresh off the back of releasing his chart-topping debut album, Free Spirit. Khalid has also previously collaborated with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish — and he's only 21. He'll be joined by fellow international artists, Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches and Chicago rapper Juice Wrld. There's also plenty of homegrown goodness on the menu, with the likes of indie rock band Middle Kids, Triple J Hottest 100 winners Ocean Alley, electro trio Mansionair and Adelaide rapper Allday all set to take the Spilt Milk stage. But the musical lineup's not to be outdone by the rest of the program, with a ripper serve of visual art, tasty eats and pop-up bars on the cards. As well as mojitos on tap, there'll be eats from the likes of Belle's Hot Chicken, Bluebonnet BBQ, Mr Burger and Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteak. [caption id="attachment_724817" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Khalid[/caption] In the meantime, here's what you came for — the full lineup for Spilt Milk 2019. SPILT MILK 2019 LINEUP Allday Arno Faraji Bene Choomba Chvrches Confidence Man Dom Dolla Dune Rats G Flip Godlands Golden Features Groove City Illy Juice Wrld Khalid Kota Banks Lastlings Lime Cordiale Mansionair Middle Kids Ocean Alley Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Rat!Hammock (Ballarat only) Running Touch Sippy Teen Jesus & the Jean Teasers (Canberra only) Tones and I Winston Surfshirt SPILT MILK 2019 DATES Canberra — Commonwealth Park, Saturday, November 23 Ballarat — Victoria Park, Saturday, November 30 Spilt Milk 2019 pre-sale tickets are released at 8am on Wednesday, June 12 (you can sign-up for those on the website) with general tickets going on sale at 8am on Thursday, June 13. Top images: Jordan Munns and Billy Zammit.
Vampires can be slain by staking them in the heart. Werewolves aren't fond of silver bullets. But Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's addition to the undead world can't and won't be killed — not that anyone would want that outcome. First, What We Do in the Shadows jumped from a short film to a hilarious feature-length comedy. Next, it not only inspired an Emmy-nominated US television remake, but also New Zealand television spinoff Wellington Paranormal. And in the latter's case, following its first two exceptionally amusing seasons, it's returning to Australian screens for its six-episode third season this month. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: trust a mockumentary about the undead to keep coming back in new guises. The Cops-style spinoff follows police officers Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue, who WWDITS fans might remember came knocking at the vampire share house's door. With the help of Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), the cop duo keep trying to keep the city safe from supernatural happenings — including not only bloodsuckers and lycanthropes, but ghosts, aliens and more. Wellington Paranormal's third season once again explores the spate of paranormal phenomena popping up in the city, with a whole heap of new spooky occurrences attracting O'Leary, Minogue and Maaka's attention. And, as it keeps wandering through strange but funny and silly territory, it'll welcome another familiar face, with Rhys Darby set to reprise his What We Do In The Shadows role. Although he won't be appearing on-screen, Clement directed half of the new season's episodes, too. In Australia, Wellington Paranormal airs on SBS Viceland and streams via SBS On Demand, which'll remain the case again this year. Episodes will drop weekly on both the free-to-air channel and the online platform from Wednesday, February 24. For those following What We Do in the Shadows' continued evolution, Wellington Paranormal's success shouldn't come as a surprise. When the show was first revealed, Waititi described it as "Mulder and Scully but in a country where nothing happens" on Twitter, after all. Wellington Paranormal's third season starts screening on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand from Wednesday, February 24.
When winter arrives in Australia, the nation copes with the cold by heading out of the house and into a heap of stunning arts festivals. That's true in Sydney, with Vivid hitting just as the weather gets frosty. It's also the case in Melbourne, all thanks to RISING. But there's something extra enticing about Dark Mofo — perhaps because it's an excuse for mainlanders to head to Tasmania, and also because it always delivers a program filled with weird and wild surprises. Run by Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art — the venue's winter festivities, with sibling event Mona Foma happening in summer — this is an arts celebration where anything truly can occur. In 2023, on the just-dropped full program, that includes a Twin Peaks-inspired ball, a teddy bear with laser eyes, sleeping over, catching Soda Jerk's latest film and seeing punk icons Black Flag play their first Aussie gig since 2013. [caption id="attachment_895363" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Teddy | Dark Mofo 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] A haven for shows, gigs and installations of the dark, sinister, confronting and boundary-pushing variety, Dark Mofo unveiled its first 2023 highlight back in January — and with Florentina Holzinger's dance theatre performance A Divine Comedy, an Australian premiere and an Aussie exclusive that reimagines Dante's classic examination of hell, purgatory and paradise, it set itself a high bar. Just from the aforementioned events, the complete program is set to match, all taking place in Hobart between Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22. That ball both wonderful and strange? That'd be Dark Mofo's hedonistic masquerade, which this year is called The Blue Rose Ball. David Lynch fans, this sounds like heaven — in a mystery venue turned into the Blue Velvet Lounge, and with live tunes and performances all on theme. If your costume includes red and white zigzags, you've obviously nailed it. [caption id="attachment_886260" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nicole Marianna Wytyczak[/caption] That teddy bear? It's called Giant Teddy, a new commission by Dark Mofo from EJ Son. Festival attendees will see a giant Korean pop culture-inspired teddy bear that, yes, has lasers for eyes — plus a camera that'll show its live surveillance elsewhere in Hobart. The sleepover comes courtesy of Max Richter's SLEEP, which returns to Australia for an eight-and-a-half-hour overnight stint. You'll slumber, and Richter's compositions will play. The former will happen on beds provided by Dark Mofo, and the latter is based on the neuroscience of getting some shuteye. And if you've seen the documentary about it, you'll already be excited — and have your pyjamas ready. [caption id="attachment_895364" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zan Wimberley. Courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo, Nipaluna/Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] Soda Jerk joins the fold with Hello Dankness, which compiles samples into a 70-minute survey of American politics circa 2016–21 — so, a chaotic time. And Black Flag won't have Henry Rollins with them, but will be doing a one-off exclusive Australian show in Tassie. Other highlights from founder and Creative Director Leigh Carmichael's final program, of which there's a treasure trove, include Richter also doing two other performances, large-scale light-and-sound installation Silent Symphony, the jailbroken musical toys of Jason Phu's Without Us You Would Have Never Learnt About Love, and 1974 experimental time-lapse film The Text of Light paired with an improvised live soundtrack by Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth with Alan Licht and Ulrich Krieger. [caption id="attachment_895371" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Drab Majesty | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] The music bill also features First Nations artists BARKAA, Tasman Keith, dameeeela, DENNI, MARLON X RULLA, Uncle Dougie Mansell, Katarnya Maynard, Rob Braslin and more on opening night; Ethel Cain hitting Australia for the first time; Thundercat breaking out the bass; and Witch with Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis on the drums. Squarepusher, Trentemøller, Drab Majesty, Plaid, Sleaford Mods, Deafheaven — yes, the list goes on, with Zindzi & The Zillionaires, as led by Play School host Zindzi Okenyo, also on offer for younger attendees. Dark Mofo's arts lineup spans two new pieces by Martu artist Curtis Taylor: video work Ngarnda (pain) about blood rituals, cultural rites and lived experiences; and multi-media installation Boong, which focuses on exposing racial violence. And, there's Western Flag from Irish talent John Gerrard — aka a ten-metre-by-ten-metre digital screen depicting a flagpole, but spewing out black smoke non-stop, in a reference to the world's first major oil find in Texas in 1901. [caption id="attachment_895366" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trentemøller | Dark Mofo 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] Alongside the masquerade, other adored Dark Mofo rituals returning to the program range from the Winter Feast and art hub Dark Park through to final-night fire The Burning and, of course, the Nude Solstice Swim. It's no wonder that the fest has a hefty list of venues playing host, then, including the Odeon Theatre, In The Hanging Garden, Altar, Federation Concert Hall, Princes Wharf 1, MAC2 and the Goods Shed. Festivalgoers will also be hitting up MyState Bank Arena, the Baha'i Centre, Hobart Town Hall, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Contemporary Art Tasmania, Good Grief Studios, Plimsoll Gallery and Hobart Library — plus Long Beach in Sandy Bay. [caption id="attachment_895365" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dark Mofo/Rosie Hastie, 2021. Image Courtesy Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] Dark Mofo 2023 runs from Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22 in Hobart, Tasmania, with subscriber tickets on sale from 12pm AEST on Wednesday, April 5 and general tickets from 2pm AEST Wednesday, April 5. Top images: Winter Feast, Dark Mofo 2022. Photo credit: Rémi Chauvin, 2022. Image courtesy of Dark Mofo 2022. // Dark Park | Dark Mofo. // Ethel Cain | Dark Mofo 2023. Photo credit: Helen Kirbo. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo. // Western Flag | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
About halfway through Atomic Blonde, enterprising MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) slinks her way into a Berlin cinema. Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker shrouds the room in both light and gloom, but settling in for a dose of existential Russian sci-fi isn't on the spy's agenda. Instead, she's simultaneously running from and dispatching with her many enemies, with their frenetic fighting infecting every nook and cranny of the theatre and eventually bursting through the screen. As well as providing a visually arresting example of movie's fluid action style, the propulsive, precisely choreographed fray sends a strong message to viewers. Goodbye classics of yesteryear, hello kick-ass entertainment. It's 1989, and the Berlin wall is just about to fall, but tensions remain as heated as the aftertaste of Broughton's favourite vodka. Sent in by her British handler (Toby Jones) and his CIA counterpart (John Goodman), Broughton endeavours to locate a stolen list of Her Majesty's finest undercover agents, whisk a former Stasi officer turned asset (Eddie Marsan) to safety, and work out just what her cavalier on-the-ground contact (James McAvoy) and a seductive French newcomer (Sofia Boutella) are up to. Oh, and she's also trying to survive the onslaught of foes and not-quite friends trying to kill her along the way. Apologies to Bond, Bourne and John Le Carré adaptations, but when it comes to slick spy flicks, this blonde really does have much more fun. Adapted from Antony Johnston's graphic novel The Coldest City, Atomic Blonde takes a familiar story, adds a stellar stroke of casting, and throws in all of the neon-hued images and '80s-pop songs an audience could want. From a narrative perspective, the film doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel – you'll notice the been-there, seen-that double-crossing and the familiar use of flashbacks. But when it's wrapped up in packaging this vibrant, odds are you just won't care. Indeed, to witness Atomic Blonde in action is to watch a masterclass in action, but that's far from surprising given the film's two driving forces. Let's start with the star no one will be able to stop watching — if Prometheus, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Fate of the Furious hadn't already proved Theron's genre credentials, then this film leaves absolutely no doubt. The Oscar-winner throws a mean fist, but, crucially, her platinum-tressed protagonist is soulful as well as tough. Presenting a hard-as-nails exterior with just enough of a beating heart inside, the talented actress makes it clear that Broughton's emotions are as bruised and battered as her black-and-blue flesh. And make no mistake: this is a bruising piece of cinema. An uncredited co-director on John Wick, stuntman turned filmmaker David Leitch knows how to execute action — whether he's asking his heroine to beat her way out of trouble using household items, or crafting a stunning stairwell sequence that might just be the best fight scene of the year. And it's not just the set-pieces that Leitch gets right. Berlin bars and industrial architecture help give the film a glowing grittiness, while a soundtrack featuring everything from Bowie to George Michael to '99 Luftballons' ups the toe-tapping factor as well. As much of a blast as its name suggests, Atomic Blonde leaves all future espionage action flicks with big stilettos to fill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7fAD5zJpc
Nearly two decades after Hae Min Lee's murder, the Baltimore high school student's horrific plight continues to dominate the true crime landscape. After featuring on the first season of Sarah Koenig's grimly addictive podcast Serial, it's now forming the basis for a new documentary series, The Case Against Adnan Syed. Announced by HBO, the four-hour effort will pick up where everyone's 2014 obsession left off, not only exploring 18-year-old Lee's death in 1999 and her ex-boyfriend Syed's conviction in 2000, but the latter's ongoing quest to have the extremely complex legal matter reassessed in the years since he was found guilty. Everything from Lee and Syed's relationship, to the original police investigation and trial, to the developments up until now will feature, with the film gaining exclusive access to Syed, his family and his lawyers. The series couldn't come at a more crucial time for Syed, who was convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life in prison, and continues to fight his case through the courts. While he was granted a new trial in 2016, that ruling was subsequently appealed by the State of Maryland — only for the Court of Special Appeals to agree to vacate Syed's conviction and finally give him that retrial just this past March. A date for the actual retrial hasn't yet been set, however. Splashed across the small screen, it's certain to make for compelling viewing — but if you think you've spent too much time mulling it all over across the past five years, filmmaker Amy Berg has you beat. Unsuprisingly given how complicated the matter is, the director has been working on the project since 2015. And, with her excellent doco background — with Berg helming 2006's Oscar-nominated 2006 Deliver Us from Evil, about molestation in the Catholic Church; examining the West Memphis Three's quest for freedom in 2012's West of Memphis; and tackling the sexual abuse of teenagers in the film industry in 2014's An Open Secret — her new venture is certain to be thorough. Currently in post-production, The Case Against Adnan Syed will air sometime in 2019. Plus, as they did for West of Memphis, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis will provide the score. Image: Adnan Syed via Syed Family / Courtesy of HBO.
In showbusiness, nepotism is as inescapable as movies about movies. Both are accounted for in The Souvenir: Part II. But when talents as transcendent as Honor Swinton Byrne, her mother Tilda Swinton and writer/director Joanna Hogg are involved — with the latter working with the elder Swinton since her first short, her graduation piece Caprice, back in 1986 before Honor was even born — neither family ties nor filmmaking navel-gazing feel like something routine. Why this isn't a surprise with this trio is right there in the movie's name, after the initial The Souvenir proved such a devastatingly astute gem in 2019. It was also simply devastating, following an aspiring director's romance with a charismatic older man through to its traumatic end. Both in its masterful narrative and its profound impact, Part II firmly picks up where its predecessor left off. In just her third film role — first working with her mum in 2009's I Am Love before The Souvenir and now this — Swinton Byrne again plays 80s-era filmmaking student Julie Harte. But there's now a numbness to the wannabe helmer after her boyfriend Anthony's (Tom Burke, Mank) death, plus soul-wearying shock after discovering the double life he'd been living that her comfortable and cosy worldview hadn't conditioned her to ever expect. Decamping to the Norfolk countryside, to her family home and to the warm but entirely upper-middle-class, stiff-upper-lip embrace of her well-to-do parents Rosalind (Swinton, The French Dispatch) and William (James Spencer Ashworth) is only a short-term solution, however. Julie's thesis film still needs to be made — yearns to pour onto celluloid, in fact — but that's hardly a straightforward task. As the initial movie was, The Souvenir: Part II is another semi-autobiographical affair from Hogg, with Swinton Byrne slipping back into her on-screen shoes. This time, the director doesn't just dive into her formative years four decades back, but also excavates what it means to mine your own life for cinematic inspiration — aka the very thing she's been doing with this superb duo of features. That's what Julie does as well as she works on the film's film-within-a-film, sections of which play out during The Souvenir: Part II's running time and are basically The Souvenir. Accordingly, viewers have now spent two pictures watching Hogg's protagonist lives the experiences she'll then find a way to face through her art, all while Hogg moulds her two exceptional — and exceptionally intimate and thoughtful — movies out of that exact process. Julie's graduation project is also an escape, given it's patently obvious that the kindly, well-meaning but somehow both doting and reserved Rosalind and William have been pushed out of their comfort zone by her current crisis. Helping their daughter cope with her heroin-addicted lover's passing isn't something either would've considered might occur, so they natter away about Rosalind's new penchant for crafting Etruscan-style pottery instead — using small talk to connect without addressing the obvious, as all families lean on at some point or another. They provide financing for Julie's film, too, in what proves the easiest part of her concerted efforts to hop back behind the lens and lose herself in her work. Elsewhere, an array of doubt and questions spring from her all-male film-school professors, and the assistance she receives from her classmates is quickly steeped in rivalries, envy and second-guessing. More than once, queries arise about why Julie makes particular choices — and seeing how Swinton Byrne responds under Hogg's meticulous direction is one of the key reasons that The Souvenir: Part II is as powerful and compelling as it is. Like everything in the film, it's a revelation in layers, which unpeel far deeper than merely asking Swinton Byrne to be her director's on-screen surrogate. An introvert, Julie is visibly unaccustomed to the scrutiny that comes with her ambitious project, and with needing to handle her inner hurt under a spotlight. Swinton Byrne makes that plain quietly but repeatedly, all while conveying how Julie's self-hesitation slowly dissipates the longer she goes on, the more she struggles with, and the more mistakes she makes and solves. How this process echoes through her work, shaping both it and Julie herself, ripples through to a disarmingly intense degree — and with crucial aid from cinematographer David Raedeker (Swimming with Men) and production designer Stéphane Collonge (God's Own Country). There's no shaking the grief of it all, of course. As a musing on mourning, plus a perceptive glimpse at how the bereaved are expected to soldier on despite placating words offered otherwise, The Souvenir: Part II is shattering. Amid movie-within-movie sequences that'd owe thanks to David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman if they weren't so clearly diffused through Hogg's own lens — and after the other glimpse at the industry that comes via Richard Ayoade's (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain) returning Patrick, now successful, pompous AF, helming a huge movie musical and an enormous scene-stealer — the all-encompassing chaos that loss begets is laid bare. It's what drives Julie into bed with one of Patrick's stars (Charlie Heaton, Stranger Things), and sees her place perhaps too much on her own film's leading man (Harris Dickinson, The King's Man). In another of the feature's standout moments, it's also what causes her to misunderstand the sympathies of her editor (Joe Alwyn, Mary Queen of Scots) when support becomes hard to find. The Souvenir was a fated romantic tragedy. It was a vehicle for its director to work through her memories, too, and immortalise what she's now decided to keep; yes, that title is oh-so-telling. The Souvenir: Part II is a meditation upon loss, heartbreak and life's worst existential and inevitable woes, and also a way for Hogg to sift through her memories about all those memories, not to mention the new ones she conjured up when she first turned them into a movie a few years back. It's as smart, sensitive and stacked as an immensely personal piece of cinema can be, and it's also thrillingly savvy about how subjective everything it shows and interrogates needs to be by necessity. Cinema isn't short on memoirs, many of them wonderful — recent Oscar-winners Roma and Belfast, for example — but The Souvenir and its just-as-phenomenal sequel are in a bold and brilliant realm all of their own.
Brisbane is building up a stock of multipurpose eateries that offer a variety of drinking and dining options for any time of the day or night. Of these, Malt is one of the best. Malt sits within Market Street's Wenley House, erected in the 1800s to house the first incarnation of the produce markets now found at Rocklea. It is easy to appreciate the olde worlde charm of the locale, and the interior of the place retains some of the history and nostalgia so immediately evident in its exterior. In a move that is very of the times, Malt has opted not for minimalism, but an enthusiastic mix of old and new. Though not quite a hole in the wall, there is a real warmth to the fitout. Rather than cold industrial lighting bouncing off blindingly white tablecloths, the Attic restaurant is warmly lit with exposed brick walls, original timber flooring and dark wood tables and chairs. The service is as inviting as the surroundings. Accepted wisdom would be to start with the beetroot cured salmon with Pommery cream and fennel lavosh ($20), and finish with the popular Malt brownie with salted caramel, chocolate textures and peanut brittle ($15). For mains, you are unlikely to find a dud amid the lineup, which at this point in time includes smoke wagyu sirloin sous vide brisket with confit potato, vine-ripened tomato and goat's cheese eschallots ($45). If you're after just a quick nibble with a tipple, try the Malt steak tartare with 64° egg yolk and fennel lavosh ($15) from the bar menu. The moody downstairs bar has found an enthusiastic patronage, with the small space made cosier by the low lighting and economic (but not too squashed) seating arrangement. The atmosphere here could almost convince you that you've found yourself an exclusive little drinking hole, except that the secret is well and truly out.
To be released December 24, 2012, The Kombi Trail is a tale of nine students fresh out of university who embark on the journey of a lifetime with the Cold War as a backdrop and a VW Kombi as means of transportation. This book tells of who they met, where they went and what they experienced. Among bizarre and sometimes frightening circumstances the young men encountered. Written by Robert Cox, Roger Sherwin, and Tony Thompson, this is tale straight out of 1961 and over three different continents. It's an entertaining tale of the relationships between these men and those they meet. Sharing a home and life-changing experiences, these men and their VW Kombi conquer treacherous mountain passes, severely unstable roadways, and river crossings. The young men travel to Anatolia, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Here are some pictures (via Retronaut) of their travels, the people they met and of course, the VW Kombi. take a look at these photos and keep your eyes peeled for the release of the book.
Areas of northeast NSW and southeast Queensland are experiencing major coastal erosion and flooding as a result of heavy rain and wind in the area over the past four days. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for heavy rain, damaging winds, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf for the coastal area. Numerous flood warnings have been issued for the north coast, with some areas evacuated and 31 government schools currently closed. Rainfall on Monday, December 15 topped 100–200 millimetres in several areas including Eungela, which experienced 218 millimetres, and Springbrook, which lies just inland of the Gold Coast, and has been hit with 967 millimetres of rain over the last week. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1338629383708405762 The Bureau of Meteorology also warned of major coastal erosion in northeast NSW and southeast Queensland due to "large waves in excess of eight metres and gale-force winds". Images and footage from Byron Bay beaches show destruction to the sandbanks and surrounding vegetation as a result of the heavy tides and coastal erosion. While the tides have now receded, some are reporting that more than two metres of sand have been washed away from Main Beach. It's not the first time this year the famous beach has been hit by coastal erosion, either — back in late October, it was closed to swimmers and surfers to allow for emergency sandbagging. The heavy rain and strong winds began on Friday, December 11, with the Queensland Fire and Emergency services receiving more than 1400 requests for emergency assistance since 6pm on Saturday, December 12. Emergency services are advising people to stay up to date as new information comes through and to take precautions including not to drive, ride or walk through floodwater and to keep clear of creeks and storm drains. Stay up to date on the situation via the Bureau of Meteorology Australia, NSW and Queensland.
We've all seen skincare products targeted towards men that position themselves as hyper-masculine. Instead of sticking to the stereotypically simple idea of masculinity, a new Melbourne company is trying to do things a little differently. Stuff is a personal care brand that's promising to make you smell and look good, all while promoting healthy masculinity. The company offers a lineup of products covering everything you need to stock up your bathroom from deodorant (appropriately labelled Spicy Pits) to face wash. Each product is available separately or you can stock up in one easy sweep by buying the $30 Face and Body Bundle, the $36 Face and Pit Kit, the $45 Starter Kit or the $65 Squad Kit. While Stuff is proud of its products, it's equally focused on pushing away from toxic masculinity and championing healthier modern blokes. "The only ads for men we could recall featured guys spraying themselves with excessive amounts of chemical-ridden deodorant, causing flocks of gorgeous women to chase after them," Stuff Founder and CEO Hunter Johnson said. "Consumer brands shape culture, and there is a huge opportunity for Stuff to help tackle the escalating crisis around masculinity." "It's a confusing time to be a man and we want STUFF to support men as they navigate a new era of masculinity," Johnson said. Whether you're currently in your third week or first day of lockdown, or you're out exploring the world, it's a good time to treat yourself to some self-care items. Stuff also offers free shipping on orders over $35 and ships Australia-wide. You can browse the range at the Stuff website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Nicolas Winding Refn might've only made three films this decade, but they've all left an imprint. With Drive, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon each boasting glistening neon hues, pulsating electronic soundtracks and grim, gritty underworld stories, how could they not? It has been three years since the Danish filmmaker's last movie, and while he doesn't have another big-screen release on the horizon just yet, he does have something else in store. Come mid-June, viewers will be able to watch new Amazon series Too Old to Die Young. Even better — all ten episodes are reportedly feature-length. As well as co-creating and co-writing the show with comic book writer and cartoonist Ed Brubaker, Refn directed every instalment, so fans can basically expect the equivalent of ten new movies from the Pusher, Bronson and Valhalla Rising helmer. In the series' first sneak peek, a cop (Miles Teller) talks about killing someone, Los Angeles' criminal underworld features prominently, the city gleams by night, John Hawkes and Jena Malone look secretive, and Cliff Martinez's distinctive beats kick in. Story-wise, hit men, Yakuza soldiers, Mexican cartel assassins and Russian mobsters all pop up as well, as does plenty of violence. Yes, it seems like Refn is in very comfortable territory. Chatting with The Hollywood Reporter last year, Brubaker described Too Old to Die Young as "the most Nicolas Winding Refn thing that ever existed, honestly". Billy Baldwin, Callie Hernandez, Cristina Rodlo (Miss Bala), Augusto Aguilera (The Predator), Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones), Babs Olusanmokun (Black Mirror), video game creator Hideo Kojima and Aussie actor Callan Mulvey help round out the cast. Check out the initial trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5ebyEQLYCI Too Old To Die Young hits Amazon Prime Video on June 14.
The Hold Artspace is presenting two concurrent exhibitions in May, Reorganising Principles and Bald, Bald Head and Other Stories. Beau Allen's Reorganising Principles explores the lives of colonial settler woman in Australia's historical narrative using the medium of jewellery. Meanwhile, Kellie O'Dempsey's Bald, Bald Head and Other Stories will manipulate the Hold Artspace into a playful installation of drawing, video and performance. Exploring relationships between artist, studio and muse — as well as private versus public — this exhibition will be presented in light-filled, interactive means. Both exhibitions will launch Friday, May 29, from 6-8pm, and will show until June 6.
Just months after scoring one new waterside bar with a multi-layered deck, Eagle Street has gone and nabbed itself a second one. First came Babylon Garden, and now it's Riverland's turn. In this case, the Australian Venue Co-owned bar has been around since 2017, but has been undergoing a $3.5-million revamp since 2022 — and it's finally time to see the end results. Come Monday, May 22, Brisbanites will be able to kick back on Riverland's new 800-square-metre deck extension, which isn't just larger than the venue's original setup — it now sprawls across three tiers. Also, this piece of prime river frontage can accommodate 1000 people, making the already-popular CBD spot even busier. Those three levels include the sky deck up top, boasting uninterrupted views of the Story Bridge and a new container bar. Then there's the promenade deck with direct Eagle Street Pier access, as well as a space with a new live music stage, plus a large screen that'll show sports. Expect a talented lineup to jump behind the microphone or on the decks from Wednesday–Sunday, giving Riverland's latest guise an acoustic and DJ-spun soundtrack. Expect an array of new food options to tuck into, too, with Riverland 2.0 also featuring two new kitchen concepts. Given the name, it's no surprise that Sunshine State produce and dishes shine brightly at The Queenslander. Place your order here and you'll be tucking into pub fare such as chicken wings in a pineapple rum barbecue glaze, mango salad, cured Tin Can Bay cuttlefish paired with a brioche doughnut, Mooloolaba prawn san choy bow, fish and chips using Queensland seafood, and the usual burgers and parmigianas. Over at The Traveller, the culinary range takes its cues from international street food. On a seasonally changing menu, the first stop is Mexican eats; think: fried tortillas with guacamole, roasted tortilla soup, jalapeño poppers, cured red emperor tostadas and a variety of soft-shell tacos — and churros for dessert. Also changing at Riverland, which remained trading through its renovations, is the beverage menu. Your new sips include spicy watermelon margaritas, a signature cocktail alongside the gin, lemon, apple and raspberry number that's called Burst My Bubble. There'll be more spirits-heavy concoctions, plus 16 beers and ciders on tap, and a sizeable wine list. With its makeover, Riverland will now span seven different function spaces — adding plenty of areas for parties, too. Riverland joins the growing list of AVC sites getting a do-over, after The Wickham in Fortitude Valley unveiled its own revamp back in March, and Cleveland Sands Hotel, Salisbury Hotel, Koala Hotel, the Crown Hotel in Lutwyche and Bribie Island Hotel before that. Next, Nundah's The Royal is also getting the same treatment. Find Riverland at 167 Eagle Street, Brisbane, relaunching from Monday, May 22 — operating from 11.30am–12am Sunday–Thursday and 11.30am–3am Friday–Saturday.
UPDATE, September 17, 2020: Captain Marvel is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. From the vibrance of Black Panther to the desolation of Avengers: Infinity War, 2018 was a milestone year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The superhero franchise ushered viewers into a thriving new world, then destroyed much of the MCU's existing realm. It also surpassed its 10th year and clocked up its 20th movie, too. Now comes a landmark event that should've arrived far sooner: the sprawling series' first film about a female protagonist. But cause for excitement soon becomes cause for shrugged shoulders with the average and underwhelming Captain Marvel. In terms of representation, the importance of simply seeing the iconic character on screen can't be underestimated. It's about damn time, honestly, especially after DC Comics beat Marvel to the punch with Wonder Woman. And the well-cast Brie Larson makes an engaging, inspiring Captain Marvel — a self-assured, no-nonsense hero who shines brightly and won't let anyone get in her way, but is also caring, tender and supportive when it comes to the people who matter. The movie also makes history behind the lens thanks to Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, with Boden becoming the MCU's first female director. Still, a generic film about a kick-ass female hero finally getting her due is still just that: generic. Before Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) becomes the universe's latest potential saviour, she's a woman waiting for action on the planet of Hala. Trained by Starforce commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), and told by the Kree civilisation that she's bound for bigger things, she's itching to use her powers — glowing hands that shoot beams of light — but can only control them when she's also able to control her emotions. Then a dangerous mission goes awry, sending the intergalactic soldier hurtling to earth. It's 1995, so she crashes through the roof of a Blockbuster, goes incognito in a Nine Inch Nails shirt, and a fresh-faced, eye patch-free Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) doesn't quite know what to make of the situation. The fact that Danvers is being followed by shape-shifting extraterrestrials, called Skrulls, complicates matters considerably, as do the vague flashes of a former life as a US Air Force pilot that she can't otherwise remember. The film throws more characters at its eponymous figure, such as a long-lost best friend (Lashana Lynch), a mentor (Annette Bening) with a link to Danvers' past and a Skrull (Ben Mendelsohn) with an Aussie accent (aliens can sound like they're from anywhere, after all). Mendo can never be described as routine, however seeing him pop up in another unchallenging Hollywood role cuts to the heart of Captain Marvel's struggles. So too does the movie's competent but unmemorable action scenes, standard visuals and overall texture for that matter. Apart from championing a female Marvel protagonist in a big and thoroughly deserved way, little about the film feels unique. That includes its throwback vibe (swapping Guardians of the Galaxy's 70s and 80s schtick for the 90s), fish-out-of-water narrative (classic Thor), and buddy-comedy laughs (as seen recently in Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming). Plus, while there's always room for a cute cat, even the scene-stealing Goose isn't that far removed from the mischievous tree known as Groot. Captain Marvel also falls victim to a curse that has plagued DC films more than the MCU. There's a reason that this tale is reaching screens mere weeks before Avengers: Endgame, with Captain Marvel serving up an origin story and slotting a key puzzle piece into place just in time for the next big flick. The same was true for Black Panther's pre-Infinity War release, but where the franchise's visit to Wakanda offered a vivid diversion from the Marvel playbook, this dalliance with Danvers always seems overly calculated. When the film isn't laying the groundwork for its immediate follow-up, it's diving into the series' past to explain things that don't need explaining — as a movie from a galaxy far, far away, aka Solo: A Star Wars Story, did last year with similarly passable but unremarkable results. And when Captain Marvel wants to evoke a warm, happy mood, it leans heavily and noticeably on 90s nostalgia. TLC, Hole, Garbage, No Doubt and Nirvana music cues, while welcome, have rarely felt so forced. Indeed, at times Captain Marvel plunges further than generic, coming off as a wasted opportunity. There's much that hits the mark, including the refreshing focus on friendship instead of romance, as well as the can-do female empowerment message. But there's also much about this MCU instalment that contentedly treads in familiar footsteps, dresses up the recognisable in barely different packaging and avoids embracing a distinctive flavour of its own. As the comics have made plain for more than four decades, when Carol Danvers soars, she flies high and blazes her own path. And yet, perhaps laying the groundwork for Endgame, the film that finally brings her to the big screen seems happy just to let her show up, rather than allowing her to make a real impact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHxvxdRnYc
Australians, it's time to roll up your sleeves — because the nation's slow-moving COVID-19 vaccine scheme has just been given a crucial boost. In a newly announced change, all Australian adults of any age can now get the AstraZeneca jab. All you need to do is go to your GP and specifically request the AZ vaccine. Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the news during a late-night press conference yesterday, Monday, June 28, in which he addressed several aspects of the country's vaccine rollout. Specifically, he announced a new no-fault indemnity scheme for general practitioners who administer COVID-19 vaccines, so they're covered if their patients have any adverse reactions. Australia's current health advice notes that the AZ vaccine is preferred for folks over the age of 60, and that anyone younger should have the Pfizer vaccine; however, if you're below that cutoff and would still like the AZ jab, your doctor can now give it to you. "This relates to encouraging Australians to go and chat to their GP about their vaccination, and to have their vaccination administered," said the Prime Minister. "The advice does not preclude persons under 60 from getting the AstraZeneca vaccine, and so if you wish to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, then we would encourage you to go and have that discussion with your GP," he explained. "We are also providing the indemnity scheme for those general practitioners so they can actively engage with you and you can make the best decision for your health." While that part of the Prime Minister's press conference didn't mention age limits, he was specifically asked about under 40s, and confirmed that any Aussie adult of any age can now go to their GP to get the AZ shot. "If they wish to go and speak to their doctor and have access to the AstraZeneca vaccine, they can do so," he said. That's welcome news for everyone under 40 that's keen to get jabbed, but hasn't been able to due to Australia's staged vaccine rollout. Until last night, adults aged between 16–39 weren't eligible to get vaccinated unless they fell into a number of specific categories. You had to either be of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent; work in quarantine, border or healthcare roles; work or live in an aged care or disability facility; work in a critical and high-risk job such as defence, fire, police, emergency services and meat processing; have an underlying medical condition or significant disability; or participate in the NDIS, or care for someone who does. Aussies under 40 who'd prefer the Pfizer vaccine will still need to fall into one of the aforementioned groups. Since Thursday, June 17, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended the use of AstraZeneca vaccine in people aged over 60 only due to the risk of rare blood clotting disorders that've been linked to the vaccine when given to younger folks. That change followed an early recommendation back in April, which noted the AstraZeneca vaccine wasn't preferred for anyone under 50. But anyone of any age, including those under 60, can now still get the AZ jab — after making an informed decision by talking to their doctor. For further information about Australia's vaccine rollout, head to the Australian Department of Health website.
While introducing The Rover at the Sydney Film Festival, just a few days ahead of its wider theatrical release, writer-director David Michôd said he finally understood the concept of "second album syndrome". Born in Sydney, Michôd shot to international prominence in 2010 with the release of his debut feature Animal Kingdom — the gripping, nihilistic crime drama that scored Jackie Weaver an Oscar nomination and left critics wondering what this striking new Australian talent would tackle next. "The first that became apparent to me after Animal Kingdom played at Sundance in 2010 was that I had about a million more opportunities available to me than I'd had before," Michôd tells Concrete Playground the day after the festival screening. "I spent a couple of years doing a lot of meetings, reading a lot of scripts and looking at a number of different ways of putting movies together. And then I ended coming back to The Rover." AN ELEMENTAL FABLE "There was a very early skeleton that Joel Edgerton and I worked on in about 2007," Michôd explains. "At the time, we thought it would be a movie for Joel's brother Nash to direct. It was an action movie in the desert. But I was also very aware as I was writing it that it was full of stuff that was more me than Nash." "When I revisited the screenplay after Animal Kingdom, I went in and stripped out a lot of the action, and made solid that dark, elemental fable that I had always wanted the movie to be," Michôd remembers. "I really loved the idea of making a movie that was working in a tonal world that was similar to the menace and the brood of Animal Kingdom, and yet would be very different on a formal level." The result is a bleak, minimally plotted thriller set in a barren future Australia, a decade after Western society's collapse. "I hadn't ever really been out to the desert in Australia before," says Michôd of the film's setting. "I loved being out there. I loved the strange stillness of it. I loved the feeling of being in a place that, if left to my own devices, would swallow me whole." VOICES IN YOUR HEAD At the centre of The Rover are actors Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, playing unlikely allies in Michôd's grim, lawless world. After working together on Animal Kingdom, Michôd wrote Pearce's role specifically for him. "I like to write with actors voices in my head, and I certainly wrote The Rover with Guy's voice in my head," the writer-director says. Pattinson's character, on the other hand, he describes more as "a blank canvas". "For one reason or another, I didn't have a particular actor in my head as I was writing it, and so then I got to go through that exhilarating process of seeing people bring it to life [in auditions]… Rob was the person who came in with a version of the character that was beautifully in tune with what I had always imagined. It was instantly clear to me that he was a really good actor, but it was also clear that he had a really beautiful understanding of the character's vulnerabilities and aspirations." "It's always nerve-wracking when you're casting," Michôd continues, "because this is where the movie lives and dies. It's kind of a cliché to say that 80 percent of a director's work is in casting, but it's kind of true. If you cast the movie wrong, it can be very difficult to salvage." A BRUTAL SORT OF LOVE When asked what it is that draws him to such bleak and brutal stories, Michôd takes a moment to pause. "For some reason," he says, "I really enjoy the feeling of creating moments that feel menacing and beautiful and sad. There's something about that on a basic human emotional level that is very powerful for me. "Having said that", he continues, "I think that Animal Kingdom is a way bleaker movie than this one. Because Animal Kingdom is about, at its core, a young man discovering that there is nothing other than self-interest. That sort of weird little world you're left with at the very end of Animal Kingdom is a completely loveless world. And it's one that I would never particularly want to revisit. I wouldn't even necessarily want to know what happens to those characters, because they'll probably just continue to eat themselves alive." "Whereas to me, The Rover starts in a really brutal and inhospitable place, but at its core is about how even in those circumstances, people still have a basic need to form intimate human connections with other people. To the extent that, as weird as it sounds, The Rover, to me, is a movie about love." The Rover is in cinemas now. Read our review here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ChM2icbWo9w
The latest slate of films from the chilly Nordic north is headed to a Palace Cinema near you. Returning for just its second year, the Scandinavian Film Festival will showcase 22 movies from Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Expect kitchen-sink dramas, edge-of-your-seat crime stories and a road movie about a struggling furniture salesman who hatches a plan to kidnap the founder of Ikea. That last one is actually Norwegian, not Swedish, but should make for a fun watch on opening night. Other comedies in the lineup include oddball Icelandic film Rams, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes earlier this year; as well as the middle-aged rom-com Hello Hello, which proved an audience favourite at festivals in its native Sweden. Those after something a little bit more serious can check out Danish police procedural The Absent One or drug-fuelled Finnish thriller They Have Escaped, among numerous others. The festival comes to a close with a documentary about Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish actress who went on to become one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. Image: Young Sophie Bell.
If a workout session instantly kickstarts your carb cravings, then Wynnum's latest addition has both parts of the equation covered. Opening in mid-June, new health and wellness studio The Good Dose will give you plenty of opportunities to bend, stretch and sweat — and it'll sell sourdough and pastries on the premises as well. When it comes to exercise, members have three different classes to choose from. Salute the sun on the yoga mat, practise your concentration and control in a pilates session, or give jiu jitsu a whirl. To adhere with COVID-19 restrictions, only yoga and pilates classes will commence when the characteristically light and airy studio opens, with jiu jitsu to follow at a later date. Bread-wise, The Good Dose has teamed up with Byron Bay and Tweed Heads' The Bread Social, with organic sourdough, seeded sourdough, fruit and nut sourdough, and semi sourdough baguettes on the menu — plus ciabatta, croissants, pain au chocolat and fruit danishes. Orders are due by 5pm each Friday, with your baked goods then ready to collect on Mondays. You can also opt for a sourdough subscription if you already know you'll want a loaf (or several) each and every week. The Good Dose is the creation of cofounders Josh Campbell and Molly Nicholas — and, as well as allowing all members to access all three of its fitness disciplines with the one membership, the studio is focused on intimate classes. In normal circumstances, expect no more than 12–20 people per session, with classes to be capped at six for the time being in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you're keen to check out the place before it officially opens its doors, you can also head by over the weekend of Saturday, June 13–Sunday, June 14 for the The Good Dose's opening weekend, before classes kick off on Monday, June 15. You can sign up for a 14-day trial for $14, otherwise a full membership will set you back $55 per week; however for a limited time you can nab the Founding Member Offer for $45 per week. If you're keen to just go to a class every now and again, it'll cost $20 per session. Find The Good Dose at 280 Tingal Road, Wynnum from Saturday, June 13 — with classes commencing from Monday, June 15. Individual classes cost $20. For a limited you can nab a membership for $45 per week, otherwise full membership is $55. For more information — and to sign up — head here.
Wubba lubba dub dub, Rick and Morty fans. Yes, everyone's favourite interdimensional adventurers are finally back. It's been way too long since a certain eccentric scientist and his anxious grandson caused chaos across the multiverse, with the animated sitcom's third season releasing in 2017 — and if you've been feeling the duo's absence over the past two years, you're not alone. Even the just-released new trailer for the series' next batch of episodes recognises the elephant in the room — or the lack of Mr Meeseeks and Mr Poopybutthole on our screens, to be specific. Those beloved characters are back, too, alongside Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith (both voiced by show co-creator Justin Roiland); Morty's mother Beth (Sarah Chalke), father Jerry (Chris Parnell) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer); and all the world-hopping craziness that anyone could ever hope for. If you've been counting down the days since the last episode hit back in October 2017, the fourth season will rejoin the smartest Rick and Morty-est Morty in the universe — and absolutely anything could happen from there, really. If you're just getting schwifty with the series for the first time, Rick and Morty doesn't just ape a concept straight out of Back to the Future (aka a lab coat-wearing old man, his teenage sidekick, and their time- and space-jumping antics), but filters that idea through the inventive minds of Roiland and Community's Dan Harmon. After proving such a huge hit across its first three seasons, there's plenty more Rick and Morty to come, with the show renewed for a huge 70 episodes by US network Adult Swim last year (which is more than double the 31 that the comedy has aired to date). Of course, all that animated insanity takes time to put together, hence the delay. The first five new episodes are slated to drop from mid-November in America — watch this space for local release details. And that's the wayyyyyy the news goes — check out the fourth season's trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw6BrzB1drs Rick and Morty's fourth season will start airing weekly from November 10 in the US. We'll keep you updated with a release date Down Under once one comes to hand.
Record Store Day might only come once a year, but Brisbane still gets into the spirit of the occasion each month. That's when a treasure trove of vinyl descends upon a specific spot in this fair city of ours, showering music fiends in the stuff collectors' dreams are made of. Brisbane Record Fair is the type of event that gives aficionados reason to salivate, deliberate, negotiate, and then spend, spend, spend — after rifling through crates and crates of rare material, obviously. And, it's back at Coorparoo Square for 2022, kicking off from 8.30am–3pm on Saturday, January 8. Expect a smorgasbord of sounds, offering up music of all types. Whether you're after a decades-old gem or something newer on an LP or a 45, chances are you'll find it here. Sellers come from far and wide to share their wares, including private collectors parting with their sonic pearls. This first record fair of the new year isn't just about vinyl, however, with the event sharing Coorparoo Square with a plant lovers' market and a vintage clothing market as well. Yes, it's a triple treat, complete with DJs spinning tunes, and food, coffee and booze, too.
It's Friday night and you're in the mood to binge on pork dumplings, but before you reach for a cold beer or glass of wine to wash down those hot, juicy pockets of joy, consider cracking open a bottle of champagne. You may have noticed a rise in the number of pink champagnes in your local bottle shop, and that's because this bubbly booze is a surprisingly versatile drink, even with the most flavoursome dishes. We've partnered with the pioneers of rosé champagne, Moët & Chandon, to bring you a list of unusual dishes to try the next time you're popping open a bottle of pink — from delicate wagyu beef carpaccio to simpler summer-ready salads. As rosé champagne is crafted from three of Champagne's grape varieties — pinot noir, chardonnay and meunier — it's one of the best quality rosé champagnes to purchase for your next dinner party. Take some inspiration and go wild with your own menu pairings — this French fizz complements many a feast. [caption id="attachment_759771" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mariha Kitchen[/caption] WAGYU BEEF CARPACCIO WITH JUNIPER BERRIES For an unlikely but heavenly marriage of texture and flavour, try wagyu beef carpaccio dressed with juniper berries. The red meat will give you that boisterous protein hit and the slightly sweet, slightly spiced addition of juniper berries is a fantastic complement to the pinot noir notes of rosé champagne. And, as raw meat rarely has pronounced tannins, this is the perfect meal for when you're craving red meat but don't want to spoil the wild strawberry and raspberry notes in a good bottle of bubbly. [caption id="attachment_759773" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lilechka75[/caption] BEETROOT RISOTTO WITH TALEGGIO CHEESE AND PINK PEPPERCORNS This is one of those pairings that looks as good as it tastes — it's pink and purple with a glossy rich glow from the risotto. The subtle sweet character of the beetroot and the richness of the creamy Italian taleggio cheese are incredibly well-suited to a bottle of crisp rosé champagne as the vibrancy and the acid in the wine cuts through the creaminess. Plus, the addition of pink peppercorns gives the dish a gentle spice that can open up the flavours of any glass of wine. If it's true what they say — that anything with a little pink pigment is perfect for pink bubbly — then this dish is proof. [caption id="attachment_759782" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martin Turzak[/caption] MOROCCAN LAMB STEW WITH ROAST SUMAC Slow cooking meat, such as lamb, tends to mellow out the tannins in the meat, giving you really tender, slightly sweet meat that's very welcoming to the crisper style of rosé. Try Moroccan lamb stew with roasted sumac for a hearty dish that's an unlikely, yet delicious, match with rosé champagne. The lamb pairs with the dry notes of the wine, plus the gentle spice of the sumac brings out the aromatic elements of the rosé champagne. It's sure to create a whole new flavour experience that's an impressive flex for your next dinner party. [caption id="attachment_749216" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Duck & Rice; Steven Woodburn[/caption] DIM SUM As a rule, any kind of pastry is an excellent companion to champagne, but fatty and salty snacks like dumplings and spring rolls aren't well known companions for pink fizz. Introduce a light rosé champagne to your next dim sum feast of pork or prawn dumplings and it'll open your mind to a world of underrated matches for your new favourite bubbly. Salty-sweet pork and buttery prawns wrapped in pillowy dough couldn't ask for a better partner than a crisp glass of rosé champagne to give a sensation of freshening the palate. [caption id="attachment_617490" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NOLA Smokehouse[/caption] KINGFISH CEVICHE WITH PINK GRAPEFRUIT Seafood is a longtime friend of sparkling wine, and while champagne might go great with smoked salmon, rosé champagne is destined for top-end ceviche. The fattiness of kingfish ceviche with the fruity acidity of pink grapefruit makes for a party dish well matched to a robust rosé champagne, such as Moët & Chandon's Rosé Impérial, which has gooseberry, raspberry and wild strawberry notes. For a little kick, add a chilli dressing to really brighten the whole experience. Much like the rosé champagne itself, this pairing packs a big punch but always finishes with a fresh taste in your mouth. [caption id="attachment_759780" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Z Kruger[/caption] MORETON BAY BUGS WITH GARLIC BUTTER This is one of those dishes that is difficult to pair with wine, simply because it's so good on its own. With a buttery sweetness, Moreton Bay bugs need the strength and complexity of a wine big enough to really match it in richness without ruining the lobster-like flavour. Rosé champagne is that complementary partner. The creaminess of the garlic butter is mellowed by the acidity in the rosé, and the dry notes of the champagne go well with the soft-sweet juiciness of the bugs. [caption id="attachment_759786" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sarsmis[/caption] WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD For a super-simple summer salad, we suggest marrying a subtly sweet watermelon to a briny feta cheese. Try building your salad at a picnic location to keep the flavours as fresh as possible, and remember to bring an ice bucket for the pink champagne. The fresh and healthy salad is an effortless match for a crisp glass of rosé champagne, as the wine's natural fruit characters, minerality and acidity pairs well with light fruit-based dishes. Moët & Chandon's Rosé Impérial is a fruity and elegant champagne with gooseberry, raspberry and wild strawberry notes. Find out more here. Top image: Oriental Teahouse.
Camel racing in Oman. Whale diving in the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico. A sauna at 2800 meters high in the heart of Dolomites. Chances are, without the world's top tier traveling shutterbugs, we'd never get to see these weird and wonderful parts of our eclectic, beautiful world. Luckily, globally-acknowledged cornerstone of publicising places-you've-never-been National Geographic brings the world's best travel photographers together, all vying for the prestigious blue ribbon in the annual National Geographic Traveller Photo Contest. This year, Nat Geo's Photo Contest judges reviewed nearly 18,000 photographs — and these ten are the top of the crop. Photographers entered their works into four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, and Spontaneous Moments. Have a flick through, we're pretty sure you'll be making at least one of these your desktop wallpaper immediately. Images: National Geographic.
Browsing for arts and crafts, stopping for a bite to eat, checking out live performances — sounds like quite the itinerary, doesn't it? Forget running around town to fit everything in, however, with this list of activities all on offer at this year's BrisAsia Bazaar. A one-night market within the broader BrisAsia Festival program, the event includes handicraft stalls, roving performances and plenty of food. That's what Brisbanites will find at on the corner of Station Road and Turton Street from 5–9pm on Saturday, February 6. While the stall lineup is yet to be revealed, this fest doesn't do anything in a small way, so consider your evening plans sorted. Entry is free, although you'll want to bring your wallet so that you can fill your shopping bags (and your stomach).
Australia is continuing to ramp up the nation's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, with significant impacts on both mass gatherings and international travel. After banning events with more than 500 people last week, the government has now increased that ban to all non-essential events with more than 100 people. And, after imposing a mandatory 14-day self-isolation requirement for all arrivals into the country (which came into effect on Monday, March 16), Australians are now being told not to travel full-stop. In his latest press conference on the topic at 9am AEDT on Wednesday, March 18 — following the latest meeting of Australia's new coronavirus national cabinet last night — Prime Minister Scott Morrison put the travel restrictions bluntly. "The advice to all Australians is do not travel abroad," he announced. As part of the effective international travel ban — which is in effect indefinitely and, like other measures currently put in place, is expected to last at least six months — travel advice for Australians is now at level four for the first time in the country's history. It applies to absolutely everywhere in the world, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smart Traveller website has been updated to reflect the advice. The latest move comes after the government also advised last night that all Australians currently overseas should return to the country immediately. "If you wish to return home, do so as soon as possible," the Smart Traveller site now states. Adding extra urgency for Aussies abroad are the current changes within the airline industry, with flights by Australian airlines being slashed significantly. Qantas and Jetstar have cut their international flights by 90 percent until at least the end of May, and Virgin Australia this morning announced that it will suspend all international flights from March 30. Also in this morning's announcement, the Prime Minister said that "domestic air travel is low risk" at present, with no restrictions put in place by the government. Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia's reductions will affect flights within Australia, however — Qantas and Jetstar are cutting domestic services by 60 percent, while Virgin is doing so by 50 percent. Still within the country, he Prime Minister advised that Australians should not travel to remote Indigenous communities, which fall into the sensitive, high-risk category that the government is aiming to protect with its current mass-gatherings ban. Australians are also still implored to continue to take social distancing measures, including staying home as much as possible, staying 1.5 metres from anyone else if you do go out and refraining from social physical contact such as shaking hands. For more information about DFAT's travel restrictions and current advice, visit the Smart Traveller website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Everybody loves a good food pairing, and Belgium has one of the best: moules and frites. Think of it as the fancier version of the Aussie favourite that is fish and chips — because the fact that seafood and potato go well together is something that every nation clearly knows. Throw in a cold brew, and it's heaven in a meal. It's also on the menu at Brewski's returning Moules & Frites & Biére festival, which takes over the Petrie Terrace bar for a whole weekend — across Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5 this year. That's two days of mussels, fries and beer served up in abundance, making for quite the tasty weekend meal. Given all things Belgian are in the spotlight for festival, that extends to the tipples flowing through the taps, with various types on offer. Breweries such as Cantillon, Lindemans, Wildflower, Oud Beersel, Croft Brewing, St Bernardus, Saison DuPont, De Ranke, MayDay Hills, The Bruery and Holgate are all likely to get a look-in — and last year's lineup also included Belgian-style offerings from Australia, the US and New Zealand as well.
You've been to Shorncliffe, walked along the shore, strolled the length of the pier and probably even stopped for ice cream. That's something every Brisbanite has enjoyed — and if you haven't, you should add it to your next spare Sunday afternoon. What most of us haven't been lucky enough to experience is a sit-down dinner on the stretch of boardwalk heading out into the ocean. No, hanging your feet over the edge while you eat a picnic doesn't count. At The Long Table, you'll plonk yourself down at a long table and tuck into canapes, drinks and dinner, all to the strains of life entertainment. Basically, it's a gourmet meal and party on one of the city's most iconic waterside structures — and it was such a hit the first time round in 2016, it's no wonder they're bringing it back again. This year's event takes place on November 4, and booking your ticket asap is recommended. Unsurprisingly, it's expected to be popular, even at the price of $149 per person.
Showing your love for Gelato Messina's wares is easy. When you're not tucking into its regular scoops and nabbing its specials, you can don its merchandise line or get saucy with its personal lubricant. And, you can sip your way through Messina cocktails, too, including the returning Easter option that Cocktail Porter will bring to you. No, a ready-to-drink tipple won't arrive at your door. Instead, this Messina DIY drinks kit lets you whip up your own boozy beverages — and, because it's that time of year, you'll be sipping the end results out of an Easter egg. You read that correctly, because what's the point of being an adult at Easter if you can't combine sweet treats with alcohol, and do so in quite the OTT (but delicious) way? Going big on salted caramel, this kit helps solve the familiar dilemma everyone has had since they hit drinking age. No one likes choosing between tucking into an orb of chocolate and having another beverage, after all, and now you don't have to. One note: there isn't actually any gelato as part of the pack, but the cocktails do use Messina's popular dulce de leche topping as a pivotal ingredient. So, you'll get that, as well as Baileys, cold-drip coffee and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur. You'll also receive chocolate Easter eggs, obviously, which you'll pour your mixed liquids into — as well as pieces of salted caramel popcorn to pop on top. You can pick between two different-sized packs, with the small kit costing $80 and making five drinks, and the large costing $145 and making 12. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your Easter drinking plans sorted. To order Cocktail Porter's salted caramel Easter egg cocktail kit, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
In October of 2010, Google revealed that it had developed cars that drive themselves automatically, and that they had been in the road-testing phase for several months. At that point, the cars had been tested on over 140,000 miles of California highway, with only one accident to report. The accident, it turns out, was a result of human error: an uninvolved driver rear-ended the Google car at a red light. Each tester car was manned by a driver, ready to brake or steer if an emergency should occur, and an engineer, who monitored the software operations from the passenger seat. The Google cars are designed to minimise human driving error, making driving safer, and possibly more space and fuel efficient. Computer-operated cars could hypothetically drive closer together and with less excess gas usage than human drivers. Around the time of the press release, it was estimated that Google's cars would take at least 8 years to go from design to production, as design and legal kinks would take a long time to work out. This Wednesday, after 200,000 miles of road testing, Google put Steve Mahan behind the driving wheel. Mahan, who has lost 95% of his vision, was ecstatic at the freedom provided by the self-driving car. His first stop was to a Taco Bell, where the car successfully navigated the drive-through. "This is some of the best driving I am ever done," said Mahan, who would value the "independence and flexibility" a Google automated car would provide him. It may sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but following Mahan's test drive, self-driving cars may be a lot closer to reality than we realised. https://youtube.com/watch?v=cdgQpa1pUUE [via Mashable]
Maybe you've spent much of 2020 glued to the small screen, viewing your way through this year's lockdown periods. Perhaps, as cinemas have been reopening around the country, you've flocked to the big screen to get your movie fix. Either way, if you've been thinking and supporting local — as has been the trend all-round in 2020 — then you've had plenty of Australian films and television shows to watch. And, from this hectic year, the best of the bunch have just been named 2020 AACTA Award nominees. The AACTA Awards — which were previously called the AFI Awards, before changing their name — span multiple types of screen content, so there's a hefty number of local productions vying for a gong when the winners are announced on Monday, November 30. From the initial rundown of nominees — with more set to be revealed on November 12 — three of the year's best Aussie movies rank among the top film contenders, with teen cancer drama Babyteeth scoring 12 nods, the blistering True History of the Kelly Gang picking up ten and the latest version of The Invisible Man receiving eight. Other movie nominees across directing, acting and cinematography categories include the family-friendly H is for Happiness, horror flick Relic, zombie movie Little Monsters, sheep farming comedy-drama Rams and Helen Reddy biopic I Am Woman. In terms of stars, everyone from Hugo Weaving, Richard Roxburgh, Russell Crowe and Ben Mendelsohn to Eliza Scanlen, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Essie Davis and Deborah Mailman are in the running — as well as overseas actors such as Elisabeth Moss, Lupita Nyong'o, Sam Neill and George MacKay. On the TV front, if you've been watching Mystery Road's latest season and mini-series Stateless, they each picked up seven nods a piece. Comedy-wise, series nominees include At Home Alone Together, Black Comedy, The Other Guy, Rosehaven and Upright. The 2020 AACTA Awards will take place on Monday, November 30. Here's a rundown of the major nominations — and you can check out the full list of nominees as they're announced on the AACTA's website: AACTA NOMINEES 2020 FILM AWARDS: BEST FILM Babyteeth H is for Happiness I Am Woman The Invisible Man True History of the Kelly Gang Relic BEST INDIE FILM A Boy Called Sailboat Hot Mess Koko: A Red Dog Story A Lion Returns Standing Up for Sunny Unsound BEST DIRECTION Shannon Murphy, Babyteeth John Sheedy, H is for Happiness Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man Justin Kurzel, True History of the Kelly Gang Natalie Erika James, Relic BEST LEAD ACTOR George MacKay, True History of the Kelly Gang Sam Neill, Rams Richard Roxburgh, H is for Happiness Toby Wallace, Babyteeth Hugo Weaving, Measure for Measure BEST LEAD ACTRESS Tilda Cobham-Hervey, I Am Woman Laura Gordon, Undertow Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man Lupita Nyong'o, Little Monsters Eliza Scanlen, Babyteeth BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Fayssal Bazzi, Measure for Measure Russell Crowe, True History of the Kelly Gang Aaron Jeffery, The Flood Ben Mendelsohn, Babyteeth Wesley Patten, H is for Happiness BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Emma Booth, H is for Happiness Essie Davis, Babyteeth Bella Heathcote, Relic Deborah Mailman, H is for Happiness Doris Younane, Measure for Measure BEST SCREENPLAY Rita Kalnejais, Babyteeth Abe Forsythe, Little Monsters Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man Natalie Erika James and Christian White, Relic Shaun Grant, True History of the Kelly Gang BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Andrew Commis, Babyteeth Brad Shield, Bloody Hell Geoffrey Hall, Escape From Pretoria Bonnie Elliott, H is for Happiness Stefan Duscio, The Invisible Man BEST DOCUMENTARY Brazen Hussies Brock: Over the Top Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra Slim & I Suzi Q TELEVISION AWARDS: BEST DRAMA SERIES Bloom Doctor Doctor Halixfax: Retribution The Heights Mystery Road Wentworth BEST TELEFEATURE OR MINISERIES The Gloaming Hungry Ghosts Operation Buffalo The Secrets She Keeps Stateless BEST COMEDY SERIES At Home Alone Together Black Comedy The Other Guy Rosehaven Upright BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Fayssal Bazzi, Stateless Bryan Brown, Bloom Jai Courtney, Stateless Ewen Leslie, Operation Buffalo Aaron Pedersen, Mystery Road BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Jada Alberts, Mystery Road Rebecca Gibney, Halixfax: Retribution Asher Keddie, Stateless Pamela Rabe, Wentworth Yvonne Strahovski, Stateless BEST COMEDY PERFORMER Milly Alcock, Upright Anne Edmonds, At Home Together Luke McGregor, Rosehaven Tim Minchin, Upright Celia Pacquola, Rosehaven BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Rob Collins, Mystery Road Darren Gilshenan, Stateless Damon Herriman, The Commons Callan Mulvey, Mystery Road Ed Oxenbould, Bloom BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Cate Blanchett, Stateless Jacqueline McKenzie, Bloom Ngaire Pigram, Mystery Road Tasma Walton, Mystery Road Jacki Weaver, Bloom
If you're always sporting a big case of European summer envy no matter the weather, here's one way to cure it: hanging out poolside at a northern Gold Coast beach club that takes its cues from the other side of the world. InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort is now about waterside sipping and eating with a cruisy atmosphere (and, of course, without the expensive across-the-globe airfare). Open since December 2023, the $2.5-million Lagoon Beach Club is the result of four months of renovations, and an eagerness to tick two boxes: giving this part of the Goldie something that it doesn't already have and lapping up those European vibes that've become the recent travel obsession. Patrons can enjoy a view over the one-acre lagoon beach with their drinks and food, with the menu heroing cocktails, seafood, pizzas and share platters. While a splash isn't on offer just for showing up, you can also grab a limited $30-per-person resort pass to use the lagoon and pool facilities, but only if you book in advance and subject to availability. Menu highlights include oysters; prawns by the bucket, on rolls and atop pizzas; both charcuterie and cheese platters; beer-battered barramundi; and passionfruit cheesecake for dessert. If that culinary lineup makes you feel like you're on holidays, that's the point. The drinks range spans share cocktails — both red and white sangria jugs among them — as well as classic and house concoctions, plus mocktails, wine, beer and cider. The Limoncello spritz will help transport your tastebuds, as will the Sunset Colada (made with pineapple rum, lychee liqueur, strawberry purée, guava juice and coconut cream) and Chilli Sunset (featuring mango chilli gin, Aperol, pineapple juice and passionfruit pulp). Dining takes place on a sprawling deck, which can also host events. For hotel guests — and resort pass holders — three cabanas and double daybeds await, plus access to the marina. Via QR code ordering if you're making a day of it, you can also get your meal and beverages brought to your seat.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing, Brisbane's riverside Howard Smith Wharves precinct is slowly reopening — and it's bringing back its Weekends on the Lawn series. Returning from Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21, the weekly event will welcome Brisbanites eager to kick back by the water, have a bite to eat and knock back a few drinks. That's what's on offer on the East Lawn every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 4pm. Bring along your mates to enjoy a refreshing beverage — Felons Brewing Co. is right there, after all, and it's reopening, too. There'll also be plenty of food to dig into, because lining your stomach is important. Mr Percival's, Greca, Betty's Burgers and Goodtimes Gelateria are also welcoming in patrons again, but HSW visitors will notice a few changes — in line with the current times, of course. Think contactless ordering and payment via your phone, table service only, 20 people seated per section and guest details recorded on entry.
Staycation-loving Brisbanites, you've just scored a new spot to spend a relaxing night away from home. Joining the city's ever-growing accommodation lineup is Hotel Indigo, with the brand making its first move into Queensland, setting up shop on North Quay by the Brisbane River. Nodding to its location is a big part of this hotel — and dialling up the art and design focus as well. Accordingly, Queensland artists such as Blends, Leans and Fuzeillear have decked out the place with art that reflects upon the city's history, icons, hidden gems and laneways. One such piece: a towering 16-storey mural of a blue wren on the outside of the building, courtesy of Blends, that pays tribute to author Trent Dalton and his hit novel (and soon-to-be TV series) Boy Swallows Universe. Inside, guests will find 212 design-led rooms that hero bold splashes of colour. The fact that you enter via two giant six-metre-high red doors — inspired by Burnett Lane's red fairy doors — gives that away, too. Mixing and matching textures and art is a key focus as well, both where you'll be sleeping and in communal spaces. When you're not kicking back in your room, you can grab a cuppa, danish, muffin or sandwich from a graffiti-covered coffee cart in the lobby, or hit up Hotel Indigo's signature restaurant Izakaya Publico. The latter serves up Japanese dishes cooked using a warayaki grill, such as seared bonito and beef skewers. And, there's also speakeasy-inspired bar 1603, which goes heavy on sake-fuelled cocktails, plus local wine and beers. A brand from the IHG Hotels chain, Hotel Indigo also has a location in Adelaide, as well as international sites everywhere from Brooklyn, Hong Kong and Bali to Shanghai, Paris, Berlin and London. In Brisbane, the new North Quay spot joins the inner-city area's other recent addition, voco. And yes, it's a busy time for new hotels Australia-wide, including the first Down Under outpost for Ace Hotels in Sydney, the design-driven AC Hotels in Melbourne, Newcastle's own QT with a rooftop bar and a suite in a clock tower and The Langham on the Gold Coast. Find Hotel Indigo at 27–35 Turbot Street, Brisbane.
Just a few weeks after Sydney copped that 'vote no' skywriting, it appears the campaign against marriage equality has again taken to the skies, with at least three potential anti-same-sex marriage messages scrawled above Melbourne this afternoon. This time around, whoever's in charge has opted simply for the word 'NO', written in huge block letters. While it was confirmed that the Sydney Skywriting Company — the only one of its kind in city — is owned by active members of the Australian Christian Lobby, it's unclear whether yes campaigners are up against a similar situation in Melbourne. And, admittedly, the 'no' could be directed towards homophobic protestors or people who don't like puppies. Well, we can hope. Whatever its intentions, 'no' seems like a bad vibe to place in the sky. In a counter move to Sydney's 'Vote No' skywriting, marriage equality supporters banded together to raise funds for a huge rainbow flag to be pulled by helicopter above Bondi Beach on October 1. Melbourne, take note.
Thanks to its pop culture-influenced productions based on the Beatles, Adele, Miley Cyrus and Love Actually — aka Lady Beatle, Rumour Has It, Wrecking Ball and Christmas Actually — The Little Red Company has been an integral part of Brisbane's cabaret scene in recent years. For its next show, however, it's taking inspiration from a different source: these self-isolating, stay-at-home times. The IsoLate Late Show has a few purposes. Firstly, it brings together Queensland creatives in a period when gigs and performances are being cancelled all over the place. Secondly, it's raising money for performing arts professionals affected. And, last but by no means least, it's keeping you entertained while you're cooped up at home. At 8pm AEST (9pm AEDT and 11pm NZDT) on Friday, March 20, host Naomi Price and performers Luke Kennedy (The Voice Australia), Tom Oliver (Velvet), Irena Lysiuk (Sweet Charity), Jason McGregor (Lady Beatle), Scott French (Christmas Actually) and Mik Easterman (Christmas Actually) will be putting on a live-streamed cabaret show — and belting out plenty of hits. Watch along via Instagram or Facebook, and help support Queensland creatives by donating. To get you in the mood, check out a glimpse of Christmas Actually below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkm9YzNo_4 Top image: Dylan Evans
The return of Spilt Milk for 2025 is big news, after the Australian music festival sat out 2024. This year's four events — including on the Gold Coast — will be positively huge, however, thanks to a massive lineup headlined by Kendrick Lamar. DAMN. LOVE. Quoting those album and song titles fits right now, with the Pulitzer Music Prize-winning musician heading Down Under in this same year that he put on a helluva Super Bowl halftime show. Just as he did in 2022, Lamar has a December date with Australia, playing 2025's run of Spilt Milk fests across two weekends. Alongside stops in Canberra, Perth and Ballarat, it's the Gold Coast turn at Gold Coast Sports Precinct on Sunday, December 14. That's a headliner worth waiting a year for — and Lamar has company from Doechii, Sara Landry, Dominic Fike and ScHoolboy Q for starters. Also on the bill: d4vd, Nessa Barrett, Sofia Isella, Skin On Skin, sombr, Club Angel, The Dreggs and The Rions, plus more. In 2025, festivalgoers can also look forward to the return of sing-alongs at Guilty Pleasures, plus country bar Howdy Howdy and the Bus Da Move party bus. The art component will feature artists from Studio A. Spilt Milk's 2025 return is immense, not just due to its lineup, but because not every fest that sat 2024 out has made a comeback. Sadly, both Groovin the Moo and Splendour in the Grass have scrapped their events in both years. Spilt Milk 2025 Lineup Kendrick Lamar Doechii Sara Landry Dominic Fike ScHoolboy Q d4vd Nessa Barrett Skin on Skin sombr Baby J Chance Peña Club Angel Don West Ennaria Esha Tewari Lyric Mia Wray Ninajirachi Rebecca Black Rum Jungle Sofia Isella South Summit The Dreggs The Rions Spilt Milk image: Mackenzie Sweentnam.
