As fans across the globe gear up for the Arctic Monkeys' sixth album to drop later this week, the acclaimed English rockers have pushed the excitement levels even further, announcing a series of international pop-ups and film screenings to coincide with the launch. And even Australia's getting a look-in, with the local edition of the store — named after the forthcoming album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino — is popping up at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema and Bar, this Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12. According to the Arctic Monkeys' website, the TBHC pop-ups will offer a range of "unique and limited album and merchandise items", alongside screenings of the band's favourite 70s flicks. Titles include Le Cercle Rouge, Inherent Vice, The Last Waltz and Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Eclisse. The event's running at the Surry Hills theatre from 11am until 8.30pm each day, though as you can imagine, tickets to the screenings are already selling fast. Only a handful of other lucky cities will also host these Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino pop-ups: Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, New York and the band's own hometown of Sheffield. The Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino will pop up at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema and Bar, 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills. Tickets to the Sydney screenings are on sale here.
In 2011's Le Havre, Aki Kaurismäki explored Europe's refugee crisis in his trademark way: with empathy, a droll sense of humour and a bittersweet outlook. He tackles the same subject with the same approach in The Other Side of Hope, although you could never accuse the Finnish filmmaker of simply retracing his own footsteps. Rather, the writer-director steps from a tale of transition to one of acceptance. It's a shift that not only reflects global events over the past seven years, but also comes with a much-needed message. What the world needs now is compassion, Kaurismäki posits — an idea that applies when asylum seekers arrive in prosperous nations searching for better lives. The Other Side of Hope begins when Syrian refugee Khaled (Sherwan Haji) hops off a boat in Helsinki. Looking for a new home far from Aleppo, he just wants the chance to start afresh, however Finland proves far from welcoming. Meanwhile, leaving his wife and his old salesman life behind to enter the restaurant trade, Waldemar Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) requires help getting his new business going. Both men are fleeing their respective pasts, but Wikström's plight can't compare to Khaled's, and the film doesn't claim otherwise. Instead, after Wikström spies Khaled hiding behind his eatery, the movie shows how an act of kindness shapes their intertwined fortunes. In other hands, a parade of cheesy cliches would ensue, but Kaurismäki isn't any other filmmaker. There's a reason that he's considered Finland's best living auteur, and why his movies receive widespread international attention. While they're the kind of plaudits that every director dreams of, no one views the world quite like Kaurismäki. He fills his frames with characters that wear their eccentricities on their sleeves, yet couldn't be more relatable. He shows people struggling with all types of problems, both commonplace and more extreme, while still banding together because it's the right thing to do. Further, he charts life's ups and downs without avoiding its sorrows, but never removing optimism from the equation either. Indeed, there's a word that sums up his work perfectly: humane. Another word springs to mind: absurd. It's evident when a fight quickly turns into a job offer and when salted herring is served up as sushi, two of the movie's wry, hilarious developments. From its deadpan humour to its rockabilly soundtrack, The Other Side of Hope is often offbeat, albeit in a very specific way. Kaurismäki isn't trying to make an over-the-top comedy — instead, his film recognises how odd everyday existence really can be. It's why his cast turn in portrayals that seem naturalistic as well as a little detached, whether the world-weary Kuosmanen is grimacing through a poker game or the scene-stealing Haji is relaying Khaled's background with a calm demeanour. Lensed by Kaurismäki's regular cinematographer Timo Salminenn, the movie's visuals operate in the same manner as the performances. Every shot overflows with lifelike detail, with smoke hanging in the air and pain oozing from a stranger's glare, yet every image feels like it has been meticulously arranged. It's the same sensation that great still-life paintings evoke: of not only capturing reality, but capturing the artist's unique perspective along with it. Of course, The Other Side of Hope isn't a static image frozen in time. Observed with the same compassion it champions, and proving as earnest as it is amusing, the film is an intricately composed portrait brimming with melancholy, sincerity and worldwide relevance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asR1B7NrhQQ
Not quite certain what to get your loved ones for Christmas this year? Then you clearly haven't spent enough time at a festive market. It's virtually impossible to browse your way through hundreds of stalls and come up empty-handed — in fact, that'd take more effort than picking gifts for your nearest and dearest. Your next place to put the above theory to the test: the Nundah Christmas Twilight Markets, which take place from 4–10pm on Saturday, December 3. Yes, there really will be quite the lineup of places to grab handmade presents, including clothes, jewellery, art, homewares, soap, candles and all things edible. You'll find both gourmet foods and festive treats on offer as well (including bites to eat while you're there). For your $2 entry fee, you can enjoy a stint of shopping under the site's fairy lights at Nundah Markets' usual spot on Station Street. And, you can stop in at the North Pole-themed bar, too. Decorations will be decking the walls with more than boughs of holly, and live music is also on the agenda.
In an idyllic celebration of the revered art, the Queensland Ballet will piece together a night of performances with excerpts from some of the most loved and prestigious works in the classical and romantic repertoire. To showcase the ethereal beauty, rich tradition, disciplined technique and heartfelt emotion, A Classical Celebration will showcase pieces from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and La Sylphide, among others. Immediately following the performance will be a celebration in honour of Artistic Director François Klaus, also presented by Queensland Ballet. Accompanied by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the famous and familiar music will be a treat for the ears and the Queensland Ballet will dazzle the eyes, coming together for what is sure to be an unforgettable experience.
Internationally acclaimed circus ensemble Company 2 return to the Judith Wright Centre this season for the premiere of Sediment. Inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes From the Underground, Sediment is a comic and dreamlike production that pushes the most talented of performers to their very limits. In a blend of circus, dance and live music, daring feats of physical incredibility merge with a frightening soundscape to produce a scene that’s as dark and confronting as Dostoevsky’s underground man. Company 2 are the people behind incredibly successful productions such as Scotch and Soda, She Would Walk the Sky and Cantina. They have a reputation for their bold approach to performance art and securing some of the best theatre talent in this country. In this work, they team up with theatre hot shots David Carberry, Chelsea McGuffin (Cantina) and renowned percussionist and composer Ben Walsh (Scotch and Soda).
Whether you're looking for something on a budget, or you're after the best vintage fare, there's nothing like trawling through other people's wares. Forget your regular old household clear-outs, trash and treasure markets, outlet sales and car boot offerings, though — and forget leaving the house, actually. Usually, Brisbane's Biggest Clothing Garage Sale takes place as a physical event. For 24 hours from 9am on Saturday, August 29 until the same time on Sunday, August 30, however, this fashion frenzy is going virtual. BBCGS is calling it an Online Vintage and Streetwear Market, which is rather descriptive. Yes, you now know what's on offer. To take part, you'll want to check out the Instagram feed for Lil J's Vintage — that's the shop that runs BBCGS. In particular, you'll want to watch its Insta Live Story, which'll be showcasing everything on offer. Prices vary, as will condition. Look out for brands like Ralph Lauren, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Adidas, The North Face and Lacoste, as well as Patagonia, Levi's, Puma, Reebok, FILA, Calvin Klein, Wrangler, Guess, Timberland and more. Brisbane's Biggest Clothing Garage Sale Online Vintage and Streetwear Market takes place from 9am on Saturday, August 29 until the same time on Sunday, August 30, via Lil J's Vintage's Instagram feed.
Another Silo Arts event? Already? Seems like you were just enjoying one the other evening, hey? Don’t worry you haven’t lost the plot. As they say, time flies and there’s no rest for the wicked... so on to the next! Those musical gods behind Silo are at it again bringing performers of an amazing calibre to our town. Lapalux and oOoOO are both producers who have been given the responsibility of bringing Barsoma to life on Friday. And given their combined capabilities, mixes, and reviews, you can be sure their version of life will be otherworldly and intense. The UK’s Lapalux is hard to put in one little box. It’s much easier to define his sets emotively through the hazy, happy and sonic highs they are said to result in. Similarly, oOoOO’s type of music can vaguely be described as a love child between pop and indie culture. However defining it too carefully would be a disservice, you’re much better off seeing him mix Southern hip-hop and witch house live and deciding yourself. Supporting them on the night will be Brisbane’s own Motion Picture Actress and Elroy 4.0, plus a whole host of supreme musicians. So don’t even think about skipping this event due to Silo Arts fatigue, now is not the time or place to come down with it – then again, I doubt any time will be.
If spending all this time at home has made you realise you're a pretty poor bartender, don't despair. Just turn to the big wide web and you'll be shaking and stirring some tasty tipples in no time. Want a martini, negroni or a giant cosmopolitan? Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Ina Garten have you covered. But what about a real party starter, like the espresso martini? Well, now top-quality spirit labels Mr Black (coffee liqueur) and Belvedere (vodka) are bringing you an online class, so you can shake up an espresso martini good enough for a caffeine-craving James Bond. Kicking off at 7pm on Thursday, June 11, the Espresso Martini Masterclass will be led by some of the best in the biz. Belvedere's Australian brand ambassador, Garth Foster, and Mr Black's Martin Hudak will be teaching you how to make a mean coffee-fuelled martini in just one hour. The live-stream class will be available via Facebook or Zoom (link provided closer to the event). Don't have any Belvedere or Mr Black in your liquor cabinet? Both Shorty's Liquor and Wine.com are delivering pre-bundled kits so you don't have to subject yourself to subpar booze. Belvedere's x Mr Black's Espresso Martini Masterclass is taking place from 7–8pm on Thursday, June 11. To order the necessary booze, head to Shorty's Liquor or Wine.com.
For a few days the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can’t charge them, they don’t run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won’t smash when you drop them and have them lost forever. Lifeline Bookfest is back for another round of vintage bargains and startling ranges of everything from Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica. If you’re been before, you’ll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you’ll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. Prices range from cents to the big bucks – bring a trolley and your glasses and absorb yourself in books.
Getting engaged isn't meant to be bloody, but that's how Fair Play starts: with joy, love, passion and bodily fluids. What is and isn't supposed to happen is a frequent theme in writer/director Chloe Domont's feature debut, an erotic thriller set both within the heady relationship between Emily (Phoebe Dynevor, Bridgerton) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich, Oppenheimer), and also in the slick, fast-paced, high-stakes world of New York finance — familiar territory for its Billions alum filmmaker, who also has Suits and Ballers on her resume. The blood arrives via a bathroom tryst at Luke's brother's (Buck Braithwaite, Flowers in the Attic: The Origin) wedding. He pops under her dress, she has her period, he drops the ring that he was going to propose with, she says yes, and next they're betrothed and fleeing out the window to go home. Staged to feel woozily, authentically romantic, the occasion seems perfect to this head-over-heels pair anyway, even if it leaves their clothes stained. Yes, Domont is playing with symbolism from the outset. Lust isn't a problem for Emily and Luke, clearly, but they've become experts at keeping everything about being together away from work out of necessity. The duo each chases big dreams at the same hedge fund, which has a firm no-dating policy for its employees. So, when they wake up, dress and step out the door the next day, they go their separate ways to end up at the one place — and Emily's finger is glaringly bare. Then something that they've both been hoping would happen does: a portfolio manager sitting above their analyst positions is fired. Next comes a development that they've each felt was meant to occur, too, with the word spreading around the office that's led by the icy Campbell (Eddie Marsan, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) and his yes-man flunkey Paul (Rich Sommer, Minx) that Luke is in line for a promotion to fill the new vacancy. Domont and cinematographer Menno Mans (Forever Rich) want viewers to watch Dynevor and Ehrenreich closely within Fair Play's glossy, steely frames, with the film taking on the cold and corporate hues of its main office setting, and also peering at its leads slowly and carefully. This isn't a strict two-hander, but frequently plays that way — and observing Emily and Luke's every reaction is crucial. One case in point: when Emily receives a 2am phone call from her higher-up Rory (Sebastian De Souza, Pixie), has no choice but to agree to his command that she meet him at a bar, but finds a life-changing conversation with Campbell over a whisky awaiting instead. Here's another: Luke's reaction when she returns home with stunning news for her, but a revelation that he visibly thinks wasn't meant to happen. That climb up that ladder is hers, not his, and he'll be working beneath her. Dynevor and Ehrenreich each possess a savvy talent for cycling through a storm of clashing emotions in mere seconds — and making the swift change feel not just understandable but believable — as Fair Play captures unblinkingly in its pivotal moments. She can go from dutiful to determined, caring to calculating, and cautious to confident; him from loving to withdrawn, supportive to passive-aggressive, and charming to menacing. Emily and Luke's relationship changes just as swiftly, its steamy days fading into sexless territory all thanks to that coveted job. Resentment seeps from Ehrenreich's pores, and exasperation from Dynevor's. Fair Play doesn't neatly box either Emily or Luke into easy categories, however. When everything shifts in an instant, the film's excellently cast stars ensure that viewers see every iota of complexity. At each point from popping the question onwards, the same proves true, and not just frame to frame and scene to scene. Domont's Sundance-premiering feature — Sundance bidding war-sparking picture, too, selling to Netflix for $20 million after getting the film festival buzzing — soon becomes an erotic thriller without that much physical slipping between the sheets. While the look is pure now and Donna Summer's 70s classic 'Love to Love You Baby' gets the soundtrack started, there's an 80s and 90s air to the movie, recalling the genre's heyday. That said, this isn't Fatal Attraction (which was just remade as a TV series, and reframed) or Disclosure meets Wall Street. Rather, the entire flick thrums with the heat and charge between its two protagonists, knowing that its psychological duel is all the more knotty because sex, intimacy and love are involved, while also pulsating with the pressure and stress of its high-rolling realm. The tension is palpable and unrelenting, as aided by Brian McOmber's (Hail Satan?) nervy score. Fair Play doesn't pretend that gender power imbalances don't exist in workplaces otherwise, beyond couples mixing the professional and personal in a cut-throat world and keeping it clandestine. Indeed, it shows that fact, too, and in grim detail. It's there in the salacious whispering by the other male analysts about how Emily got the job from, the strip club drinks and flat-out calling her a "dumb fucking bitch". This isn't a film that's afraid of getting uncomfortable. Fair Play also effortlessly carves into this wealth-chasing field's general soullessness, including with golf clubs being swung around in anger, public dressing-downs and humiliating begging. Still, it never escapes notice that square at the picture's centre sits the type of guy that's doting, encouraging and a dream until he doesn't think that he's on top. There's no one that's perfect in Fair Play's gaze, as its main performances superbly portray — the ever-reliable Marsan is also chillingly effective — but how men react to women doing well earns extra attention. Seeking power, losing it, trying to retain or reclaim it, forcing it back in the absolute worst way possible: this all bubbles up as well, and viciously. As the gripping film unpacks sexual politics in the workplace, it lays bare insecurities, jealousies and infuriatingly age-old rumours. Domont's movie is sharp, even when it's obvious. It's assured from its libidinous start to its increasingly lurid end, and riveting — even if it's never as gleefully OTT as its genre was famously known for back when Michael Douglas (and only Michael Douglas) would've been playing Ehrenreich's part. Fair Play screens in select cinemas from Thursday, September 28, and streams via Netflix from Friday, October 6.
When Léo (debutant Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (fellow first-timer Gustav De Waele) dash the carefree dash of youth in Close's early moments, rushing from a dark bunker out into the sunshine — from rocks and forest to a bloom-filled field ablaze with colour, too — this immediately evocative Belgian drama runs joyously with them. Girl writer/director Lukas Dhont starts his sophomore feature with a tremendous moment, one that's arresting to look at and to experience. The petals pop; the camera tracks, rushes and flies; the two 13-year-olds are as exuberant and at ease as they're ever likely to be in their lives. They're sprinting because they're happy and playing, and because summer in their village — and on Léo's parents' flower farm — is theirs for the revelling in. They don't and can't realise it because no kid does, but they're also bolting from the bliss that is their visibly contented childhood to the tussles and emotions of being a teenager. Close's title does indeed apply to its two main figures; when it comes to adolescent friendships, they couldn't be tighter. As expressed in revelatory performances by Dambrine and De Waele, each of whom are genuine acting discoveries — Dhont spotted the former on a train from Antwerp to Ghent — these boys have an innocent intimate affinity closer than blood. They're euphoric with and in each other's company, and the feature plays like that's how it has always been between the two. They've also never queried or overthought what their connection means. Before high school commences, Close shows the slumber parties, and the shared hopes and dreams. It sits in on family dinners, demonstrating the ease with which each is a part of the other's broader lives amid both sets of mums and dads; Léo's are Nathalie (Léa Drucker, Custody) and Yves (Marc Weiss, Esprits de famille), Rémi's are Sophie (Émilie Dequenne, An Ordinary Man) and Peter (Kevin Janssens, Two Summers). The film adores their rapport like a summer day adores the breeze, and conveys it meticulously and movingly. To watch this 2023 Best International Feature Film Oscar-nominee, 2022 Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner and recipient of Sydney Film Festival's top 2022 gong is to feel, to an extent that cinema only rarely manages. In fact, Léo and Rémi's camaraderie is that vibrantly depicted, and performed with portrayals that naturalistic and unaffected, that it's three things simultaneously here: a once-in-a-lifetime marvel, as innate as the act of growing up, and instantly relatable and recognisable to anyone who has ever had their own inseparable BFF as a child. That bond is such a given for the pair themselves, and that status quo is so entrancingly communicated by the movie, that questioning it is a shock for everyone. These friends have forged their identities as a duo, but they're also at that awkward coming-of-age stage where the wider world starts intruding upon their wants, likes and senses of self, and enforcing its traditional ideas of masculinity. Bluntly, the girls in Léo and Rémi's grade ask if the two are a couple. More than that, they contend that the boys are one without even realising it. Enter the overwhelming weight of the society's norms, as Léo struggles with the schoolyard query and slowly pulls away. Words have consequences in Close. Actions do along with them. What kicks off as a portrait of a perfect friendship then segues into the agony of an idyll bursting. As homophobic jeers echo, Léo withdraws, boisterously palling around with other classmates instead and opting to take up ice hockey. Rémi keeps trying to reach out, and keeps showing his pain and confusion as Léo ditches him at breaks, after lessons, and on their usual rides to and from class. In a sensitive script penned with his Girl co-scribe Angelo Tijssens, Dhont understands the heartache and heartbreak of a boyhood bond dissolving. His feature ripples with grief on a variety of levels. But the filmmaker and the film alike also deeply appreciate the heady jubilation of its opening third. They relish it. Close's second half is shattering; however, this is a movie that knows that to have forged such a connection is a thing to treasure even when it's lost. Close's second half wouldn't devastate as it does if its first wasn't so keenly felt. This isn't an overplayed picture — understatement is one of its key and crucial elements — but it's expertly attuned to what it's like to have a kindred spirit in your youth, and to the immense void left when that's gone. Perhaps the best way to describe Close is with its homonym's antonym: open. Even when Léo begins closing himself off to Rémi, the film he's in remains unguarded in its gaze and emotions — and Dambrine and De Waele's performances retain the same trait as well. To watch Close is also to peer into the faces that fill its frames, as lensed vividly in claustrophobic closeups and telling wide shots by cinematographer Frank van den Eeden (Nobody Has to Know, and also Dhont's Girl), and to embrace the swirl of sentiments lingering inside. Looking at the movie's two young stars never simply involves seeing them overtly shift in tone. Spending more time with Dambrine isn't just a case of watching conflict, sorrow, realisation and guilt flicker in his eyes, either. Similarly, when Close intently observes the always-excellent Drucker in a pivotal mid-movie moment, then gives Dequenne more attention in its later scenes, it's open to — and tender about — how complicated its scenario and feelings have become. The details in Close are everything, as they are in all relationships. Here's a mere four examples: the alternating closeness and space that van den Eeden spies when Léo and Rémi share a mattress, as kids at sleepovers do; the pride that wells in Léo's eyes as he watches skilled musician Rémi play the oboe; the seconds that stretch like lifetimes as Léo, Drucker and Dequenne process trauma right in front of the audience; and the seasons passing, as marked by the flower farm's rainbow of colours revolving through its annual cycle. As set to a subtly rousing string-and-oboe score by Valentin Hadjadj (another Girl returnee), every aspect of this delicately crafted gem is personal yet universal, as it should be considering its origins. Dhont harked back to his own close friendships as a teen, while also taking inspiration from psychologist Niobe Way's Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships and the Crisis of Connection, a study of 100 boys aged 13–18. It's no wonder, then, that Close couldn't feel more raw, rich and authentic.
Underground, garage-rock royalty don't come much royaler than King Tuff. With a CV that includes psych-folk pioneers Feathers, Sub Pop's Happy Birthday and the melodic metal of Witch, the man born Kyle Thomas has made a career out of crafting awesomely dirty and scuzzy guitar licks. Having decided to go it alone, King Tuff's debut solo album Was Dead showcases a performer who knows a thing or two about the blues. Sitting somewhere between a lo-fi version of The Black Keys and Wolfmother on an acid trip, the album is a filthy cocktail of straight-up guitar rock, stoner vocals and shout-along choruses. And then there's the man himself. With his matt of unkept hair and his fuck-the-system attitude, King Tuff is a beguiling and charismatic stage presence, with the ability to rouse a crowd into rabble and mayhem with little more than one of his Zeppelin-esque solos. Check him out when he plays at the Primitive Room alongside local acts, Cannon, Thigh Master and Screaming Match.
From riverbeds and snowmen to watering holes surrounded by animals and sculptures made out of bubbles, water is everywhere at the Gallery of Modern Art at present. The South Bank spot is hosting a huge exhibition with that very name, and throwing a couple of after-hours art parties on the theme — and, from Friday, January 17–Sunday, March, 8, it's also running a free cinema retrospective that'll be filled with seafaring, ocean-dwelling and otherwise H2O-related films. You're gonna need a bigger boat for this movie season, which is called The Noise of Waters — or a big tolerance for sitting in a darkened room at the very least. Highlights include the beachside terror of Jaws, the quirky marine comedy of Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and the Hollywood-set musical glory of Singin' in the Rain. Catch not one, or two, but three Studio Ghibli flicks, all courtesy of Spirited Away, Ponyo and the studio's co-produced The Red Turtle. The submarine drama of German classic Das Boot and the weird island-set wonders of recent surreal French flick The Wild Boys are on the bill as well, as are Apocalypse Now: Final Cut and dreamlike Aussie apocalyptic effort The Last Wave. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIhxgIZJSbk Cinephiles can also watch the Amazon-set Embrace of the Serpent, splash around with erotic psychological drama Stranger by the Lake, revisit 2019 anime hits Weathering with You and Children of the Sea, and journey through Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God. If you're interested in pondering the factual side of the topic, look out for visually stunning doco Aquarela and three episodes of oceanography TV series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. Films screen on Wednesday and Friday evenings, as well as during the day on Saturdays and Sundays. And while the bulk of the program won't cost you a thing, you can spend $15 for two film and music sessions, featuring Buster Keaton's silent 1928 delight Steamboat Bill, Jr and Jean Grémillon's 1929 movie The Lighthouse Keepers — one with a live organ soundtrack, the other with a new contemporary score by Corporate Vibes.
Inward reflection, as opposed to guidance by outward factors, is the true way for an individual to gain best understanding of themselves as an identity and a physical being. Once we are at peace with ourselves, we can better foster relationships with others, even encouraging others to take the time to reflect in the same way. Brisbane-based artist Leena Riethmuller takes a critical look at societal constructs of self. The way a person presents themselves is often to fulfil a role laid out before them, often as a result of others as well as the media. To examine, even dismantle these expectations. Riethmuller has, in the past, created workshops designed to emphasise self-reflection; in a way, she uses her media of art to go against the grain of mainstream media. Her latest exhibition, More Or Less Human, gives participants an opportunity to examine the way we engage with our bodies as well as a chance to further connect with our own selves more than we might normally. Participate, or observe and reflect, Riethmuller will help you bring to the fore inner peace to help find peace as you travel through life.
Hey! You! You're a Brisbane writer, aren't you? Or do you just really, really love books? In any case, our city's flagship writing event needs to be written into your diary/notebook or onto your hand stat. The Brisbane Writers Festival has been drawing audiences since most of us were learning to write. The whole event's cause is to celebrate Queensland's great scribes, educate aspiring writers and please the readers, all at the same time. There's a hell of a lot of events on the exhaustive program, so you should check it out and get in ASAP to ensure you get the pen...ultimate seat. I recommend you catch one of Brisbane's best imports (from Iceland, no less), Kari Gislason, comedian Corinne Grant as she talks about odd people, and hilarious children's author Andy Griffith (The Day My Bum Went Psycho, anyone?). Also visiting our fair town is comedian Wendy Harmer, former Triple J presenter and all-round lovely lady, Marieke Hardy and the man made of forty-eight shades of brown, Nick Earls. Writers under pressure are, at present, tense, so take a break and make sure the Brisbane Writers Festival punctuates your week.
On screen, she followed the yellow brick road. Off screen, her life was littered with tragedy. Judy Garland's story is one filled with as many highs as lows, and littered with both darkness and rainbows — and now she's going to tell it. Well, Bernadette Meenach is, in the guise of Ms Garland. In Judy Strikes Back, the deceased performer has written her memoirs in the afterlife, and wants to share them with the masses. So begins a show that breathes new life into the Garland legend. Nothing is off limits, as she comes clean about those nasty rumours and Hollywood hallucinations, and spills the beans on everything from making The Wizard of Oz to mothering Liza Minnelli — we hope. Reuniting with her musical director Mort Lindsey means that she'll be belting out many a tune, too. Expect a few favourite songs, as well as some new numbers she’s been working on from beyond the grave, in this all-singing, all-dancing comic tribute. Image by Dylan Evans Photography.
As far as boozy beverages go, nothing beats the espresso martini. It gives you a buzz, it's a crowd-pleaser and most venues have one on their menu. In fact, they're so beloved, Brisbane is getting a whole new festival dedicated to them. A separate event from Melbourne and Sydney's own fests, the Espresso Martini Festival will take over Fish Lane between 6pm and 10pm on Tuesday, August 15. In a stroke of savvy planning, that's the night before the Ekka public holiday, meaning that you can get your caffeinated cocktail fix without worrying about the alarm going off the next morning. Of course, there's no prizes for guessing what's on offer — but don't just expect the usual 'tinis combos of coffee and alcohol. With the team from Brooklyn Standard on drinks duty, they'll be whipping up at least five different varieties. Tequila, whisky and vodka will feature, plus some other spirited surprises. If that sounds like enough to make you bounce off of South Brisbane's walls, then that's the point; however crispy chicken ribs, pork belly bao, grilled pork meatballs and chicken coconut salad slaw from Fish Lane Vietnamese eatery Hello Please will help bring you back to street level. Tickets cost $35, and include a free espresso martini and a selection of food on entry — and a lack of sleep that night, obviously. UPDATE 25 JULY 2017: Brisbane, you love an espresso martini — so much so that the first day of the Espresso Martini Festival has already sold out. So the organisers have added a second day on Wednesday, August 16. It's the Ekka public holiday, so it will run from 1–5pm. Brisbane's Espresso Martini Festival takes place from 6–10pm on August 15 and 1–5pm on August 16 at Fish Lane, South Brisbane. Head to the event website for further details and tickets. Image: Steven Woodburn.
An immensely popular part of Brisbane Powerhouse, Bar Alto has long been a riverside go-to — somewhere to head if you're hungry, thirsty and want to soak in a watery view regardless of whether you're about to see a show or not. And, post COVID-19 lockdowns, it's back in business. Yes, that means that all of the above is on the menu once again. Also on offer: $10 pizzas. Tuck into Bar Alto's margherita with fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil, or opt for the potato, pear, rosemary and taleggio — with other pizzas featuring Italian sausage with fior di latte, pepperoni, and zucchini flowers and macadamias, the list goes on. If you're looking for a tasty way to wrap up your working week or while away a weekend afternoon (and who isn't always looking for pizza?), the $10 special is available from 2.30–5pm Friday–Sunday until Sunday, August 30. And, in case you're worried about the river breeze during these colder months, you can also scope out a seat by the external heaters on the deck. [caption id="attachment_777388" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bar Alto[/caption] Bar Alto's $10 pizzas are available from 2.30–5pm Friday–Sunday until Sunday, August 30.
Gaze upward, unblinking, for a nerve-rending, mind-blowing display of unprecedented proportions as the skies above the Brisbane River glow, pulsate and shudder with bangs, whistles and crackles in a marvel of noise and colour, fuelled by black powder. Bringing an end to the Brisbane Festival, the Sunsuper Riverfire will be an extravagant finale to an already extravagant three weeks. With a sound track of pumping live music and wonders of militaristic genius from ARH Tigers and Black Hawk helicopters to Super Hornets demonstrating the power of technology, this Riverfire is set to be the biggest yet. With the spectacles of the Golden Casket Light Sphere providing beauty to go with the calculated chaos, the event will steal your breath and make your heart skip a beat; a truly phenomenal affair. Festivities kick off at 12 noon, make sure you get a good spot to catch all the amazing attractions!
There's no doubting who Bob Marley: One Love is about, but the Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard)-directed biopic also brings two other big-screen portraits of music superstars to mind. There's always a dance through a legend's history flickering somewhere, or close to it, with the initial dramatised look at the reggae icon arriving after Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis both proved major hits in recent years. Where the first, which focused on Freddie Mercury, had Live Aid, Bob Marley: One Love has the One Love Peace Concert. Both are gigs to build a movie around, and both features have done just that. Baz Luhrmann's portrait of the king of rock 'n' roll wanted its audience to understand what it was like to watch its namesake, be in his presence and feel entranced by every hip thrust — and, obviously without the gyrating pelvis, Bob Marley: One Love also opts for that approach. Enter Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley, in a vital piece of casting. Although it may not earn him an Oscar as Bohemian Rhapsody did Rami Malek (Oppenheimer), or even a nomination as Elvis scored for Austin Butler (Masters of the Air), the British actor turns in a phenomenal performance. He's worlds away from being a Ken in Barbie. He isn't in wholly new territory seeing that he played Malcolm X in One Night in Miami and Barack Obama in TV series The Comey Rule. He's also magnetic and mesmerising — and, in the process, expresses how and why Marley was magnetic and mesmerising. Ben-Adir's vocals are blended with Marley's. Accordingly, you're largely listening to the singer himself. But there's a presence about Ben-Adir in the part, perfecting Jamaican patois, getting kinetic and uninhibited in his movement while he's behind the microphone, radiating charisma, but also conveying purpose and self-possession. It's a portrayal that's as entrancing and alive as the music that's always echoing alongside it; with Marley's discography, that's saying something. Ben-Adir shares the part with Quan-Dajai Henriques, the acting debutant who gives the movie its younger version of Marley. That comes via sporadic flashbacks, which means that Lashana Lynch (The Marvels) also shares her role as Bob's wife and backup singer Rita with Nia Ashi (another feature first-timer) as the teen version. Green and his co-scribes Terence Winter (an Academy Award-nominee for The Wolf of Wall Street), Frank E Flowers (LeBron James biopic Shooting Stars) and Zach Baylin (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story, and returning from King Richard) ground their picture in the elder Marley's life, though — not that, because he died at the age of 36, he could ever truly be deemed elder. The bulk of the feature is set between 1976–78, and between two Kingston concerts. Both were designed to help address Jamaica's political unrest, with two parties clashing and the impact of British colonialism still felt. Not only that peace and freedom were instrumental in Marley's message, but why, is a core element of the film. "Do you believe music can end the violence?" Marley is asked in Bob Marley: One Love's opening, where he's fronting the press days out from 1976's Smile Jamaica show. Green signals one of the movie's fundamental musings at the outset, then, as well as his intent to unpack how his subject aimed to counter not just political but human turmoil through his music and Rastafarian beliefs (his initial embrace of the religion, as well as his early courtship with Rita, fuels most of the film's jumps backwards). Marley is also queried about whether he harbours any fears about putting on the gig. He says no and soon demonstrates it, after an attempt is made on his life at his home studio two days out from the concert. Rita was among the victims shot, and survived. The show goes on, then Marley goes into exile in London, while Rita takes the kids to the US. To get to Bob Marley: One Love's second big Jamaican performance involves charting the defining aspect of Marley's career during that period: 1977 album Exodus. Recorded in the UK, and home to not just its own titular track but the flick's (and also 'Jamming', 'Turn Your Lights Down Low' and 'Three Little Birds'), it's as influential as albums get — and, again, unfurling the trains of thought driving it is one of the feature's motivations. There's few surprises in how Green brings this to the screen, complete with recording sessions, producer Chris Blackwell's (James Norton, Happy Valley) fingerprints and montages of the finished product flying off shelves, plus the rapturous response as it's toured. That there's several established templates in giving a star's story the filmic treatment reverberates through Bob Marley: One Love, in fact, even as it avoids the dutiful birth-to-death timeline. But the movie always has Ben-Adir imparting energy and vibrancy, and Lynch as well — and a determination to make this Rita's tale, stepping into the complications in their marriage, as well as Bob's. Notably unrelated to One Love: The Bob Marley Musical, the stage production about the legend — even if it uses plenty of the same Bob Marley and The Wailers songs, such as 'Get Up, Stand Up', 'War', 'Redemption Song', 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Is This Love' and 'I Shot the Sheriff' — Bob Marley: One Love unavoidably hits familiar beats. Enlivening those predictable moves are its tunes, compelling story and powerhouse central performances. This is a deeply respectful effort: Rita is among the producers, alongside her and Bob's children Ziggy and Cedella; Stephen, their third-born, is the music supervisor. Love was always going to shine through. The tunes were always going to resound with power and affection. The tale itself was always certain to prove inherently absorbing. Its casting couldn't be more important, however. After a lengthy search to find its Bob, Ben-Adir is a force of warmth, calm and potency — gifting the picture the kind of portrayal that it couldn't live without — while Lynch is formidably fierce as Rita. For a movie about someone so revolutionary, Bob Marley: One Love mightn't earn that description itself, but it does deliver the tribute it's striving for, celebrate Marley's message as much as his music and contextualise one helluva record. Indeed, where Bohemian Rhapsody was the silver-screen equivalent of a greatest-hits album and Elvis took its cues from concert spectaculars, Bob Marley: One Love is a jam-session type of flick. When it briefly recreates live shows, it does so with verve, as aided by cinematographer Robert Elswit (also back from King Richard). And yet, while Smile Jamaica and the One Love Peace Concert are pivotal — including structurally to the narrative — they aren't the primary way that the film lets its audience experience Marley's impact. When Bob Marley: One Love dives into Bob's creativity and just enjoys being in the moment with its take on the singer, it cuts deeper; no one is merely jamming in making this movie, but it hopes its viewers like jamming with Marley, too.
Ever wondered exactly what goes into training a guide dog? Love the idea of cute pooches helping people? Eager to spend as much time surrounded by four-legged cuties as possible? You can tick all of the above boxes at the Guide Dogs Queensland Open Day — and, given that the organisation doesn't let people peek behind the scenes often, you'll be getting a glimpse at something extra special. From 10am on Saturday, September 10 at Bald Hills, Brisbanites can see where the magic happens — where adorable pups grow into life-changing companions for people who are blind or have low vision, that is. You'll meet dogs of all ages and watch training demonstrations, and also get guided through sensory experiences with the vision team. Winning prizes is up for grabs as well, and so is nabbing a bite. For kids, there'll also be a play zone. Tickets cost $10 for adults. The joy of being swarmed by so many puppers who'll go on to do so much good — well, you can't put a price on that. Top image: Guide Dogs Queensland.
The silver-screen experience is always worth celebrating. A darkened haven dedicated to watching movie magic? Films projected big enough to span entire walls? Ideally no phones or other distractions? No matter how many times you've seen a flick in a picture palace, it's pure bliss. And, like everything, there's a day to mark it: National Cinema Day. In 2024, make that two days at Reading Cinemas, with the chain expanding the celebrations across an entire weekend. Of course, every single day is a great day to hit up your favourite theatre, but Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 come with a bonus at Reading sites across Australia: $5 tickets. That's all you'll pay for a standard session all day for two days only. Fancy a premium, Titan Luxe or Titan XC movie instead? That'll only set you back $10. Keen for the chain's Gold Lounge and SoHo Lounge theatres instead? That's $15. Reading operates six cinemas across Queensland, including Newmarket, Jindalee and the Angelika Film Centre in Woolloongabba, if you're wondering where to go to see a cheap flick. And your viewing options? They vary per cinema, but include Deadpool & Wolverine, It Ends with Us, Alien: Romulus and Blink Twice. Two caveats: the deals aren't available for event screenings, and there's still a booking fee if you're getting your tickets online.
Scotch and Sean Connery; the perfect pair. In theory they exist as separate beings, but together they are the kind of coupling that inspires relationships everywhere to be shaken, not stirred. Personally I've never had scotch before, nor can I recall a Sean Connery movie besides James Bond. However, just the name of this event has inspired me to mix up my Wednesday night plans, as if Mr Bond were whispering instructions in my ear. In order to accommodate for all the classy grown ups who prefer eating dinner before hitting the bar, Festival of the Scotch Night begins at an easy (if not oddly timed) 8.05pm with several artists performing acoustically: Matthew Colin, Jonathan Steedman, Dana Hock, Dom Miller, and Ned Guggenheim. The whole night is arranged around Sean’s preferences, so don’t even think about ordering something besides scotch or you mightn't be allowed to take home a signed picture. No promises, though. Just enjoy the scotch and relax, you silver fox, you.
Does this time of year make you want a constant party at your disposal? Are you of the belief that Christmas could only be improved by its own festival? Do you dream of playing house and electro tunes to Santa as he comes down your chimney? If so, Electric Playground has the event for you. Imagine this; Christmas Eve in Fortitude Valley, you’re surrounded by all of your closest bros and gals listening to the amazing beats of the 2011 festival year; fist pumping and enjoying a few festive drinks. Normally the end of a night out results in everyone parting ways to go home and sleep it off, but not this time! When the clock turns midnight, things can only look up – you’re going home to presents and feasts of food. Spinning the tracks this Saturday will be Electric Playground’s newest residents Mystro, Jovito and The Chad. All known for their ability to keep a party alive until the early hours, you’re in safe hands to enjoy a night out. If this sounds like a Christmas miracle to you, you better not shout, you better not cry… because Santa Claus is coming to town.
Video killed the radio star? Think again. Ira Glass is a name that resonates with anyone and everyone in the media industry, and with good reason. As the original inventor of the award winning public radio show ‘This American Life’, he’s more alive than ever and in town for the first time, keen to discuss all the little components that have made up his enormous creative career. After beginning his working life at the ripe age of 19, he launched this particular show in 1995 and has stayed with it for the long haul. The show has also lasted the distance, which is not something a lot of media professionals can say about their work. It’s won several Peabody and DuPont-Columbia awards, is broadcasted weekly to an audience of over 1.7 million and has been developed into a television show (which has won numerous awards). Plus it has its own comic book! Hosted by the Brisbane Powerhouse, Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass is something that anyone who engages with or is hoping to have a career in the media can draw immense knowledge from. The evening includes a discussion and examples of where he and his staff find their new stories and how they develop them into award winning journalism. His work has been described as “the vanguard of a journalistic revolution" and it is seriously something not to be missed.
A fixture in the historic mining town for over a century, the Broken Hill Musicians Club will play host to Adelaide's finest tribute act for one night only. The Flaming Sambucas have been playing around Australia — and the world — since 1991 and have a range of setlists up their sleeves, from Elton John to Lady Gaga. For this show, they'll be busting out the hits you know and love from everybody's favourite Swedish supergroup. There'll be 'Dancing Queen', there'll be wigs, there'll be costumes and — consider yourself forewarned — there will certainly be audience participation. Expect this slice of NSW outback to transform into a riot of sing-alongs and glittering disco balls. Best of all, the gig's free — you've just go to get there. For the latest info on NSW border restrictions, head here. If travelling from Queensland or Victoria, check out Queensland Health and DHHS websites, respectively.
He's hung out in Nevada brothels, suburban swingers' clubs and high-security gaols in Miami. Does Louis Theroux have what it takes to survive Q and As across Australia? We'll find out when the fearless filmmaker, journo and social commentator heads our way this September for a national speaking tour. In his first visit to the Great Southern Land, Theroux will be joining ABC's Julia Zemiro for big chats in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. You'll be hearing all about how he's survived dens of iniquity all over the planet without losing his sanity or moral sense. He'll also be reminiscing about time spent with a nasty neo-Nazi gang in the United States and recounting his brief stint as a rap god on New Orleans radio. "For me, making my programs is quite a private process," Theroux said. "They are about forging a human connection with people whose lives are at the outermost edge of what we as people experience: the most forbidden impulses, the most frightening lifestyles, the most traumatic turns of events. To get inside the lives of those people — criminals, sex workers, people with mental illness, ultra-committed religious believers — is a kind of high-wire act." Theroux is looking forward to sharing the ins and outs of the filmmaking process with his listeners, while telling all the bizarre stories that didn't make the cuts. In between talking, he'll be screening footage from Weird Weekends, his famous series of one-off investigations and encounters with various celebrities and power brokers. When he and Zemiro are done, you'll have loads of time to ask questions of your own. "In his documentaries, Louis Theroux finds the extraordinary in the ordinary," says Zemiro. "Through patience, stillness and rigour, he reveals so much about human nature. I'm delighted to be hosting this tour and intend to pick up as many tips as possible in the art of interviewing." Image: Carsen Windhorst.
Before it busts out licking lucky cats, K-pop-style Cardi B covers, cocaine enemas, threesome injuries and intimate tattoos, Joy Ride begins with a punch. For most of the movie, Audrey Sullivan (Ashley Park, Beef) and Lolo Chen (Sherry Cola, Good Trouble) are nearing 30, travelling in China and going on a wild journey in a gleefully raucous comedy. In the 1998-set prologue in White Falls, Washington, though, they're five-year-olds (debutants Lennon Yee and Milana Wan) first meeting, being taunted by a racist playground bully and responding with the outgoing Lolo's fist. Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon screenwriter Adele Lim uses her directorial debut's opening scene not just to start a fast and firm friendship, but to establish the film's tone, sense of humour and, crucially, its willingness to fight. Joy Ride will ultimately get sentimental; however, this is a movie that beats up cultural prejudices and stereotypes by letting its four main female and non-binary Asian American characters grapple with them while being complicated and chaotic. Hollywood should be well past representation being such a noteworthy factor. That should've happened long before Bridesmaids and Bachelorette gave The Hangover's template a ladies-led spin more than a decade ago, and prior to Girls Trip spending time four Black women on a raucous weekend away six years back. Reality proves otherwise, sadly, so Joy Ride openly addresses the discrimination and pigeonholing slung Audrey, Lolo, and their pals Kat (Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-nominee Stephanie Hsu) and Deadeye's (comedian and movie first-timer Sabrina Wu) ways — and in Audrey's case, after being adopted as a baby by the white Sullivans (The Recruit's David Denman and Bridesmaids' co-writer Annie Mumolo), internalised. With its booze- and sex-fuelled antics, Lim's film could've simply been formulaically entertaining, just with Asian American characters in Asia. It certainly doesn't hold back with its raunchy setpieces. But it's a better and more thoughtful feature because it engages with the diasporic experience; "I'm just a garbage American who only speaks English," Audrey chides herself, which the picture she's in unpacks. The full Joy Ride equation, then, also treads in The Farewell and Everything Everywhere All At Once's impressive and rightly acclaimed footsteps. Tellingly, Lim and her co-screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, both of whom boast Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens on their resumes, originally had Joy Fuck Club as their film's working title. Also revealing: that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's production company Point Grey Pictures is behind the movie, after previously giving cinemas flicks like Bad Neighbours and its sequel, This Is the End, The Night Before, Sausage Party, Blockers, Long Shot and Good Boys. Getting culturally specific; dismantling Asian cliches; examining identity, belonging and displacement; being hilariously bawdy: Joy Ride always feels like the sum of these easily spotted parts, but it also always feels genuine. As children, Audrey and Lolo are thrust together due to their shared heritage — "are you Chinese?," the Sullivans ask the Chens (The Midnight Club's Kenneth Liu and Platonic's Debbie Fan) in that introductory sequence, which inspires a shared glance that says everything — but they're a chalk-and-cheese pair personality-wise. Before the young Lolo smacks their tormentor, Audrey is cowering. As adults, Lolo makes sex-positive art riffing on Chinese culture that hasn't yet brought her success, while Audrey is a fast-rising lawyer eyeing a promotion at a firm filled with white men (such as Don't Worry Darling's Timothy Simons). Lolo lives in Audrey's garage, is steeped in her culture and content being herself. Audrey names Mumford & Sons and The National as her favourite bands, and can list Succession characters instantly. As they head to China so that Audrey can close a big deal, with Lolo along for the ride as her personal translator, the latter is excited about seeing family, while the former is guilty of making wary assumptions about what the trip will be like. When Lolo's K-pop-obsessed cousin Deadeye joins them at the airport, it's the first surprise that's thrown Audrey's way. The bickering between Lolo and Kat, Audrey's college roommate-turned- Chinese soap-opera star, over who's truly her BFF — that she easily foresees. This wouldn't be a wild getaway comedy if there weren't more bolts out of the blue coming at Audrey, of course, kicking off with a drink-heavy night trying to get her client Chao (Ronny Chieng, M3GAN) to sign, which leads to a cross-country quest to find her birth mother. Drugs, sex, vomit, a faux band, 'WAP', a distracted basketball team, vagina-view camerawork: that all follows. So does a fateful train ride that's utter pandemonium in a completely different way to Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, and Kat trying to hide her between-the-sheets past from her very Christian fiancé (Desmond Chiam, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). Lim weaves Audrey's journey of acceptance and discovery, embracing her background and realising the eager-to-please and assimilate part that she's unwittingly played since childhood, throughout a zippy and brightly shot madcap romp of a movie. And, she largely finds the right balance — including as Lolo refuses to be anyone but herself; the blunt, introverted but caring Deadeye yearns to be liked for being themself; and Kat struggles with knowing how to be true to her real self beyond the demure, polite and dutiful front that she's been putting on professionally and personally. Along the way, Joy Ride revels in a candy-coloured dance number, lets Asian men be ripped and lusted after, and, yes, gets mawkish when it comes time to tie everything up neatly. Sometimes it's sidesplittingly funny, sometimes it's only eagerly trying to be, but it's aptly never happy slipping into one easy category. At their best when Joy Ride is either at its most manic and outrageous, or its weightiest and intelligent, Park, Cola, Hsu and Wu are a dream cast. If the film wants to stick to The Hangover setup by sparking sequels, teaming its core quartet up again and again would be keenly welcomed after this first go-around. Park has the trickiest and straightest role, Cola the brassiest, Hsu the lewdest and Wu the most awkward — and each nails the task while giving the film a fleshed-out, multi-faceted, smart, striving, relatably imperfect crew, and actively dispelling the idea that to be Asian American is to be a monoculture. Indeed, their energy and authenticity, and Lim's behind the lens, sometimes eclipses Joy Ride's jokes — and that couldn't be a better problem to have.
The Brisbane Fringe festival emerged in 2012 with support of a few community groups, united in pursuit of tearing down red tape in aid of Brisbane’s homegrown creative brood. Now, with 24 months of fine-tuning under their belt, festival organisers have proved themselves sharper and more streamlined than ever, with an extensive selection of collaborative work, ideas and entertainment under their 2014 banner. From circus, comedy and cabaret, to underground bands and eccentric plays, this year’s Fringe festival is running absolutely wild with acts. You can catch performers and personalities artists well-versed in their craft, or exercise some schadenfreude at the events of awkward first timers– everyone has to start somewhere after all. To kick off your Fringe experience head to the launch party at Zoo, get down with Babushka, Arandel and DJ Gaitling Gun - it'll be the best place to suss out your two weeks ahead. If Fringe is meant to encapsulate anything it’s comedy, and chuckles tend to be the epicentre of most events and showcases. The comedy performances of this year span as much in quality as they do in generations – Trashtalk will be presenting the young up and comers Tom Watkin, Sean Maccarthy and Tom Glassey at Visible Ink. They’re still in high school, but have already made their mark on the Queensland comedy circuit, daring to get away with whatever they can because at 17 anything goes. If you want something a bit more mature check out what The Bearded Lady, Lucky Duck Cafe and New Globe Theatre have on the bill. Last year’s music line-up for Fringe was flawless – between the Growl and Karl S. Williams organisers went and did real good. And this year’s selection of bee-boppers and rockers are just as dancefriendly. Josh Daveta’s Caramel at Best is an onstage, musical biopic that explores his battle as bi-racial human through a catalogue of pop, musical theatre, and even some Disney tunes. You can catch him at the New Globe Theatre on August 5. If you’re after something a little more sweet and dreamy, bounce up the Blackbear Lodge staircase to see Hana Rosa. The whole nature is of a Fringe Festival is to showcase a spectrum of art, catering to audiences who wouldn’t usually embrace harsh sunlight and don’t have to thanks to the night time events. So if you don’t like dance, music, or comedy, and like trickling Darwinism into everyday conversation and have a Sagan tattoo, Avid Readers’s Art of Science is your Fringe event. Top-notch researchers Sarah Winter, Miriam Taylor, Cindy Nicollet, events co-ordinator Madeleine Radke, and artist and curator Melody Woodnutt will be providing a set of engaging talks that fuse elements of science at art. Brisbane Fringe Festival runs from August 14 to 21 – make yourself familiar with the program, and take a chance with your event picks. You never know, he who performs in Brisbane one year, might just be at Edinburgh the next.
Have you seen your wardrobe/floordrobe lately? Do you have any idea how many potential outfits you are carelessly throwing away or are using as pajamas? Scoop up your old clothes and let Kelly Doust turn those no-hopers into show-stoppers. For anyone who's ever watched any of the morning shows (hey, we all do it, we just don’t talk about it), will know of Kelly Doust's amazing ability to wave her magic wand and transform daggy outfits into one-of-a-kind pieces, as well as simultaneously being the resident crafts person. There are many duds on these programs, but Kelly ain’t. She is even endorsed by Dita Von Teese and has been published in Vogue, which is nothing to sniff at. Anyone who loves arts and crafts, being creative, or simply learning how to style themselves will cherish the opportunity to meet the self-dubbed Crafty Minx in all her glory. The Crafty Minx is will be at Avid Reader this Friday and encourages you to bring along a piece of clothing that you can't bear to give away so that she can breathe new life into it. Think of her as the Dress Doctor and make sure your dress gets the care it deserves!
Loving Christmas is easy, especially when Brisbane delivers plenty of ways each year to get into the festive spirit. But here's the secret about Christmas markets: even if you're not usually a fan of the season and all the trimmings, who doesn't adore an excuse to spend an evening browsing, buying, eating and drinking, all under glittering lights? The West End Christmas Twilight Market is one such place to do all of the above in 2023, taking place from 4–10pm on Friday, December 1. Once quittin' time comes for the week, make a beeline to the West End Markets' usual spot in Davies Park and prepare to get jolly — or to make the most of another night market, no matter your feelings on the theme. A familiar festive spread will be on offer, which involves a heap of stalls — 180-plus, in fact — to shop for artisanal gifts, Christmas decorations all over the place, live entertainment and Mariah getting a spin on the stereo. Kids can also get the obligatory snap with Santa. And, the food and drink menu will go all in on Christmas fare. Try saying "bah, humbug!" to that.
If you've got it, flaunt it — and Claire Marshall certainly has it. The legendary Brisbane-based choreographer has showcased her smooth moves on the stage and screen for over a decade now. She's worked on sold-out productions, countless tours, and music videos for the likes of Darren Hayes, Kate Miller-Heidke, Megan Washington, Little Birdie, The Sleepy Jackson, John Butler Trio, Savage Garden and George Michael. Her latest show, Flaunt, explores female sexuality, representation and empowerment through a dazzling display of dance. Presented in the round with performers on perspex above the audience, Flaunt combines the smoky haze, glittering lights, myriad mirrors and thrilling soundtrack of a nightclub with contemporary, bold and gutsy dance. Flaunt is the second show supported by Brisbane Powerhouse's inaugural SWEET creative development program for independent performance-makers and companies. He Dreamed a Train played to much acclaim in October, and the debut season of De Profundis is scheduled for April 2015.
Every year, Brisbane plays host to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, which hands out gongs to the year's best films from around the region. One of the categories that it recognises is animated features, focusing specifically on movies from the 70 countries and areas within its chosen remit — and yes, that means there's plenty of gems. In 2019, four films have scored nominations in the animated feature field. While the winner won't be announced until the ceremony on Thursday, November 21, APSAs is teaming up with the Gallery of Modern Art's Australian Cinematheque to screen the four nominees over the weekend of Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17. Even better — they're all playing for free. So, if you'd like to spend two afternoons feasting your eyes on animated delights, you can do just that without spending a cent. On Saturday, colourful and adorable coming-of-age Japanese film Penguin Highway is up first, followed by South Korea's canine-focused Underdog. Then, head back on Sunday for New Zealand's Mosley, which features the voices of NZ legends Temuera Morrison and Lucy Lawless. Finally, the four-film program comes to an end with huge Japanese hit Weathering With You, the gorgeous and charming latest flick from Your Name director Makoto Shinkai. Films screen at 12pm and 2.30pm on both days. Each feature is also paired with an animated short that picked up a prize at the 2018 SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival, so you'll be getting a double dose with every session.
Every city has that one suburb that is filled with heaps of great cafes, an arts scene and beautiful scenery — and in Cairns, it's Edge Hill. Perched at the base of Mount Whitfield Conservation Park, this leafy suburb is filled with excellent eats, visual treats and summit peaks for you tackle. We suggest easing into your morning with a Vinyasa class at Wild Heart Yoga followed by a breakfast board at Noa. Once you're fuelled for the day, explore the art gallery at the much-loved Tanks Art Centre situated within the bright green Cairns Botanic Gardens. If you're feeling energetic, you could then take on the steep Red Arrow incline up Mount Whitfeld, or keep your heart rate at a lower level via a guided walking tour through the gardens below. Image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Artificial intelligence in video games has come a long way in the last few years. Rare now are the days of mindless drones walking pre-determined paths, completely oblivious to the death and destruction around them. In an industry where a single release can pull half a billion dollars in just one day, developers have adapted to an increasingly sophisticated market and pushed AI to a point capable of rivalling the human one. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for action movies, where nameless henchmen continue to run witlessly into hails of bullets like hapless Civil War foot soldiers or extras in Commando. The latest example of this is John Wick, a 'revenge porn' flick starring Keanu Reeves and directed by his former stuntman, Chad Stahelski. Reeves plays Wick, a retired hit man whose wife has just passed away from a terminal illness. On the day of her funeral he receives a pre-ordered puppy from her to ensure he doesn't mourn alone, but during a home invasion the puppy is killed and his beloved car is stolen. In response, Wick unleashes a vengeance-fuelled rampage on New York's Russian mobsters, ratcheting up a body count to rival ebola. It's basically Taken, but with Liam Neeson's daughter played by a foot-long beagle. Is it a dumb premise? Absolutely, but it's also terrifically fun, and let's face it, there have been far worse reasons given for cinematic rampages ("They're going to take you...again"). Stylistically, the action sequences are impressive and exhilarating. Kitted out in bespoke suits, Reeves combines martial arts with gunplay (or 'gun-fu') to despatch his enemies and secure what has to be the record for the most number of consecutive head shots. Stahelski's background in stunts clearly informs his direction, with a greater degree of physicality to the fight scenes coupled with lingering shots that hold longer in the same moment than your average film. The big problem with John Wick, though, is the HS — or 'Henchman Stupidity'. In each of the action sequences, the goons demonstrate a bewildering lack of survival instinct, immediately forfeiting their Darwinian credentials and robbing the scenes of any credibility. The defence raised here is that John Wick is a classic B-movie, but that's too convenient. Yes, it has a lower budget than many of its counterparts, but with a cast that also includes Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Alfie Allen, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki and Bridget Moynahan, it's hard not to think the movie pitched for another capital B: 'Blockbuster'. So no, this isn't the thinking person's action film, but an action film it definitely is. As always, Reeves is a delight to watch in full-borne badass mode. He quips and kicks and does it all with an impossible level of cool. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2AUmvWm5ZDQ
What do you do when a global pandemic cancels Melbourne's annual film festival? If you're the folks at MIFF, you move the show online. Like Sydney Film Festival, this year's Melbourne International Film Festival is going virtual. So if you usually spend most of August watching new movies from around the world, you can still look forward to doing just that. Running at the same time the physical festival would've — so, between Thursday, August 6–Sunday, August 23 — this socially distant fest has been dubbed MIFF 68 1/2. 2020 should mark the event's 69th year, but it's keeping that label for next year's in-person fest. Still, cinephiles across Australia will still be able to get a MIFF experience, complete with a ticketed program. On the bill: new flicks, fresh discoveries from emerging filmmakers, and a range of Australian, international, documentary and animation shorts. MIFF's regular Shorts Awards will also be given out. The lineup won't be announced until July 14 (again, MIFF is sticking to its usual timetable), so you'll have to wait to see what you'll be feasting your eyes on — although, given film fests have been cancelled around the world since mid-March, you can probably expect to see a healthy selection of titles from earlier festivals that did still take place, such as Sundance and Berlinale. MIFF 68 1/2 is being made possible thanks to the most significant philanthropic gift the festival has ever received from a private donor, all to ensure the fest still goes on this year — and it'll use streaming platform Shift 72 to screen its program. [caption id="attachment_769569" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Zan Wimberley.[/caption] The full program launch and ticket sales for MIFF 68 1/2 begin on July 14. Top image: Tony Zara / Dean Walliss.
Home may mean different things to different people but, in Monsoon, Vietnam doesn't mean home to Kit (Henry Golding). He was born there, in the aftermath of the war. He spent his earliest years in the Asian nation, with his parents caught up in the aftermath of the conflict. But when he was still a child, his family left for a refugee camp in Hong Kong and then moved permanently to London. Now, as an adult who has lived the bulk of his existence far away, he returns for the first time to bring back his mother's and father's ashes. He's instantly thrown off balance upon his arrival, whether he's driving through moped-filled streets or walking around crowded markets. Little of what he remembers is the same — his old house and his neighbourhood stomping grounds, particularly — and he doesn't recall as much as his childhood best friend Lee (David Tran), who stayed behind, would clearly like. Of what he does recollect, some crucial details clash with Lee's versions, too. As Kit roves around Saigon and then Hanoi — his place of birth and his parents' original home, respectively — he's searching for a connection. He'll make one, but not in the way he expects. Monsoon tells a noticeably slight tale, but Cambodian-born Chinese British writer/director Hong Khaou (Lilting) is keenly and overwhelmingly aware that a sense of belonging doesn't simply come with one's birth certificate. Kit wants to feel like he's where he's supposed to be. He wants to appreciate his homeland, and its significance to his mum and dad, as effortlessly as he appreciates his online dates. But it takes time, immersion and a true willingness to feel an affinity to the place he's supposed to call home. It takes falling in love with one of those online dates, American ex-pat Lewis (Parker Sawyers), too, and hearing about the object of his affection's complicated relationship with Vietnam as the son of a soldier who fought for the US during the war. Khaou is a minimalistic filmmaker, in a sense. He delves into straightforward scenarios, and knows that he needn't layer them with too many external complicating factors. In other words, he's cognisant that merely examining how a person copes — even in a very commonplace situation — can deliver several lifetimes worth of complexity without a wealth of other narrative roadblocks or setbacks. Here, that means tagging along as Kit flits around Saigon, sorts through his awkward baggage with Lee, and makes a pilgrimage to Hanoi in search of the perfect resting place for his parents. It also means watching as he befriends local art curator Linh (Molly Harris) and follows her home to join her relatives as they make lotus tea, and soaking in the neon-lit bar hues and misty seaside cafe views on Kit's dates with Lewis. Monsoon revels in these moments, and in what they reveal about its protagonist, all while showing how Kit himself recognises that he's changing and connecting with each experience and realisation. As a result, both Khaou and Monsoon ask a significant amount of Golding — more than his previous charisma-driven roles in Crazy Rich Asians, A Simple Favour and Last Christmas have combined. Viewers of those three films already know that he can radiate charm like few other actors currently appearing on-screen. Indeed, because he served up such a magnetic presence in that trio of flicks, it's easy to forget that he only has seven movies to his name to-date (six of which hail from the past three years, in fact). But Monsoon requires Golding's soulful best; at every moment, he's tasked with conveying the potent thoughts and jumbled emotions swelling inside Kit, and with doing so largely without dialogue. It's a quietly powerful performance, and it's one that the movie steadfastly needs. Actually, it's one that Monsoon depends upon. All of the film's key players are superb — including second-time actor Tran (Farewell, Berlin Wall), the also charismatic Sawyers (who played a young Barack Obama in Southside with You) and Harris (Artemis Fowl) as the pragmatic Linh — but Golding is its emotionally saturating core. While it might be light on talk, making its chatter count whenever it flows either freely or nervously, Monsoon is big on atmosphere. Alongside Khaou's delicately pared-back approach and Golding's tenderly gripping performance, that's one of the film's strongest assets. Even if you've never roamed far beyond the spot where you entered this world, everyone can relate to feeling like an outsider somewhere where they think they shouldn't — and Monsoon nails and expresses that sensation again and again. That's how Khaou and cinematographer Benjamin Kracun (Beats) approach the movie in their naturalistic visuals, too. Whether staring down at the daily hustle and bustle, or dwarfing Golding via his surroundings, it views Vietnam as someone might view a childhood memory that's slipping from their mind. Accordingly, Monsoon feels comfortable and intimate and eye-opening and new all at once, like it's seeing a familiar sight properly for the first time. Of course, that's Kit's journey, as it is for anyone embarking upon a homecoming that feels foreign — and it proves immensely affecting viewing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETK0fOKwJNQ
Whether it's via a post or tweet or message, in a comment or status update, thanks to a Notes app screenshot or in an email, mean words aren't hard to share two decades into the 21st century. Click a few buttons, slide your finger across a touchscreen, then vitriol can be directed virtually instantaneously worldwide. Countless people — too many, all sticklers for unpleasantness — do just that. Such behaviour has almost become a reflex. A century ago, however, spewing nastiness by text required far more effort. Someone had to put ink to paper, commit their hatred to physical form in their own handwriting, tuck it into an envelope, pay for postage, then await the mail service to deliver their malice. Wicked Little Letters isn't an ode to that dedication, but there's no avoiding that sending offensive missives in its 1920s setting was a concerted, determined act — and also that no one could claim just seconds later that they were hacked. Times change, and technology with it, but people don't: that's another way of looking at this British dramedy, which is indeed based on a true tale. Director Thea Sharrock (The One and Only Ivan) and screenwriter Jonny Sweet (Gap Year) know that there's a quaintness about the chapter of history that they're bringing to the screen, but not to the attitudes behind the incident. In Sussex by the sea on the English Channel, spiteful dispatches scandalised a town, with the situation dubbed "the Littlehampton libels". Today, much worse than the swearing and insults initially sent to Edith Swan, then to other villagers as well, can be seen on social media constantly. Someone can fire off unhinged pettiness in seconds. No one in another 100 years will be making a movie about wicked little letters of the 2020s, then — where would they start, or end? Right now, in this flick about disagreeable and distressing communications, contrasting the reality of the human penchant for mud-slinging across a century springs from a well-told story. In Wicked Little Letters' account of the Littlehampton events, Edith (Olivia Colman, Wonka) keeps receiving notes that overuse vulgar terms, and the God-fearing, prim-and-proper spinster, who lives with her strict father (Timothy Spall, The Heist Before Christmas) and dutiful mother (Gemma Jones, Emily), is certain that she knows the source of her unwanted mail. Living next door, Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley, Fingernails) is an Irish single mother to Nancy (Alisha Weir, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical), has Bill (Malachi Kirby, My Name Is Leon) as her live-in boyfriend, and is fond of a drink at the pub and of sharing her opinion. The two neighbours are as chalk and cheese as women of the time could get, but were once friendly. When Edith blames Rose, the latter's pleas that she's innocent — and that she'd just tell the former her grievances to her face, not send them anonymously — fall on deaf ears among most of the resident police. The reaction from the constabulary isn't astonishing. Papperwick (Hugh Skinner, The Witcher) and his chief Spedding (Paul Chahidi, Chad) think that it's an open-and-shut case, arrogantly and pompously so. Initially, "woman police officer" (as her colleagues insist on calling her) Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan, Black Mirror) shares the same conclusion. But when your very presence as the first female cop is treated as a novelty day in and day out at work, it isn't a leap to spot how preconceived prejudice dictates the use of the law — sparking Gladys into investigating whether there's more afoot, going against Spedding's orders, but with a trio of local women (Saltburn's Lolly Adefope, Boat Story's Joanna Scanlan and Doc Martin's Eileen Atkins) assisting. As Wicked Little Letters spins a whodunnit around its expletive-filled correspondence and lapses in accepted propriety — albeit one with low stakes, given that the culprit is largely obvious regardless of whether you know the real-life details going in — it does so with top-notch casting. Watching any Colman-starring film means seeing one of Britain's best actors put on a show, as everything from The Favourite to The Father attests. Here, it also involves witnessing a layered portrayal, not that that's unusual for the Oscar-winner. Edith is the picture of Catholic piety, but yearns for constant approval (being called a "pretty young Christian woman" gets her beaming with pride) after spending her entire existence under her abusive father's thumb. Envy also clearly courses through her veins towards the former acquaintance that she's sending to jail. Enjoying Colman's turn also means revelling in her ability to sling profanities when the narrative calls for it ("piss" and "foxy-arsed" are high among the scribe's terms of choice). Buckley, also as always, is as spirited as she is earthy — and expertly balances Rose's bold forthrightness with her inner vulnerability as the village witch-hunt keeps pointing its pitchforks Rose's way (primarily for daring to be unmarried, a mother, cohabiting with a man, known to curse and nothing but her irrepressible self). She's having as much of a ball as Colman with her part, in just-as-stellar a performance. The dynamic between Edith and Rose spells out the narrow-minded societal mindset about women at the time, including how such judgements and expectations were internalised, but neither Buckley nor Colman are stuck playing mere symbols or subversions of regressive attitudes. Also excellent is Vasan, in a role that's no less crucial, conveying a process that is never as easy to experience as it is to witness: realising how flawed the status quo is, how your existence has been shaped by it (female police officers weren't even permitted to marry or have children), then challenging it no matter the consequences. As shot with the warm hues typical of period-set English fare by cinematographer Ben Davis (The Banshees of Inisherin), this poison-pen story doesn't send much that's surprising to the screen — as a mystery, a satire, a bundle of character studies, a cop and courtroom drama, or a portrait of the era that it depicts. It also leans heavily on its strong language being entertaining. But Sharrock, comedian Sweet and their cast have such a handle on the scenario, its amusing potential, and everything that this true-crime tale says about the 1920s, 2020s and humanity's worst impulses regardless of the year, that it always works. When Colman and Buckley last appeared in the same movie, The Lost Daughter had them playing the same person; getting them sharing a frame, and swearing in it, is also worth watching.
The annual Orange Wine Festival is back for its 11th run, with ten days of events highlighting the region's sophisticated winemaking from October 13 through October 22. Patrons can expect wine shows, tastings, dinners and educational workshops, all of which showcase the rich diversity of Orange's rich culinary culture. This year's packed-out program includes over 90 events, which are open to all wine lovers, from the connoisseurs to those still getting to know their palate. The region is known for its cool climate which creates wines with bright fruit and deep, balanced flavours, making them some of the best drops in the country. While there are events on every day of the two weeks, signature events include the Festival Night Market, the Orange Wine Show Tasting ($50-$70) and Wine in the Vines ($145).
Whether you work in the industry, or you're just obsessed with everything about it, BIGSOUND is just like a Brisbane-based music lovers version of Christmas. The Foundry clearly feel the same way, which is why their pre-event party comes with a serving of festive spirit. Grinches, don't despair — it's just the name and the night-before levels of excitement they're aping, with the rest filled to the brim with indie vibes and a rock 'n' roll atmosphere. Given that Katy Steele, I Know Leopard, Ayla, Waax, Lanks and Machine Age are in charge of the evening's music, it's safe to say it's going to be a kick-ass event overflowing with good cheer. This event is one of our top five picks of BIGSOUND. Check out the other four here.
With winter finally digging its claws in, there's nothing like a quality, spiced spirit to get you through those long, cold nights. Luckily, Baron Samedi — not only an Haitian voodoo spirit, but a spirit of the liquid kind too — is coming to your rescue. Having popped up in Sydney last month, the good ghost is making his way north to Brissie. You'll find him in residence at West End's London Fields, serving up cockle-warming cocktails featuring Baron Samedi Spiced, ginger beer, lime and bitters, as well as cups of Voodoo Punch. Yet to be acquainted with Baron Samedi Spiced? Well, it's a Caribbean spirit laced with an exotic mix of spices, including vanilla, cacao, cinnamon and Haitian native, vetiver. Its namesake, Baron Samedi, is a master of all trades, from voodoo to guédé to gatekeeper of the afterlife. We're afraid we'd be ruining the fun, were we to let you in on too many more specific details. But we will say that on July 1 and 2 there'll be special appearances from some colourful characters. So get on down to London Fields this winter and experience Baron Samedi Spiced for yourself.
The buzz of January is over and if you need a little motivation to continue with those NYE resolutions, look no further than this activewear sale. Australian clothing company Active Truth is moving warehouses and, to make the move a little easier, is offering 40 percent off sitewide. Active Truth's swimwear and activewear is accessible to beachgoers and gym junkies of all shapes and sizes, with swimsuits, tights, crops, bike shorts and maternity wear all ranging from XS to 3XL. Check out these summery floral tights or this black one-piece swimsuit. As an added bonus, you'll receive free express shipping, so even though we're already more than a week into February, you'll have your new swimsuit at your doorstep before summer ends. Plus, Active Truth is committed to sustainability, supporting the The Seabin Project and making its swimwear from reconstructed recycled fibres, such as discarded fishing nets. If you're keen to snag some new togs, have a look through the catalogue and order before the sale ends at 11.59pm on Sunday, February 14. 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.
Lust for Life has a reputation of nabbing the work of Brisbane’s most interesting illustrators and placing it nicely on their walls, and their latest exhibition showcases the elaborate and skilful work of Tiffany Atkin. With Gyaru, she explores the concepts and representations of femininity within Japanese culture. Having openly admitted to being obsessed with Japan, Atkin describes this exhibition as “Japanfluenced pop illustration with bite.” Think big colours, delicate illustration and lines and patterns that make everything just pop. Atkin’s a bit of a local illustration superstar, and there’s a high chance you’ve already seen her work in action — she designed the logo for West End bar Bosc, does branding for Joyero Jewellry and has work show up every so often in various magazines.
The Church are one of those bands that have been around for what seems like forever. Some might say almost as long as, ahem, Jesus (Yes? No? Okay). Despite this, instead of tiring audiences with years of music and constant touring, they have somehow managed the reverse and their time in the business has only caused a growing fan base. Although they are often on the road, don’t be fooled into thinking that every performance The Church puts is uniform in its structure and song choices. This tour, Future Past Perfect, in particular, is special for the band as it’s a celebration of their 30th anniversary. After touring around both Australia and America this year they have finally returned to Brisbane and it is set to be a joyous occasion. For the first time in Church history they will be playing three of their renowned albums in their entirety, making the cost well worth it. Taking one album from each decade, the 30-year discography span is absolutely sure to provide for every fan the band has.
Whatever is gracing the Gallery of Modern Art's walls at any given time, it's usually stunning. Air, the venue's huge summer 2022–23 exhibition, is no different. Until Sunday, April 23, this thoughtful showcase ruminates on the life-sustaining substance, pondering air's cultural, ecological and political dimensions — complete with floating mirrored spheres, glowing red globes, butterflies aplenty, leafy plants, industrial pipes and a smoky, darkened room you'll never want to leave. Brisbane art lovers know that GOMA's exhibitions aren't simply dazzling to look at. For just a couple of nights each, they usually backdrop fabulous after-dark parties surrounded by all of those creative works. And, in 2023, Air is getting the Up Late treatment from 6pm on Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18. [caption id="attachment_884340" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tomás Saraceno / Argentina b.1973 / Drift: A cosmic web of thermodynamic rhythms (installation view) 2022 / 15 Aerocene spheres, transparent and metallic mylar, tape, pump with overpressure release, polyester rope, kinetic system, backpack, newspaper, pamphlets, booksand photographic prints on paper / Purchased 2022 with funds from the Neilson Foundation through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Tomás Saraceno / Photograph: Dario Lagana, Studio Tomás Saraceno.[/caption] Get ready to spend two autumn evenings seeing breathtaking installations, drinking, tapping your toes to DJs and listening to live music. A $42-per-night ticket gets you access to the exhibition, as well as the fun. On the lineup: Alice Skye and Clea doing the honours on the Friday evening, alongside DJ nejmere; and Camp Cope, Melaleuca and Special Features taking to the stage on the Saturday night, plus DJ Sonia Cougar. The live tunes will echo across the Maiwar Green, under a marquee, so you'll be hopping in and out of GOMA itself. Plus, there'll be multiple spots to grab a bite and drink around the place at the GOMA Bistro, Newstead Brewing Co Coastal Bar, River Room Bar and Bacchus Wine Room, so a tipple won't be hard to find. Expect live immersive art experiences and workshops, too — including a drop-in session inspired by Jemima Wyman's contribution to Air, which will get you suspending particles yourself by creating a cloud-like collage — and the kind of gallery visit you can't have via daylight. [caption id="attachment_884339" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anthony McCall / United Kingdom / United States b.1946 / Crossing (installation view) 2016 / Two double video projections (20 minutes), haze machine and sound, ed. 1/3 / Commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art. Purchased 2016 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Anthony McCall / Photograph: Chloë Callistemon © QAGOMA[/caption] Top image: Mona Hatoum / Lebanon/United Kingdom b.1952 / Hot Spot (installation view) 2006 / Stainless steel and neon tube / The David and Indrė Roberts Collection / Courtesy: The Roberts Institute of Art, London / © Mona Hatoum / Photograph: Claudia Baxter © QAGOMA. Updated February 3.
If the team behind the Insidious franchise could have their time again, we're betting they'd make a significant change. You don't need supernatural abilities to pick what they'd fix, with their decision to kill off Lin Shaye's parapsychologist Elise Rainier in the first movie something they clearly regret. In the second film, they brought her back via the spirit world, while the series' third and fourth instalments have gone down the prequel route. It's easy to understand why — as the plucky otherworldly expert tasked with helping ordinary folks battle literal demons, Shaye is the best thing the horror saga has going for it by far. Indeed, thanks to the veteran actress, the Insidious flicks deserve a little more credit than they generally get. After all, how many franchises can say they have a 74-year-old woman as their star? A genre veteran with everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Critters to the Ouija movies to her name, Shaye remains as committed to her role as Elise as ever, including this time around. That said, pushing a septuagenarian front and centre can't make up for the series' largely by-the-numbers construction, which grows increasingly apparent with each new chapter. It would take serious mystical abilities to breathe life into the formulaic effort that is Insidious: The Last Key, for example. Directed by Shaye's 2001 Maniacs co-star Adam Robitel, this derivative outing keeps its protagonist around by taking a tried-and-tested path: an origin story. Anchored in Elise's childhood, the movie could easily be subtitled "this time, it's personal". As an introductory segment explains, she was once a girl (Ava Kolker) with special abilities, living near a prison, with a stern executioner father (Josh Stewart) who didn't approve. In the modern-day storyline, Elise is called back to her former home by its current resident (Kirk Acevedo), who's having some paranormal troubles of his own. Set in New Mexico's Five Keys and featuring a ghoul by the name of KeyFace, Insidious: The Last Key is anything but subtle. The paranormal villain also has keys for fingers, and doors and locks are prominent throughout the film. Although he created the series and has penned every instalment to date, Australian actor and screenwriter Leigh Whannell appears to be going through the motions with the flimsy narrative, even when he tries to step into more thematically interesting territory. Part of the movie focuses on abuse and the cycles of violence it can create, but it's treated with the same clunkiness as the supposedly-comic romantic subplot that sees sidekick characters, played by Whannell and Angus Sampson, hitting on a couple of much younger women. Of course, depth isn't something the franchise has ever counted among its strengths. Nor, for that matter, is comedy. Other than Shaye's presence, it has always fared best as a genre exercise. When The Conjuring's James Wan was at the helm of the first two films, what the series lacked in smarts and story, it almost made up for with its well-executed bumps, jumps, shadowy images and unsettling atmosphere. Nodding affectionately to (and borrowing liberally from) iconic horror flicks has always been part of the package too, but Wan's handling of demonic spirits and haunted houses still struck a stylistic chord. Sadly, as this trying, generic effort demonstrates, Robitel doesn't have the same talents with aesthetics or with scares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV7tKm6JCCU
After three years without sugar, Damon Gameau has come off the wagon in a big, bad way. Intent on uncovering amount of processed sugar in an average Australian diet, the actor-turned-documentary filmmaker puts his own health on the line, consuming the equivalent of roughly 40 teaspoons of sugar a day. The result is a lively and eye-opening documentary on a subject that needs as much attention as it can get. Gameau’s most obvious compatriot is Morgan Spurlock, who likewise put his own health on the line back in 2004 with the Oscar nominated Supersize Me. The comparison is an obvious one, and you’d be right in thinking that That Sugar Film seems suspiciously similar. But where Gameau has an edge is that his focus is on so-called health food. When a man dines on McDonalds for a month, of course he packs on the pounds. But when you get the same results with vitamin water and low-fat yogurt, the story is suddenly very different. Behind the camera, Gameau does everything he can to keep his viewers entertained. Music and colourful graphics are in plentiful supply, giving the film an at times hyperactive quality that fits the subject matter to a tee. Information often comes delivered with the aid of unexpected celebrity cameos, including appearances by Hugh Jackman, Isabel Lucas and Stephen Fry. There’s an initial temptation to dismiss the movie out of hand; after all, Gameau’s diet doesn’t exactly constitute sound scientific method. Yet despite the film’s gloss and gimmickry, Gameau could never be accused of sugar coating the facts. That Sugar Film attacks its subject from every conceivable angle, including sugar’s effect on children’s learning habits, the correlation between high sugar diets and poverty, and perhaps most unsettling of all, the lobbying efforts of billion-dollar food corporations, whose strategies seem frighteningly similar to those of big tobacco. Still, the scariest thing about this doco is the way in which it confronts us with just how much sugar we all consume. In one of the movie's most memorable sequences, rather than eating a day’s worth of sugary food, Gameau simply eats the equivalent amount in white sugar crystals, providing viewers with a visual reference point that’s both funny and revolting. While its message can seem obvious at times, That Sugar Film has the potential to change the way people think and behave. What higher compliment can a documentary film be given?
From the director of Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary and Shallow Hal comes a race-relations drama with five Academy Award nominations to its name. Only a handful of years ago, that would've seemed like one of the most unlikely sentences in the film industry. But Green Book is a Peter Farrelly movie through and through, even if no one gets their tongue stuck to a frosty pole, uses an unconventional type of hair gel or dons a fat suit. It might take its real-life tale seriously, however the same simplicity — and the same penchant for upbeat, easy sentiment — that has characterised the director's filmography remains. Taking to the road across America's Deep South circa 1962, Green Book follows a journey within a journey. As revered classical musician Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his hired chauffeur Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) venture from town to town on a piano recital tour, this odd couple ventures towards an unexpected friendship. Painfully aware of the discrimination of the time, the reserved, refined Shirley understands the need for a chaperone, but is hardly accustomed to some of his driver's behaviour. For the mouthy, uncouth Lip, a New York bouncer who's happy to treat African-Americans the same way he'd treat an unruly bar patron, working for a black man likewise takes some getting used to. Co-writing the screenplay with Brian Currie (also one of the film's producers) and Nick Vallelonga (son of Tony 'Lip' Vallelonga), Farrelly throws up plot developments like his characters throw fried chicken scraps out of the car window. That's one of Green Book's big scenes, and it's tossed in breezily but lands with a thud. The same is true of much of the movie. Simultaneously light and overt, and shot and styled in the same way, this is a picture that ticks all of the obvious boxes, charts all of the predictable developments and services all of the expected messages. It has a heart, as do most of Farrelly's films, yet it always seems like it's expending most of its energy on stressing its feel-good importance. While scenes that show Tony learning to overcome his own prejudice, saving Shirley from violent attacks and teaching him that stereotypical aspects of black culture may have a basis in truth, they also feel carefully calculated to further the picture's overall vibe. A film that makes Lip the protagonist and Shirley the supporting player, Green Book is also a film that's willing to shape the details to suit its smooth angle on reality. That's far from uncommon in the "based on a true story" game, but even if controversy hadn't sprung up about the handling of specific aspects of Shirley's life (with his family contesting some elements), the movie would've still felt massaged for mass consumption. Indeed, Farrelly has a mould that he's trying to fit, earning and thoroughly deserving the label of this year's Driving Miss Daisy. It's also this year's The Blind Side, aka a picture where a person of colour's narrative is framed through their relationship with a helpful white friend, or saviour. Green Book's questionable approach would've always been apparent, but it perhaps cuts deeper because of the film's biggest success: its performances. Oscar-nominated for their respective roles, Mortensen and Ali truly make the best of the material at their disposal. More than that, they exceed it — as you'd expect from both. In Mortensen's case, there's a welcome looseness to his take on Lip that never feels like he's forcefully pushing buttons or hitting marks, even though the script always is. With likely two-time Best Supporting Actor winner Ali, there's soulful elegance, resounding dignity and quiet vulnerability to his portrayal of Shirley, giving the man what he deserves even if the film around him doesn't. Although a great movie could be made starring the pair, this isn't it. Instead, they lift a polite hug of a picture, one that boils down good intentions to the easiest, most conventional elements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18JX_RS-Xo
